Newsletter 1

It has been a busy term, and I've had to rely on the new reporting team to supply articles, and how well have they done!

But, I get ahead of myself. There is so much to bring to your attention, it would take forever to cover each item under different posts, so this is going to be our first newsletter!

The topics I will cover will be:

1. The new reporting team and their intentions
2. Meteorites (see also previous post)
3. Ideas for a human sundial (which we need your help with!)
4. Using Faulkes Telescope to study an area of sky you are interested in (how to go about it)
5. Competitions

Perhaps there's more, but that's enough for this newsletter :-D


1. The Reporting Team

First, and most importantly, I must (belatedly) introduce you to the new reporting team. A group of students came together at the end of last term to write articles, carry out surveys and do anything else they chose to do. They have their own spot on the blog, publishing their, and other students', works under the name of Mr Meteor. If you look to the top of the column on the right hand side of the page, there is an Astronomical Uplands logo...if you click on that, or the words

STUDENT VOICE News and Articles brought to you by the student reporting team

then you can fast-track to the Student Voice column, written by students for students!

At the moment, the following are members of the reporting team (photos to follow):

Jack Morgan (Editor)
Jon perret
Nick Maxfield
Adam Farmer

It's early days yet for the group, and they are still working out the direction they want to take this. However, if you have any ideas, or would like to be part of the team, you can talk to Jack, Mr Pert or myself...

Good luck in your new venture, guys!


2. Meteorites

Next on the information list is about our newly formed, small collection of meteorites. For any of you who love the idea of being able to look at/ hold pieces of rock that have spent millions (maybe many millions) of years flying through space; or whether you like the idea of bits of comet that have broken off and fallen into our atmosphere, or whether you think it's amazing that pieces of the moon or Mars have found their way down to Earth...you will love our new rocks!

So far, we have three very small fragments (small, but they've still survived a journey through space, and even more amazing, burning up in our atmosphere!) and a larger meteorite donated by a very kind fossil and meteorite collector, British Jurassic Fossils. You can read all about the meteorites here. These will be used in class, but if you're desperate to see them sooner, please come and see me in the prep room opposite L8...

3. Ideas for a human sundial

Now, here's an idea we have been playing around with for the last year. Mr Pert and I originally thought it would be a great idea to have a sundial on the side of the science block. It was a great idea, and it could look really great. However, on further thought, we prefer the idea of creating our own, unique, Uplands human sundial.

'What's one of those?' I hear you ask.

It is exactly what it sounds like! A sundial, where the gnomon (the sticky-up bit) is actually a person - you, or your friend - and the sun's shadow is cast by you onto (well placed) stones, which each mark a different time....simple! There's plenty of examples if you do a google image search, but here are a few...









So, these are a few sundials done by others...you get the idea!

How would ours look?
Should it be painted? Individually designed stones?
Should it be somewhere on the grassy area? Or somewhere that can be used all year round?
Should it be used to commemorate somebody/ an event?
Should we have many designers (students)/ one professional artist?

These are a few of the questions we have asked ourselves, and now we would like to put the questions to you (please feel free to write suggestions and ideas in the comment section below... or, you can write your ideas on a piece of paper and drop it in the suggestion box outside L8 (keep it clean!))

4. Using Faulkes Telescope

For those of you who have already had a chance to use the telescope, you have an idea what it can do, and how amazing it is (just see the pictures in earlier posts!). There are others of you who will use the Faulkes Telescope for the first time this year (Year 7, it will be in your science lessons!) There are others who it might come more slowly to.

If there's anyone who would particularly like to carry out investigations of their own, or who would love to take a picture of, perhaps, a nebula, asteroid, comet, then I am considering trying to book up sessions at either lunchtime or after school (the sessions last half hour). I'll only book them if there's enough interest. Send an email to the address near the top of the sidebar, or in the 'clubs and activities' section of the Uplands students' links, or tell me (prep room, opposite Lab 8)

5. Competitions


We have a couple of competitions we are thinking of entering:

• The UK Regional Space Design Competition There has already been some interest in this. The idea is to design a space station...it requires teamwork and a lot of co-operation, but looks to be great fun. If anyone else would like to take part, I'm in the process of finding out about registration at present. Up to 12 students can go to the Johnson Space Center in Texas, USA, if they are in the winning team! (This is entirely possible. The 2010 winners were a UK team :-) )
  
• Lego robot building competition (registration won't start before April 2011, and would be for starting robot building September 2011) This will be available for 'up to ten children, ages 9 to 16'. Challenges will be Nov/Dec 2011, and the final would be Jan 2012...I know it seems ages away, but if we're not ready, chances are we won't get ourselves together in time.

If anyone's interested in these two competitions, please let myself or Mr Pert know (Mr Pert is in Lab 8, and I am in the prep room opposite!) You can also write you interest in the comment section below!