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posted by janrinok on Wednesday January 28 2015, @07:22AM   Printer-friendly
from the a-peake-into-space dept.

Should we say NO even before the project is finished (citing Betteridge's law of headlines)?

Science Education researchers at University of York are to work with leading space scientist and The Sky at Night presenter Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock to investigate if human spaceflight inspires school students to take science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects.

The £348,000 three-year project, funded by the UK Space Agency and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), will focus on British astronaut Tim Peake's mission to the International Space Station (ISS), to be launched at the end of November 2015.

Tim Peake is the first British member of the European Space Agency's astronaut corps, and he will become the first Briton to visit the ISS. As well as delivering invaluable scientific research and cutting edge technology, it is hoped that the programme will boost participation and interest in STEM subjects among school children.

The research will involve gathering views from pupils and teachers from a sample of 30 primary and 30 secondary schools. In addition, perspectives will be gained from space scientists on areas of the industry that may influence students. Participants will be asked their advice on space science resources for use with school students, leading to the production of an overview of those resources. The study, starting in January 2015, will also involve the design of a new instrument to assess school students' attitudes to STEM subjects and to space science.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-01/uoy-dsf012715.php

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 28 2015, @07:35AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 28 2015, @07:35AM (#138788)

    need another cold war

    • (Score: 2) by maxwell demon on Wednesday January 28 2015, @08:31AM

      by maxwell demon (1608) on Wednesday January 28 2015, @08:31AM (#138802) Journal

      need another cold war

      Well, it looks like the world is on its way to one.

      --
      The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
      • (Score: 3, Insightful) by davester666 on Wednesday January 28 2015, @09:40AM

        by davester666 (155) on Wednesday January 28 2015, @09:40AM (#138813)

        yes...only instead of between countries, it is between a countries so-called "homeland security" and the citizens of the country.

  • (Score: 1) by warcques on Wednesday January 28 2015, @01:47PM

    by warcques (3550) on Wednesday January 28 2015, @01:47PM (#138855)

    This seems more like a 348000 pounds-silver valorization of one of their few astronauts than a research study. Read an F'ing history book and talk to your colleagues; they were most definitely inspired by the Apollo missions. Nerds in LEO on the other hand, who knows if that's cool...

    • (Score: 2) by Zinho on Wednesday January 28 2015, @05:55PM

      by Zinho (759) on Wednesday January 28 2015, @05:55PM (#138964)

      Nerds in LEO on the other hand, who knows if that's cool...

      according to my sig, it's not...

      --
      "Space Exploration is not endless circles in low earth orbit." -Buzz Aldrin
  • (Score: 2) by GungnirSniper on Wednesday January 28 2015, @05:14PM

    by GungnirSniper (1671) on Wednesday January 28 2015, @05:14PM (#138954) Journal

    What good is a space program if we won't allow students to fire their own rockets on school fields, mix any harmless chemicals outside of baking soda and vinegar, or even look at a solar eclipse? [owu.edu]

    Some children were required to look at the ground and place their hands over their eyes while walking out to their busses at the end of the day.

    The message we're sending isn't just that science is dangerous but it has no tangible use. It's just another set of theories to regurgitate on tests.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 29 2015, @04:05AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 29 2015, @04:05AM (#139091)

      Yep, just another brick in the wall...

  • (Score: 1) by Gertlex on Wednesday January 28 2015, @06:43PM

    by Gertlex (3966) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday January 28 2015, @06:43PM (#138974)
    Something space-related that I feel could inspire students is Andy Weir's The Martian [amazon.com] . (The book was originally free, and still is if you search for it; but the author had to cater to those unable to side-load epub files...) It's a science-y Robinson Crusoe and/or astronaut Macgyver survival tale.

    Having finished a couple degrees in engineering in the past few years, this was an awesome read full of fun math problems that didn't have to be solved by the reader, and presented in an entertaining manner. The story includes tons of interesting differences between Earth and Mars that you would not initially realize. Granted, too much "vulgar" language for it to ever make it into a high school, but the vulgarity adds to it.

    Obviously recommended to anyone reading this site, too.

    A few good books like this should ensure any STEM-inclined kid stays on that track.