ASE Book of the Year 2023 shortlist revealed! We had so many wonderful submissions and it was a tough choice for our reviewers, but we are delighted to share the shortlist for the Primary and Secondary categories. Find out who has been shortlisted and submit your entry for our Reader’s Choice award via the ASE website (you can also purchase any of the editions via our Millgate site).

At the centre sits CuriousCity, an exciting city-building simulation game that challenges students to manage a city and its energy resources until the year 2050. It showcases how modern cities generate electricity from a range of renewable and non-renewable energy resources, as well as exploring how we can manage the energy transition.

The game is supported by interactive and curriculum-linked classroom resources. All of these resources are free to access. They have been created by We Are Futures, a specialist brand and social impact agency. ASE have supported through our ‘Green Tick’ scheme, to ensure scientific credibility. 

Our flagship annual conference is now only a couple of months away. As we count down, we'll focus on different aspects of the conference in these update emails. For those interested in our 11-19 content, we have over 100 sessions over the three days, covering practical work, apprenticeships, accessing resources, use of imagery, international best practice, teacher retention, project work, sustainability, inclusion, genomics, climate change, online simulations, maths in science and much more, as well as targeted sessions for Early Career Teachers to help with career pathways.

“The AQA science team are delighted to be attending The ASE’s 2024 annual conference. If you’ve any queries about any of our qualifications, or want to know more about the resources and training materials we’ve developed, we’ll be on stands A4 and A5 at the conference.

Don’t forget to come along and pick up a copy of our quick-reference resource guide that signposts you to the most useful GCSE and A-level resources available. We’ll also have Exampro, the essential exam preparation tool for teachers, alongside us on stand A6, demonstrating their popular new products that support AQA assessment.

This conference is a great opportunity for us to hear from you. We’d love to know what’s working well in your classroom? Has AI impacted your teaching? Do you have a science story to share with us?

We look forward to catching up with you at the ASE in January.”  

The name Oppenheimer reached a new familiarity following the film release this year. But are you familiar with Lillian Oppenheimer? She was the founder of the first origami group in America and the British Origami society. World Origami Days are recognised from 24th October to 11th November. This ancient art of paper folding is not a only a brilliant way to explore mathematical concepts, but also critical in engineering (for example how car air bags are stored), medicine (heart stents) or even how it can be used to look for life on distant planets. It is also a fantastic example to demonstrate the relevance of science to every life, to highlight Lillian Oppenheimer as a role model and to share a part of different cultures with your students. The Inclusion in Science CPD programme works with participants to diversify their role models, link to different careers and diversify the curriculum. If you’d like to join in January, sign up below.

We’ve set the date for ASE’s Scotland Conference 2024: 8 June 2024, 9:00-15:30. This will be an online conference, with sessions for 11-19, Primary and Technicians. Keep an eye on our web page as we develop the programme and save the date!

We are excited to be launching an online Science Teacher Education (STE) Online Hub. STE is aimed at all those who support, educate, and develop science teachers and it is closely aligned with the activity of the ASE Futures committee. It is a forum to exchange professional ideas related to science teacher development and education. The aim of the STE Online Hub is to grow upon the original STE journal and introduce more digital content such as podcasts, webinars, and interviews to sit alongside selected feature articles.

We have a new and exciting opportunity for the role of STE Editor/Curator. We would love to hear from you if you think you be a good fit for this role.

The Nuffield-funded Practical Work in Primary Science sector-wide survey is now open. The purpose of this research is to better understand the place and purpose of practical work in primary science across the UK. This survey is for anyone working or interested in primary science in the UK. Share your views to support the development of national guidance on practical work in primary science.

You may be interested in this evening event at the Birmingham Science Museum, with keynote from Dr Becky Smethurst an astrophysicist, author and science communicator. In her keynote, Dr Smethurst will offer a unique perspective on combining being a science communicator with being an active researcher.