Schools

Space School:

The University of Leicester’s Space School celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2019, and I was invited to give a lecture on my planetary research to their “senior school” (16-18 year olds) in August 2019, focussing on future missions to the Ice Giants. I previously provided a lecture at the Senior Space School in August 2016, on exploring giant planet atmospheres.

## Primary Schools * Year-5 Space Week: September 14th 2023 - Presentation, Q&A, then outside activity (building a solar system to scale) with approximately 60 Year-5 students at a Discovery Trust Primary school. * Discovery Trust Greystoke: March 18th 2021, Q&A with Year-2 students to feed into their topic on "Explorers," showcasing how we explore the solar system with robotic spacecraft. Approximately 60 students. * Discovery Schools Academy Trust (DSAT) Science Conference: March 16th, 2019: Return to give the opening Science Talk at their annual science conference, approximately 100 specially-selected primary school science students in attendance. * Parkland Primary School (Jan 30th 2019): An afternoon giving presentations and Q&A sessions with two yeargroups at the DSAT Parkland School, speaking with Year 5s and Year 1s (approximately 150 pupils in total). The presentation tried to showcase the different scales of our solar system, from the size of their school to the size of the universe. The questions were excellent and kept me talking. * Parkland Primary School (September 20th 2018): Skype conversation during their whole-school assembly, describing how I got into my role as a scientist, and answering the student's questions about science and space. * Discovery Schools Academy Trust’s Awards Ceremony (June 29th 2018): Invited to Leicester City's King Power stadium to present the Science and Engineering award to one of their primary school students. This included a short speech about the importance of science in schools for ~500 students and parents, before opening the envelope and announcing the winner. * Discovery Trust Academy (DSAT) Schools Science Conference for British Science Week (March 17th 2018): Welcoming address to 150 primary school students (7-11 years old) from eight Leicestershire schools. "Thankyou so much for coming along today! The children and staff were all buzzing throughout the day! I was so proud of the questions they asked, so Thankyou for allowing them the chance to ask them." * Primary School Questions: Answering 30 letters from St. Peters Primary School, Hinckley, Leicestershire (April 2012). You can read some of my responses [here.](https://planetaryweather.blogspot.com/2012/04/school-explorers.html) * Climate Video and Teleconference (June 2010): The relation between planetary science and studies of the Earth’s climate, plus what it means to be a scientist. Video and teleconference with St John the Baptist CE Primary School, Nottingham. * Oxford Community College: February 9th 2006: Science@Work organised by the Royal Society of Chemistry, this scheme introduces school children to adults working in industries which require science everyday - from dry-cleaning, to Army careers, to formula-one racing and exploring the universe. * John Flamsteed Community College July 25th-July 29th 2005, Denby, Derbyshire. The school had chosen to theme their ‘Gifted and Talented Student’ summer school around astronomy, so I was to be on hand to provide the ‘science element’ for what was otherwise a school about different learning techniques and team building. ## Secondary schools * National Space Academy - Year 10 Careers Conference, National Space Centre, March 8th 2022. I delivered a lecture on the possible outcomes of degrees in Physics and Astronomy, but sadly had to give the talks remotely rather than in person:
  • INAF Interview on JWST: Interviewed by Claudia Mignone at the National Institute for Astrophysics in Italy, for clips that will be inserted during a live-streamed viewing day of Jupiter and Saturn (December 2021) to coincide with the launch of JWST.
  • National Space Academy Careers Day Keynote speaker (November 12th 2016): Half-hour presentation in the planetarium at the National Space Centre to ~80 Year 12 students, discussing what it’s like to work on planetary science and where we might be headed in the years to come.
  • Bicester Cooper School, April 17th 2015: An hour long presentation on exploration of the solar system to approximately 100 Year 12 students (17 years old). The staff were apparently amazed that this was followed by a long question and answer session, and were pleased enough to invite me back!
  • Lutterworth College (May 2014): Three classes on the search for habitable environments in our solar system, followed by a Q&A session with the students. I gave classes for Years 10, 11 and 13, with approximately 30 students per class.
  • Sutton Trust Expanding Access Summit at Banqueting House, London (November 2013)
  • Mount Grace High School, Hinckley, Leicestershire (November 2012): Returned to my old school for 11-14 year olds to spend a full day giving assembly, meeting with science classes and giving interactive talks on the exploration of our solar system.
  • Oxford Summer Program: Science and the Boundaries of Knowledge for US School Teachers: Ran a morning workshop on robotic exploration for 5 teachers on an Oxford Residential Course at Mansfield College, followed by a tour of the Radcliffe Observatory at Green College (June 24th 2012).
  • Oxford Magdalen College School (December 1st 2011): Presentation on solar system exploration to 15-20 sixth form students.
  • Oxford Academic Taster Days (November 2010 and June 2011): Hour lecture to 15-17 year olds on exploring the solar system via robotic spacecraft and giant observatories, Christchurch College, Oxford.
  • National Science and Engineering Week: Solar System lecture at Pimlico Academy, March 14th 2011, London,years 11-13 after-school lecture.
  • Oxfordshire Science Festival 2011: Exploring the Solar System lecture at Carterton Community College, Oxfordshire, Year 10-11 students, March 2nd, 2011.
  • Video Conferencing (2007): Using the video conferencing equipment at Oxford Physics Department to hold a question and answer session on Physics and Astronomy with 16 year olds in Ballyclare High School, Northern Ireland.
  • Science and Engineering Ambassadors Jam Rutherford Appleton Lab, February 2nd 2006.
  • Express Yourself 2005 Final Royal Society, London, September 23rd 2005. Conferences for pupils to give oral presentations or posters on their own science investigations.
  • Express Yourself Regional Conference University of West England July 7th 2005. Hosted the science presentations for student science projects (11-14 year olds); performed ‘Soapbox Science’ to describe my own research; and took on the role of Team Captain for the ‘Universally Challenged’ quiz.
  • Bartholomew School April 2005, Oxfordshire: Combined talk and careers session to a sixth form physics group.
  • Neale Wade Community College June 18th 2004, Cambridgeshire.
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Leigh Fletcher
Professor of Planetary Science