National Space Academy to deliver at Big Bang 2012

The National Space Academy has been asked to deliver student masterclasses and teacher CPD sessions on behalf of the UK space Agency at this years Big Bang Fair in Birmingham. For more information on Big Bang 2012, click here

National Space Academy Project Director to guest lecture for the International Space University

The National Space Academy's Project Director Anu Ojha has been invited to guest lecture to the International Space University's (ISU Strasbourg) MSC class in the Spring term. Dates to be announced.

National Space Academy to deliver at ESA's Galileo Teacher Training Programme

The National Space Academy has been asked to lead an intensive hands on teacher CPD session at ESA's European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC) in Madrid this February. For more information on this programme please click here

National Space Academy Science Symposium to see formal launch of the expanded nationwide model

Following on from the sucessful appointment of a Regional project manager and 7 new Lead Educators, the National Space Academy will be holding the initial national Space Academy Training Symposium for all new staff. This will allow existing staff and the new appointees to share ideas and methodologies for expanding the programme. A keynote speech will be given by Professor Paul Monks of the University of Leicester (Space Leadership Council and NERC Council).

National Space Academy Appoints Regional Project Manager and Lead Educators

The National Space Academy has recruited a Regional Project Manager who will be based at the Harwell Campus in Oxfordshire. In addition a further 7 Lead Educators have been appointed across England to enable the programme to deliver outstanding student masterclasses and CPD to a wider national audience. Details of the appointees will be made available soon.

National Space Academy is recruiting a Southern regional manager

To help facilitate the transition to a National Project, the National Space Academy is recruiting a part time regional project manager to be based at the Harwell campus in Oxfordshire. Closing date for completed applications is 12 noon Friday 2 December 2011. For more information on this role, please click here

National Space Academy Recruits Lead Educators

The National Space Academy is recruiting National Lead Educators. A key element of the National Space Academy programme, these are outstanding secondary school teachers who are released from their schools/colleges for 23 days per year to work with international experts in the Academy partnership in developing and delivering curriculum support programmes and CPD for students and teachers in Key Stages 3, 4 and 5.

The hallmark of the National Space Academy programme is excellence at all levels. We invite outstanding teachers to apply for roles as National Space Academy Lead Educators in the following subjects:

• Physics

• Chemistry

• Mathematics

Closing date for applications: Friday 25th November 2011

National Space Academy Presents at IOP Physics Teachers Conference

The National Space Academy was invited to present an interactive masterclass at the Institute of Physics' Physics Teacher's Conference on 11th September 2011 at the University of Birmingham. National Space Academy Director Anu Ojha presented an hands on session on how the discoveries of the Space Age transform our everyday lives.

Space Academy Presents at ESA's Teacher Conference

Space Academy Project Director Anu Ojha was invited to present four sessions at ESA’s 2011 Teacher Conference held at ESTEC (the European Space Research and Technology Centre) Holland. These were focused on the Rosetta mission to comet Churymov-Gerasimenko and also on using data from ESA/NASA’s SOHO (Solar Heliospheric Observatory) mission to teach A level physics concepts – a joint ESA/Space Academy project developed at ESAC (the European Space Astronomy Centre) in Madrid. For more information please click here

National Space Academy returns to the European Space Camp

Building on the resounding success of last years contribution, National Space Academy Education Officer Sophie Allan was invited back to present to participants of the 2011 European Space Camp at the Andoya Rocket Range in Norway. In addition to her lecture, Sophie was invited to become team leader for the atmospheric physics group on the rocket project. Once again the National Space Academy sessions received the best feedback of all of the attendees, and we look forward to working with the European Space Camp in the future. 

Space Academy Supports African Gifted Foundation

Space Academy Project Scientist Dr Simon Roberts presented a two day workshop entitled "Reach for the Stars" at the African Gifted Foundation (AGF), Makere University, Kampala, Uganda. The African Gifted Foundation’s aim is to set the benchmark for gifted education and to lead by example by delivering high quality gifted educational opportunities to 1,000 gifted young Africans each year, in cooperation with leading African universities and institutions from the UK.

The theme for the AGF Academy 2011 was maths and ICT and covered subjects such as finance and markets, codes and cyphers as well as space technology.

For a report on Kampala 2011, see the AGF January newsletter here.

Space Industry Experience preparing city students for a career in science

Year 11 students from Leicester City schools participated in the Space Academy's pilot Space Industry Experience.  This intensive two week enrichment project gave participants an insight into the life and work of space scientists through hands - on practical activities, the opportunity to meet and speak to space industry professionals and focused on strengthening key skills that they will need for the future. 

For the report please click here

Space Academy presents at the European Space Camp 2010

Space Academy Education Officer Sophie Allan presented a two hour masterclass to participants of the 2010 European Space Camp at the Andoya Rocket Range in Norway.

For more details please click  here 

Space Academy competition winner has a successful launch at the European Space Camp.

Ryan MacDonald, winner of the Space Academy's senior competition jetted off to the Andoya Rocket Range in Norway accompanied by Space Academy Education Officer Sophie Allan. Over the course of an amazing week he participated in a number of exciting, once in a life time space based activities, and conducted real, hands on rocket science by helping to build and successfully launch a sounding rocket.

Click here for the report from European Space Camp 2010

Space Academy masterclasses at European Space Agency’s 2010 Teacher Conference

The Space Academy Director Anu Ojha delivered masterclasses as part of ESA’s 2010 Teacher Conference from June 28th-30th at ESTEC – the European Space Research and Technology Centre in Holland.

Click  here for a summary of the event.

Space Academy presentation at ESA-EC strategy session

In March this year Project Director Anu Ojha was invited to present at a European Space Agency/EC strategy workshop held at the International Space University in Strasbourg and focusing on the roles of science and education within Europe’s long-term strategic planning for robotic and human space exploration. 

Click here for more information.

Space Academy project highlighted as “best practice” by European Union (EU)

The European Union’s NEREUS initiative (Network of European Regions using Space Technologies) has highlighted the Space Academy project as an example of educational “best practice” in the use of space as a context for formal student and teacher curriculum support. Click here for more information

Click here for more information.

Space Academy - further NASA collaboration

The Space Academy team has been invited to collaborate on two NASA education projects focusing on the use of GPS (Global Positioning System) and EO (Earth Observation) in high school teaching. Project Director Anu Ojha will be co-ordinating work with NASA Dryden (located at Edwards Air Force Base in California) and NASA’s Human Research Program (Johnson Space Center) on these new initiatives which may yield major new opportunities for UK science teachers to work with US colleagues and to participate in Earth Observation research during 2011 as part of NASA’s AREE program. For more information on the AREE program click here

Space Academy Project Director chosen as European Space Agency (ESA) “Space Champion”

The National Space Centre’s Director of Education and Space Communications, Anu Ojha, has been chosen as an ESA “Space Champion” for England. As part of his role, Anu will be expanding the current availability of Space Academy masterclasses, teacher CPD opportunities and careers events for students and teachers across the United Kingdom. Anu shall also be presenting about the Space Academy project at an ESA-EC conference on March 29th-30th at the International Space University, Strasbourg. The conference theme is Science and Education in Human Space Exploration.

Space Academy teacher wins Royal Society award!

Space Academy Lead Educator Judith Green, an Advanced Skills Teacher (AST) at Robert Smyth School in Market Harborough, is a winner of the Royal Society’s Hauksbee award for 2010. Judith and the 9 other winners from schools and academia were chosen from a National field of candidates to acknowledge their outstanding work in supporting Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education.  For a link to the Hauksbee awards page click here

Space Academy launches space apprenticeship with Magnaparva

Magna Parva Ltd www.magnaparva.com – the international provider of engineering design services for applications in hostile environments – is showing an innovative route to encouraging talented young people into engineering by successfully recruiting the first apprentice under the Space Academy programme.

Josh Thompson will work with Magna Parva for an initial three years while working towards his BTEC HNC qualifications. He will also receive training at the National Space Centre on space exploration and communications skills. For more information on the apprenticeship click here

Space Academy success in Houston

The Space Academy team were recently invited to present sessions at the world’s largest space education conference at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. The team - Project Scientist Dr Catherine Muller (University of Leicester), science teacher Ruth Williamson (Priory LSST Academy, Lincoln), Project manager Dr Sarah Hill and National Space Centre Education Director Anu Ojha – showcased how ESA’s Rosetta mission could be used to teach high school physics and chemistry concepts. In addition, they focused on new teaching ideas developed by the project that focus on GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) – and how science from space can be used to safeguard the future on Earth. For more information please click here

Space Academy and RAF Centre of Aviation Medicine

The Space Academy programme is working with the RAF’s Centre of Aviation Medicine at RAF Henlow to develop new curriculum programmes and teacher CPD focused on how Human Spaceflight can be used as contexts for STEM learning. The Royal Air Force has supported the installation and equipping of the new Space Academy Science Laboratory – to be officially opened in the Summer of 2010 - and has provided invaluable support through the loan of various items of equipment for use in student and teacher masterclasses – including a British-designed high-altitude full pressure suit and a (decommissioned) ejection seat!

The new teaching laboratory will be used for student and teacher masterclasses as well as for training/education sessions by the Royal Air Force and other industry partners.

Space Academy Roadshow News

The Space Academy Roadshow is a three day event for students involving curriculum masterclasses, team-building activities including simulated space missions in the Challenger Learning Centre and kinaesthetic physics activities including flying in a vertical wind tunnel!

Recent roadshows were held for students from Lincolnshire (King’s School Grantham and Kesteven and Grantham Girls School) and Birmingham’s Building Bridges project. Birming Building Bridges project website

Further roadshows planned for this summer include for Northamptonshire and Derby City schools. For details on how to arrange a Space Academy Roadshow for your school click here.

European Space Camp 2009

Dr. Sarah Hill, the Space Academy Project Manager visited the Andoya Rocket Range in Norway to observe the European Space Camp 2009.  One lucky Space Academy competition winner will be awarded a place next year.

Click here to read Sarah's report

Click here to go to the Space Academy competition page 

This week long Science and Engineering residential is run by the Norwegian Space Centre and ESA (European Space Agency).

During the week attendees work with Scientists and Engineers at the world's most Northerly rocket launch site.  The week culminates with students designing, building, launching and tracking their own Mach 2+ rocket into the lower stratosphere.