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Hello SIP Ambassadors, have you recovered from the very busy month of March? There was so much going on, for example National Apprenticeship Week, National Careers Week, British Science Week. We’d love to hear from you if were involved in any of these or indeed any other type of outreach activity. It would be fantastic to share news stories and experiences across the network (it is easy to log your activities via the online form)

Enterprising Science Challenge Day 

A great example of where we have been working with SIP Ambassadors to make a difference is via the Enterprising Science initiative.

As you may have picked up over the past few months, we have been inspiring the next generation of young scientists through the Enterprising Science half-day activities in schools across Greater Manchester, Cheshire, and Kent & Medway. Selected students from each of the schools are then invited to come together for a Challenge Day.

We were delighted with the success of our first Enterprising Science Challenge Day that took place at the Museum of Science and Industry in March. Five schools from Greater Manchester took part; Burnage Academy, Chorlton High School, the Deanery High School, Irlam and Cadishead College and Priestnall School.
Ambassadors provided a highly stimulating start to the Day. Dr Nicholas Weise from the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology set the scene for the day by providing an inspiring presentation on the impact of biotechnology and its associated career routes. The students then took part in a rotation of Science Ambassador Careers talks. We had a great mix of Ambassadors, whom the students were able to quiz and interview to find out what it’s really like to work in the field of science.

The students found this helpful in understanding the different routes people take into scientific roles and the various jobs and career pathways.

Toothpaste challenge

Then it was over to the students to inspire the Ambassadors with their innovation and creativity – the challenge was to develop a new toothpaste aimed at the teenage market. Each team was made up of a mix of schools and each presented their research and new products to three Ambassador Judges. The winning team pictured above bottom right each won high street shopping vouchers and Burnage Academy won the ‘Science in a Box’ workshop that will be delivered in school by Pfizer Ambassadors.

Big thanks to all the Ambassadors who took part for their time and enthusiasm.
 

Goodbye to Liz: thanks from SIP Board for commitment to outreach

Much of the work that helped to establish and develop the SIP Ambassador and Careers Outreach programme has been driven by the SIP Careers Working Group. Since its inception in 2014 Liz Greenfield, Head of Human Resources, North-East Region and UK HR Director at Pfizer has been its Chairperson.

Liz is moving on from Pfizer and consequently will be stepping down as Chair at the end of April.

The SIP’s Chair, Dr Malcolm Skingle, on behalf of the SIP Board has expressed gratitude for Liz’s commitment to the network: “Liz is a passionate advocate of nurturing new talent for the sector and has devoted an enormous amount of time on driving the Ambassador programme forward.

“On behalf of the SIP I’d like to express our gratitude and thanks to Liz for all of her passion and commitment to building the network to nearly 400 Ambassadors, a remarkable achievement, and we wish her the very best for the future.

“And of course we’d also like to thank Liz for her wider contribution to the ambition of the SIP since its formation as a Shadow entity in 2013, through her seat on the Board and input to our significant development over the last five years."

Momentum for careers and outreach through the SIP Ambassador programme will continue, and we’ll let you know who the new Chair is once they are appointed by SIP.
 

Opportunities

If you are looking for volunteering opportunities to ultilise your outreach passion and skills, you will now find the opportunities that come direct to us from schools, colleges and other partner networks listed on the Discussion Board on Cogent Learn. If you are intereted, please take a look and see if there is anything in your area.

Please get in touch if you’ve forgotten your password to access Cogent Learn

Log your SIP Ambassador Activity to help us celebrate outreach

We’d really appreciate it if you could log your activities on the online form. At the end of the year, all your activities will be turned into Ambassador Awards!



Science Fact of the Month

A cornfield of one acre gives off 4,000 gallons of water per day in evaporation.


Science Video of the Month

Amaze children and then explain what’s happening in this video about static electricity

Science Joke of the Month (courtesy of Prof. Stephen Hawking)

Higgs Boson walks into a church. The priest says “we don’t allow higgs bosons in here”.
Higgs Boson replies “but without me you wouldn’t have mass”.

And Finally from me

It’s goodbye. I have decided to pursue a new opportunity, so this is my last newsletter to you.

I’d like to say thank you to all the Ambassadors that have been active this year, and in particular, I’d like to say a huge thank you to those Ambassadors that supported me personally in delivering the Enterprising Science programme. After my leaving date at the end of May, I’ll be leaving you in the very capable hands of Jacki Mason.

If you have any questions or feedback then please get in touch with Jacki at jacki.mason@cogentskills.com  or by telephoning on 07795 505350
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