An Exoplanetarium For Schools
Lead Research Organisation:
Keele University
Department Name: Institute Env Physical Sci & App Maths
Abstract
The Keele Astrophysics Group wishes to develop an exciting schools outreach programme using a
mobile “Exoplanetarium”. During the grant period we will upgrade our current planetarium to a
spherical mirror projection system, which will allow us to develop dynamic new presentation
material based on Keele’s internationally recognised, STFC-funded, SuperWASP search for
transiting exoplanets and on other aspects of STFC-funded research at Keele such as star
formation and stellar evolution. In partnership with Keele’s Widening Participation Division
and the West Midlands Science Learning Centre (based at Keele), we will take the
Exoplanetarium into many tens of secondary schools in Staffordshire, Shropshire and Cheshire.
Our aims are:
(1) to promote our STFC-funded research in exoplanets and star formation and to promote the
idea of post-16 and higher education in science to more than 5,000 secondary school
pupils per annum, especially in areas (e.g. Stoke-on-Trent, Wolverhampton) with poor
participation rates in higher education;
(2) to enthuse and inspire those pupil’s teachers and to forge lasting partnerships with a
large number of schools, which will be re-visited on an annual basis and in turn will
visit us at our recently refurbished Keele Earth and Space Observatory;
(3) to offer this facility and our expertise to schools at excellent value for money;
(4) to train a cohort of young scientists (undergraduate and postgraduate students at
Keele) in delivering outreach programmes;
(5) to make this ambitious programme sustainable well beyond the period of this grant.
mobile “Exoplanetarium”. During the grant period we will upgrade our current planetarium to a
spherical mirror projection system, which will allow us to develop dynamic new presentation
material based on Keele’s internationally recognised, STFC-funded, SuperWASP search for
transiting exoplanets and on other aspects of STFC-funded research at Keele such as star
formation and stellar evolution. In partnership with Keele’s Widening Participation Division
and the West Midlands Science Learning Centre (based at Keele), we will take the
Exoplanetarium into many tens of secondary schools in Staffordshire, Shropshire and Cheshire.
Our aims are:
(1) to promote our STFC-funded research in exoplanets and star formation and to promote the
idea of post-16 and higher education in science to more than 5,000 secondary school
pupils per annum, especially in areas (e.g. Stoke-on-Trent, Wolverhampton) with poor
participation rates in higher education;
(2) to enthuse and inspire those pupil’s teachers and to forge lasting partnerships with a
large number of schools, which will be re-visited on an annual basis and in turn will
visit us at our recently refurbished Keele Earth and Space Observatory;
(3) to offer this facility and our expertise to schools at excellent value for money;
(4) to train a cohort of young scientists (undergraduate and postgraduate students at
Keele) in delivering outreach programmes;
(5) to make this ambitious programme sustainable well beyond the period of this grant.
