University of Manchester: Great Science Share for Schools helps children take climate action

The Great Science Share for Schools (GSSfS) is a national campaign to elevate the prominence of science in the classroom.

Now in its seventh year, the campaign has seen exponential growth with over 275,000 primary and secondary school pupils signed up to participate this year. Thousands of schools and STEM organisations across the UK and internationally, will be sharing science on 14 June 2022. The University of Manchester will welcome primary and secondary pupils to their newly-opened Engineering Building for this celebratory event where pupils will demonstrate and discuss their scientific questions and evidence with hundreds of guests.

This year’s theme is Climate Action – a pertinent theme that captures the interest and curiosity of us all. The pupils have spent weeks gathering data, analysing, and drawing conclusions about a wide range of questions, including:

· What is the best green energy source to power our school?

· Does location affect the amount of air pollution?

· How well do natural insulators protect against colder climates?

The event will be attended by the Lord Mayor of Manchester and Councillor Donna Ludford, alongside local business and education professionals. The guests will be encouraged to listen and question the pupils about their findings as part of this inclusive and non-competitive event.

“We are honoured to have the support of so many STEM organisations, industry and educational partners. Without their support the campaign would not have continued to reach so many children, especially those in areas of high socioeconomic deprivation. I thank each one for their ongoing support and encourage each to consider how to strengthen their partnership with GSSfS in the future.” said Dr Lynne Bianchi, Campaign Director

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We are confident the children’s experience, in sharing their own scientific questions and investigations, alongside the gift of a tree, will encourage them to continue thinking about science and climate action in years to come. Their participation will set them on course to be future scientists and engineers contributing to solutions that mitigate the impacts of the climate emergency or contribute to a more sustainable way of living.

Steph Hepworth, Campaign Manager, Great Science Share for Schools
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In commemoration of their involvement in this year’s Great Science Share for Schools, The University of Manchester have partnered with City of Trees to gift every school attending their own tree. The opportunity to plant a tree in their school grounds or gift their tree to another Greater Manchester School will be a lasting legacy of their involvement in the Great Science Share for Schools campaign.

“We are confident the children’s experience, in sharing their own scientific questions and investigations, alongside the gift of a tree, will encourage them to continue thinking about science and climate action in years to come. Their participation will set them on course to be future scientists and engineers contributing to solutions that mitigate the impacts of the climate emergency or contribute to a more sustainable way of living.” said Steph Hepworth, Campaign Manager, Great Science Share for Schools

The event will also host ‘Sybil the Whale’, an enormous lantern puppet created for the Littleborough Arts Festival Lantern Parade. Sybil is a life-size blue whale calf created to share narratives around Climate Change and encourage us all to imagine the consequences of sea level rise across the globe.

The GSSfS is unique in its approach to raising the profile of science enquiry in a wide range of schools and educational settings. Teachers explain how the campaign that stimulates more time for science in school, enables pupils to consider issues around Climate Change whilst taking the positive step to improve the sustainability of their school environment, through initiatives like this year’s tree planting.