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STEM at TWGSBThe main STEM subjects at TWGSB are Science, Mathematics, Computing and Design & Technology. Cross-curricular links are made through extra-curricu-lar clubs, school trips and activities carried out outside the normal curriculum such as during activities week. As a school we are seeking to help pupils recognise how the subjects that they study can lead to rich and varied career pathways. TWGSB has a strong his-tory of students going on to undertake STEM related careers or degrees at University. For example, 36% of the 2014 TWGSB leavers have started a STEM related degree.

This STEM magazine is designed to inform, inspire and develop wider interest. There are lots of hyper-links within the text so it is best viewed on a screen. I hope you enjoy it!

Mr. E. Goddard (Assistant Head i/c STEM)

What is STEM?STEM is an acronym for science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

STEM subjects are integral to the UK’s success: the UK is the world’s sixth largest manufacturer, engineering turnover is around £800 billion per year, and whilst the UK makes up only 1% of the world’s population, we produce 10% of the world’s top scientific research. Despite this, it is remarkable to note that even though STEM graduates have the potential to earn amongst the highest salaries of all new recruits, employers are finding it difficult to recruit STEM skilled staff. Alongside our need for a skilled STEM workforce, it is crucial that all young people, regardless of their future career pathway, have the STEM knowledge and skills they need to be an informed citizen in an increasingly scientific and techno-logical society.

Extract taken from the National STEM Centre website

Free Software for students!Some software used at school is free to students or the school holds licences for students to download and use at home. Included below is a list and how to download: Circuit Wizard (see DT dept.) ProDesktop - 3D CAD (see DT dept.) 2D Design - 2D CAD (see DT dept.) Picaxe Editor 6 Design Spark PCB Design Spark Mechanical - 3D CAD Autodesk (35 industry standard packages)

MagazineAutumn 2014

TWGSB STEM

STEM badges These pin badges will be available to students who show commitment to STEM through their regular attendance and contribution at a STEM related club.

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Clubs and Events

Club Staff Year/Room/Day/TimeLego Robotics E Goddard KS3/10/Wednesday/1235-1325

Digital Inventors E Goddard All/10/Tuesday/1235-1325

Programming club C Humphrey Yr8-11/31/Wednesday/1250-1320

Maths in Motion G Young, L Johnston KS3&4/M1/Monday-Friday/1230-1325

Bridge F Connell All/M4/Thursday/1245-1325

Scale Model Making Club T Ash and A Roberts All/Lab11/Friday/1235-1325

Sixth Form Maths Club L Morris Yr12&13/NB1or2/various

National Cipher Challenge L Morris Yr10-13/NB1/October-January

7 Xtra F Oschilewski Yr7/rm9/Monday-Friday/1300-1325

Junior Maths Enrichment A Abu Hayyeh KS3/various

Science STEM Club D Lesquerre All/Lab5/Friday/1245-1325

Student Robotics E Goddard Yr12&13/Timetabled enrichment

Darwin Club A Donovan All/Lab8/Thursday/1245-1325

There are a large number of ways you can get involved in STEM both in and out of lessons. This page high-lights clubs, enrichment and events that may be of interest.

Autumn term eventsBloodhound SSC Stem Experience 17th September (Year 10&11)Teentech 25th September (Year 9)Construction, Engineering and Design Expo Careers Carousel

8th October (Year 12&13)

Student Robotics Kickstart event 25th October (Year 12&13)IET Kent Family Christmas Lecture Colours Tripping the Light Fantastic - 4th December - Canterbury (free)

Colour scientist Ben Craven use his favourite colour experiments to explore the world of colour vision. Register to attend (click here).

Lego Robotics Regional final 9th December (Years 7-9)Royal Institution Christmas Lectures

This year’s lectures, entitled “Sparks will fly: How to hack your home” will be delivered by Professor Danielle George, an Electrical and Electronic Engineer from the University of Manchester. Watch out for it on BBC Four at Christmas time. rigb.org/christmas-lectures

General Interest

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STEM related PodcastsHow about subscribing to a relevant podcast to keep up to date on a topic of interest? Here are some examples of available BBC Podcasts and typical recent broadcasts:

Costing the Earth - Energy Storage (13th May 2014) - Solar and wind energy can often be wasted if it’s not needed when it’s generated. Tom Heap looks at ideas for storing energy, using the landscape or science, and asks if it’s enough.

Inside Science - European ancestry; CERN is 60; Graphene; Penguins (18th Sep 2014) - Adam Rutherford and guests illuminate the mysteries and challenge the controversies behind the science that’s changing our world. Covering everything from the humble test tube to the depths of space, Inside Science is your guide to how science is evolving, transforming our culture, and affecting our lives.

Tech Tent - Watch and learn (12th Sep 2014) - The rumours have been swirling for a while, but finally tech giant Apple unveiled a smart watch. What impact will this have on the already bustling wearable technology market? Will it be a game changer and can Apple repeat the success of previous devices - or is this one piece of technology that consumers might feel they don’t really need? Can your sleep be improved by a sensor?

More or Less - Do We Use Only 10% of Our Brains? (29th Aug 2014) - Is it true that humans use just 10% of their brains? It’s the premise of the new film Lucy, in which the brain capacity of Scarlett Johansson’s character increases to dangerous levels. Tim Harford uses considerably more than 10% of his brain to separate the neuro-science facts from the fiction with Professor Sophie Scott.

Peter Day’s World of Business - Health Technology (15 Aug 2014) - Peter Day goes to Silicon Valley to discover the innovations that are promising to transform healthcare. Can the technology companies really help us live longer, healthier lives?

Bloodhound SSCAlready 7 years into the planning and designing, a UK based team aiming to break the 1000mph barrier for the world land speed record in 2015. Check out the website to find out more. The project is entering its exciting final phase of testing.

New 3D printer!TWGSB has taken delivery of a new 3D printer in the DT department. This replaces the original Rapman 3D printer and complements the 3D printers in the ICT department. The Active X1 printer is designed and built in Southborough by Active 3D. The printer will be used by students in DT for design prototyping and project work as well as in Digital Inventors club: come and have a go at designing something to print! Check out a recent video, on the BBC earlier this month, of the printer being used to print ear scaffolds at the London Royal Free Hospital. http://t.co/ZIONrmVo7h

InMoov robot With the assistance of Justin Carpenter, founder of Active 3D the Digital Inventors club is building a forearm and hand assembly from the InMoov open source project www.inmoov.fr. Here is the life size hand with two fingers strung ready for the servos.

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Careers, Courses and Competitions

Careers, Scholarships, BursariesArkwright Scholarships - TWGSB is an affiliate member of this scheme. The Arkwright Scholarships Trust is a registered charity that administers the most prestigious scholarship scheme of its type in the UK. They identify, inspire and nurture future leaders in Engineering and Technical (as opposed to Aesthetic) Design. Arkwright Engineering Scholarships are awarded, through a rigorous selection process, to high-calibre students in year 11. The Scholarships support students through their A Levels and encourage students to pursue Engineering or Technical Design at university or through a higher-level apprentice-ship and to take up careers in the field. Benefits include a £600 award, a free Headstart course and access to a range of enrichment opportunities. If you are in Year 11 then the next Scholarship application round is now open! Speak to the DT depart-ment to find out more.

Year in Industry - The Year in Industry place gap-year students on UK work placements in all areas of engineer-ing, science, IT, e-commerce, business, marketing, finance, logistics and more. YINI placement students have the opportunity to undertake interesting projects and learn how businesses work. Around a quarter of all placements result in sponsorship through university and many of the partner companies see the scheme as an important part of their graduate recruitment programme.

IET Power Academy - If you are in Year 13 and plan to start an Electrical Engineering degree at one of several universities in 2015 you could apply for the IET Power Academy scholarship, worth £2200 a year. The scholar-ships are awarded via sponsor companies which offers the opportunity for well paid holiday placements and the prospect of a job at the end of the course.

IET Diamond Jubilee scholarships - If you are in Year 13, achieve 3 ‘A’s at A-Level in 2015 and go on to study an Engineering degree (accredited by the IET) you are eligible to apply for a Diamond Jubilee scholarship worth at least £1000 per year of your University course. However, you must have a refer-ence submitted prior to results, by 30th June 2015.

Tomorrows Engineers An excellent website to explore different careers options within Engineering.

Follow on Twitter!Don’t wait until the next TWGSB STEM magazine for the latest inspiring news and information on all things STEM. Follow @TWGSBStem to receive regular updates.

Competitions Teentech - Following on from the success of the ten Year 9 students who attended Teentech in Tonbridge in September, there is now the op-portunity for Year 9 students to enter the Teentech Awards competition - see Ms Zachary.

Playsafe - A national Trading Standards Insitute competition run in conjuction with the The British Toy and Hobby Association. Students from 12-17rs old are asked to design a toy ideal for a child aged 3-7. Entries can be from individual pupils, pairs or groups - see Mr. Oschilewski.

BP Ultimate STEM challenge - BP has launched the Ultimate STEM challenge, a new competition in partnership with the Science Museum. The challenge invites students aged 11-14 to put their STEM skills to the test to tackle real-world prob-lems and compete for some exciting prizes!

All Aboard Transport Design competition - Students aged 14-18 are challenged to come up with innovative solutions to make buses more accessible for people with visual or hearing impair-ments. Prizes include: a cash prize worth £1000; a tour of the Houses of Parliament with the Minister of State for Transport, Baroness Susan Kramer, and the chance to see the winning idea turned into a product.

STEM related coursesThe Smallpeice Trust - For many years, TWGSB students have been personally applying for and at-tending residential courses provided by this charity. The courses, available to students from Year 8-12, offer aspiring engineers the chance to connect with industry professionals and technical specialists. Based at some of the country’s leading universities courses are available in a wide variety of subjects. This year’s course timetable has just been released.

Headstart - Similar to the residential courses pro-vided by the Smallpeice Trust, Headstart courses are available for Year 12 students only, in a variety of different subjects, and are held at some of the top universities in the country. Historically, several TWGSB students attend these each year.

Fire Tech Camp - Fire Tech Camp are London’s only tech day camps, where you can create your own games, de-sign your own smartphone apps, and build robots. There are Saturday workshops as well as courses during school holidays for children age 9 to 17 gaining great skills such as coding.

For further information contact Mr E Goddard (Assistant Head i/c STEM)