This IPSE publication from the Association for Science Education (ASE) describes attempts within the Education Support Grant (ESG) project to establish liaison between and within schools. Most attempts were concerned with the primary-secondary interface. In addition to commenting on these, this publication also...

This Catalyst article explores the processes undertaken during the construction of a white water canoe course for the Olympic Games which requires a huge range of practical skills, but also great science skills too. The scientist must calculate how much noise from both the course's construction and its use during...

This Catalyst article looks at hearing loss, which is usually associated with the elderly, straining to hear the TV while turning up their hearing aid. As a teenager losing the ability to hear correctly seems decades away but hearing loss is increasingly becoming a problem for young adults and teenagers. The...

A Catalyst article explaining how carbon capture and storage can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide entering the atmosphere and may reduce the effects of climate change. Burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This is a major contributor to climate change but can CO2 be captured and...

A Catalyst article about carbon dioxide which can be used as a solvent in industry, or as a regulator of blood pH. This article looks at some other uses of carbon dioxide and considers its importance in global warming. It also explains how the greenhouse effect is a natural part of the operation of the Earth's...

A Catalyst article explaining how scientists with qualifications in ecology and environmental science play an increasingly important role in assessing the human impact on the Earth. Ecology is the branch of biology that looks at how organisms, plants and animals, depend on each other and their surroundings. It also...

This Catalyst article describes the work of five young people who work in the pharmaceutical industry. The industry employs more than 70 000 people in the UK in a variety of roles including drug development and scientific research, manufacturing and making the medicines, IT, statistics, testing the drugs and...

A Catalyst article looking at a day in the life of Charles Darwin at his home in Kent. Much of Charles Darwin’s life after his return from the Beagle voyage was spent at Down House in Kent. He moved here in September 1842 and the article describes the important work such as Darwin’s Theory of Evolution by Natural...

This Catalyst article looks at the process of baking biscuits. All cooking involves chemical reactions but you are not normally aware of them happening. There is an obvious thermal decomposition reaction which takes place in the middle of this recipe – and you get fabulous ginger biscuits at the end.

This is one of the six Background Books published for Stage I of the Nuffield Chemistry Sample Scheme. The books were highly illustrated and designed to be attractive. This book describes applications of chemistry.

There are two parts to this book:
*Part 1: Earth, air and water
A review of...

This Catalyst article explains how zeolites, sponge-like materials developed from naturally occurring minerals, are used as chemical sieves and as catalysts. Zeolites have incredibly widespread applications. They are used in consumer products such as washing powder and cat litter while many of the petrochemicals...

A Catalyst article about climate control, and specifically the process known as cloud seeding. Cloud seeding has met with initially encouraging results. The method entails adding silver iodide to the air in clouds to encourage ice crystals to form, so that they grow rapidly and produce more snow or rainfall than...

Students explore the difference between continuous and mass production, noting that there are many similarities but mass production has a large finite number of products made (which is subject to change) and continuous production whilst not infinite does not have a preplanned production size and is subject the...

A Catalyst article about the work of a scientist from the British Antarctic Survey, gathering data about climate change by studying ice cores from Antarctica. One of the areas of research was to find out whether it is possible to learn how much sea ice there was around Antarctica in the past by measuring how much...

A Catalyst article explaining how scientists have found that the overturning circulation in the Atlantic Ocean, which maintains Europe’s moderate climate, was weaker in 2004 by 30% relative to earlier estimates. What does this mean and what impact could it have on our climate? Scientists' research and their climate...