Science Year in Scotland
Science Year in Scotland lasted until the end of December 2002 as a special initiative. The SETPOINT Scotland network, having coordinated Science Year, will be continuing the good work, organising events and activities aimed at increasing awareness and interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. The following is a run down of just some of the news of Science Year in Scotland.

"Up the Stairs and In the Attic"
Science Year in Scotland funded an extra week of touring for this truly magical experience, as well as a number of workshops for teachers of pupils with special educational needs.
This multi-sensory production used different techniques to ensure inclusivity in seeking to inspire children and their families - touching, hearing, seeing and smelling! Small audience sizes created a participatory event, with the performers able to interact directly with children and their teachers, families and carers experienced sensory theatre with 5-11 year olds. Two performers told a witty, engaging tale which explored the imaginative worlds we can create in the ‘hidey holes’ of our homes. Through the exploration and transformation of everyday objects, music, movement, puppetry and song, "Up the Stairs and In the Attic" really did thrill and enchant its audience.
The workshops and associated teacher resources, aimed to tease out the many aspects of science which the performance uses. The workshops were for children with complex learning needs who attended a performance of "Up the Stairs and In the Attic".  They were experiential in nature and extened the experiences of the show, linking with the 5-14 elaborated curriculum for science and technology. Children from mainstream schools also attended the workshops to work alongside children from special schools. They were able to benefit by supporting and assisting other children, thereby extending their personal and social development.
Giant Productions is one of Scotland’s foremost Children’s Theatre Companies and has a considerable reputation for creating stimulating, inventive and accessible work for all children.

Congratulations to Young Engineer!
Hearty congratulations to David Miller of Hutcheson's Grammar School in Glasgow, on taking the Group A, Individual Runner-up prize at the UK finals of the Young Engineers for Britain 2002 with his Alarm System project. David went through to the UK finals as the Scottish Regional Overall Winner from the Scottish event held in June. Unfortunately, none of Scotland's winning Junior Engineers featured in the UK awards list.

World Space Week 2002
In 1999, the United Nations General Assembly declared that 4-10 October should annually be World Space Week and become "a celebration, at international level, of the contribution that space science and technology can make to the betterment of the human condition". Anyone, anywhere can run a World Space Week event. The events can be large or small - what is important is that by concentrating them all in a short space (sic) of time, much more interest can be generated locally, nationally and internationally. Details of UK events for World Space Week 2002 can be found at www.secuk.org/spaceweek; information about global events can be found at www.spaceweek.org. For more details, contact Space Education Council (tel/fax: 0208 974 8006; email: office@secuk.org).

"Footprints" in the North & West
During late August and early September, senior pupils in schools in the West and North of Scotland were enthusiastic audiences at performances of "Footprints" - a theatre production commissioned by the BA for Science Year and premiered in England during National Science Week. Science Year in Scotland was very pleased to be able to bring this thought-provoking production about genetics and inheritance to Scotland this autumn. "Footprints" finished its Scottish Tour on September 5, as part of the Orkney Science Festival, before moving on to the BA Annual Festival of Science in Leicester (September 9-13) and then to tour Wales (September 16-20) as part of Wales Science Year.

Scottish winners and runners-up in the JEB/K'NEX, Young Engineers and 'Be an Inventor' challenges 2002
June and the end of term saw the Science Year in Scotland team nearly as busy as the pupils from schools throughout Scotland who had made it through to the Scottish finals of a number of team and individual challenges in engineering and technology.
Junior Engineers K'NEX Challenge Grand Scottish Final, Stirling - this unseen challenge was to build, in just one hour, a bridge capable of carrying an 'ambulance' weighing 1kg over a dangerous river.
WINNER: Pirnmill Primary School, Brodick, Isle of Arran
RUNNER-UP: Avoch Primary School, Black Isle, Nr Inverness
SEN School WINNER: St Raymond's School, Glasgow
SEN School RUNNER-UP: Eastmuir Primary School, Glasgow
Enterasys 'Be An Inventor' Challenge at Glasgow Science Centre - previously completed projects submitted for judging.
1ST PLACE: Donibristle Primary School, Fife - SONIX, a left-handed camera
2ND PLACE: Gateside Primary School, Ayrshire - the environmentally-friendly can holder
3RD PLACE: Portree Primary School, Isle of Skye - Shakies, an innovative potato crisp
Young Engineers for Britain 2002 in Stirling, already completed individual and team projects submitted for judging.
11-14 years INDIVIDUAL
WINNER: David Miller, Hutcheson's Grammar School, Glasgow - Alarm System. David also won the Scottish Regional Overall Winner trophy and prize (sponsored by the University of Strathclyde). He will go forward to the UK finals in the autumn - good luck, David!
RUNNER-UP: Darren Gray, Duncanrig Secondary School, East Kilbride - Keyhole Locator
11-14 years TEAM
WINNER: Gateside Primary School, Beith - Groover Hoover. This also won the special prize sponsored by the Institute of Mechanical Engineers
RUNNER-UP: Dunlop Primary School, Ayrshire - Washerama
15-16 years INDIVIDUAL
WINNER: Peter Sordy, Merchiston Castle School, Edinburgh - Suitcase transport aid
RUNNER-UP: Jennifer Houston, The Mary Erskine School, Edinburgh - My first kettle. Jennifer also won the special prize sponsored by Glasgow Caledonian University
15-16 years TEAM
WINNER: Lenzie Academy, Nr Glasgow - RFA Lightspeed
RUNNER-UP: Springburn Academy, Glasgow - Engineering Global Awareness
17-19 years INDIVIDUAL
WINNER: Ian Fraser, Merchiston Castle School, Edinburgh - Hand-operated creel hauler. Ian also won the special prize sponsored by the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology
RUNNER-UP: Martin Izod, Glasgow School of Art - Ringpull aid
17-19 years TEAM
WINNER: Merchiston Castle School, Edinburgh - Devilift
RUNNER-UP: Hutcheson's Grammar School, Glasgow - Talking shopping list

Festival of Science & Enterprise
Careers Scotland and SEED teamed up with Science Year to bring together a host of events and activities for young people in June which link science and enterprise.

Science Year Lecture a great success
There was an almost capacity audience in Dundee on Tuesday 23 April for "Making Differences: A sci/art presentation for Science Year" by Kate and Helen Storey. Whether science or art/design students, everyone watched fascinated as Kate's presentation included short movies of human cells moving towards a chemical attractant. They listened intently to Helen's story of how she came to put the Primitive Streak collection together, trying to keep faith with the science in the designs she created. After a lively discussion on various aspects of science and art, everyone went to marvel at the exhibition of items from the collection. (For more information about the Primitive Streak SciArt project, visit www.helenstoreyfoundation.org)
In her presentation, Dr Kate Storey, Developmental Biologist at Dundee University, suggested that one of the most amazing things about embryonic development is that most of the time we get it right! The fertilised egg divides many millions of times and, at the end, a coherent human form emerges. Using films and results from the latest research in the field, she explained a little of how this is achieved, describing the important mechanisms which underlie the creation of muscle, bone, gut, nerves and skin. These mechanisms are represented symbolically in the items in the Primitive Streak collection. Her sister, designer Professor Helen Storey, then talked about her early career in fashion and what brought about her redirection towards a growing fascination for the world of science. She described the creative journey that she and her sister Kate went on in order to create and produce Primitive Streak, addressing some of the design challenges she faced. The exhibition continued at Dundee Contemporary Arts until May 4

Planetary Traffic Jam Ahead!
All five 'naked-eye' planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn and Jupiter) began lining up in the western sky on 20 April and continued to get more in line until 10 May.
You didn't need a telescope to see this remarkable display. Although binoculars would help, you could simply look Northwest after sunset, preferably from a dark location with a flat western horizon. Stretching upwards from right to left in a straight line you could see the five planets. Although, at first, they seemed to resemble stars, by looking carefully, you could see that they weren't not twinkling. Unlike stars, planets don't twinkle (or twinkle less).
As well as this 5-planet line-up, on Sunday 5 May, three of them (Saturn, Mars and Venus) formed a unique triangle in the sky - a lovely phenomenon that hasn't been observed for over a decade.
Planetary alignments like these don't occur suddenly during a single night. They happen over several weeks as the planets slowly move along their orbits against the backdrop of the sky.