”When you tell people you make stars for a living, their heads turn and their mouths open.” The video features Dr Kim Cave-Ayland who is a control engineer at Culham Centre for Fusion Energy (CCFE). 

These resources explores how engineers have used their knowledge of waves to improve lives.  The activities include:

• Using the reflection of light to create a floating image
• Investigating the best material for thermal resistance (insulation) in a survival suit

Curriculum links...

This activity asks students to plan and carry out an investigation to test the suitability of materials to absorb or insulate sound and to identify what other variables need to be considered when choosing a material to use in a building. Students also consider whether a...

This challenge asks teams of students to plan a major sporting event in their local area. The resource provides an opportunity for students to explore their ideas in a creative environment. Teams can define their own goals and priorities, but may want to focus on three main areas of planning an event:

•...

Mechathlon, from the Centre for Science Education, is a set of teaching materials which offer a cross-curricular approach to learning about engineering. The context for this case study is designing a multipurpose vehicle which could aid recovery following a devastating...

This resource, from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), allows students to investigate the wide range of sophisticated imaging technology available in modern hospitals, and to explore the latest ideas in search-and-rescue robotics.

This collection of practical activities, investigations and games is all based on current lunar research. It supports many aspects of working scientifically and links to area of the curriculum including: earth and space, light and shadows, forces, materials, changes of state and rocks and soils. Activities are...

In this activity, students investigate the potential effects to health of the use of mobile phones and their transmitters, which use radio waves and microwaves to transmit information. Research can include the electromagnetic spectrum and its applications and how energy...

This module introduces the STEM Projects Toolkit, its background and its goals. A schematic diagram shows the contents of the resource pack, showing the pathways which teachers and technicians can use to access information and enrich lessons.

The resource builds on the successes of the CREST Awards, a formal...

This module, from the STEM Projects Toolkit, considers the use of the inquiry-based approach in everyday teaching of STEM subjects, encouraging students to use initiative and make independent decisions. The resource compares different types of Inquiry Based Learning and includes approaches for differentiation and...

This module of the STEM Projects Toolkit considers how to move from traditional teacher-led individual lessons to student-designed and student-led inquiry based lessons and projects. The emphasis is on guiding students and encouraging them to explore and research topics, actively participate in the learning process...

This module of the STEM Projects Toolkit explains what a good project provides for students, encouraging them to develop independent learning skills and reflective practice. This part of the toolkit provides the first practical steps for teachers and technicians in conceiving and developing a STEM project.

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Module 5 of the STEM Projects Toolkit explains the steps that can be taken between students carrying out projects in their own classes and presenting a project at a STEM competition or fair. Although this can be a daunting prospect, it can give students a positive experience of presenting themselves and their work...

Module 6 of the STEM Projects Toolkit gives information on the many opportunities that students can take to present their projects in STEM competitions and fairs. The resource describes the practical steps to be taken to make a project ready for a competition or fair, including describing what the judges would be...

Produced by LSIS, this short activity can be used to monitor and assess understanding of moments. It can also be used as an extension or reinforcement activity at the end of a topic on moments or as a revision activity. It is a useful way to check students’ familiarity with, and use of, the spoken and written...