AstroMakers: Exploring astronomy through making

我们正在寻求STFC的资助，以帮助我们扩大MakeSpace免费活动的范围和影响，这是切尔滕纳姆科学节的第一个致力于物质世界和制造乐趣的互动区。与此相关的是，它还将使我们能够扩大和改善我们在切尔滕纳姆街道周围的免费制作活动的“围绕城镇”计划。我们的目标是将科学家、艺术家和创客聚集在一起，让公众参与探索物质世界，同时强调工程、技术、创造力和合作在探索宇宙中的作用。通过将天文学和天体物理学嵌入到这些互动活动中，并使我们能够与STFC资助领域的早期职业研究人员进行培训和合作，STFC的资助将使我们能够在我们免费的2016太空区取得成功和受欢迎的基础上进一步发展。我们的目标是通过使儿童、年轻人及其家庭能够与从事天文学和天体物理学研究领域的科学家见面并进行互动，从而激励下一代科学家和创客。MakeSpace和Around Town都支持切尔滕纳姆科学节的战略目标，即扩大和改善其在切尔滕纳姆市中心提供的免费、现场互动体验和免费活动。他们将确保我们达到吸引新观众的目标，既包括在科学节场地（皇家花园）内的观众，也包括那些没有访问科学节现场的观众。我们很高兴地看到，STFC的目标是接触到低“科学资本”的受众，我们相信这个项目补充了这一目标。另一个目标是通过培训和持续的支持来支持早期职业研究人员的参与和沟通技巧的发展。利用我们的科学传播专家网络，我们将与stfc资助领域的科学家合作，提高参与科学家的技能，以确保活动的交付符合切尔滕纳姆所期望的高标准。我们希望参与的科学家有一个绝佳的学习机会，并有机会提高他们自己的信心和技能。同样，这一过程将确保我们也向他们学习：他们对当代研究的知识完全融入到活动的开发和实施中。因此，这个项目的影响可以总结为：-通过与“现实生活”专家的参与和对话，格洛斯特郡的孩子、年轻人和他们的家庭受到天文学和天体物理学的启发，并受到启发，在自己的时间里制造、发明、破解或修补-观众了解了科学家、技术专家、工程师、艺术家和创客在当代研究我们的物质宇宙-观众更好地了解科学作为一个创造性的，有趣的和令人兴奋的学科和职业-打破艺术和科学/工程之间的障碍-切尔滕纳姆科学节吸引了新的观众，在切尔滕纳姆科学节上，更多天体物理学和天文学领域的早期职业科学家参与了互动活动的开发和提供。在stcf资助的研究领域工作的早期职业科学家提高了沟通技巧，并有信心谈论他们的专业领域。作为该项目的一部分，活动和互动演示将成为参与英国各地学校、活动和其他节日的科学家可以使用的资源。与我们合作的一群训练有素的科学家（和工程师）将能够在未来提供高质量的互动体验。

We are seeking STFC funding to help us enhance the range and impact of free activities in our MakeSpace, Cheltenham Science Festival's first interactive zone dedicated to the material world and the joy of making. Linked to this, it will also enable us to expand and improve our 'Around Town' programme of free making activities around the streets of Cheltenham. Our goal is to bring together scientists, artists and makers to engage the public in exploring the material world, while highlighting the role of engineering, technology, creativity and collaboration in exploring our universe. STFC funding will enable us to build on the success and popularity of our free 2016 SpaceZone, by embedding astronomy and astrophysics into these interactive activities and enabling us to train and work with early-career researchers within STFC-funded fields. We aim to inspire the next generation of scientists and makers by enabling children, young people and their families to meet and interact with scientists who are working in the fields of astronomy and astrophysics research. Both the MakeSpace and Around Town support Cheltenham Science Festival's strategic goal to expand and improve its provision of free, on-site interactive experiences and free activities in Cheltenham town centre. They will ensure we achieve our goal of reaching new audiences, both within the Festival grounds (Imperial Gardens) but also those who do not visit the Science Festival site. We were encouraged to see that the STFC aims to reach audiences with low 'science capital' and we believe this project complements this aim. Another aim is to support the development of early-career researchers' engagement and communication skills through training and ongoing support. Using our network of science communication experts, we will work with scientists in STFC-funded fields to upskill participating scientists, to make sure the delivery of activities is of the very high standard expected at Cheltenham. We want participating scientists to have a fantastic learning opportunity and a chance to improve their own confidence and skills. Equally, this process will ensure that we also learn from them: that their knowledge of contemporary research is thoroughly embedded in the development and delivery of the activities.The impacts of this project can therefore be summarised as:- Through participation and dialogue with 'real life' experts, Gloucestershire's children, young people and their families are inspired by astronomy and astrophysics and inspired to make, invent, hack or tinker in their own time - Audiences gain an understanding of the synergy between scientists, technologists, engineers, artists and makers in contemporary research into our material universe- Audiences gain a better understanding of science as a creative, fun and exciting discipline and profession - breaking down the barriers between the arts and science/engineering- Cheltenham Science Festival reaches new audiences, on site and throughout the town- Greater number of early-career scientists in the fields of astrophysics and astronomy are involved in developing and delivering interactives at Cheltenham Science Festival- Early-career scientists working in STFC-funded areas of research have improved communication skills and are confident talking about their fields of expertiseIn terms of a practical legacy, the workshops, activities and interactive demonstrations that are developed as part of this project will become a resource which can be used by participating scientists in schools, events and other festivals around the UK. The cohort of trained scientists (and engineers) with whom we work will be able to deliver high quality, interactive experiences in the future.