About See Yourself In STEM
The See Yourself in STEM project aims to enable students, particularly those from groups underrepresented in STEM, to engage with science and technology as citizen scientists around the challenges of climate change. In collaboration with local STEM researchers from across Glasgow, the students will participate in hands-on STEM activities and learn how to demonstrate science research in order to inspire them to consider a STEM career path. Funded by the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLiC) under the Scottish Government School Library Improvement Fund (SLiF), led by Glasgow Life in partnership with the STEM Equals programme, See Yourself in STEM is focused on inspiring the next generation of researchers in STEM. Six groups of pupils from three schools, Smithycroft, All Saints, and Shawlands, will participate in the project. The groups will include S1 and S2 pupils, so their ages will range from 11-14.
Researchers Role Models
We are delighted to have recruited 18 Glasgow-based STEM Researcher Role Models to participate as volunteers in the See Yourself in STEM project to inspire the next generation of STEM researchers. The Role Models include academic staff, postdoctoral researchers, PhD students, and undergraduates with research experience researching a wide range of STEM subjects. The Researcher Role Models will participate in two workshops before being supported to deliver four sessions with school pupils. Researchers will work in pairs or trios to deliver the four sessions. The overall time commitment is approximately 10 hours.
Timeline
- Wednesday 31st March 1-5pm: Glasgow Science Centre’s Inspire and Challenge training
- Wednesday 28th April 2-5pm: STEM Equals workshop
- During March or April (optional): Register as a STEM Ambassador
- May 2021: Four one-hour sessions with school pupils (dates to be confirmed)
Sessions in Schools
Researchers will be prepared to either deliver the sessions in person in the three schools or deliver the sessions online, based on guidance from the government and the schools and in accordance with health and safety protocols. For in person sessions, researchers will be reimbursed for their travel costs to the schools. The four one-hour sessions include:
- First session: Researchers will deliver the introduction to the See Yourself in STEM project
- Second session: Researchers will demonstrate STEM research focused on citizen science around the challenges of climate change in one of three themes: Earth, Air, Water
- Third session: Researchers will support pupils to practice demonstrating STEM research
- Fourth session: The pupils will demonstrate STEM research for their younger peers over video, with the support of the researchers