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More honours for Great Science Share team

11 Dec 2024

Science and Engineering Education Research and Innovation Hub recognised in Hidden REF 2024 competition – and two of its campaigns have been awarded UNESCO patronage.

Children at Great Science Share event

The University’s Great Science Share team are celebrating more honours, just weeks after they were presented with the prestigious Royal Society of Chemistry Prize.

The Science and Engineering Education Research and Innovation Hub (SEERIH) was Highly Commended in the Communicative Outputs category in the Hidden REF 2024 competition for the success of its Great Science Share for Schools (GSSfS) campaign.

In addition, GSSfS has been awarded UNESCO patronage for a second consecutive year while SEERIH’s other campaign, Engineering Educates has also received UNESCO endorsement of its Motion in the Ocean challenge.

SEERIH is a nationally recognised centre of science and engineering education, which aims to develop and engage teachers in innovative, research-informed continuous professional development programmes to ensure high-quality learning outcomes for young people.

GSSfS has reached over 670,000 pupils in more than 3,500 schools, spanning 36 countries, from 2023 to 2024.

Newly launched in September 2024, Motion in the Ocean is one of eight challenges within the EPSRC Robotic Autonomous Systems (RAS) Network led by our University through Engineering Educates. This has been designed to upskill teachers and pupils (7-14 years) in applying design technology, computing and science skills to find solutions to real-world problems.

Director of SEERIH and Vice Dean for Social Responsibility, Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility, Professor Lynne Bianchi said: “We are very proud to have had our work recognised in this new competition across the Higher Education sector. It really does shine a light on the campaign which makes research more visible to young children, as well as empowering them to think and work scientifically themselves. We’d love for more Higher Education Institutions to get involved.

“I’d also like to say a special thank you to the Faculty of Science and Engineering's Kerry Wilkins for doing such a great job (as always) in supporting the application.”

She added: “Securing UNESCO’s patronage for the second year is a testament to the way in which so many people support GSSfS with the intention to include as many young people and teachers in asking, investigating and sharing scientific questions. We are proud to support a decade of positive change and promote key themes on global sustainability too.”

James Bridge, Chief Executive and Secretary-General, UK National Commission for UNESCO, added: “We are delighted to grant UK National Commission for UNESCO Patronage to the Great Science Share for Schools campaign for a second time in 2025.

“Education, Science, and Communication & Information are three fundamental pillars of UNESCO’s global work, so it is great that the UK National Commission can support an initiative here in the UK that brings these together in such an imaginative and collaborative way. The GSSfS initiative aligns with UNESCO’s mandate of promoting knowledge sharing and the free flow of ideas to accelerate mutual understanding and a more perfect knowledge of each other's lives.”

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