Summer 2011 Newsletter
Ignition* Celebration event
As the Ignition* programme under the emda banner comes to an end, we are going out with a BANG! Over the 12th & 13th September we will be holding a celebration event at the Embrace Arts Richard Attenborough Centre, Leicester. Over the two days we will see what impact Ignition* has made to schools across the East Midlands; pairs of STEM and creative practitioners have been contracted to come up with visually engaging, drop-in workshop-type activities for the 12th September.
We will also be holding a STEM Forum event with East Midlands STEM Partnership on Tuesday 13th, to bring together industry experts, STEM ambassadors and visitors, with Simon Collins from Caterpillar UK Ltd giving a keynote speech. Following the Forum Event, our six fantastic Lab_13 management teams will be coming along on Tuesday afternoon, to showcase their Lab_13’s, and talk to visitors about what the Lab is all about, and possibly even show us some amazing science!
We would love to welcome you to our Celebration Event. Please follow this link to register for FREE tickets, but please note we do have a limited amount, so get in quick! http://ignitioncelebration.eventbrite.com/
Ignite! website
Ignite! Futures Ltd, the parent organisation of Ignition*, is launching a brand-spanking new website! With information on what Ignite! will be up to, along with photos and videos of current projects on the go, we are really excited about the unveiling of this new website! Please do have a look, www.ignitefutures.org.uk
Sci Art Fusions
The Ignition* team attended the Sharing Event on 8th June, for ‘The Beautiful Butterfly and The Magic Flower’, devised by House of Scattergood, Bamboozle Theatre and Enabling Electronicals. Designed to engage and empower young people with profound and multiple learning difficulties, ‘The Beautiful Butterfly and The Magic Flower’ uses new technologies to allow young people to create a non-verbal voice for themselves, and respond in a way previously unavailable to them.
We have been witnessing some fantastic Sci Art collaborations with the Breath of Fresh Air programme. Artists have been working with local communities in Saltfleetby, Vicar Water, Millersdale and Idle Valley to produce some astounding results. The project is due to continue over the summer, with more collaborations, innovative artworks and partnerships taking place. Follow the blog for up to date developments, http://ignitebreathoffreshair.blogspot.com/
Creative Sparks
Hannah Johnston has been busy organising the next stage of her award: travelling to Thailand to work at a lab on drug discovery and her biochemistry research interests.
Jake Birch has been very busy in the last few months, both organising his own photo shoots, and gaining some great experience with Premier Model Management, who have been so impressed with his work, they have featured some of his images on their website!
James Winfield will be doing his work experience placement at Futerra Sustainability Communications in London over the summer and is planning a competition for young people around climate change to be launched in September. The competition will be followed by a climate change campaign. Watch this space for more information on the competition, prizes and how to enter!
Lab 13
Our two most recent Lab_13’s add to the growing family! Bowbridge Lab_13 have appointed their scientist-in-residence, David Bebb, while Irchester welcomes Jennifer Hogan as their scientist-in-Residence. To keep up to date with what is happening in our Lab_13 family, follow the blog, http://lab13network.wordpress.com/.
The original Lab_13 at Dovecote Primary have been celebrating their achievements, and opening their doors to visitors, parents and funders in their Celebration Event. The event, which took place on 6th July, saw incredible demonstrations from both the Management Team, and scientist-in-residence Bryson Gore, including some amazing rainbow chemicals set alight, exploding hand-held hydrogen and illuminated light sabres! Dovecote Lab_13 also recently met with the Royal Society Education team on 13th June, and have been actively involved in resources and projects run by regional sections of national academic societies, such as The Biochemical Society.
Hasmita
Our Ignition* intern, Hasmita Chavda is well on her way to conquering the world, starting with the world of STEM! She has recently been leading workshops for Northampton University based around Girls into Engineering, which involved a series of games, skill development, and changing perceptions around engineering and maths, and introducing creativity and innovation into the experience.
Hasmita has also been spending time at Vicar Water at the Breath of Fresh Air and Sci Arts project, helping with artist workshops, working with pupils and members of the community to build their appreciation of their outdoor surroundings, and create fantastic artwork from what they find.
And finally, some very exciting news for Hasmita, who has been accepted on the Skillshare International project, volunteering for twelve weeks in Tanzania working with young people. In her own words, ‘I will be working on a project called the Tanzania House of Talent which is an organisation that empowers young people by the Arts. They specialise in the mediums of dance, music and performance. Based in Dar es Salaam, I will be working to deliver workshops, help with english and maths and work with the community there.’ We are really excited for Hasmita, and this fantastic opportunity, although she will be greatly missed in the Ignition* office!
