A lecturer from Brunel University will be working with students from Hatch End in Harrow to involve them in the science of weather.
Dr Andy Russell, Lecturer in Climate Science at Brunel University, will be visiting Hatch End High School during the coming year. The school was chosen by The Royal Society, the UK’s national academy of science, to receive a Partnership Grant, which enables local scientists and engineers to work with teachers from the school to implement an innovative science project.
The project, called “Why do we have the weather that we have?” aims to get school pupils immersed in the science of weather and climate. Pupils from Years 7-12, aged between 11 and 17, will set up a weather station at their school and learn about making weather forecasts.
Dr Russell said: “Our project will bring to life what pupils learn about in the classroom and help them to understand the impact of science and engineering upon their day-to-day activities. We demonstrate how vital these subjects are by making them relevant.”
The pupils will also study the station data to understand how our conditions differ from the weather and climate of other countries, and study historical observations.
Professor John Pethica FRS, Vice-President of the Royal Society, said: “Science and engineering are exhilarating and dynamic subjects and we hope that by giving teachers the opportunity to introduce innovative science that we can help show young people how much fun in real-life these subjects can be, and inspire them to become the inventors, explorers and innovators of the future.”
He added: “We’re looking forward to seeing this imaginative project come to life over the coming months.
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For further information on Dr Andrew Russell’s project, please contact the Brunel University Press Office:
Email press-office@brunel.ac.uk; Tel: 01895 274688.
For further information, please contact the Royal Society Press Office
Alice Henchley on 020 7451 2514 or alice.henchley@royalsociety.org
NOTES TO EDITORS
- Dr Andy Russell works at the Institute for the Environment (IfE) within Brunel University. IfE was recently awarded the Queens Anniversary Prize for its ground breaking environmental science research.
- The Royal Society is an independent academy promoting the natural and applied sciences. Founded in 1660, the Society has three roles, as the UK academy of science, as a learned Society, and as a funding agency. www.royalsociety.org
- The Royal Society provides strategic and independent advice to the Government, its agencies and key opinion-formers, with the aim of improving science and mathematics education in schools and colleges across the UK. Our key goals are to ensure that we have a science literate public and to inspire as many young people as possible to study science and mathematics post-16.
- The Partnership Grants scheme offers up to £3000 of funding for schools who, through working in partnership with scientists or engineers, develop and deliver creative projects to engage young people with science.
- Teachers, scientists, engineers and industry partners interested in applying for a Partnership Grant should visit www.royalsociety.org/education.