Exploring science further

We’ve put together a list of resources for students who are keen to explore science further. These are aimed predominantly at those keen to undertake additional learning around science, mathematics and computing, and are suitable for any keen and engaged students of secondary age. These resources can help teachers and parents to provide a wide range of contextual information while students are learning from home, covering topics such as climate change, artificial intelligence, historical figures and their work, and case studies of current research scientists.

• People of science videos: series 1 and 2: Brian Cox discovers the scientific inspirations of some the UK’s leading scientists, including Sir David Attenborough, Dame Julia Higgins and Professor Martin Rees.
• Science in the making: explore a vast range of historical scientific pictures and publications from the Royal Society.
• International women’s day 2020: thirteen case studies of women who have inspired some of our Research Fellows and Diversity Committee members.
• Inspiring scientists: Diversity in British Science - videos: ten life stories of British scientists with minority ethnic heritage covering the fun and importance of science both to themselves and to the wider community.

YouTube playlists

• Objectivity videos: exploring the history of the Royal Society through books and artefacts found in our library and archives. 
• Science stories: short videos about the science behind some of the exhibits featured in the 2019 Summer Science Exhibition
• Discovering science: short animations introducing topics such as climate change, neural interfaces, machine learning and genetic modification.
• You and AI lectures: recordings of public lectures exploring the history of artificial intelligence (AI), its current applications and its impact on the future of work. Includes Q+As with mathematician Professor Marcus Du Sautoy OBE FRS and physicist Professor Jim Al-Khalili OBE FRS.

Policy topics

• All Royal Society policy topics: explore the Royal Society policy topics, including climate change, AI and data science, and access full scientific reports and briefings.
• Global challenges: as part of the Commonwealth Science Class project, the Royal Society, in collaboration with the British Council, has produced four resources that are particularly relevant to the teaching of climate science and sustainability. These include a short video each, filmed at locations across the world.

Public lectures and events

• Pre-recorded Royal Society public events: catch up a variety of talks and lectures that have taken place at the Royal Society over the past 5+ years. These includes lectures from prize winning scientists and engaging public talks. Go to the catch-up tab, and feel free to browse by subject or scientific area. Below are some recent highlights. 

1. Ripples form the dark side of the universe – prize lecture by Sir James Hough OBE FRS: find out about progress in the field of gravitational wave detection, from the first days of the aluminium bar detectors to the present day with the latest laser interferometer detectors.
2. The elements of chemistry – prize lecture by Professor Sir Martyn Poliakoff CBE FREng FRS: find out about the chemical elements that have played an important role in Professor Poliakoff’s career and have led him to champion greener more sustainable ways of making chemicals.
3. Love, smell and memory: exploring the brain circuits for learned and innate behaviour – prize lecture by Dr Gregory Jefferis: find out how the genome encodes behaviour through the development of the nervous system, and what is different about brain circuits for learned and unlearned behaviour?
4. Life versus mathematics: lecture by Fields Medal winner Caucher Birkar FRS: hear Professor Birkar FRS speak about his life and his journey to becoming one of the world’s leading mathematicians, as well as the role of maths in people’s lives. 

• You and the planet lectures:

1. You and the planet lecture - How can we tackle climate change?: find out what options we have for reversing climate change, and which at the moment have the best chance of success.
2. You and the planet lecture - How does our energy use affect the planet?: find out how the energy we use affects the natural world and discover promising pathways to a clean, safe and sustainable energy future.
3. You and the planet lecture - How can your diet make a difference?: find out if experts think we can feed the world sustainably and equitably while protecting nature.
4. You and the planet lecture - Biodiversity – how can I nurture nature?: find out what biodiversity is and why it’s so vital to have variety in species.

From other learned societies

• RI Tips for doing science at home: five things to keep in mind while doing the activities to get the most out of science experiments at home.
• ExpeRimental: the Royal Institution's series of short films making it fun, easy and cheap to do science experiments at home.
• Supporting schools and colleges during COVID-19: regular updates from the Institute of Physics (IOP) supporting schools and colleges in the UK.
• Remote teaching support: ideas and resources for teachers working from home from the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC).
• Education during COVID-19: education updates and support for teachers and parents from the Royal Society of Biology.

See also

• Association for Science Education (ASE) – coronavirus hub: a collection of materials and resources created by others that support the ASE’s goal of promoting excellence in science education. 
• STEM learning – family activities: a range of fun, hands-on activities for families to use at home, suitable for all ages from 4 to 16.
• STEM learning – in school activities: cross-curricular activities that can be used in school to engage young people of all ages.
• STEM learning – post 16 resources: explore a variety of activities and challenges that can be used to support young people's education from home.
• Your science out there: Professor Tamsin Mather, winner of the Royal Society Rosalind Franklin Award 2018, has used her award grant money to develop a set of teaching resources focusing on women researching in STEM.
• Engineering challenges to try at home: Dyson engineers have designed these challenges specifically for children. Ideal for home or in the classroom, they encourage inquisitive young minds to get excited about engineering.
• Home Learning - Practical Action: global environmental activities to engage 5-16 year olds while learning at home.

And also from the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Coronavirus: the science explained, a webpage with clear explanations and facts around the current coronavirus pandemic. As shared on social media by the Chief Medical Officer for England, Professor Chris Whitty. For younger children, a new booked called “My Hero is You, How kids can fight COVID-19!” has been developed by over 50 humanitarian organisations.