Produced by the Learning Skills Improvement Service (LSIS), this case study looks at the themes of knowledge and technology transfer and employer engagement. This case study describes the placement of a lecturer in material sciences who engaged in an industrial secondment through the New Engineering Foundation (NEF...

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...

A Catalyst article looking at how plants develop large surface areas both in the air (leaves) and in the soil (root hairs) to get all they need from the environment. The article explores the relationship between plants and soil and looks at new research on fungi in soil and their involvement with the mineral...

A Catalyst article about the use of remote telescopes and detecting cosmic rays. Giant telescopes that can be operated remotely are located in Hawaii and Australia and are known as the Faulkes telescopes.

These are available to students in the UK to do original research with, and enable the following...

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...

A Catalyst article about the problems of recycling plastics. The article looks at novel uses for products made from recycled plastics. It also looks at the make-up of polymers and the history of their manufacture. Finally, alternatives to plastics are examined.

This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science...

This report evaluates the Ponds for Life project undertaken by the wildlife charity Froglife from April 2008 to March 2010. The aim of the project was to promote Hampton Nature Reserve, a former brick pit and now a Site of Special Scientific Interest for great crested newts and bearded stonewort in over 300 ponds....

An article published in 2014 in the Journal of Research in Science Teaching describes the first-year results from a new curricular and professional development intervention. The project was created as a collaboration between a US university and a large urban school district to implement a new fifth grade (...

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 Science Community Representing Education (SCORE) report examines the key findings of a review of practical work in primary, secondary and post-16 science education. The report focuses on: * What is meant by practical work in science? * What are the aims and purposes of practical work in science? * What is the...

A Catalyst article about experimenting with waterboatmen and observing how they catch their prey. The equipment required for the activity is described.

This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2006, Volume 16, Issue 4.

Catalyst ...

A Catalyst article about predators. The article explores some general principles about predator–prey relationships and looks in some detail at the adaptations shown by a predatory insect being used in the control of an insect pest.

This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2005, Volume 16, Issue 1...

In this unit of work students consider the implications of prenatal ultrasound in terms of the risks of screening and the certainty of results. It also asks them to consider the ethical and moral implications of the decisions that may arise due to the results of a prenatal ultrasound and...

This report, based on a scoping study carried out for the Wellcome Trust by Queen’s University Belfast and St Mary’s University College Belfast, set out to explore teachers’ views and experiences of primary science across the United Kingdom and to identify ways in which it could be improved.

The publication...

This report summarises the discussions from a seminar held at the Nuffield Foundation on 18th September 2012. It was held in response to the publication in July 2012 of a report written by a working group of primary science specialists entitled ...