Stardust Hunters

该项目旨在：-吸引8-14岁的小学生对城市微陨石这一令人兴奋且相对较新的研究领域充满热情。-围绕这一主题提供高质量的教育活动，向南威尔士和西威尔士地区的学校和公众突出这一领域的STFC研究-目标是南威尔士和西威尔士社会经济贫困地区服务不足社区的学校，为他们提供在学校（以及在家中与父母/家人/监护人）进行科学调查的机会，然后真正为真正的研究做出贡献。-通过培养学生的调查技能，为他们提供“像科学家一样工作”所需的技能；-向学生介绍热情的STEM传播者/科学家，他们将向他们讲述他们的职业生涯之旅，向学生展示如果他们希望从事STEM职业，可以采取的可能路线。该试点项目将针对南威尔士的英语和威尔士语小学和中学，确保威尔士的两种语言使用者都能获得这些创新和吸引人的资源。对学生的影响将是增加STFC研究这一领域的知识，以及太阳系的一般主题；增加发展和开展科学调查的知识、技能和信心（科学家如何工作）；增加了社区对科学的普遍参与，增加了学生参与真正的研究任务的机会，有可能成为第一个在威尔士（可能是英国）发现微陨石的人，并为研究论文做出贡献。通过研讨会，学生们学习了如何寻找和识别潜在的微陨石的技能，他们还将能够把这些知识带回家，并继续在家里与其他家庭成员或朋友一起进行这些调查。所有的资源都可以在项目网站上找到，这样他们的家人和朋友就可以通过这种方式找到更多关于项目背后的科学等。这种“公民科学”的方法将对参加研讨会的学生的家人/朋友产生影响，从而进一步分散项目，鼓励更多的人参与科学。学校的讲习班以及与双语课程相关的文件将涵盖多个领域。学生将大致了解太阳系科学和微陨石的主题，包括STFC在这一研究领域的贡献。然后，他们将学习和发展如何进行科学调查的技能，主要目的是让他们在学校操场上进行自己的微陨石搜索。他们将学习如何识别候选的微陨石，然后由斯旺西大学的团队对任何潜在的候选陨石进行分析，以确认他们是否发现了微陨石。年龄较大的学生（11-14岁）也将获得基于大学使用的分析方法的信息和教育资源（例如扫描电子显微镜如何工作，什么是光谱以及它告诉我们什么等）。对STFC的影响将通过提高对STFC及其研究的认识来实现。这是一个试点项目，如果成功，我们希望推广到威尔士以外的学校（取决于资金）。然而，作为该试点项目的一部分开发的资源将在项目期间和之后免费提供，任何人都可以访问和使用，从而使任何人都有机会在自己的家中和社区参与这一科学领域。

This project aims to: - Engage and enthuse school pupils aged 8-14 years about the exciting and relatively new research area of urban micrometeorites. - Deliver high quality educational activities based around this topic, highlighting this area of STFC research to schools and public audiences in the South and West Wales areas - Target schools in under-served communities in socioeconomically deprived areas of South and West Wales, providing them with the opportunity to carry out scientific investigations in school (and at home with their parents/families/guardians) which can then genuinely contribute to real research. - Provide pupils with the skills needed to 'work like a scientist' by developing their investigative skills, - Introduce pupils to enthusiastic STEM communicators/scientists who will convey their career journey to them, showcasing the possible routes that pupils can take if they wish to pursue a career in STEM. This pilot project will target both English and Welsh medium primary and secondary schools in South Wales, ensuring that speakers of both languages in Wales have access to these innovative and engaging resources.The impact on the pupils will be increased knowledge of this area of STFC research, and the topic of the Solar System in general; increased knowledge, skills and confidence in developing and carrying out a scientific investigation (how a scientists works); increased engagement of the community in science in general, and increased opportunity for school pupils to participate in real research tasks with the possibility of being the first to find micrometeorites in Wales (possibly the UK) and contributing to research papers. Learning the skills of how to search for and identify potential micrometeorites through the workshops, pupils will also be able to take this knowledge home to their families and continue to carry out these investigations at home, with other family members or friends. All resources will be available on the project website, thus their family and friends can find out more about the science etc. behind the project this way. This 'citizen science' approach will have an impact on the family/friends of the pupils who have attended a workshop, thus dispersing the project further and encouraging more people to engage in science. The schools workshops, along with bilingual curriculum-linked documents will cover a number of areas. Pupils will learn about Solar System Science and the topic of micrometeorites in general, including STFC's contribution to this research area. They will then learn and develop their skills on how to carry out a scientific investigation, with the main aim being for them to conduct their own search for micrometeorites in their school playgrounds. They will learn how to identify candidate micrometeorites and then have any potential candidates analysed by the team in Swansea University for confirmation on whether they have found a micrometeorite or not. Older students (11-14 years) will also be given information and educational resources based on the analysis methods used at the University (e.g. how scanning electron microscopes work, what is a spectrum and what does it tell us etc). The impact on STFC will be through an increase in awareness of STFC and its research. This is a pilot project, which if successful, we would like to roll out to schools outside of Wales (depending on funding). However, the resources which will be developed as part of this pilot project will be freely available for the duration of the project and beyond, for anyone to access and use, giving the opportunity for anyone to engage in this area of science in their own homes and communities.