2000 + 1: A Maths Space Odyssey - a co-created maths, planetary science and astrophysics digital adventure game

We aim to produce "2000 + 1: A Maths Space Odyssey" which will be a publicly accessible digital game that challenges players to perform astronautical manoeuvres through completing relevant Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 3 (ages 8-14) mathematics questions.

Players will see the real-life application of the mathematics they are doing played out in simulated orbital mechanics using engaging 2-dimensional graphics. For example, at Key Stage 2 the challenges could include adding the appropriate delta-v to get a rocket to the correct speed. At Key Stage 3 this could be substituting given quantities into the appropriate physical law (using Kepler or Tsiolkovsky equations) to get the correct speed for the desired orbital period.

Challenges will be based around STFC-supported missions such as orbital adjustments for future LaunchUK missions. We will use this as an opportunity to showcase STFC science and technology (contributing to the STFC public engagement strategy point 1). A "sandbox mode" will be available for curious players who wish to explore orbital mechanics in a less structured way. The completed game will be an accessible digital teaching aid for use in the classroom and will be publicly available for informal science learning.

The development of this game and parallel public engagement resources will be done through a co-design and co-creation process with the target audience. Consequently, there will be design events where we engage the public with building the game, and delivery events where we engage the public with the final product. We see the engagement at these distinct events to be of equal importance in the project.

In the first year of the project, we will work with local (Barnet) schools, youth groups and Middlesex University undergraduate students (both STEM and the arts) to co-design the game (narrative elements, challenges, digital resources, coding, and STFC integration) in outreach events. If the application is successful, the project will become a compulsory part of the undergraduate maths students' curriculum and assessment as an authentic and novel mathematics outreach project.

In the second year of the project the finished product, now a high quality, co-created public engagement activity, will then be delivered to target audiences as part of further outreach events delivered with our undergraduate students (contributing to the STFC public engagement strategy point 5). The proposal builds on the mathematical pedagogy research by the applicants on the use of technology, their expertise on co-design for community outreach (for example with SmashFestUK), and the team's proven track-record in delivering public engagement at all scales.

The project will have a primary focus on working with communities under-served and under-represented in STEM through targeted primary and secondary schools, and the wider Barnet community through the Middlesex University STEM festival. Other communities will be engaged through our involvement in further public engagement events such as the Big Bang at schools.

Middlesex University undergraduates, who are typically from disadvantaged backgrounds (60.3% of Middlesex students are from the lower two IMD quintiles), are a critical part of this project as they are uniquely placed to engage with children from similar backgrounds with low science capital. The co-design process will involve collaboration between children and undergraduate scientists with the aim of widening the children's perceptions of who scientists are and the accessibility of science for them.

All learning materials from this project will be distributed free-of-charge to schools. We have extensive networks through the university and our contacts at SMASHFestUK providing a distribution route through many science communication and teacher training organisations.

The output from our co-design process will be documents and shared on the Middlesex mathematics website to provide a blueprint for further co-created mathematics projects by ourselves and others. The code for the completed game will be published to an online repository (e.g. GitHub) with a permissive license for others to build on.

The outputs of this grant include the production of papers for peer-reviewed journals in the areas of public engagement, science communication, maths pedagogy, and technology enhanced learning. The academic output will be presented at appropriate conferences such as the International Conference on Technology in Mathematics Teaching. The project personnel have an excellent track record in maths pedagogy publications and conference talks.