‘The Universe in your Classroom’ is a new project led by Dr Haley Gomez and Dr Edward Gomez, that will use the UNAWE Universe in a Box toolkit to engage with 100 teachers and reach over 1400 primary school students from all over Wales. By establishing this project, Wales becomes an active participant of the Universe Awareness project.
The initiative will employ a team of role models - ranging from astronomy undergraduates to professional astronomers - who will visit schools across Wales, reaching 60,000 pupils over a decade. By combining innovative teaching tools and technology including robotic telescopes, enquiry-based learning and Universe in a box kits, each visit will bring the wonders of the Universe into the classroom.
In recent years the numbers of students, notably women, taking up physical science subjects has been in decline in many countries. Outreach activities that engage young people, like Universe in you Classroom, are viewed by governments worldwide as being vital to reversing this downward trend. STEM subjects, along with other numerical disciplines, are highly valued across a range of occupations, offering students varied career opportunities.
Dr Haley Gomez from the Cardiff School of Physics and Astronomy said:
"Our diverse group of science role models will help demonstrate to young children that science is for everyone. We hope to help Welsh children (and their teachers) become more interested and more confident in science and technology, using the awe-inspiring medium of astronomy.”
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