So, British Science Week is over for another year. We hope you had a brilliant time celebrating all things science, technology, engineering and maths – we loved seeing all your updates! Do keep tagging us on social media with photos and videos from your events @ScienceWeekUK with the hashtag #BSW23.
Just because the Week has come and gone, the fun doesn’t need to end. There are loads of resources still available that you can use to keep the excitement about science engagement going all year round.
Activity packs
All four activity packs will remain available to download FREE from our website, where you will also find an archive of packs dating back to 2018!
Post-Week, the activities can be incorporated into lesson plans, used in after-school STEM* clubs, at home, in community group settings or anywhere in fact. A selection of the activities, marked with a special logo, can even inspire a CREST Award project!
Why not put Sustainable soap - an activity in the Primary pack that lets children explore the efficacy of different types of soap - towards a SuperStar CREST Passport.
Older children could adapt Ecosystems connections, and many activities besides, from the Secondary pack into a Bronze CREST project.
Read our blog to find out more
Smashing Stereotypes
Our fabulous library of over 40 Smashing Stereotypes profiles is available all year, and can be used to demonstrate to children and adults alike the diversity of STEM professionals and their roles.
This year’s profiles include Seyed Nasrollahi, a video game developer who is using AI to bring fun and engaging STEM education into this super-popular medium. Joining him in the 2023 cohort is chemical engineer Lauren Doyle, who works to pioneer sustainability in her industry. Chemical engineering is a male-dominated field in which Lauren is making waves!
We've made a series of short films showcasing some of our profiles, in which they reveal why they’ve chosen a career in science, how they’ve followed their passions, and the stereotypes they’ve ‘smashed’ along the way. Check out a teaser video below:
Question Time
On Thursday 9 March, the British Science Association (BSA) hosted Question Time, a live-streamed panel event for British Science Week!
The panel included the BSA President and CEO of Stemettes Anne-Marie Imafidon, A-level student and Stemette Aisha Kukoyi and Michael Sulu, Lecturer in Biochemical Engineering at UCL.
There was a fascinating panel discussion, followed by questions from the audience, on how science needs to be better positioned in society to encourage all young people connected to scientists and their work.
The live recording is still accessible on YouTube – it is an enlightening watch!
TheDadLab
After you’ve watched Question Time, stay on YouTube and make your way to TheDadLab channel.
During the Week, TheDadLab hosted a live demonstration of an activity from the Community pack, Extracting DNA from strawberries. The pack and video are still available free online – try it with your community group!
BBC Teach Live Lesson
On 13 March, Rhys Stephenson and Maddie Moate hosted a very special Live Lesson with BBC Teach, and it’s still available on iPlayer!
This programme is perfect for 7-11-year-olds – they’ll be helping astronaut Frankie come back to Earth from space. They’ll also hear from real-life astronauts Dr Helen Sharman and Bob Hines!
Connections to science
A topic we wanted to address this British Science Week was our society’s connection to science. A 2022 survey showed that just 34% of 14-18 year olds think science is relevant to their lives.
To help inspire young people to see how broad a spectrum science is - and the personal connections we can all make - we installed a temporary photography exhibition in London Bridge station. The photographs showed scientists working in all sorts of fields, with a quote describing why they think science is ‘for them’.
While the exhibition is over, you can still see the photos on our website, and follow instruction to share your own connection to science with us via social media.
The poster competition
The poster competition is one of the most popular ways for children up to age 14 to participate in the Week, and there’s still time to enter! The theme is ‘Connections’, feel free to get imaginative and think outside the box
Each school or group can submit five posters each, and the deadline in 6pm, 31 March.
Find all the info to enter the competition here