Hi everyone,

 

Apologies for cross-posting or if you’ve already received this from myself, my Glasgow Science Centre colleagues or through my network of fellow Royal Society of Chemistry Education Coordinators.

 

I’ve developed a survey to try and get a feel for the wider chemistry landscape in science and discovery centres; please read on if this is of interest to you!

 

Chemistry in Science & Discovery Centres Survey – An Invitation to Participate!

 

As part of a project to improve our chemistry offer at the Glasgow Science Centre, I’m developing some recommendations for better embedding chemistry in informal science learning programmes.

 

I’ve been warmly welcomed into a couple of other centres across the UK to get a better idea of common challenges and best practise in engaging people with chemistry. As I can’t physically get around all the centres across the UK and Ireland (though I’d love to) I would really like to get a better feel for the general landscape: how other discovery centres approach chemistry (or not), whether there are common barriers and what challenges people think are inherent in developing chemistry exhibits and experiences.

 

Whether you’re a science centre, discovery centre or museum- please join in the conversation. The survey is open to anyone who thinks it’s relevant to their centre and is interested in the outcome of the survey and resulting recommendations. The resulting report will be sent to survey participants when it’s finished, should they wish to use the information to enhance their own chemistry programme.

 

The questions are levelled at ‘Science Learning’ personnel who would be involved in developing programmes or exhibitions, or management staff involved in strategic decisions about STEM direction and fundraising. If this is you, I’d be grateful if you could spend 15 minutes completing the survey, or if you think someone else in your centre would be better placed to get involved then please feel free to pass it on to the relevant person.

 

You can find the survey here.

 

The survey results will help inform recommendations about how we approach chemistry through science communication, revisiting narratives around existing programmes and activities to incorporate relevant chemistry and taking a look at how strategy, expertise, funding and staff perceptions of chemistry all affect whether chemistry makes it into discovery centres or not.

 

I appreciate and thank you for your time and insight, and hope that by sharing our collective approaches to science specialisms within STEM we can gain clarity on the best practises to implement that would support the incorporation of chemistry into STEM learning in our centres.

 

Best wishes,

 

Katy

 

Dr Katy Mould MChem Hons PhD MRSC

Royal Society of Chemistry Education Coordinator, Scotland

West, South West and Eilean Siar

 

Based at Glasgow Science Centre

 

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Office 0141 420 5010 (x306)

Mobile 07525230937

 

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