These sessions will be delivered via Zoom in a meeting format and using the website Slido.com. The following are advised broadband bandwidths (speed) for engaging at different resolutions. We nominally broadcast at HD video level.
| Video Quality | Download Speed | Upload Speed |
|---|---|---|
| High Quality | 0.8Mbps | 0.8Mbps |
| HD Video (720p) |
1.5Mbps | 1.5Mbps |
| Full HD Video (1080p) | 2.5Mbps | 3.0Mbps |
When in the session you will be able to keep your camera on so that the researchers can see you, but your sound will be automatically switched to mute. If you need to turn your camera off due to bandwidth issues, you will be able to do so.
Students will need to be able to access Slido.com to submit questions to the researchers. Please ensure they have access to an internet enabled device during the session.
All teachers should ensure they have undertaken the following at least one week before attending the online Schools programme:
Risk assessments for each session are the responsibility of the teacher booking the session. Using the information about the sessions on this page you should safely be able to assess any risks to your students. If you require any further information to carry out your risk assessment, please do let us know via email education@royalsociety.org by Thursday 1 July at the latest.
Suitable age range: 16 - 18yrs (A-level and Year 11 equivalent)
Curriculum topics: various research topics (see table below), careers, skills.
Planning and preparation
In advance of the session, teachers are encouraged to get the students thinking about what questions they would like to ask the researchers about their work, careers and skills used, ready to type them into Slido.com for the session they attend. This will help ensure the questions important to students are covered on the day. The Slido.com links will be accessible a little in advance of the session to help support students entering their questions in time.
Session details
During each Meet the researcher session, researchers from three - four of the groups answering the big questions being explored during Summer Science will attend to speak to schools. The big questions being represented at each session are listed below, along with the main subject areas covered.
As all research is multi-disciplinary, the researcher attending on behalf of the research group may have a slightly different background and specialism. Each session has a mix of subjects represented, so a great opportunity for students to find out more about some of the research topics and also a range of careers and science skills used.
Each session will have approximately 15 minutes brief introduction to the researcher groups present at the start, and 30 minutes dedicated to answering questions the students have submitted via Slido.com.
| Thursday 9am session | ||
| Big Question |
Main subject area | |
| Will we breathe fresh air again? | Chemistry | |
| What happens when we have too much water? | Physics | |
| Can nature help us to tackle the climate emergency? | Biology | |
| Thursday 10am session | ||
| Big Question |
Main subject area | |
| Why are humans smelly? |
Biology / Chemistry | |
| What makes up a tumour? |
Biology | |
| How has Hubble transformed our view of the Universe? |
Physics |
|
| Where do galaxies come from? | Physics | |
| Thursday 11am session | ||
| Big Question |
Main subject area | |
| How can stem cells heal the human body? |
Biology | |
| How can we mine our sustainable future? |
Chemistry | |
| How do we track and trace carbon from Space? |
Physics | |
| Friday 9am session | |
| Big Question | Main subject area |
| What did the last day of the dinosaurs look like? | Biology / Materials |
| Could you tell a landmine from a bottle top? | Physics |
| Would you trust a robot surgeon? | Engineering / Biology |
| Friday 10am session | |
| Big Question | Main subject area |
| Would planes be better if they were more like birds? | Engineering / Biology |
| How can microbes turn rubbish into riches? | Biology |
| Has there ever been life on Mars? | Physics |
| Friday 11am session | |
| Big Question | Main subject area |
| Would you connect your brain to the internet? | Engineering / Biology |
| Can we print your perfect pill? | Biology / Chemistry |
| What’s a bee’s favourite flower? | Biology |
In case of any incidents that may affect the Summer Science Schools programme taking place, please check our Twitter page in advance of your workshop: @RoyalSociety. An email will be sent to all booked groups if the virtual event needs to be cancelled, but this may not be possible at short notice.
Specific space for schools: the Schools programme will take place via Zoom, and is not part of the main public programme so the general public will not be able to access the schools programme activities. You must ensure that you do not share the Eventbrite link for your session with individual students or parents for them to use. Only one login from each booking will be permitted.
After you have taken part: We will send the booking contact a link to an online survey post event to help us ensure the Summer Science Schools programme continues to be a high quality event for school groups, especially in the new online format used this year. Please take a few moments to complete your evaluation form as we really value all feedback from teachers.
Summer Science: there is a public programme for Summer Science that teachers may be personally interesting in engaging with to help keep abreast of the latest advances in STEM research to bring into their lessons. With a packed programme of inspiring talks, fascinating interactive workshops, fun science from home activities and exciting digital content, there is something for all ages.
A summary of the information above can be downloaded via this Key information document: Key information_Meet the researchers_FINAL