Bulletins

Health and Safety

Dissections & abattoirs

Recently, a school reported to us that an abattoir had requested a form from Food Standard Scotland becompleted prior to dispatching any materials.

Having researched this, SSERC can now provide updated guidance to schools who wish to obtain animal byproducts (ABPs) from abattoirs/slaughterhouses in Scotland. The guidance does not extend to materials obtained from butchers or other commercial premises, e.g. supermarkets.

Working with radioactive sources – training

It is a legal requirement that anyone working with radioactive sources receives training first and that the training is recorded and also that the training
is refreshed at appropriate intervals.

In this article we cover the types of training that can meet these legal obligations.

Activities and Professional Learning

Python, Pandas & Physics Pendulums

The core of this article is about damped simple harmonic oscillation at Advanced Higher Physics but it is multidisciplinary in nature, incorporating elements of maths, computer science and data science.

SSERC Professional Learning Courses

Update on our  upcoming professional learning (PL) courses and events for teachers in both

primary and secondary settings, school technicians, and other educators.

Enbracing Outdoor Learning

Scotland’s “rich urban and rural environments” present enormous potential for delivering the Curriculum for Excellence in a meaningful way to engage young people in their learning, as outlined in Education Scotland’s key document “Curriculum for excellence through outdoor learning”

Leading the Way in STEM

Hear more about the progress of our new course which is being piloted for aspiring and existing school leaders in STEM.

The current academic year has seen the launch of our Leadership in STEM Education professional learning course for both early years & primary and secondary cohorts. This course represents a significant addition to our list of professional learning offers for educators in Scotland, and the pilot year is proving to be a success.

Readying learners for a data-driven world

Data skills are to the 21st Century what reading and writing were to the 20th. This article covers some of the approaches and resources to help teach data literacy..

Technology professional learning

This article provides an outline summary of the current technology course offering. A brief describing of each course and a quick “glance” at what topics are covered on each.  

STEM Engagement

STEM Engagement round-up

With so much activity going on within STEM engagement at SSERC, the team has taken the opportunity to give a comprehensive round-up of all our programmes.

Impulse experiments using Electrolycra

This is an inexpensive, simple method of getting a force/time graph and comparing impulse with change in momentum.

End-product inhibition of the enzyme phosphatase – revisited

The SQA Course Specifications for Higher Biology and Higher Human Biology each suggest, as a context for the study of metabolic pathways, a learning activity where students might, “Carry out experiments based on end-product inhibition using phosphatase and phenolphthalein phosphate”.

Free STEM teaching resources from the University of Edinburgh

The School of GeoSciences, in collaboration with the Open Educational Resources (OER) Service, at the University of Edinburgh have released a series of free STEM teaching resources for school teachers and educators. The resources, which can be downloaded free of charge from TES Resources, are accompanied by Curriculum for Excellence learning objectives and outcomes, and are designed to be easily re-used and adapted for different classroom scenarios and curriculum levels.

SSERC professional learning courses

Our professional development courses range from twilight events, day-courses through to residential meetings lasting up to 6 days in total. Our curriculum coverage spans both primary and secondary sectors and we offer events for teachers as part of their career long professional learning, newly qualified teachers and technicians. Many of our events receive funding from the ENTHUSE Bursary scheme or the Scottish Government.

2020: year of the Young STEM Leader

“2020 will be the year of the young STEM Leader” Alastair MacGregor, Chief Executive of SSERC

Virtual Reality in the School of Education at University of Glasgow

When we wrote in Bulletin 260 on the control measures for using virtual reality in the classroom, we admitted that we did not have much experience of the technology ourselves and wondered if our safety advice was draconian. Since then, we have worked with Gabriella Rodolico of Glasgow University who used our guidance and found it to be entirely appropriate. We thought that Gabriella’s findings on the pedagogical aspects of VR would be of interest to many teachers of STEM subjects.

Safety in Microbiology Level 3 training

Safety in Microbiology – A Code of Practice for Scottish Schools and Colleges (SSERC 2018), the most recent edition of which was issued to schools in December 2018, contains guidance on the safe handling of micro-organisms for local authority and SSERC member schools and colleges. In most cases, local authority, or independent school/college, employers have adopted the Code of Practice to meet the requirements of the COSHH Regulations and of other related health and safety legislation.

Capacitor safety

‘What is the maximum capacitance allowable for a capacitor that will be used by students?’ A query like this one was emailed to our helpline and, as is often the way of these questions, there turned out to be more to it than initially seemed to be the case.

A new edition of Safeguards in the School Laboratory

At its Annual Conference in Reading, ASE launched the 12th edition of Safeguards in the School Laboratory. This familiar title was written by members of the ASE’s Health & Safety Group and is intended for all those involved in 11-19 science education. It will be particularly useful for newly qualified and trainee teachers, new technicians and for those seeking promotion to, or newly-appointed as, heads of department, senior technicians, etc. Having said that, one experienced former head of department, who joined the Group shortly before the revision started, was astonished at how much he hadn’t known!

That uncertain feeling

Considering the behaviour of classical waves can give us insight into phenomena usually considered to be quantum in nature. Here we use apps running on tablets to investigate classical uncertainty, then relate our findings to quantum physics.

Demonstration corner

An interesting and colourful autocatalytic reaction.

The Rolls-Royce Science Prize

An update on the Rolls Royce Science Prize and the successes of attendees on SSERC courses.

STEM Ambassadors

An introduction and guide to the STEM ambassadors scheme

SSERC professional development courses

An update on upcoming CLPL courses at SSERC over the next few months.

No escape from (Virtual) Reality

In virtual reality (VR), a computer is used to recreate a 3D environment that a user can interact with. At present, this is usually done with a special headset. Some have built-in screens, others, such as Google Cardboard, are just holders for smartphones. Some teachers are beginning to use the technology in lessons. Are there any safety issues that we should consider?

Health and Safety

Have a ripping time

An update on changes in working practices the position of the rip fence whilst rip cutting.

Lathe speeds and Tool Angles

Machining safely and correctly on the centre lathe commands a high degree of importance and the machine should have its speed set appropriately and tools at the correct angles. This article provides helpful guidance on working safely and successfully.

Websites and Publications

A roundup of various websites and print resources available from SSERC

Higher Sciences Resources

Learning and Teaching Scotland has informed us that they are making resources available on line to support the new Higher science qualifications. Some of the materials have been developed with substantial input from SSERC. We look forward to having a good look at everything on offer when we have appropriate access.

Higher Pitched – Doppler Ball

An experiment on the Doppler Effect for the new Higher Physics qualification. Teachers have made it clear that the new content in the forthcoming course should be supported by practical work. Here we look at an experiment on the Doppler effect that could be used in the Cosmology part of the Our Dynamic Universe unit.

Effervescent Enzymes

In this short article, we present an experimental protocol for the breakdown of hydrogen peroxide by catalase that we believe to be both robust and accessible and which, therefore, should prove useful in supporting the delivery of outcome SCN 4-13b. Further experimental details will be made available on the SSERC website.

Clock Face Designing

Anyone who has designed a clock face using a CAD system would know the problems of firstly deciding a diameter for the dial, then constructing the 12 x 30° hour positions (showing off using polar coordinates!) deciding on the hour text/graphics then trying to obtain the correct position and so on. Now this process has become a lot easier thanks to Ekits Clock Designer Software (version 4). This costs £14.95 for a single copy, £49.95 for a site licence version.

Alternative Photography

An introduction to some alternative photography processes, especially the cyanotype: an iron based process which is both cheap and easy, not even requiring a darkroom.

Health and Safety
Mercury in Schools

A number of issues relating to the use of mercury in schools have recently come to light and which need some clarification, which we attempt to provide.

The page numbers refer to the pages in the pdf. (The numbers in brackets are those given in the actual bulletin)

3(1) Introduction

Development and aims of SSSERC.

5(3) Opinion

Laboratory assistant/technicians

6(4) Trade News

9(7) Second-Hand Equipment

Working with scientific apparatus rejects from industrial research laboratories and university departments.

10(8) In The Workshop – Jobs for your lab technician.

11(9) In The Workshop – Storing lenses.

A design for a lens storage box

12(10) In The Workshop – Inflating balloons

Modifying a Woolworth’s product for use in the laboratory.

14(12) Address list