8 March 2012

'Sparks and Arcs - Inspiring Physics Teaching Across the Curriculum' - Cafe Science Extra on 14th March

Innovative ways to engage and motivate pupils will be discussed at a Cafe Science Extra event in Dundee next week.

Sarah Fletcher, Head of Physics at the High School of Dundee, will highlight the wide range of scientific resources and opportunities open to teachers and pupils in the Dundee area, along with those available a little further afield. Her talk 'Sparks and Arcs - Inspiring Physics Teaching Across the Curriculum' will take place at Dundee Science Centre on Wednesday, 14th March.

Café Science Extra allows members of the public to meet with up-and-coming scientists from the Universities of Dundee and Abertay, the James Hutton Institute, and Dundee Science Centre.

To mark the Women In Science Festival, an invite was extended to Sarah to provide a new perspective on ways of getting young people interested in science. This will be the first time a high school teacher has led a Café Science event, and the talk is recommended for parents, teachers, students and anyone interested in science and technology.

Sarah explained, "This is an exciting opportunity to demonstrate low-cost, high-impact Physics to the public. I aim to dispel some of the myths that Physics is a difficult subject and engage the audience with fun activities whilst stimulating curiosity.

"My students and colleagues will be on hand to assist and together we will offer some entertaining and novel ideas for everyone in the promotion and raising awareness of Physics across the curriculum - from rocket science to jelly babies and kebab sticks!"

Café Science was launched in January 2008, and has attracted over 3000 visitors since then. The monthly events are informal discussions led by leading local researchers that allow members of the public the opportunity to learn more about the ground-breaking science happening in Dundee.

'Sparks and Arcs' takes place at Infusions Coffee Shop, Dundee Science Centre - Sensation at 6pm on Wednesday, 14th March. Doors open at 5.30pm, and the event is free and open to all. There is no need to book in advance but an early arrival is recommended.

Live tweets from the event will be sent from the @revealsresearch Twitter account, and people can take part in the online discussion using the hashtag #CafeSciDundee.

More information is available at www.cafesciencedundee.co.uk.

For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk
MOBILE: 07854 953277