A Catalyst article looking at the chemicals that are in plants and trees and the role they play in the life of the plant. Starting with photosynthesis the article moves onto naturally occurring chemicals and explains why plants need fertilisers. Growing salad crops hydroponically is also examined.

This...

This resource from the European Space Agency is presented as eight activities which guides students to create an automatic plant watering system, suitable for use on a possible future colony on the planet Mars. Students have opportunities to use and develop their skills to plan, design and analyse various soil-...

A Catalyst article discussing how polymers affect every day of people’s lives. With diverse characteristics and applications their usefulness can only be limited by human imagination. Due to polymers’ widespread and varied use a responsible and systematic recycling programme is both economically and environmentally...

Produced by The Centre for Industry Education Collaboration (CIEC), this booklet contains information and activities of interest to teachers of design and technology. It looks at working practices in industry and schools relating to thermoplastics and provides an introduction to basic techniques for schools and the...

Produced by the Technology Enhancement Programme (TEP), these images are useful for adding to documents and presentations, or for use with an interactive whiteboard. Mainly simple line drawings, they can be cut and pasted into documents and image processing applications. The images in this resource are related to...

Ella is an expert in the mechanical design and operation of the NOC's Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV's) She ensures new technology designed integrates on the AUV's and operates the AUV whilst at sea.

Ella read Mechanical Engineering at Cambridge, graduating with both Bachelors and Master's degrees. She...

From The Centre for Industry Education Collaboration (CIEC), this book is aimed at post-16 chemistry students but will also be useful for students following technology or vocational courses. The book helps students to first understand the basis of polymer chemistry and the plastics industry. It moves on to consider...

From The Centre for Industry Education Collaboration (CIEC), these activities are aimed at post-16 students following courses in technology, engineering, physics or materials science. The activities described allow students to gain experience and practice experimental technique in the testing of materials' physical...

This collection of STEM education reports explores science education Post 16.

The reports include:

* The challenges of STEM provision for further education colleges - this report documents the activities and conclusions of a research project undertaken by the 157 Group, supported by the Gatsby...

Published by LSIS, this report gives interim findings from a programme investigating the gap between the numbers of learners studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in schools at A Level, and those studying in Further Education (FE). This interim report provides insight into barriers to...

This resource from Practical Action includes a presentation and worksheets which give Key Stage Three and Four students opportunities to understand more about the impact of existing and new products on people and the environment. The presentation is packed with useful activities to reinforce students' learning. The...

Produced by Practical Action, these materials help students to consider the impacts of a product through its whole life cycle. A presentation describes the concept of lifecycle analysis (LCA) and gives some examples. Students are then challenged to consider the life cycle of familiar products, from raw materials,...

The ‘production’ section of the Fixpert's resource focuses on producing a  high-quality working prototype that meets the problem described in the original design brief. Activities that support this section include: ‘hack a toothbrush’, starting points for innovative ideas, and making paper bowls. These activities...

This collection of STEM education reports explores professional development across the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM subjects). The reports include:

A recommended code of governance for schools: a flexible framework for strategic planning

Space for technicians?

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