IHY outreach in the UK

1
IHY outreach in the UK
Living in a stars atmosphere
Lucie Green, Richard Stamper(?) 1Mullard Space
Science Laboratory, UCL, UK and 2Rutherford
Appleton Laboratory, UK
Linking the public to IHY science
Linking schools to IHY science
A series of public events are being planned
throughout IHY to ensure that the momentum is
sustained throughout the initiative, To
illustrate the Sun-Earth connection in a visually
appealing way a 3-D arcade booth is being
developed to tour around science centres and
public spaces. This will include real footage of
the aurora taken from two locations and viewed in
a special 3-D booth.

• Schools are a target audience for communicating
  IHY science in the UK. The emphasis on the
  activities in this area focus on scientists
  visiting their local schools to run workshops and
  give talks about their research and build
  sustainable links.
• The following is being organised
• Training sessions to enable scientists to go
  into schools
• Specially designed workshops to fit with the
  curriculum
• Schools touring exhibition (dependent on
  funding)

A major highlight of the year will be our exhibit
at the Royal Societys Summer Exhibition. This
event is attended by a diverse audience including
schools, the public and Members of Parliament.
Jodrell Bank played a major role in IGY and was
the only telescope in the Western world able to
track the carrier rocket of Sputnik 1. Jodrell
Bank has a series of public events planned
throughout the year.
Looking at the Sun through a filter
Education conference
The Association for Science Education is the UKs
professional association for science teachers
with around 20,000 members. In January 2007 a
special IHY session was run for teachers and
science advisors, and materials given out in the
exhibition hall.
The Lovell radio telescope at Jodrell Bank
Local public events are also being planned, for
example Merseyside Astronomy Day in the north of
England and UK institutions will participate in
the Europe-wide Open Doors initiative

• Handout materials included
• links to the curricula
• lesson plans which relate to the science of the
  Sun and the Sun-Earth connection
• kit that can be used in the classroom
• posters
• information leaflets

Articles
A series of articles will be published throughout
the year to communicate IHY science within the
research community and to schools and the public.
School competition
The Sunspotter safe and simple way to observe
the Sun
Science Festivals
The professional body for solar system science in
the UK is the Royal Astronomical Society. The RAS
runs an annual newspaper competition for schools
across the Country. The theme of the competition
for 2007 asks students to think about what the
next 50 years of space science will bring. The
competition covers the age ranges 7 to 14 years
old and a newspaper article or feature article
can be submitted.
IHY talks and activities will be carried out at
the UKs 2 major science festivals. Cheltenham
Science Festival in June will include talks on 50
years of space exploration. The British
Association for the Advancement of Science
Festival in September will have an IHY talk and a
workshop in their programme for 14-19 year olds.
Both festivals together attract over 500,000
participants.
The IHY outreach programme is funded by the
Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council
WEBSITE http//ihy2007.org.uk/outreach/
IHY Inauguration Ceremony February 19, 2007