group activity stem discoveries and stem in everyday items

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Group Activity STEM discoveries and STEM in everyday items

Fingerprint Analysis

Did you know...

Fingerprint analysis

Fingerprints are an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. They are detailed, unique, difficult to alter and durable over a person’s life time.

Fingerprint identification is known as dactyloscopy.

Identical twins have the same DNA but have different fingerprints.

Fingerprint analysis has been used since the early 20th century which has led to many crimes being solved.



Gore-Tex

Did you know...

Gore-Tex

Invented in 1969 Gore-Tex is a waterproof, breathable fabric, able to repel liquid water whilst allowing water vapour to pass through.

It is made of stretched polytetrafluoroethylene (PFTE), commonly known by the trademark Teflon.

Gore-Tex is most commonly used in clothing but is also used in medical products such as synthetic knee ligaments, vascular grafts and sutures.



Penicillin

Did you know...

Penicillin

In 1928, Alexander Fleming discovered the first antibiotic, penicillin, which he grew in his lab using mould and fungi.

Antibiotics are powerful drugs that kill dangerous bacteria in our bodies that make us sick.

Without antibiotics, infections like strep throat could be deadly.



Perfumes

Did you know...

Perfumes

Fragrance is around you all the time whether it is the smell of your freshly laundered clothes, the scent from your deodorant or the aroma of your perfume.

Perfumes are made up of many different materials, some natural and some synthetic.

A fine fragrance typically contains between 150 and 200 individual chemical compounds.

All naturally occurring odour materials contain only 5 chemical elements; hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and sulphur.

There is no specific language for odour in any culture. Think about it, it is easy to describe sound, touch, sight but how do you describe odour. How exactly does a banana smell? Or how about an apple? Can you describe the smell apart from saying it smells like a banana? Perfumers have a special language for describing scent.



X-Rays

Did you know...

X-Rays

Wilhelm Roentgen, a German physicist, discovered X-rays in 1895.

X-rays go right through some substances, like flesh and wood, but are stopped by others, such as bones and lead.

This allows them to be used to see broken bones or explosives inside suitcases, which makes them useful for doctors and security officers.


Brian Cox Professor of High Energy Particle Physics from the University of Manchester.

Group Activity Famous STEM Professionals

Did you know...

Brian Cox

Professor of High Energy Particle Physics from the University of Manchester.

He is a particle physicist working on the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider in CERN, Switzerland.

He is best known as the presenter of a number of science programmes for BBC television.

Cox revealed on The Jonathan Ross Show that he performed poorly on his Maths A-level: “I got a D... I was really not very good... I found out you need to practise”.


Mae Jemison American physician and

NASA astronaut.


Did you know...

Mae Jemison

Mae was born on the 17th October 1956.

American physician and NASA astronaut.

She was the first African-American woman to travel in space when she went into orbit aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour on September 12th, 1992.

After medical school and a brief general practice Jemison serviced in the Peace Corps from 1985 until 1987, when she was selected by NASA to join the astronaut corps.

She resigned from NASA in 1993 to found a company researching the application of technology to daily life.


Marie Curie Physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity.


Did you know...

Marie Curie

Marie was a Polish and naturalized-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. Her achievements included the development of the theory of radioactivity and the discovery of two elements, polonium and radium.

During World War I, she established the first military field radiological centres.

She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the first person and only woman to win twice, the only person to win twice in multiple sciences, and was part of the Curie family legacy of five Nobel Prizes.

She was also the first woman to become a professor at the University of Paris.

Under her direction, the world’s first studies were conducted into the treatment of neoplasms, using radioactive isotopes.

She founded the Curie Institutes in Paris and in Warsaw, which remain major centres of medical research today.


Tim Berners-Lee English computer scientist and

inventor of the World Wide Web.


Did you know...

Tim Berners-Lee

Sir Timothy John Berners-Lee born on the 8th June, 1955.

He is an English computer scientist, best known as the inventor of the World Wide Web.

He made a proposal for an information management system in March 1989, and he implemented the first successful communication between a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) client and server via the Internet that same year.

In 2004, Berners-Lee was knighted by the Queen for his pioneering work.

He was named in Time magazine’s list of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th century.

Lesson Plan 1What does STEM mean to you?

Skills:

• STEM Knowledge• Research Skills• Creative Thinking• Teamwork• Communication

Resources:

• Lesson Plan• Famous STEM professionals cards• STEM Discoveries and STEM in everyday

items cards• Plain paper – pens / pencils

Preparation:

• Download and print all cards

Aims:

• Inspire students about STEM.

• Challenge any myths or stereotypes they may have about STEM professionals and careers in STEM.

• Discover that STEM is everywhere – looking at the STEM behind everyday items.

• Discuss famous STEM professionals and explore important STEM discoveries and how they have impacted our lives.

Duration: 45 – 60 minutes

Activity:

Group Discussion on what they already know about STEM professionals and careers.

Ask the following questions:

Team Exercise:1. Split the students into groups of 4-5 and ask them to draw 1 scientist and 1 engineer. They need to come up with the images as a team.

2. Ask them to give their characters a first name and surname. 3. If you have time or for older pupils also get the group to draw the place that person works in and write 3 words they associate with that person.

4. Collect the pictures and then compare them, drawing out any myths or stereotypes that they have either dispelled or reinforced with their pictures.

a) What does STEM stand for? (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths)

c) What do STEM professionals do?

b) How many careers related to STEM can you think of?

d) Does anyone know a STEM professional?

Potential myths/perceptions to use for this include:• STEM is only for boys – see next section to dispel.• STEM is boring – see STEM discoveries section to dispel.• STEM is only for the really clever people – talk about different routes into STEM other than university e.g. apprenticeships – see additional information section at the end of the lesson plan.• People who work in STEM are ‘geeks’ or ‘nerds’ – STEM professionals are just like us they have similar hobbies and interests e.g. sport, music.

End the session by explaining that a career in STEM can offer:


Talk through the following individuals and their achievements. Use the Famous STEM professionals cards provided to aid discussion and bring it to life. You may wish to research other famous STEM professionals to use in addition to our examples.

• Mae Jemison• Tim Berners-Lee

• Brian Cox• Marie Curie


Talk through the following examples and how they have impacted our daily lives. Use the STEM Discoveries and STEM in Everyday Items cards provided to aid discussion and bring it to life. Some students may benefit from additional imagery to help them understand the impact on our lives.

• Penicillin• X-Rays• Gore-Tex

• Perfumes• Fingerprint Analysis

Additional information

Below is a summary of career routes available to students:

Work experience

Work experience is usually a placement at an employer’s premises in which a student carries out particular tasks or duties, more or less as an employee would but with the emphasis on the learning aspects of the experience. Only students in their last two years of compulsory schooling or taking post-16 courses are eligible. The vast majority of pre-16 placements last for two weeks, while post-16 placements can be more varied in length depending on the course the student is studying. Work experience is unpaid, but out-of-pocket expenses are often reimbursed and a placement can sometimes lead to a paid job.

Apprenticeships

An apprenticeship is a structured programme of training which gives young people the opportunity to work for an employer, learn on the job and build up the knowledge and transferable skills that will be needed throughout their working life. One advantage of an apprenticeship is that you can earn while you learn. They can also be undertaken part time.

More information about apprenticeships can be found here:

www.cogentskills.com/new-talent/individuals/


Training and development opportunities

Make a difference to the world

STEM skills are always in demand by employers

Global Travel

Excellent pay (over a lifetime those who follow a STEM career can earn on average £250,000 more than someone who takes a non STEM careers.

group activity stem discoveries and stem in everyday items

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