Presented by Anu Ojha, OBE, the Director of the UK National Space Academy
Date: Tuesday 15th March at 5pm
Location: The British School of Beijing (BSB) Shunyi, Duke of York Theatre
Open to parents, students and friends of the community
Topic: "Space - so what?"
Since the birth of the Space Age in 1957 with the launch of the world's first artificial satellite, the discoveries made through the applications of space science and engineering have changed humanity's perspective of our position in the Universe.
But what difference has space science and technology made to our everyday lives? Has it really been worth all of the money spent? Could space science save us from the mass extinction of life on Earth? And what science is British astronaut Tim Peake doing on the International Space Station (ISS) during his six month mission in space?
Background:
We have been working with the Director of the UK’s National Space Academy programme, and we are absolutely delighted to announce that members of their team will be coming to BSB in March, bringing a programme that is unique in Beijing, and will also be held at our Nord Anglia School in Shanghai Pudong.
The National Space Academy is the education arm of the UK space programme (for example has devised some of the experiments being conducted by Commander Tim Peake – the first British astronaut on the International Space Station – right now) and they are holding a set of demonstration student masterclasses and teacher masterclasses here at BSB on Tuesday 15th and Wednesday 16th March. During these sessions our team will be showcasing the ways in which we use inspirational contexts from space science to boost student engagement and attainment, and teacher effectiveness, in teaching curriculum science at school level.
This is part of the international collaboration in space science education between the UK and China being led by the NSA, Beijing University PT, the British Embassy and the British Council. On the Tuesday, the masterclasses will to be our own BSB students in Years 10 and 12/13 along with students from prestigious Chinese schools. On the Wednesday, there will be masterclasses for teachers from all these schools.
On Tuesday 15 March at 5pm, there will be a lecture given by the Director of the UK National Space Academy and all parents and friends are warmly invited to attend.
We feel truly honoured to have been chosen for this exciting initiative and hope it will be the beginning of a long and fruitful partnership.