The UK has a great heritage in the sciences and I hope we at Beauty can do our part to keep that alive.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Blackburn,United Kingdom
Read More!Another Grand Week
Today I rounded off a brilliant week with an after school session at St Matthews in Blackburn, where I am sitting as I type. There are some very sharp minds at this school and they have impressed me, not only with their knowledge, but with their intelligent questions. I hope that some of them have the opportunity to pursue physics at undergraduate level. That is a big part of Beauty In The Universe, to drive students to university and to encourage academic study as well as encouraging personal times of study and backyard astronomy.
The UK has a great heritage in the sciences and I hope we at Beauty can do our part to keep that alive.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
The UK has a great heritage in the sciences and I hope we at Beauty can do our part to keep that alive.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Planet Building: Our Own Magrathea
Today Audley Infants School discovered the planets by designing their own. They took inspiration from the features observed on the planets in our Solar System and used that knowledge to come up with alien worlds of their own with geographical, geological and meteorological features being common themes. They were a pleasure to work with and a talented bunch.
Check out their drawings here:
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Check out their drawings here:
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Sycamore Ave,Burnley,United Kingdom
Read More!Back In Action
Beauty In The Universe is back in action. Yesterday I delivered the first session of a lunchtime club in Crosshills School Blackburn, with the usual awe-filled reaction from students and teachers alike.
Being back in the classroom was a welcome return and I look forward to more and more of it as we expand our plans over the next academic year.
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Being back in the classroom was a welcome return and I look forward to more and more of it as we expand our plans over the next academic year.
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Darwen Starlight Walk
Tonight I went on a starlight walk to Darwen Tower. Unfortunately we were clouded out, but I still delivered a talk and showed a few sights off using the excellent Google Sky Map for Android. That seemed to go down very well, and we hope to do it again in the autumn or winter. It was great to see people of all ages in attendance, and a shame that we didn't get to see th night sky.
Here is a nice Picasa stream from the occasion:
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Here is a nice Picasa stream from the occasion:
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| Darwen Starlight Walk |
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And That's a Wrap Everyone
This week we wrapped for this academic year, notwithstanding summer clubs and suchlike. The final session was at Rosewood Primary School. Here is their attempt to contact ET:
I will blog more about the point of this exercise, suffice to say that it is fantastic fun and a hugely rewarding time for the students. Rosewood have talented students who will no doubt go far. See you next year guys and gals.
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I will blog more about the point of this exercise, suffice to say that it is fantastic fun and a hugely rewarding time for the students. Rosewood have talented students who will no doubt go far. See you next year guys and gals.
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Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
It's all change at Beauty In The Universe again. Firstly, I am going to be a daddy again:
Yet another Little Beauty.
Yesterday we began our first adult education course at 3 In A Bar in Darwen. Getting there and back was a 44 kilometre round trip:
View 3 in a bar inward in a larger map
I cycled it as usual and, as ever, loved every second of it. It was a well-attended and interesting session. Adults are a different breed to children when in the classroom, but nonetheless it all went very well. If you would like to come along then the location is on the map above - Belgrave Road in Darwen, Lancashire, and sessions are free to attend.
Tune
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Yet another Little Beauty.
Yesterday we began our first adult education course at 3 In A Bar in Darwen. Getting there and back was a 44 kilometre round trip:
View 3 in a bar inward in a larger map
I cycled it as usual and, as ever, loved every second of it. It was a well-attended and interesting session. Adults are a different breed to children when in the classroom, but nonetheless it all went very well. If you would like to come along then the location is on the map above - Belgrave Road in Darwen, Lancashire, and sessions are free to attend.
Tune
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Mapping the Science
Today Beauty In The Universe has launched a very exciting new feature to the website. Using the Ushahidi open source event mapping platform we are going to start mapping lessons, lectures, star parties and observations. Anyone can do it, and the application is here. You need give no personal details to us. All you have to do is select what you wish to record, a lecture, lesson, observation etc, give a map location and you may also attach links or photos.
This will be a great way to map the state of astronomy education in the UK, and possibly the world. We hope to map and record all kinds of events and anyone can get involved in this citizen science project.
At the Ushahidi you can also get apps for your iPhone, Android or Windows Mobile phone so you can record as you go.
Get stuck in everybody!
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This will be a great way to map the state of astronomy education in the UK, and possibly the world. We hope to map and record all kinds of events and anyone can get involved in this citizen science project.
At the Ushahidi you can also get apps for your iPhone, Android or Windows Mobile phone so you can record as you go.
Get stuck in everybody!
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The National AIDS Trust
Beauty In The Universe has today agreed to work with The National AIDS Trust in order to raise funds awareness in the fight against a disease that has been the scourge of the late Twentieth Century.
This is a cause that is profoundly important, and education, awareness, research and donations are vital if we are to see this disease cured. We hope to use our services and events to raise money for the NAT, through small donations for our services outside the curriculum rather than a fee per se.
We hope to become more philanthropic as we continue to take astronomy to the masses. We hope you will join us in donating to worthy causes.
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This is a cause that is profoundly important, and education, awareness, research and donations are vital if we are to see this disease cured. We hope to use our services and events to raise money for the NAT, through small donations for our services outside the curriculum rather than a fee per se.
We hope to become more philanthropic as we continue to take astronomy to the masses. We hope you will join us in donating to worthy causes.
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New Additions To The Beauty In The Universe Roster
We never stay still at Beauty In The Universe. We have hatched several plans that remain, as yet, on the down-low. They are big plans but they are not ready to be announced yet. One thing I can announce, however, is a significant increase in our number as we look to expand and influence farther and wider than its current level.
As of today we have two more partners on our staff roster. First up is Kasia.
Kasia is with us to get stuck in to Erica's side of things, funding and navigating the world of not=for-profit. She will assist in pushing forward in areas we are currently targeting, as well as making new projects happen quickly and efficiently.
Next up is Rachel.
Regular followers of Beauty In The Universe on Facebook and YouTube will already be familiar with her input, as will everyone reading this blog. Rachel built, and continues to update and maintain our new website, and she also provides the voice-overs for our YouTube video content.
Both Kasia and Rachel are American, and Rachel still lives over there, in Los Angeles. Beauty in The Universe is a truly international organisation. This chap, pictured here with his significant other:
Is James, a student from Australia who contacted us to get help with a school project on astronomy. Of course, we were only too pleased to help, and we look forward to a great result for James. Beauty In The Universe now reaches three continents and is pushing on to become more and more influential. We hope that you come with us for the ride.
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As of today we have two more partners on our staff roster. First up is Kasia.
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Kasia is with us to get stuck in to Erica's side of things, funding and navigating the world of not=for-profit. She will assist in pushing forward in areas we are currently targeting, as well as making new projects happen quickly and efficiently.
Next up is Rachel.
 |
Regular followers of Beauty In The Universe on Facebook and YouTube will already be familiar with her input, as will everyone reading this blog. Rachel built, and continues to update and maintain our new website, and she also provides the voice-overs for our YouTube video content.
Both Kasia and Rachel are American, and Rachel still lives over there, in Los Angeles. Beauty in The Universe is a truly international organisation. This chap, pictured here with his significant other:
 |
Is James, a student from Australia who contacted us to get help with a school project on astronomy. Of course, we were only too pleased to help, and we look forward to a great result for James. Beauty In The Universe now reaches three continents and is pushing on to become more and more influential. We hope that you come with us for the ride.
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Weekly Green Statistics
As promised I am logging all of my travelling and calculating the number of green miles versus polluting miles. Here is the breakdown of my travelling this week, ending today:
Total distance travelled: 13.73 kilometres
Of that:
Distance cycled: 7.23 kilometres
Distance walked: 6.5 kilometres
For my commuting that is a total of 13.73 green kilometres and that is 100% of my total distance travelled.
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Total distance travelled: 13.73 kilometres
Of that:
Distance cycled: 7.23 kilometres
Distance walked: 6.5 kilometres
For my commuting that is a total of 13.73 green kilometres and that is 100% of my total distance travelled.
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Professor Brain Cox Live Webcast
STOP PRESS
Professor Brian Cox is giving a lecture on The Big Bang on June 28th. The good news is that it is going to be shown online in a live webcast. Details here.
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Professor Brian Cox is giving a lecture on The Big Bang on June 28th. The good news is that it is going to be shown online in a live webcast. Details here.
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Friends of Beauty In The Universe
Check out what the friends of Beauty In The Universe are getting up to:
This is the excellent Faces From Earth, an organisation we hooked up with a while back. Check them out. We hope to work with them if our respective schedules allow, and in particular we hope to get involved with their superb E.T., are you out there? project.
Another oasis of knowledge is flourishing, good on you Faces From Earth.
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This is the excellent Faces From Earth, an organisation we hooked up with a while back. Check them out. We hope to work with them if our respective schedules allow, and in particular we hope to get involved with their superb E.T., are you out there? project.
Another oasis of knowledge is flourishing, good on you Faces From Earth.
Facebook Flickr Twitter YouTube Read More!
Beauty In The Universe YouTube Channel
Check the new, official Beauty In The Universe YouTube Channel. The URL http://www.youtube.com/user/beautiverse. You can sign up to YouTube and subscribe so that you receive notifications of new videos we upload.
All the videos we upload are not copyrighted by Beauty In The Universe so feel free to repost them elsewhere or, if you are an educator, you may use them for your own educational programme. Please do not reproduce them without permission, which you can obtain by emailing us.
We hope you enjoy Beauty In The Universe on YouTube.
Tune Read More!
All the videos we upload are not copyrighted by Beauty In The Universe so feel free to repost them elsewhere or, if you are an educator, you may use them for your own educational programme. Please do not reproduce them without permission, which you can obtain by emailing us.
We hope you enjoy Beauty In The Universe on YouTube.
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Further Funding Successes & Initiatives
Today I am pleased to make several significant and exciting announcements.
Firstly, we have successfully petitioned Blackburn and Darwen CVS for funding to take Beauty In The Universe in to that area. This is a significant breakthrough for us. We are expanding our reach and influence in to a wider area of Lancashire, thus enabling many students to to discover the fascinating science of astronomy. The funding award is significant also because it represents our largest single award to date, and it is a real thrill to see local government putting their faith in education, and in a discipline that has proven to be effective, exciting and stimulating consistently throughout history. It is also a vindication of our method and aims as, during these difficult economic times the oasis of knowledge, Enlightenment thinking and reason is flourishing.
Secondly, we have now agreed a grant award from our local council which will allow us to buy at least one portable telescope. This means that we will shortly be able to offer observing events and star parties. This is another string to our educational bow and one which I am personally very pleased about. Observing the night sky is something that cannot be replicated in the classroom and the experience itself can have a profound effect on people. It is a numinous and almost transcendent thing, particularly when one sees objects for the first time, and one which we are now able to offer to students.
Thirdly, we are making our first foray in to adult education. This will be staged at a brand new Darwen venue, 3 In A Bar. The format is yet to be agreed upon fully but it is looking like a monthly adult education evening. This is a long held ambition of both myself and Erica, to make an impact and both adult and family learning.
A while ago I calculated that as a result of our initial round of delivery to schools we have been able to reach in excess of 700 students (not including teachers). These additions and awards now mean that 700 will soon be 7000. It is our ambition to keep adding zeroes to that number. Read More!
Firstly, we have successfully petitioned Blackburn and Darwen CVS for funding to take Beauty In The Universe in to that area. This is a significant breakthrough for us. We are expanding our reach and influence in to a wider area of Lancashire, thus enabling many students to to discover the fascinating science of astronomy. The funding award is significant also because it represents our largest single award to date, and it is a real thrill to see local government putting their faith in education, and in a discipline that has proven to be effective, exciting and stimulating consistently throughout history. It is also a vindication of our method and aims as, during these difficult economic times the oasis of knowledge, Enlightenment thinking and reason is flourishing.
Secondly, we have now agreed a grant award from our local council which will allow us to buy at least one portable telescope. This means that we will shortly be able to offer observing events and star parties. This is another string to our educational bow and one which I am personally very pleased about. Observing the night sky is something that cannot be replicated in the classroom and the experience itself can have a profound effect on people. It is a numinous and almost transcendent thing, particularly when one sees objects for the first time, and one which we are now able to offer to students.
Thirdly, we are making our first foray in to adult education. This will be staged at a brand new Darwen venue, 3 In A Bar. The format is yet to be agreed upon fully but it is looking like a monthly adult education evening. This is a long held ambition of both myself and Erica, to make an impact and both adult and family learning.
A while ago I calculated that as a result of our initial round of delivery to schools we have been able to reach in excess of 700 students (not including teachers). These additions and awards now mean that 700 will soon be 7000. It is our ambition to keep adding zeroes to that number. Read More!
Another School
This week Beauty In The Universe began sessions in another school, Cherryfold Primary in Burnley. This is a lively school and a smart bunch of students. These sessions are double ones so we will deliver the whole of the six week course in three weeks. This is challenging in some ways but satisfying in others. The main obstacle that 90 minutes of science challenges the attention span of even the most hardened academic, however, this was overcome with our innovative delivery and methods and, quite simply, by scheduling a break strategically to allow the students to blow off steam.
It seems to me that the schools in Burnley are oases of talent and ability. To be able to tap in to that and encourage academic endeavour is always going to be a privilege. Naturally, we do not expect every student we come across to pursue a physics degree, but that is not and never has been our intention. Of course we want to increase interest in the space sciences, but a wider goal is to prove to students that knowledge and scholarship is the coolest thing in the universe. Our part in the regeneration and growth of Burnley is growing and despite the government cutbacks we will shortly see, we hope we can continue to build.
Cuts are monetary, recession is temporary, but knowledge is a legacy. Read More!
It seems to me that the schools in Burnley are oases of talent and ability. To be able to tap in to that and encourage academic endeavour is always going to be a privilege. Naturally, we do not expect every student we come across to pursue a physics degree, but that is not and never has been our intention. Of course we want to increase interest in the space sciences, but a wider goal is to prove to students that knowledge and scholarship is the coolest thing in the universe. Our part in the regeneration and growth of Burnley is growing and despite the government cutbacks we will shortly see, we hope we can continue to build.
Cuts are monetary, recession is temporary, but knowledge is a legacy. Read More!
Today was the final day of our 'mini-astrofest' at Lomeshaye Junior School in Nelson. This is a photo of one of the classes there. I will blog more in depth about it later, right now I have just got off my bike after cycling home from school and I am dog tired.
Suffice to say it was a great day of astronomy.
Assembling The Masses
Today was the first session at another school on our initial rotation of five schools. This time it was a twenty minute assembly and, quite frankly, we smashed it in to the stratosphere. There was only time to show a few Hubble images and a quick video about stars but, as is the standard, the students were hooked with almost a constant 'WOW!' being heard throughout. We are back in there tomorrow to deliver full sessions to their year six students. We'll blow them away again.
Is there anything better than seeing youngsters discover how cool knowledge and science is? Read More!
Is there anything better than seeing youngsters discover how cool knowledge and science is? Read More!
Progress, Expansion and Star Parties
Beauty In The Universe always thinks forward, so I am pleased to announce that we recently had an extremely fruitful and interesting meeting with our local councillor, who kindly invested the time and resources we need to be able to buy some better equipment than we have at the moment. As a result of this we will very shortly have the ability to produce near-professional quality multimedia presentations. This will help us to educate to n even higher standard in the classroom and also it will improve the standard of our online delivery. It also means that we are going to be able to buy some decent telescopes and, as a result, offer star parties as part of our service and delivery. We are very excited about this as live events and telescope time have been next to impossible to include in our service thus far. That is now all going to change.
As a result of the support of our local politicians we are now in a position to broaden our service, extend our reach and enhance our delivery.
Further to this we are currently attempting to break in to a wider Lancashire audience. We have our sights set on Blackburn and Hyndburn education authorities as our next targets and, to that end we have already dispatched the necessary applications for funding ad whatever clearance we might need.
A few posts ago I set out some brave words, a rallying cry if you will. It was a statement of intent that, during a time of recession when the country is bracing itself for a battering, we are doing everything we can to advance the life-defining era of knowledge and to play our part in the age of reason. I hope now that you see I meant every single one of those words.
At Beauty In The Universe we do not know how to fail. Read More!
As a result of the support of our local politicians we are now in a position to broaden our service, extend our reach and enhance our delivery.
Further to this we are currently attempting to break in to a wider Lancashire audience. We have our sights set on Blackburn and Hyndburn education authorities as our next targets and, to that end we have already dispatched the necessary applications for funding ad whatever clearance we might need.
A few posts ago I set out some brave words, a rallying cry if you will. It was a statement of intent that, during a time of recession when the country is bracing itself for a battering, we are doing everything we can to advance the life-defining era of knowledge and to play our part in the age of reason. I hope now that you see I meant every single one of those words.
At Beauty In The Universe we do not know how to fail. Read More!
Progress and Progressive Thinking
Our new website is in the testing stage so expect to see our revamped site very soon.
We are now halfway through our initial schools programme, rolled out in Burnley. It's been thrilling and we are pleased to have reached so many students. We now enter the inward run of schools with another school signed up and several schools enquiring about funding our service via the Institute of Physics. We have expanded our reach and are now pitching to wider areas of Lancashire, namely Blackburn and Rishton. We expect funding to arrive imminently to take the science of astronomy in to those schools too.
We have also hooked up with our local councillor, Liberal Democrat Charlie Briggs. He has assisted us in several ways and it now looks like we will be able to offer professional quality multimedia and also stage star parties as a result.
All of the above has come about as a result of our push for new ideas and to try new things. We are seeing such success and we hope to keep building and pushing knowledge. Read More!
We are now halfway through our initial schools programme, rolled out in Burnley. It's been thrilling and we are pleased to have reached so many students. We now enter the inward run of schools with another school signed up and several schools enquiring about funding our service via the Institute of Physics. We have expanded our reach and are now pitching to wider areas of Lancashire, namely Blackburn and Rishton. We expect funding to arrive imminently to take the science of astronomy in to those schools too.
We have also hooked up with our local councillor, Liberal Democrat Charlie Briggs. He has assisted us in several ways and it now looks like we will be able to offer professional quality multimedia and also stage star parties as a result.
All of the above has come about as a result of our push for new ideas and to try new things. We are seeing such success and we hope to keep building and pushing knowledge. Read More!
Beauty Goes Google, Social Networking and Innovation
Since the inception of Beauty In The Universe we have relied heavily on technology to distribute knowledge and information. Our philosophy is that knowledge and information should be free and we work with that in mind. We are currently undertaking a revamp of our website which will see it upgraded with better functionality and a more clean and slick look, and hopefully our blogs will be adapted to look the same. I am not a web designer but I do have some skills in that area, although regrettably I do not really have the time to learn advanced things like PHP and server scripting to be able to build complex web infrastructure as I would like to. Fortunately there is no longer any need to do so as I have had assistance on this from several fronts. Firstly, a friend of mine in California has very kindly donated her time and abilities to build the new website we need. I will give her the appropriate shout-out when the work is done, and only if she wants me to of course.
Secondly, we have invested in Google data services. We have used Google from the beginning, but now we have invested the tiny sum of £33 per user for Erica and I to upgrade to their full application service. I won't go in to too much detail, but for anyone starting a new business or looking to move in to any kind of independent service with a web-based element I cannot recommend this highly enough. Beauty In The Universe now has a full IT service and it has cost less than £100 to do it. I would also recommend a Google venture with British business innovators called Getting British Business Online. This is a service that will give you a free .co.uk domain name and web templates to get your business online in a couple of hours. It's free and you'd be foolish not to do it. Google is, at the moment, the cheapest (almost free) way to deploy business applications and web presence for your business. It already integrates perfectly with Android phones to ensure you're always connected, so when the inevitable Google Chrome operating system netbooks start appearing Google will be able to give businesses powerful tools to manage their daily affairs.
We are also stepping up out efforts to reach people in new and innovating ways. Erica and I have provisionally made arrangements to fly to Yellowknife in Canada to see the Aurora Borealis first hand. That is something we want the world to experience with us and so we want to find new ways to get information out there. You can already find us on Twitter here and we are pushing 300 fans on our Facebook page. We are going to start producing video material that stands alone, outside of the classroom. Currently the videos we produce are for teaching purposes, and so they only make sense in the classroom environment. That will change this year as we step up our involvement with YouTube and Vimeo.
We will also step up our networking via media services such as Spotify. I am a big fan of Spotify and have been a music lover and musician for many years. At Beauty In The Universe we do not believe in staff sitting in grey offices, working to death in silence. We are seeking to create an environment and culture that fosters creativity, innovation, and inspiration and working at Beauty will always be a family-friendly, children-friendly, stimulating and enjoyable experience. Music is always playing, energy is always present and ideas are always flowing. Spotify is just one way we can reach people and music is a unique thing that says so much about a person. I for one have an outrageously eclectic collection that, if I continue accumulating new music as I have previously, will be measured in terabytes. There is, in my music collection, something everyone loves and by the same token, something everyone hates.
Beauty In The Universe always looks for new ideas and methods. Where we come from in Burnley industry is stagnant and the town, from an academic point of view, needs the proverbial rocket up the backside as education here is poor. Beauty is a response to that and in October 2009 we ignited the engines. In seven months we have secured funding for this company to survive at least one year. That much is now guaranteed. We have put in several bids for funding to do things that are what most people would describe as, frankly, audacious to the point of being outrageous. Do you think we care? No. We are going to educate this town out of recession. One of our great motivating factors is a report produced by Centre for Cities, a government think tank that predicted Burnley will be last out of recession due to poor education and limited business innovation. We at Beauty are fed up of reports like that. Whenever anyone wants to say anything bad about the UK they mention Burnley. We are not only motivated to change that, but to ram those words down the throat of whomever predicted it. Mark my words Centre for Cities, you should have made your words a lot sweeter than that because you're going to be eating them soon enough.
The reality of our situation may well be economic recession for now, but we will find a way. Burnley lacks a lot of what we have to offer. I don't know any other organisation in Burnley that writes a blog, for example. At Beauty everyone does and everyone will. There are few organisations in Burnley genuinely dedicated to innovation and knowledge. Further inspiration comes to us through that though, because the best way to do things is always the new and innovative way. The rest of the country can stick to its knitting if it likes. I am sure that there will be challenges and setbacks along the way, but if there is one thing that being resilient and stubborn has taught me, it's that Burnley will flourish if Beauty In The Universe and others like us stick to our guns and raises a standard for knowledge and innovation. I don't know where the next big innovation is coming from, but I do know that its someone I see in school right now. I don't know what that person will do, but I do know that she or he will do it because of what we teach them. Things are tough right now for many people. Economic times are hard, there is a generation of 18-24 year olds who are seemingly on the employment scrap heap, and Centre for Cities has turned to it's favourite whipping boy, Burnley. As I said, I don't have the new answers, I just have the current ones. Let the children build the future by investing in their present.
What is Beauty In The Universe's message to Burnley? Dig in now and ride the storm. Keep the faith in knowledge and education. When they think you're finished then your finest hour is just around the corner. Read More!
Secondly, we have invested in Google data services. We have used Google from the beginning, but now we have invested the tiny sum of £33 per user for Erica and I to upgrade to their full application service. I won't go in to too much detail, but for anyone starting a new business or looking to move in to any kind of independent service with a web-based element I cannot recommend this highly enough. Beauty In The Universe now has a full IT service and it has cost less than £100 to do it. I would also recommend a Google venture with British business innovators called Getting British Business Online. This is a service that will give you a free .co.uk domain name and web templates to get your business online in a couple of hours. It's free and you'd be foolish not to do it. Google is, at the moment, the cheapest (almost free) way to deploy business applications and web presence for your business. It already integrates perfectly with Android phones to ensure you're always connected, so when the inevitable Google Chrome operating system netbooks start appearing Google will be able to give businesses powerful tools to manage their daily affairs.
We are also stepping up out efforts to reach people in new and innovating ways. Erica and I have provisionally made arrangements to fly to Yellowknife in Canada to see the Aurora Borealis first hand. That is something we want the world to experience with us and so we want to find new ways to get information out there. You can already find us on Twitter here and we are pushing 300 fans on our Facebook page. We are going to start producing video material that stands alone, outside of the classroom. Currently the videos we produce are for teaching purposes, and so they only make sense in the classroom environment. That will change this year as we step up our involvement with YouTube and Vimeo.
We will also step up our networking via media services such as Spotify. I am a big fan of Spotify and have been a music lover and musician for many years. At Beauty In The Universe we do not believe in staff sitting in grey offices, working to death in silence. We are seeking to create an environment and culture that fosters creativity, innovation, and inspiration and working at Beauty will always be a family-friendly, children-friendly, stimulating and enjoyable experience. Music is always playing, energy is always present and ideas are always flowing. Spotify is just one way we can reach people and music is a unique thing that says so much about a person. I for one have an outrageously eclectic collection that, if I continue accumulating new music as I have previously, will be measured in terabytes. There is, in my music collection, something everyone loves and by the same token, something everyone hates.
Beauty In The Universe always looks for new ideas and methods. Where we come from in Burnley industry is stagnant and the town, from an academic point of view, needs the proverbial rocket up the backside as education here is poor. Beauty is a response to that and in October 2009 we ignited the engines. In seven months we have secured funding for this company to survive at least one year. That much is now guaranteed. We have put in several bids for funding to do things that are what most people would describe as, frankly, audacious to the point of being outrageous. Do you think we care? No. We are going to educate this town out of recession. One of our great motivating factors is a report produced by Centre for Cities, a government think tank that predicted Burnley will be last out of recession due to poor education and limited business innovation. We at Beauty are fed up of reports like that. Whenever anyone wants to say anything bad about the UK they mention Burnley. We are not only motivated to change that, but to ram those words down the throat of whomever predicted it. Mark my words Centre for Cities, you should have made your words a lot sweeter than that because you're going to be eating them soon enough.
The reality of our situation may well be economic recession for now, but we will find a way. Burnley lacks a lot of what we have to offer. I don't know any other organisation in Burnley that writes a blog, for example. At Beauty everyone does and everyone will. There are few organisations in Burnley genuinely dedicated to innovation and knowledge. Further inspiration comes to us through that though, because the best way to do things is always the new and innovative way. The rest of the country can stick to its knitting if it likes. I am sure that there will be challenges and setbacks along the way, but if there is one thing that being resilient and stubborn has taught me, it's that Burnley will flourish if Beauty In The Universe and others like us stick to our guns and raises a standard for knowledge and innovation. I don't know where the next big innovation is coming from, but I do know that its someone I see in school right now. I don't know what that person will do, but I do know that she or he will do it because of what we teach them. Things are tough right now for many people. Economic times are hard, there is a generation of 18-24 year olds who are seemingly on the employment scrap heap, and Centre for Cities has turned to it's favourite whipping boy, Burnley. As I said, I don't have the new answers, I just have the current ones. Let the children build the future by investing in their present.
What is Beauty In The Universe's message to Burnley? Dig in now and ride the storm. Keep the faith in knowledge and education. When they think you're finished then your finest hour is just around the corner. Read More!
We're Back!
After an Easter break that seemed like an eternity, Beauty is back! We are pleased to announce that we have recently confirmed a two day astronomy 'fest' at a Lancashire school.
We're seeing some real energy in Lancashire science education. The opportunities in front of us are tremendous. Read More!
We're seeing some real energy in Lancashire science education. The opportunities in front of us are tremendous. Read More!
Trip to Alston Observatory
Today it was the Final Session in The Rose School in Burnley and rather than a normal session we took a trip away to Alston Observatory. (Map link here). This facility is available to us as a part of our partnership with the excellent University of Central Lancashire. This was a fantastic day and we enjoyed the presentation entitled 'Telescopes as Time Machines', along with video projected on to the observatory dome, further video about Saturn and the Cassini mission. The students and teaching staff got an opportunity to play with a couple of telescopes , although seeing was limited to distant terrestrial sights of course, since it was daytime.
This really was a great experience for the students and I can only imagine what an evening open day is like there as it is a very dark location and there is some fantastic equipment there. UCLAN could not have a better facility for its outreach programme. I am very envious of the staff that get to use the place!
Here is a Picasa photostream from the day. Click the image to view the rest.
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This really was a great experience for the students and I can only imagine what an evening open day is like there as it is a very dark location and there is some fantastic equipment there. UCLAN could not have a better facility for its outreach programme. I am very envious of the staff that get to use the place!
Here is a Picasa photostream from the day. Click the image to view the rest.
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| Rose School Observatory Trip |
Further Progress
I haven't blogged for a week or so, mainly because the work is picking up and things are getting hectic. Next week we take a trip to UCLAN and I am very much looking forward to that. What I am most pleased about is that we have secured a further contract to deliver our service, this time to one primary school over the course of three days in May. We are very excited to be working with this particular school and I personally look forward to meeting the pupils. If they are anything like the pupils we have encountered so far they will no doubt be fund to work with and a pleasure to be around. The schools in Burnley have a wealth of talent in them, perfect for educating our way out of recession. I look forward to the day when students begin to graduate from universities they attended because we inspired them to pursue academia, and in particular the sciences.
Tune Read More!
Tune Read More!
Progress
More progress. This week was comets for one school, climate change for another and for one more, black holes. All three classes were great and it is fantastic to see Burnley endowed with such talented students. There are definitely good times ahead for these students.
Today I began another series in another series of sessions in a new school. I cycled to this one and disaster struck when my chain snapped. I was so relieved that Laura was able to rescue me. I arrived on time fortunately and all was well. In this session there were almost twenty students plus two parents. I am always very pleased when I see children and parents learning together. That is a rewarding thing for Beauty In The Universe. This was another great school, and I think we will do well for the students there.
Did you know that the recent Earthquake in Chile slowed the Earth's rotation by 0.126 milliseconds?
Dream Theater: Raw Dog Read More!
Today I began another series in another series of sessions in a new school. I cycled to this one and disaster struck when my chain snapped. I was so relieved that Laura was able to rescue me. I arrived on time fortunately and all was well. In this session there were almost twenty students plus two parents. I am always very pleased when I see children and parents learning together. That is a rewarding thing for Beauty In The Universe. This was another great school, and I think we will do well for the students there.
Did you know that the recent Earthquake in Chile slowed the Earth's rotation by 0.126 milliseconds?
Dream Theater: Raw Dog Read More!
Busy Busy, Busy
Man I have been busy recently. Funding applications left, right and centre, teaching, planning, stargazing, researching, cycling wherever I can. The summer is coming and things are looking good. This week was another great week for teaching. We covered the most requested subject Beauty in the Universe receives, Black Holes. Getting across to students the weirdness of these objects is quite a challenge, and I hope they got it. Even more so as I now know that they read both mine and Erica's blog.
I'm watching you kids.
I kid of course. I am planning to shift our programme slightly and cover the end of all things next week. This will allow me to talk about the conservation of nergy, thermodynamics and entropy. Stay tuned as that should be a pretty barking mad lesson conducted partly in the yard, weather permitting of course.
Some may have noticed I frequently post a song at the end of my posts. Music is a fine wonder, so this week I sign of with a classic of American pop/rock, the mighty Toto performing 'Africa' live. Read More!
I'm watching you kids.
I kid of course. I am planning to shift our programme slightly and cover the end of all things next week. This will allow me to talk about the conservation of nergy, thermodynamics and entropy. Stay tuned as that should be a pretty barking mad lesson conducted partly in the yard, weather permitting of course.
Some may have noticed I frequently post a song at the end of my posts. Music is a fine wonder, so this week I sign of with a classic of American pop/rock, the mighty Toto performing 'Africa' live. Read More!
Fun and Funding
This week was another new taster session. We took our wares to Hapton Primary School and once again our taster session about star formation, abiogenesis and proplyds went down a storm. These kids were great. They were full of questions and once again I found myself surprised by the intelligence they displayed in their questioning. I was not surprised to find smart kids, but there are questions and then there are questions. The most rewarding thing is when we see a student starting to use inductive reasoning, often showing the ability to infer intelligent answers from various propositions we present to them. I was so impressed by a couple of students who were able to employ induction and a sort of young strain of syllogistic logic to ask intelligent questions. This was pleasing not only because of the questioning, but also because the questions suggested certain premises had already been dismissed prior to formulating the question. Now that WAS exciting. When a child has been educated to a standard sufficient to allow them to self-educate intelligently then that child is equipped well for the academic challenge. I am in no doubt that there were at least a couple of future scientists in this school.
The session went down, as I say, very well and it is always great when the teachers and learning support staff are as engaged in the lesson as the students. This is often the case with astronomy as it is rare and also almost transcendent and numinous in parts. The best sign of a good lesson is when we are told to shut up! The students would have questioned all afternoon but inevitably the wider curriculum came rushing in. How thrilling it is to have the students chatter our ears off from beginning to end.
Other good news is that the Awards4All funding application we previously had rejected looks as though it will be approved upon reapplication. I am not the expert on this sort of thing, that is Erica's forte, however, it seems that a minor detail was incorrectly stated or interpreted and clearing it up will allow us to go ahead. That will be great result if that comes in, allowing us to buy significant resources for educating.
A great song. Read More!
The session went down, as I say, very well and it is always great when the teachers and learning support staff are as engaged in the lesson as the students. This is often the case with astronomy as it is rare and also almost transcendent and numinous in parts. The best sign of a good lesson is when we are told to shut up! The students would have questioned all afternoon but inevitably the wider curriculum came rushing in. How thrilling it is to have the students chatter our ears off from beginning to end.
Other good news is that the Awards4All funding application we previously had rejected looks as though it will be approved upon reapplication. I am not the expert on this sort of thing, that is Erica's forte, however, it seems that a minor detail was incorrectly stated or interpreted and clearing it up will allow us to go ahead. That will be great result if that comes in, allowing us to buy significant resources for educating.
A great song. Read More!
Earth Moon
Today was the first day of a new term, six weeks now until Easter, and it was the first session proper delivered to the secondary school in our rotation. The last time I was there was a taster session delivered to a great bunch of kids with a bundle of attitude. I love these kids. Today's session was delivered to their GCSE class with a couple of 'stepper-uppers', i.e. talented students from lower years. The subject was the Earth - Moon system, and I managed to export a great deal of knowledge in 45 minutes. We covered libration:
Libration is a 'wobble' observed in the Moon's orbital motion as it faces Earth. The GIF above demonstrates this by showing the motion greatly accelerated. 50% of the surface of the Moon is visible from Earth at any one time, but thanks to libration it is possible to see 59% of the Moon's surface can be observed.
We also talked about eclipses, total, partial and annular. We covered the landings, including a thorough debunking of the Moon Landing conspiracies, each with accompanying explanations of why they are so preposterous, and this is a very useful tool actually, an easy way to cover a diverse knowledge base very quickly. After that we had a general chat about the Apollo missions, Apollo 13 and various interesting elements of the missions like the Lunar Rover, the geography and topography of the Moon and a little about the formation.
It was a Monday morning lesson, sleeps heads in some ways, but nonetheless a great lesson and the shock and awe in the face of how cool astronomy is was absolutely clear.
Song. Read More!
Libration is a 'wobble' observed in the Moon's orbital motion as it faces Earth. The GIF above demonstrates this by showing the motion greatly accelerated. 50% of the surface of the Moon is visible from Earth at any one time, but thanks to libration it is possible to see 59% of the Moon's surface can be observed.
We also talked about eclipses, total, partial and annular. We covered the landings, including a thorough debunking of the Moon Landing conspiracies, each with accompanying explanations of why they are so preposterous, and this is a very useful tool actually, an easy way to cover a diverse knowledge base very quickly. After that we had a general chat about the Apollo missions, Apollo 13 and various interesting elements of the missions like the Lunar Rover, the geography and topography of the Moon and a little about the formation.
It was a Monday morning lesson, sleeps heads in some ways, but nonetheless a great lesson and the shock and awe in the face of how cool astronomy is was absolutely clear.
Song. Read More!
Binary Opposites, Black and White, Yin and Yang
Today we struck up a conversation with the excellent Mr Eclipse. I am sure I do not need to tell anyone what a man with such a name is renowned for. His website is one of the best amateur sites out there devoted to astronomy, and even more specifically eclipse chasing. One of the modules on the six week course we are doing in schools is devoted to the Earth - Moon system and therefore it goes without saying that eclipses are a large part of that presentation.
I have to confess that I love Erica's methodology. I happened to mention this guy (real name Fred Espenak) in passing whilst I was showing her an Annular Solar Eclipse and she instantly said
This is what Erica does so well, essentially everything I don't! I assemble data and prepare and produce seminars and clubs based upon what guys like Espenak do. It never occurs to me to talk to these people. To be quite honest, if I did I would be so bombastic and aggressive that I would likely scare or offend them anyway. I am good with high impact, shock and awe. Not so much with chat and show. When we founded Beauty in the Universe we were kindly assisted by an academic at UCLAN who put us in touch with the right person at UCLAN, with whom we now share a fruitful relationship. This particular academic was kind enough to attend our introductory meeting with UCLAN astrophysics and afterward he quietly intimated to me that hooking up with Erica was likely to be the shrewdest move I will ever make. I have no hesitation in agreeing wholeheartedly with his comments. Her talents for fundraising, speaking business lingo and, quite literally, collecting people, know no bounds. Whatever I have brought to Beauty in terms of vision, energy, passion and knowledge she has more than matched with business prowess, financial acumen, people skills (something I am entirely devoid of) and compassion. Her Yin is every bit the equal to my Yang.
As a result my pipe dream of using the substantial talents and materials brought to bear upon astronomy by Mr Eclipse for educational purposes is now a distinct possibility, and that is all because of Erica's mastery of the art of talking to people. That is why she is Director of Implementation. A dream that never takes form is a tragedy. Erica turns intentions in to events, talk in to action, potential energy in to kinetic accomplishments.
For as much as the students we see learn from me in the sessions we deliver I learn just as much about how to do this thing called business. Naturally, in true Adam style I cannot say it in person, I am too busy being me, but the formidable presence a strong woman in business cannot and should not ever be underestimated. Of such relationships, careers, even lives are made of.
Song. Read More!
I have to confess that I love Erica's methodology. I happened to mention this guy (real name Fred Espenak) in passing whilst I was showing her an Annular Solar Eclipse and she instantly said
You like him? Let's talk to him!
This is what Erica does so well, essentially everything I don't! I assemble data and prepare and produce seminars and clubs based upon what guys like Espenak do. It never occurs to me to talk to these people. To be quite honest, if I did I would be so bombastic and aggressive that I would likely scare or offend them anyway. I am good with high impact, shock and awe. Not so much with chat and show. When we founded Beauty in the Universe we were kindly assisted by an academic at UCLAN who put us in touch with the right person at UCLAN, with whom we now share a fruitful relationship. This particular academic was kind enough to attend our introductory meeting with UCLAN astrophysics and afterward he quietly intimated to me that hooking up with Erica was likely to be the shrewdest move I will ever make. I have no hesitation in agreeing wholeheartedly with his comments. Her talents for fundraising, speaking business lingo and, quite literally, collecting people, know no bounds. Whatever I have brought to Beauty in terms of vision, energy, passion and knowledge she has more than matched with business prowess, financial acumen, people skills (something I am entirely devoid of) and compassion. Her Yin is every bit the equal to my Yang.
As a result my pipe dream of using the substantial talents and materials brought to bear upon astronomy by Mr Eclipse for educational purposes is now a distinct possibility, and that is all because of Erica's mastery of the art of talking to people. That is why she is Director of Implementation. A dream that never takes form is a tragedy. Erica turns intentions in to events, talk in to action, potential energy in to kinetic accomplishments.
For as much as the students we see learn from me in the sessions we deliver I learn just as much about how to do this thing called business. Naturally, in true Adam style I cannot say it in person, I am too busy being me, but the formidable presence a strong woman in business cannot and should not ever be underestimated. Of such relationships, careers, even lives are made of.
Song. Read More!
The Society For Popular Astronomy
Today we are pleased to announce the formation of a formal partnership with The Society for Popular Astronomy
I have been a member for a year or two now and we are excited to be able to use their endorsement and their influence in schools. We look forward to introducing our students to them and to seeing us work together for the benefit of UK education.
If you are from a school and would like to know how the SPA and Beauty in the Universe can contribute to your educational efforts then please email us and we can send you some information. Read More!
I have been a member for a year or two now and we are excited to be able to use their endorsement and their influence in schools. We look forward to introducing our students to them and to seeing us work together for the benefit of UK education.
If you are from a school and would like to know how the SPA and Beauty in the Universe can contribute to your educational efforts then please email us and we can send you some information. Read More!
Tired Yet Pleased
Today was our third taster session and it was delivered on the last day before half term to Lowerhouse Primary School in Burnley. I have to confess that these sessions take a lot of energy and wear me out, but it is a good feeling, a gentle fatigue that reminds me how cool this job is, despite the mild terror of self-employment during the worst recession in living memory. After half term the lessons and sessions begin proper. I estimate that Erica and I were able to reach around 100 students today. I live for these moments, when I see students totally engaged and energised by science, assimilating the complexities of things like black hole physics, abiogenesis, astrobiology and solar physics. It is difficult to do anything other than beam with joy at these children. They are smart, they are sharp and they are intelligent, full of potential. I have no doubt that some of them might go all the way and get a good university education. It is so exciting to be able to influence them in that way, and they deserve it.
The taster sessions are delivered in two parts, with the first dealing with abiogenesis and the chemistry of life and the second nebular accretion and star formation. I usually wind these sessions up with Pale Blue Dot and today I was utterly blown away when one of the kids knew who Carl Sagan was. That made me jump inside just a little bit. Pale Blue Dot is a great way to finish a class with something inspirational, and, after so much hardcore science, something that is also a rest for the mind and which appeals to the human sense of, and appreciation for the transcendent and the numinous. I love Pale Blue Dot for many reasons, but one of them as that it is a reminder to me that however much I love science, empiricism and suchlike, human beings are ultimately creatures of emotion, and thus it serves to force me to engage with education using a holistic methodology. Today I was utterly thrilled that, when the Powerpoint slide with Sagan's photograph appeared on screen, one student knew him, and even better, it was a girl. This science seems to naturally appeal to boys so I always try to get the girls equally involved and engaged. That doesn't usually take a massive amount of persuasion but I do it nonetheless because one thing Beauty in the Universe definitely will not be is a gendered organisation. As it turns out her father grew up aware of the same 1980's sense of wonder and fascination at space exploration that I did so he bought her the box set of Carl Sagan's Cosmos. Good for him, and especially for her. This town needs more parents like that.
Tune. Read More!
The taster sessions are delivered in two parts, with the first dealing with abiogenesis and the chemistry of life and the second nebular accretion and star formation. I usually wind these sessions up with Pale Blue Dot and today I was utterly blown away when one of the kids knew who Carl Sagan was. That made me jump inside just a little bit. Pale Blue Dot is a great way to finish a class with something inspirational, and, after so much hardcore science, something that is also a rest for the mind and which appeals to the human sense of, and appreciation for the transcendent and the numinous. I love Pale Blue Dot for many reasons, but one of them as that it is a reminder to me that however much I love science, empiricism and suchlike, human beings are ultimately creatures of emotion, and thus it serves to force me to engage with education using a holistic methodology. Today I was utterly thrilled that, when the Powerpoint slide with Sagan's photograph appeared on screen, one student knew him, and even better, it was a girl. This science seems to naturally appeal to boys so I always try to get the girls equally involved and engaged. That doesn't usually take a massive amount of persuasion but I do it nonetheless because one thing Beauty in the Universe definitely will not be is a gendered organisation. As it turns out her father grew up aware of the same 1980's sense of wonder and fascination at space exploration that I did so he bought her the box set of Carl Sagan's Cosmos. Good for him, and especially for her. This town needs more parents like that.
Tune. Read More!
To Know and to Care
Yesterday was another very fruitful day. It was supposed to be tough, but I found it to be a rewarding challenge. We were delivering another taster session and this was the first one Erica and I have done together. This will likely not happen too often so it was interesting to see how the dynamic between us worked. It was great to have Erica there to do all of the relationship building work that I am really not at all good at. That was one huge advantage, and my shrewdest move to date has been working with her.
This was a school that was allegedly challenging in the extreme. Obviously I won't name the school, but the students there are purported to be challenging, with emotional and behavioural issues and so forth. Of course this was borne out in the lesson, they were higher maintenance and had a stack of teenage attitude (I love that about teenagers), but it was an extremely interesting and engaging lesson. Naturally the first half hour was loaded with sulking and pretending not to care, but as time went on more and more of them became interested and thrilled by the science of astronomy, vindicating my belief and conviction that knowledge is always the winner in a fight between it and ignorance and apathy.
These students are good kids who need people who not only know, but who also care - exactly the kind of students Beauty in the Universe loves.
Song Read More!
This was a school that was allegedly challenging in the extreme. Obviously I won't name the school, but the students there are purported to be challenging, with emotional and behavioural issues and so forth. Of course this was borne out in the lesson, they were higher maintenance and had a stack of teenage attitude (I love that about teenagers), but it was an extremely interesting and engaging lesson. Naturally the first half hour was loaded with sulking and pretending not to care, but as time went on more and more of them became interested and thrilled by the science of astronomy, vindicating my belief and conviction that knowledge is always the winner in a fight between it and ignorance and apathy.
These students are good kids who need people who not only know, but who also care - exactly the kind of students Beauty in the Universe loves.
Song Read More!
Young Astronomers and More Progress
This week has been a very good time for Beauty in the Universe. We have secured a further funding award from CVS in Burnley and we have hatched a plan to create a club for young astronomers, with the working title 'Little Beauties'. This means more work of course, but fruitful labour rather than a chore. I will build a separate website where children can get updates, learn to stargaze and download/watch videos about astronomy.
Things are going well and we are experiencing small scale successes that are already beginning to add up to a very substantial whole. Our next goal behind the scenes is to secure enough funding to lease office space and fund two full time positions that we can guarantee for at least twelve months, and then after that we will create two internships for school leavers. In schools the goal is to do an excellent job on our first contract.
In the long term our goal is to prove Centre for Cities wrong. We could not have made a better start. Read More!
Things are going well and we are experiencing small scale successes that are already beginning to add up to a very substantial whole. Our next goal behind the scenes is to secure enough funding to lease office space and fund two full time positions that we can guarantee for at least twelve months, and then after that we will create two internships for school leavers. In schools the goal is to do an excellent job on our first contract.
In the long term our goal is to prove Centre for Cities wrong. We could not have made a better start. Read More!
More Progress
This week has been one of our busiest yet. I estimate that I have put around fifty hours work in this week. We have secured the five schools we need to proceed with our initial six week programme, so now we can proceed and get on with things.
Yesterday we looked at office space. That was a weird feeling. This started in the last week of October and now we are three months on, looking at premises and actually proceeding. That is remarkably quick if you ask me. The challenge is to keep a rational mindset and to focus. Of course it would be great to move in to our own space and we fell in love with the place we looked at, but that means that my desire for what I want can coerce me in to bad decisions. I never decide on the spot about these things, particularly when it is money and could tie us up for a while. That is when a cool head is important and decisions made need to be thought through and intelligently assessed. It will happen, but preparedness and alertness in respect to the consequences of our actions and decisions forces regular, stringent reviews of ideas and plans and that process is what Beauty in the Universe is all about. We stand or fall on our ability to make shrewd, intelligent decisions. Read More!
Yesterday we looked at office space. That was a weird feeling. This started in the last week of October and now we are three months on, looking at premises and actually proceeding. That is remarkably quick if you ask me. The challenge is to keep a rational mindset and to focus. Of course it would be great to move in to our own space and we fell in love with the place we looked at, but that means that my desire for what I want can coerce me in to bad decisions. I never decide on the spot about these things, particularly when it is money and could tie us up for a while. That is when a cool head is important and decisions made need to be thought through and intelligently assessed. It will happen, but preparedness and alertness in respect to the consequences of our actions and decisions forces regular, stringent reviews of ideas and plans and that process is what Beauty in the Universe is all about. We stand or fall on our ability to make shrewd, intelligent decisions. Read More!
Beginnings
Beginnings is the de facto theme of 2010 for Beauty in the Universe. It sort of came about by accident really, but beginnings it is. We have begun our search for funding in earnest and have agreed several sources already, as always these things seem to take forever. We have begun a partnership with UCLAN, home of some of the smartest people I have ever met. We will work with them and their facilities to give students an experience to remember. We have something of a partnership with Sir Patrick Moore; he has sent us a letter of commendation. We have provisionally agreed to work with the Society for Popular Astronomy and that brings with it a connection to Jodrell Bank, a place I have been aware of for as long as I can remember. For five months' work, I think that is pretty damned impressive. We are now moving on to talking to Queen Guitarist Brain May, whom you may not be aware is a renowned astronomer and an expert on interstellar dust, and Sir Richard Branson who has recently founded Virgin Galactic.
Yesterday featured more beginnings. I delivered our first ever session in a local primary school to a class of forty year six students. The theme was... BEGINNINGS! The session featured an introduction with some cool pictures from the Hubble Space Telescope - that was such a joyous experience, to see how thrilled and utterly enthralled they were. We then conducted an experiment, followed by a long and in-depth discussion on the subject of Abiogenesis which was then neatly closed with the Clutching Stardust video. After that it was on to planetary accretion. We talked about Proplyds, nebulae and the creation of the Solar System. They lapped it up and I could have gone on all afternoon and they would have been fascinated.
Chalk one in the 'plus' column for Beauty in the Universe. Read More!
Yesterday featured more beginnings. I delivered our first ever session in a local primary school to a class of forty year six students. The theme was... BEGINNINGS! The session featured an introduction with some cool pictures from the Hubble Space Telescope - that was such a joyous experience, to see how thrilled and utterly enthralled they were. We then conducted an experiment, followed by a long and in-depth discussion on the subject of Abiogenesis which was then neatly closed with the Clutching Stardust video. After that it was on to planetary accretion. We talked about Proplyds, nebulae and the creation of the Solar System. They lapped it up and I could have gone on all afternoon and they would have been fascinated.
Chalk one in the 'plus' column for Beauty in the Universe. Read More!
Tudor Trust
The Tudor Trust are a funding group to whom we applied for funding for Beauty in the Universe. They said no. Not 'we considered you, but no thanks'. They didn't consider us. That is frustrating because I know how well this works for educating kids and building communities, but convincing a world that has ignored space travel and astronomy since the Moon landings that it will be effective is tough. They just think we are a bunch of nerds. To be fair, we are a bunch of nerds, but we are not JUST a bunch of nerds.
This Tuesday we deliver a taster session to a school in Burnley. I cannot wait to see the reaction from both teachers and pupils alike. They will get it then. Read More!
This Tuesday we deliver a taster session to a school in Burnley. I cannot wait to see the reaction from both teachers and pupils alike. They will get it then. Read More!
Reaching Further
Yesterday was another pitch, this time delivered to Extending Schools Coordinators from across the region of Lancashire. This gives us the potential to extend our reach massively and the exposure can only be beneficial. The pitch was well received, particularly by a couple of the coordinators and we are starting to forge something of a small reputation, which is nice. At least people think our pitches are good and the phrase 'Clutching Stardust' is becoming iconic and memorable in a small way. We simply need to capitalise on this now and deliver the great experience we know we can. Despite this all happening relatively quickly we are dying to get on with this. This coming Tuesday I will be attending my son's school to deliver a session that will give them something of an idea what to expect, and that will be great. As soon as people see how mind-blowing this is then the sky is the limit. Erica and I are united in our belief in this.
Read More!
Education and a Few Updates
According to a recent study undertaken by an independent think tank, Burnley is at the bottom of the pile for economic recovery after the recession. I wish I had the words to express how much it irritated me to see my hometown, and by definition, my children written off in that way. I decided to adapt a video I was making in to some sort of response to this. I am sick to death of Burnley being the UK whipping boy, and I am fed up of the place being a symbolic representation of all that is bad about our country. We have the highest BNP vote and the lowest level of education. This cannot be a simple coincidence. This is what Beauty in the Universe is all about. We are going to make a change in this town.
Read More!
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Genesis
So this is the first post, not only on this blog, but on on any of the Beauty in the Universe blogs. This comes after three months of planning, pitching and preparation, none of which was paid I might add. The good news is that all of this has gone very well and there is plenty of interest for the service we offer to schools. We have verbally agreed upon our first contract, to deliver sessions to a cluster of five primary schools in Burnley and then take a group of children away on a summer camp to Cumbria. The logistics of this will prove a challenge, and in the hands of lesser people this would be a problem (translation: I have no idea how I am going to do it). None of that matters though. We have got this far and are beginning to see the fruits of our labour.
Read More!