British Science and Engineering week saw numerous Academy masterclasses delivered in the UK - and an entire programme of workshops funded by the British Council delivered at international schools in China.
A team from the National Space Academy was tasked by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office with delivering a pilot programme of student and teacher masterclasses in Beijing and Shanghai, China, during British Science and Engineering week. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office funds programmes for international development that will benefit both the UK and the partner country, and decided that the National Space Academy would be a perfect fit with two of their priorities for collaboration in China: education and space.
The week-long pilot project had the support of a leader of education policy in China, Professor Yu Jensheng of the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, as well as Professor Gethin Roberts of Nottingham Ningbo University's Education Department and Karen Maddocks, Head of the Science and Innovation Team at the British Embassy in Beijing, along with two host schools, the British School in Beijing Shunyi and Nord Anglia International School Shanghai Pudong. It was attended by teachers and students both from Chinese schools and from the international host schools, focussing on physics, chemistry and biology at secondary level,
Between them the team, including the Academy's Director Anu Ojha, Lead Educators Judith Green and Chris Carr, Project Scientist Hugh Mortimer of RAL Space, and core team members Dr Kierann Shah and Amy Bradshaw, delivered over 40 workshops and reached over 300 students and 60 teachers. In addition to this, Anu gave two public lectures with the support of his colleagues and Judith led a Saturday session for primary students. Despite only having two afternoons for sightseeing the team did their best to see a bit of the country, including the Forbidden City in Beijing, pictured above.
Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, leaving Chinese and international partners keen to explore the possibility of future partnerships. You can read more about the programme using the links below, and you can see photos from the week of workshops in our Facebook album.
Further information:
International Channel Shanghai