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Outreach

Astronomy is not only the oldest of sciences, but also one at the cutting edge of technology and discovery and it remains one of the most popular of sciences with the general public. Barely a week goes by without an astronomical discovery or event making headlines somewhere in the world. While astronomers are fortunate to work in a subject area that inspires such passion and enthusiasm from others, it is also their responsibility to clearly communicate current research ideas and results. On this page you can read about some of the outreach work that I do and how you (or your school) can get involved, or you can follow me and my work on my blog, A cluster of thoughts.



Citizen Science for the Classroom

As part of my work as a STEM Ambassador I work with local schools to help them set up after-school STEM clubs and to help their students work towards their CREST awards. CREST awards were established by the British Science Association and provide an opportunity for students to work on simple science projects with an award for their work and achievement. I am working with local schools to set up a number of simple astronomical projects suitable for CREST awards, and which teachers can use in their STEM clubs.

The projects I have developed exploit real astronomical data, such as images of nebulae and galaxies, or catalogs of stars. Astronomers have such a wealth of data that there are ample resources for school children to use for this purpose. Plus the advantage of these projects are that the students can use real data and potentially make real discoveries!

I call this project Citizen Science in the Classroom, and once we've tested these projects we'll be making them available to schools across the country for them to exploit. So if you or your school would like to get involved, email me at nick.nwright AT gmail.com and we'll try to set something up.


Public Talks and Talks for Schools

I am available to give public talks and talks at local schools (in the Hertfordshire area) on a variety of subjects. Recent talks I have given include:

Note that I am an approved STEM Ambassador with an enhanced certificate of DBS checks.



Sharing the Wonders of the Universe

We have a series of A2-size astronomy-themed posters available free to schools. Each poster describes some cutting-edge science conducted at the University of Hertfordshire, along with some real astronomical images. More will be produced in the future, but see the examples below for an idea. Email me at nick.nwright AT gmail.com if you'd like me to send some out to your school.