In this section you can find news about science education. Xplora is open to contributions. Send your news to science-news@eun.org.
PREMA - Reflecting & acting on the Maths Gender Gap Girls have equal abilities to boys, they often even get better grades. True as this may be, gender differences in the area of maths education still exist. Promoting Equality in Math Achievements (PREMA) aims at understanding the socio-cultural and pedagogic factors responsible for... Read more
Survey on Games in Schools European Schoolnet has launched in close cooperation with the Interactive software federation of Europe (ISFE) the first European study on the use of games in schools. Twenty eight countries will be screened and a more detailed analysis will focus on Denmark, Estonia, Spain, France,... Read more
Hats Off to Science This new feature on the Planet Science website aims to show how science education has much more to offer than just facts: it allows students to develop many transferable skills such as good communication, team working and problem solving, which are valuable in the job market in general. Read more
Council of Europe’s Wild Web Woods game hits one million milestone The number of connections to Wild Web Woods - Europe's first internet safety game for children - has topped one million worldwide and is expected to grow even further. The Wild Web Woods game has been developed to help children learn the rules of internet safety in a fun format,... Read more
Sweden’s Teknikens Hus celebrates “You don’t stop playing because you are old, you grow old because you stop playing”. In 2008, Teknikens Hus in Luleå Sweden celebrates its 20th anniversary. The science centre opened in May 1988 and has until today welcomed over 3 million curious visitors... Read more
Launch of INSPIRE project A new project, under the European Commission’s Lifelong Learning Programme, INSPIRE, has been launched! INSPIRE (Innovative Science Pedagogy in Research and Education) will set up a validation observatory where 60 schools in Europe will test and analyse the use of new didactical... Read more
Nuffield Foundation’s report on Science Education in Europe Why in recent times do fewer young people seem to be interested in science and technical subjects? Does this problem lie in wider socio-cultural changes or within science education itself? Is the issue common across Europe, or are there differences between countries? The Nuffield... Read more
New technologies – we’d like to hear your views! European Schoolnet is currently working closely with key names in the mobile and internet industry to create an online information centre to guide teachers through the multiple opportunities and challenges that the virtual world brings. A core element of the centre will be the availability... Read more
Launch of STELLA – Science Teaching in Lifelong Learning Approach Started in January 2008, STELLA will aim to contribute to the improvement of science teaching in European schools, in particular in order to stimulate young people to undertake science studies and carriers, with a special focus also on girls. The Project has been funded with support... Read more
Online Survey on organic agriculture and agroecology What do you think about the way organic agriculture and agroecology topics are being included in formal educational programs today? Where could additional subjects be introduced? How can digital educational content and Internet-based services help? Help us to answer these questions... Read more
Call for pilot schools - Survey on environmental website for kids To raise awareness on environmental issues with youth, the DG Environment of the European Commission wishes to review its website for young Europeans. To carry out this mission at local level, Gellis Communications and European Schoolnet seek to recruit Pilot Schools in Denmark,... Read more
Report on teaching and learning of mathematics in Europe – industrial initiative proposals This recently published report from the National Center for Mathematics Education in Göteborg, Sweden gives an overview of the trends in interest and knowledge of mathematics among European pupils and students, examples of industrial efforts to increase young people’s... Read more
Industry stakeholders discussed MST education European Schoolnet organised 6 December 2007 a maths, science and technology (MST) education meeting with high-level participants from the industry. The purpose of the meeting was to exchange knowledge about industrial cooperation with education in the field of MST. In their statements... Read more
EMINENT Conference on Political Priorities for Education and the Role of Technology 230 participants from all over Europe and beyond met on 6-7 December 2007 in Brussels for the seventh edition of European Schoolnet’s EMINENT (Experts' Meeting in Education Networking) conference. The conference theme was “Political priorities for education and the role... Read more
Futurenergia chats on how to turn a desert into a fertile land by using plastics Eleven schools across Europe participated in the fourth online chat of Futurenergia project in January. The chat focused on how to turn a desert into a fertile land by using plastics. Read more
Take part in the Development Youth Prize 2007 and win a trip to Africa! Young people aged 16-18 from around Europe are invited to participate by submitting a piece of artwork which for them best highlights the impact of environmental change on developing countries. Their creative vision can help raise awareness among fellow pupils, teachers, families... Read more
Make science education a fun experience with Xperimania Europe is facing a crisis in science education with fewer and fewer students pursuing studies or careers in science. Xperimania (www.xperimania.net) aims to combat students’ bad perception of chemistry by offering fun yet simple hands-on activities to help teachers revitalise... Read more
CERN Programmes for Physics Teachers CERN is now accepting applications from Physics High School Teachers to attend its spring 3-day weekend and 3-week summer residential programmes. Read more
Catch a Star 2008 This exciting international competition for school students returns for its sixth year. It is run by ESO (the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere) and the EAAE (European Association for Astronomy Education). Read more
Xplora – DVD Knoppix: make science accessible for schools The Xplora team has developed a live bootable DVD – Xplora Knoppix, based on the Linux Debian distribution and completely contained on a self booting DVD. Read more
Celebrate achievement with technology: Enter the 2007 eLearning Awards The seventh eLearning Awards competition is now open and schools are invited to submit entries for the eLearning Awards 2007 that exemplify the best use of ICT in education. Entries are welcome from schools or teachers in EU Member States, EEA Countries, EU Applicant Countries as... Read more
Call for science teachers European Schoolnet is soon launching a new web-based project in the area of science, particularly focusing on the topics of materials, chemistry and physics. We are seeking science teachers, who are interested to help European Schoolnet run the project including chats, a competition... Read more
Xplora hands out the Millikan web experiment to Helsingin Yhteislyseo Xplora – the European Gateway for Science Education has received a grant from Agilent foundation to develop the web version of a classical Nobel prize winning experiment, which deploys the full potential of web technology in physics education. After more than a year of development... Read more
EMBO Award for Communication in the Life Sciences Call for entries EMBO is accepting entries for its sixth Award for Communication in the Life Sciences. Presented annually to a life scientist in Europe, the award highlights the exceptional efforts made by many scientists to combine science communication activities with a full-time research career. Read more
Tracking the ISS Starting in August this year, pupils from class 10 upwards (Age 16 and older) are invited to participate in a competition, in which pupils try to calculate the position of the ISS (International Space Station) by triangulation. Read more
Software from pupils for pupils The German "Klaus Tschira Stiftung" has setup a competition for pupils to write documentation or simulation software on science topics. Read more
Hands-On Guide for Science Communicators released Are you looking for tips and advice to communicate about science? Lars Lindberg Christensen, an experienced science communicator from the Hubble European Space Agency Information Centre, has just released a new book aimed to change attitudes towards science communication in Europe.... Read more
New EU Commission book investigates how to improve science communication The European Commission has recently published a book which offers a useful insight into the current debate on the various aspects of communication about science. Edited by Michel Claessens, "Communicating European Research 2005" offers a series of 40 articles written by speakers... Read more
International Stockholm Junior Water Prize The International Stockholm Junior Water Prize competition aims to encourage young people’s interest in issues concerning water and the environment. The national and international competitions are open to pre-university young people between 15-20 years of age. Read more
6 February: Safer Internet Day 2007 The fourth edition of Safer Internet Day (SID) will be celebrated on 6 February 2007. Starting as an initiative in 2004, SID has become a major annual event crowning the awareness activities of Insafe, the European safer internet network. The growing network of nodes from Europe... Read more
Report on Internet as Resource for Science More and more people rely on the internet as their primary source for news and information about science and 87% of online users have at one time used the internet to carry out research on a scientific topic or concept.
Those findings come from a national survey conducted in the... Read more
Survey: Xplora needs your feedback Since Xplora announced the launch of its new and improved portal, the number of visitors has been increasing.
To continue improving the website, the Xplora team is launching a survey to give you the chance to add your feedback and comments. Read more
Millikan oil drop experiment ready to be installed Xplora has got a grant from the Agilent foundation in order to develop, together with the University of Kaiserslautern, the Millikan oil drop experiment. This development should enable physics teachers and students to easily run the experiment and to insert their results into a database... Read more
The Virtual Telescope:
an educational resource for pupils and teachers Have you ever dreamt to control a telescope via your computer and getting unlimited real time observing? A team of
astronomers have launched “The Virtual Telescope”, a new initiative bringing the exploration of the universe accessible to everyone. The objective of the... Read more
Science in Public Areas “Science in Public Areas” is the name of a project developed by the European Physical Society (EPS) in order to promote science awareness within the wide public, through attractive series of questions and answers, displayed in public areas. Read more
edutain@grid “edutain@grid” is a new project funded by the European Commission under the 6th Framework Programme. Intended to use Grid technology, traditionally applied to "big science", it aims to improve user experiences in both online gaming and distance e-learning systems.
It... Read more
Schools and Open Source Software - Cost and Time Saving Educational organisations have recently been pointing out the huge potential benefits to schools of Open Source software: they can save time and money.
This fact was acknowledged by a leading independent public school in the UK, King's College School, Cambridge, which is starting... Read more
Eggietalk- a project to improve communication between European primary schools pupils Wil Boxman and Ariël Meeusen, the initiators of the European Eggiedoll website, acknowledged the same fact: having 20 different languages within the European Union is a barrier to foster communication between the 60 million schoolchildren in primary schools. That is why they... Read more
SkyWatch 2007: an International Astronomy Contest Supported by European Schoolnet (EUN) and European Distance E-learning Network (EDEN), SkyWatch 2007 is an international astronomy competition organized within the framework of the DSpace project (e-Ten program of the European Commission). Participants (high-school students, teachers,... Read more
European Schoolnet Launches New Xplora Portal European Schoolnet is pleased to announce the launch of its new and improved Xplora website, a major European hub for the science education community.
It has been updated to enhance usability and accessibility, expand functionality and boost awareness of important news items.... Read more
European Seminar on Open source and Open Content for Learning- 25 October 2006 The first Bazaar seminar– called ‘Hey Dude, Where’s My Data?‘ will be held in Barcelona, Spain on Wednesday 25 October 2006 between 1.30 and 5 pm and will be hosted by the Universitat Pompeu Fabra. Read more
Agilent supports Xplora for web experiments Agilent Technologies Foundation has made possible the development of an exciting new web experiment, the Millikan oil drop experiment. The foundation has provided a grant to Xplora, the European Science Education Gateway carried by European... Read more
The Environment on the Serres Doorstep Schools in the prefecture of Serres - Greece, have achieved great results during the current academic year (2005/2006) by participating in a global environmental education programme facilitated by UNESCO Serron. Read more
Maths competitions and more Competitions in mathematics and other science topics are important, as they are a way of teaching by discovering and investigating.
There are a lot of maths competitions: some are individual and others are team competitions. In this overview, prepared by Benito Buas Ares,
a... Read more
The UNESCO SchoolNet CD and project The UNESCO SchoolNet CD is a set of ICT-based resources for teaching and learning of science, mathematics and language for secondary-level students. Read more
European Vascular Genomics Network (EVGN): focus on education European Vascular Genomics Network (EVGN), a Network of Excellence funded by the European Union within its sixth Framework Programme, has dedicated a specific section of its website to secondary schools and teachers,... Read more
Science in school: a new journal for science teachers The first issue of Science in School, a new European journal to promote inspiring science teaching, is now available to read and download at www.scienceinschool.org. Read more
European Space Agency and Education Education is an important theme for the European Space Agency - ESA, which tries to support European educators in their work, providing simple, practical and modular educational material to use. ESA has now launched a new Education Kit about space. It's for primary and secondary... Read more
Real teachers for real science in Antarctica The Fuchs Foundation is announcing plans to recruit teachers in the UK for a unique expedition to Antarctica. To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of The Commonwealth Trans Antarctic expedition, teachers will conduct a science programme in Antarctica, in the spirit and ethos of past... Read more
Europe’s premiere prizes for scientific excellence and communication In a glitzy ceremony befitting the Nobel Prize, the EU announced the 2005 Descartes Prize-winning scientists and science communicators. This year, research teams in astronomy, climate change, genetic diseases, physics and the social sciences received the top honours, while a host... Read more
Science upd8: download science activities The UK's Science UPD8 website proposes a new approach, which tries to translate the latest science news into inspiring activities which teachers and students can easily download and try! You just need to register first. Then you will also be alerted when new initiatives are online. Read more
The Galileo Compass on the net The Institute and Museum of the History of Science in Florence is publishing an interactive eLearning module called “The instruments of Science” (Gli strumenti della Scienza), to encourage a greater interest for the historic and scientific culture. Read more
Resource centre for women in sciences in UK A new website ‘Science, Engineering, Technology - SET for Women’ – developed by the JIVE consortium of Bradford College, Sheffield Hallam, Open and Cambridge Universities – aims to support the UK government’s ten-year investment framework for ‘Science... Read more
New school projects on Xplora This autumn Xplora is launching new science projects for schools. To signal your interest to take part, please contact Karl Sarnow . There is no deadline for registration. Read more
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In this section you can find news about science education. Xplora is open to contributions. Send your news to 
Girls have equal abilities to boys, they often even get better grades. True as this may be, gender differences in the area of maths education still exist. Promoting Equality in Math Achievements (PREMA) aims at understanding the socio-cultural and pedagogic factors responsible for...
European Schoolnet has launched in close cooperation with the Interactive software federation of Europe (ISFE) the first European study on the use of games in schools. Twenty eight countries will be screened and a more detailed analysis will focus on Denmark, Estonia, Spain, France,...
This new feature on the Planet Science website aims to show how science education has much more to offer than just facts: it allows students to develop many transferable skills such as good communication, team working and problem solving, which are valuable in the job market in general.
The number of connections to Wild Web Woods - Europe's first internet safety game for children - has topped one million worldwide and is expected to grow even further. The Wild Web Woods game has been developed to help children learn the rules of internet safety in a fun format,...
“You don’t stop playing because you are old, you grow old because you stop playing”. In 2008, Teknikens Hus in Luleå Sweden celebrates its 20th anniversary. The science centre opened in May 1988 and has until today welcomed over 3 million curious visitors...
A new project, under the European Commission’s Lifelong Learning Programme, INSPIRE, has been launched! INSPIRE (Innovative Science Pedagogy in Research and Education) will set up a validation observatory where 60 schools in Europe will test and analyse the use of new didactical...
Why in recent times do fewer young people seem to be interested in science and technical subjects? Does this problem lie in wider socio-cultural changes or within science education itself? Is the issue common across Europe, or are there differences between countries? The Nuffield...
European Schoolnet is currently working closely with key names in the mobile and internet industry to create an online information centre to guide teachers through the multiple opportunities and challenges that the virtual world brings. A core element of the centre will be the availability...
Started in January 2008, STELLA will aim to contribute to the improvement of science teaching in European schools, in particular in order to stimulate young people to undertake science studies and carriers, with a special focus also on girls. The Project has been funded with support...
What do you think about the way organic agriculture and agroecology topics are being included in formal educational programs today? Where could additional subjects be introduced? How can digital educational content and Internet-based services help? Help us to answer these questions...
To raise awareness on environmental issues with youth, the DG Environment of the European Commission wishes to review its website for young Europeans. To carry out this mission at local level, Gellis Communications and European Schoolnet seek to recruit Pilot Schools in Denmark,...
This recently published report from the National Center for Mathematics Education in Göteborg, Sweden gives an overview of the trends in interest and knowledge of mathematics among European pupils and students, examples of industrial efforts to increase young people’s...
European Schoolnet organised 6 December 2007 a maths, science and technology (MST) education meeting with high-level participants from the industry. The purpose of the meeting was to exchange knowledge about industrial cooperation with education in the field of MST. In their statements...
230 participants from all over Europe and beyond met on 6-7 December 2007 in Brussels for the seventh edition of European Schoolnet’s EMINENT (Experts' Meeting in Education Networking) conference. The conference theme was “Political priorities for education and the role...
Eleven schools across Europe participated in the fourth online chat of Futurenergia project in January. The chat focused on how to turn a desert into a fertile land by using plastics.
Young people aged 16-18 from around Europe are invited to participate by submitting a piece of artwork which for them best highlights the impact of environmental change on developing countries. Their creative vision can help raise awareness among fellow pupils, teachers, families...
Europe is facing a crisis in science education with fewer and fewer students pursuing studies or careers in science. Xperimania (www.xperimania.net) aims to combat students’ bad perception of chemistry by offering fun yet simple hands-on activities to help teachers revitalise...
CERN is now accepting applications from Physics High School Teachers to attend its spring 3-day weekend and 3-week summer residential programmes.
This exciting international competition for school students returns for its sixth year. It is run by ESO (the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere) and the EAAE (European Association for Astronomy Education).
The Xplora team has developed a live bootable DVD – Xplora Knoppix, based on the Linux Debian distribution and completely contained on a self booting DVD.
The seventh eLearning Awards competition is now open and schools are invited to submit entries for the eLearning Awards 2007 that exemplify the best use of ICT in education. Entries are welcome from schools or teachers in EU Member States, EEA Countries, EU Applicant Countries as...
European Schoolnet is soon launching a new web-based project in the area of science, particularly focusing on the topics of materials, chemistry and physics. We are seeking science teachers, who are interested to help European Schoolnet run the project including chats, a competition...
Xplora – the European Gateway for Science Education has received a grant from Agilent foundation to develop the web version of a classical Nobel prize winning experiment, which deploys the full potential of web technology in physics education. After more than a year of development...
EMBO is accepting entries for its sixth Award for Communication in the Life Sciences. Presented annually to a life scientist in Europe, the award highlights the exceptional efforts made by many scientists to combine science communication activities with a full-time research career.
Starting in August this year, pupils from class 10 upwards (Age 16 and older) are invited to participate in a competition, in which pupils try to calculate the position of the ISS (International Space Station) by triangulation.
The German "Klaus Tschira Stiftung" has setup a competition for pupils to write documentation or simulation software on science topics.
Are you looking for tips and advice to communicate about science? Lars Lindberg Christensen, an experienced science communicator from the Hubble European Space Agency Information Centre, has just released a new book aimed to change attitudes towards science communication in Europe....
The European Commission has recently published a book which offers a useful insight into the current debate on the various aspects of communication about science. Edited by Michel Claessens, "Communicating European Research 2005" offers a series of 40 articles written by speakers...
The International Stockholm Junior Water Prize competition aims to encourage young people’s interest in issues concerning water and the environment. The national and international competitions are open to pre-university young people between 15-20 years of age.
The fourth edition of Safer Internet Day (SID) will be celebrated on 6 February 2007. Starting as an initiative in 2004, SID has become a major annual event crowning the awareness activities of Insafe, the European safer internet network. The growing network of nodes from Europe...
More and more people rely on the internet as their primary source for news and information about science and 87% of online users have at one time used the internet to carry out research on a scientific topic or concept.
Those findings come from a national survey conducted in the...
Since Xplora announced the launch of its new and improved portal, the number of visitors has been increasing.
To continue improving the website, the Xplora team is launching a survey to give you the chance to add your feedback and comments.
Xplora has got a grant from the Agilent foundation in order to develop, together with the University of Kaiserslautern, the Millikan oil drop experiment. This development should enable physics teachers and students to easily run the experiment and to insert their results into a database...
Have you ever dreamt to control a telescope via your computer and getting unlimited real time observing? A team of
astronomers have launched “The Virtual Telescope”, a new initiative bringing the exploration of the universe accessible to everyone. The objective of the...
“Science in Public Areas” is the name of a project developed by the European Physical Society (EPS) in order to promote science awareness within the wide public, through attractive series of questions and answers, displayed in public areas.
“edutain@grid” is a new project funded by the European Commission under the 6th Framework Programme. Intended to use Grid technology, traditionally applied to "big science", it aims to improve user experiences in both online gaming and distance e-learning systems.
It...
Educational organisations have recently been pointing out the huge potential benefits to schools of Open Source software: they can save time and money.
This fact was acknowledged by a leading independent public school in the UK, King's College School, Cambridge, which is starting...
Wil Boxman and Ariël Meeusen, the initiators of the European Eggiedoll website, acknowledged the same fact: having 20 different languages within the European Union is a barrier to foster communication between the 60 million schoolchildren in primary schools. That is why they...
Supported by European Schoolnet (EUN) and European Distance E-learning Network (EDEN), SkyWatch 2007 is an international astronomy competition organized within the framework of the DSpace project (e-Ten program of the European Commission). Participants (high-school students, teachers,...
European Schoolnet is pleased to announce the launch of its new and improved Xplora website, a major European hub for the science education community.
The first Bazaar seminar– called ‘Hey Dude, Where’s My Data?‘ will be held in Barcelona, Spain on Wednesday 25 October 2006 between 1.30 and 5 pm and will be hosted by the Universitat Pompeu Fabra.
Agilent Technologies Foundation has made possible the development of an exciting new web experiment, the Millikan oil drop experiment. The foundation has provided a grant to Xplora, the European Science Education Gateway carried by 
Schools in the prefecture of Serres - Greece, have achieved great results during the current academic year (2005/2006) by participating in a global environmental education programme facilitated by UNESCO Serron.
Competitions in mathematics and other science topics are important, as they are a way of teaching by discovering and investigating.
There are a lot of maths competitions: some are individual and others are team competitions. 
The UNESCO SchoolNet CD is a set of ICT-based resources for teaching and learning of science, mathematics and language for secondary-level students.
European Vascular Genomics Network (EVGN), a Network of Excellence funded by the European Union within its sixth Framework Programme, has dedicated a specific section of its 
The first issue of Science in School, a new European journal to promote inspiring science teaching, is now available to read and download at 
Education is an important theme for the European Space Agency - ESA, which tries to support European educators in their work, providing simple, practical and modular educational material to use. ESA has now launched a new Education Kit about space. It's for primary and secondary...
The Fuchs Foundation is announcing plans to recruit teachers in the UK for a unique expedition to Antarctica. To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of The Commonwealth Trans Antarctic expedition, teachers will conduct a science programme in Antarctica, in the spirit and ethos of past...
In a glitzy ceremony befitting the Nobel Prize, the EU announced the 2005 Descartes Prize-winning scientists and science communicators. This year, research teams in astronomy, climate change, genetic diseases, physics and the social sciences received the top honours, while a host...
The UK's Science UPD8 website proposes a new approach, which tries to translate the latest science news into inspiring activities which teachers and students can easily download and try! You just need to register first. Then you will also be alerted when new initiatives are online.
The Institute and Museum of the History of Science in Florence is publishing an interactive eLearning module called “The instruments of Science” (Gli strumenti della Scienza), to encourage a greater interest for the historic and scientific culture.
A new website ‘Science, Engineering, Technology - SET for Women’ – developed by the JIVE consortium of Bradford College, Sheffield Hallam, Open and Cambridge Universities – aims to support the UK government’s ten-year investment framework for ‘Science...
This autumn