British Science Week

A celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths
British Science Week

British Science Week. Image credit: British Science Association

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British Science Week (formerly National Science and Engineering Week) is a national initiative that has been running since 1994.
Supported by UK Research and Innovation, it is a ten day celebration the whole community can take part in and enjoy. For children, this is a wonderful opportunity to engage them in science-themed events, demonstrating how science links with other school subjects and has fascinating real-world applications.
British Science Week falls between 10–19 March with the theme for 2023 being 'Connections'. As we celebrate togetherness, after a period where isolation was a sad but necessary reality, ‘Connections’ is an apt theme for British Science Week 2023.
Nearly all innovations in science, technology, engineering and maths are built on connections between people; two (or more) heads are better than one, after all! But as well as exploring the importance and joy in connections between individual scientists, research groups and institutions, you could discover the different ways connections appear across all areas of science. Evolution, for example, shows us the ways that animals, including humans, as well as plants and bacteria are all connected in a family tree stretching back millennia.
Below are some of our events happening around the week that may be of interest.
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British Science Week 2023

Soapbox Science

Sunday 2 April, 11:00–14:00, Royal William Yard, Plymouth
Soapbox Science is a novel public outreach platform for promoting women and non-binary scientists and the science they do. 
The yearly event aims to transform public areas into an arena for learning and scientific debate with the aim to encourage women and non-binary scientists, and also challenge perceptions of who a scientist is.
Talks have now been confirmed with seven speakers lined up.
<p>Soapbox Science</p>

Kelly's Kitchen Science

Kelly Davis, Lecturer in Science Education at the University, has created ‘Kelly’s Kitchen Science’, a series of home-schooling videos to help parents engage, enthuse, educate and entertain their children during the third national lockdown. 
The series provides a range of adapted experiments requiring only ingredients commonly found in the home. From using sugar and washing up liquid to create bubbles that can be juggled, to demonstrating different densities of liquids with milk, oils and food dyes, the experiments are designed to be safe and suitable for all ages.
<p>Kelly Davis</p>

Learning across the curriculum

Ideas for home and school
The University has a number of resources covering different subjects provided by teachers and student teachers hoping to facilitate learning from home and in school. The resources are designed to be inclusive and accessible to a wide range of students and with instructions for parents teaching at home.
Why not try out some of the resources and activities we have for Science and Maths during British Science Week? 
We also have resources for Art, English and Music as well as home learning activities for children with autism. An ocean themed window decals activity within Art teaches children how to make simple window decals at home while learning about plastic pollution.
  • Visit our resources page to access the information and to give us feedback.
<p>Young girl studying with laptop at home (home learning)<br></p>
 

British Science Week activity packs

Activity packs focusing on this year's theme 'Connections' can be downloaded from the British Science Week website.
The taster packs provide fun and engaging ways to introduce this theme to the children. 
The packs have been created in partnership with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and 3M, and cover three different stages: early years, primary and secondary. A community pack 'Connecting through debate' has been created in partnership with Simple Politics. Previous packs from 2018–22 are also available to download.
<p>British Science Week 2023 activity packs image</p>

Image credit: British Science Association

<p>British Science Week</p>

Image credit: British Science Association

You may also be interested in: Antimicrobial resistance

Antimicrobials – including antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals and antiparasitics – are medicines used to treat infections in humans, animals and plants. 
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines. This makes infections harder to treat and increases the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death. Measures to prevent infection include getting vaccinated, practising safer sex, good hand hygiene, food safety practices, and increasing availability of water and sanitation facilities.
The University is engaged in cross-disciplinary research into antimicrobial resistance, from examining deep-sea sponges in the search for new antibiotics, to inventing new technologies to detect antibiotic resistance in blood samples for more effective prescribing of antibiotics.
<p>Illustration of immune system defence concept</p>
 

Event photography and video

Please be aware that some of the University of Plymouth's public events (both online and offline) may be attended by University staff, photographers and videographers, for capturing content to be used in University online and offline marketing and promotional materials, for example webpages, brochures or leaflets. If you, or a member of your group, do not wish to be photographed or recorded, please let a member of staff know.