WIREDGOV

Students from schools across the United Kingdom have spent part of their summer holidays programming robot prototypes designed to explore other planets and researching solutions to combat climate change.

The 70 GCSE and A-Level students have been taking part in work experience placements which are run by the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s (STFC’s) Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) in Oxfordshire.

The placements which run each year from June to August range from space science, particle physics and laser science to photography and science communications, and provide unique opportunities for students to contribute to high tech science research to help prepare them for the competitive work place environment.

One of the placements involved producing a series of interactive, hands-on classroom activities using a prototype robot or ‘rover’ to help primary and secondary schools learn more about science, computer programming and technology. The rover which is controlled by a laptop was programmed by three teams of work experience students to perform tasks such as detecting types of liquids on a planetary surface. The students also worked on the design of the robot adding equipment to measure temperature and an infra-red range finder to tell the robot how close it is to an object.

"The work experience at STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory has been a really great experience and I’m glad I had the opportunity to work here. It has definitely made me consider a career in Space Science as I would love to have the knowledge of some of the top scientists here," said Jessica Heath from King Alfred’s School, Oxfordshire.

Each person works alongside STFC scientists and engineers and is assigned a placement supervisor who also acts as a mentor.

"One of the key things we want to do is to motivate and generate interest in science and engineering for the next generation, said Brian Maddison, Placement Supervisor and Project Manager in RAL’s Space Science and Technology Department. "Science and technology bring huge benefits to our society and economy. In a recession this message is more important that ever. Young people not only want to find a job or a place at university, they want to learn new skills and be inspired into career choices - this is a step in that direction."

"Most of the students are thinking about their future careers - what A-levels to do, what subjects they would like to study at university or what jobs to apply for," said Jo Lewis, Education and Public Outreach Manager at STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. "By working in groups made up of students from different schools and parts of the country, they learn key project management, communication and team work skills much sought after by employers and universities. This also helps the students gain in confidence. It’s not easy meeting tight deadlines, and giving presentations to teachers, scientists and peers - the students have to do this from 8.30-5pm each day for two weeks or more! Having this kind of work experience on their CV can give someone the edge over other applicants."

The work experience projects not only equip the students with new skills and confidence, but can be invaluable for scientific research.

The GeoEngineering for Climate Change (GE4CC ) work experience project is one such example. Working together intensively over a two-week period, the students investigated carbon capture and other technological ways of combating the build-up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The students’ report will feed into STFC’s Futures Programme which looks at where research can be best applied in areas which make a difference to peoples’ lives.

In addition to programming robots and investigating carbon capture, some of the students worked on designs for a prototype beam monitoring device for ISIS, one of Europe’s leading particle accelerators specializing in novel research in areas such as medicine, energy, security and the environment.

"Work experience at STFC Rutherford Appleton laboratory has been one of the best experiences I have ever had," said Vyoma Shukla from St Dominic's Sixth form College in Middlesex. "Working on the beam monitoring project at ISIS has been a very challenging and enjoyable task. I have learnt the importance of analytical thinking to design and execute a programme, and working in a team under supervisors at ISIS has been enriching and has helped me to improve my communication skills."

Notes for editors

Contacts:

Bekky Stredwick

Press Office

STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory

Email: Bekky.stredwick@stfc.ac.uk

Tel Number: 01235 445777

Mobile: 07825861436

Images available:

High resolution images are available from STFC’s press office.

Image 1: Work experience students taking part in a project to programme a remote exploration robotic vehicle at STFC's Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. Image taken on 20th July 2010 shows Front row, left to right;- Matthew Mountford-Lister, Faringdon Community College, Ben Falkner, King Alfred’s Wantage, Edward James Wigmore, Abingdon School, Luke Smith, King Alfred’s Wantage, Harry Watts, King Alfred’s Wantage, Back row;- Daniel Hatton, Faringdon Community College, Benedict Westhenry, All Saints School Weymouth Dorset, Kate Jones, King Alfred’s Wantage, Benjamin Rhys Giraud Flote, Faringdon Community College and Jessica Heath, King Alfred’s Wantage. Credit: STFC

Image 2: The remote exploration robot programmed by a group of work experience students at STFC's Rutherford Appleton Laboratory - image taken on 21st July 2010. Credit: STFC

Image 3: Matthew Izzard from King Alfred's School, Wantage, gaining work experience at the ISIS facility at STFC's Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, 15th July 2010. Image shows Matthew working with CAD programme on a shutter lift mechanism for ISIS Second Target Station. Credit: STFC

Image 4: Benedict Westhenry from All Saints School, Weymouth, Dorset taking part in a work experience project to programme a remote exploration robotic vehicle at STFC's Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. Image taken on 20th July 2010. Credit: STFC

Further information:

Inspiring young people is one of the STFC's main objectives. This is achieved through a focused programme of engaging young people with science, engineering and technology to maintain the quality of UK science, engineering and technology. STFC’s work experience programme has been running annually for over 20 years. It offers work experience placements to over 60 students each year, each lasting from one to two weeks or more. The students come from schools and colleges across the UK and are mostly year 10. As far as possible they are placed depending on their interests indicated on their application form.

Many of the placement projects complement the How Science Works part of the National Curriculum’s Programme of Study for Science. They often involve writing a report about the work undertaken with follow up discussions in the classroom once the placement has come to an end.

A list of participating schools can be obtained from STFC’s press office.

STFC work experience June-Aug 2010: number of students per county

County Number of students

Banbury, Oxon 1

Berkshire 3

Buckinghamshire 3

Cornwall 1

Dorset 2

Essex 1

Gloucester 2

Hampshire 1

Hertfordshire 1

Kent 1

London 5

Middlesex 1

Oxfordshire 51

Somerset 1

Surrey 2

West Yorkshire 1

28 students worked on team projects including GeoEngineering for climate change, ISIS beam diagnostics and space robotics.

A further six students received a Nuffield Science Bursary to undertake 4-6 week projects at RAL. The bursary scheme provides opportunities for young people in schools and colleges to participate in scientific research projects during their summer holidays to find out more about careers in science, technology, engineering or maths (STEM). The Nuffield Bursary funded projects included:

o carrying out testing and analysis for very high speed data recording on space cameras;

o developing challenging activities to help teachers deliver the Engineering Diploma such as building robots and producing an accompanying instruction and teacher resource pack;

o a particle physics theory based project around the balance of matter and anti-matter immediately after the Big Bang, a concept known as Baryon-Asymmetry;

o working with space scientists to produce a system to manipulate images from NASA’s STEREO space mission, which is orbiting between the Sun and Earth, looking at Coronal Mass Ejections from the Sun’s surface.

The remaining students worked individually along side a work experience supervisor.

ISIS

ISIS is a world-leading centre for research in the physical and life sciences at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory near Oxford in the United Kingdom. Its suite of neutron and muon instruments allows the properties of materials to be understood at the scale of atoms. ISIS supports a national and international community of more than 2000 scientists for research into subjects ranging from clean energy and the environment, pharmaceuticals and health care, through to nanotechnology, materials engineering and IT.

At the heart of the facility is a high-power particle accelerator called a synchrotron. Every 20 milli-seconds the synchrotron is filled with a beam of protons circulating over 12,000 times, by which time the protons have enough energy to travel at 84% of the speed of light. Finally, the protons are extracted from the synchrotron and fired into a tungsten target where they interact with the tungsten nuclei to release neutrons for experiments.

Science and Technology Facilities Council The Science and Technology Facilities Council ensures the UK retains its leading place on the world stage by delivering world-class science; accessing and hosting international facilities; developing innovative technologies; and increasing the socio-economic impact of its research through effective knowledge exchange partnerships and public engagement.

The Council has a broad science portfolio including Astronomy, Particle Physics, Particle Astrophysics, Nuclear Physics, Space Science, Synchrotron Radiation, Neutron Sources and High Power Lasers. In addition the Council manages and operates three internationally renowned laboratories:

- The Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Oxfordshire

- The Daresbury Laboratory, Cheshire

- The UK Astronomy Technology Centre, Edinburgh The Council gives researchers access to world-class facilities and funds the UK membership of international bodies such as the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN), the Institute Laue Langevin (ILL), European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), the European organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere (ESO) and the European Space Agency (ESA). It also contributes money for the UK telescopes overseas on La Palma, Hawaii and in Chile, and the MERLIN/VLBI National Facility, which includes the Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank Observatory.

The Council works closely with the UK Space Agency (www.ukspaceagency.bis.gsi.gov.uk) on the UK civil space programme.

www.stfc.ac.uk