Science

By Helen Briggs Published 21 July 2019 Share close Share page Copy link About sharing A woman engineer who worked on the moon landing spoke this week of how she was once told the control room was no place for women. Things have changed a lot in 50 years, but not as fast as some had hoped. BBC News spoke to five scientists from different generations who are breaking barriers in their field. The Pioneer: Prof Jocelyn Bell Burnell Famous for discovering the first pulsar more than 50 years ago, Prof Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell has also been a lifelong advocate of women in science. As a school pupil in Northern Ireland in the 1950s, like other girls she was not permitted to study science until her parents (and others) protested. "The boys got sent to the science lab and the girls got sent to the domestic science room because everybody knew that girls were only going to get married so … [Read more...] about Women in science: Smashing glass ceilings and glass walls

By Charley Adams Published 28 April Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Brownies are to start learning to code while younger girls in Rainbows will explore app design in a bid to inspire more of them to take up STEM subjects. Just over half (52%) of girls aged 11 to 21 think STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects are for boys, a Girlguiding survey has shown. Now new digital skills activities are being rolled out to the charity's national programme for ages five to 18. Ten-year-old Brownie Peyton said she loved learning to code. "It was so much fun. Fixing bugs was hard, but once I tried it a few times, I could do it", she said. Rainbows, the organisation's branch for four to seven-year olds, will be taught about app design through an app based on rescuing unicorns. Older girls in Brownies, who are up to 10, will be writing code for a … [Read more...] about Brownies to learn coding to get more girls into science

By Helen Briggs Published 18 March 2018 Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Women make up less than a quarter of the UK workforce in industries involving science, technology, engineering and medicine. BBC News spoke to three people with bright ideas for breaking stereotypes. As a young girl Avideh Nazeri wanted to be an air hostess to fulfil her dream of seeing the world. However, an inspirational teacher encouraged her to use her love of science to study for a career in medicine. She says she remembers the words of her mother, who used to say: "As an Iranian girl, you have to work four times more; two times because you're a girl and two times more because you're a foreigner in a new country." Dr Nazeri is now a director at the global pharmaceutical company NovoNordisk. Born in Iran, she trained to be a hospital doctor at King's College London. She later moved to the … [Read more...] about Breaking the mould in a male-dominated workplace

By Pallab Ghosh Published 19 March 2019 Share close Share page Copy link About sharing The Institute of Physics is launching a bursary scheme to help female and black students to become physics researchers. The scheme is funded by one of the world's leading astronomers, Prof Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell. The discoverer of pulsars donated the £2.3m she won as part of an international science award. The initial aim is to increase the number of female physics researchers in the UK from the current level of 22% to more than 30% in the next 10 years. The Bell Burnell Graduate Scholarship Fund will also support students from low socio-economic backgrounds and those who qualify for refugee status. Ozi Kamalu: Following a passion Ozi Kamalu is studying astrophysics. She was also obsessed with space as a child. She was one of five girls in her AS physics class, but all the … [Read more...] about Fund to boost female and black physicist numbers

Ever found yourself stuck in a WhatsApp group chat that has become a bit noisy or irrelevant, but don't want to leave for risk of offending friends or family? There could be a solution before too long, after it emerged that WhatsApp is testing a new feature that lets you quietly leave a group chat without sending a notification to other members. The new feature was first spotted by independent WhatsApp experts WABetaInfo, which searches early beta versions of the app to identify upcoming features before they are released. It clarified in a blog post that group admins will still be able to see who exits the group when the feature becomes available, but other members won't. The new feature could prevent awkward confrontations with more sensitive group members who might take your departure badly. WhatsApp is testing a new feature that lets you quietly leave a group chat without sending a notification to other members WABetaInfo has obtained a screenshot of a … [Read more...] about WhatsApp is testing a new feature that lets you quietly leave group chats without alerting other members

Scientists are investigating a mysterious "solar hedgehog" seen on the surface of the Sun. The European Space Agency (ESA) has revealed a trove of images captured by its Solar Orbiter . NASA and the UK Space Agency also contributed to the project. After passing within the orbit of Mercury, the probe was able to capture images of the solar hedgehog, a solar flare, the Sun's south pole, the Sun's magnetic activity and a full view of the Sun. David Berghmans, from the Royal Observatory of Belgium, described the images of the lower layers of the Sun's atmosphere as "really breathtaking". Advertisement He said it would take years to wade through all the data and figure out what was going on. The solar hedgehog is a newly observed feature, and no one is quite sure how or why it forms. More on Nasa NASA picture of Mars 'doorway' spawns conspiracy theories - this is what you're really looking at NASA releases audio recording of … [Read more...] about The Sun: ‘Solar hedgehog’ among ‘breathtaking’ images released by European Space Agency

By Helen Briggs Published 13 January 2018 Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Fewer than one in 10 engineers in the UK is female - the lowest percentage in Europe, according to the Women's Engineering Society. Latvia, Bulgaria and Cyprus lead with nearly 30%. Here, two pioneering female engineers at Oxford University explain what drives them. Priyanka Dhopade was named as one of the top 50 Women in Engineering Under 35 in 2017, as chosen by the Women's Engineering Society. She grew up in Canada, where she studied for a degree in aerospace engineering. She completed a PhD at UNSW Canberra in Australia, before moving to Oxford in 2013. As a child I was very interested in aeroplanes, and how things fly in space - I wanted to be an astronaut. My parents suggested engineering, because it's quite practical. I could use my enthusiasm and my skills to do something that's real that … [Read more...] about Why are there so few female engineers?

Published 7 days ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Wrexham will welcome judges for the 2025 UK City of Culture later as it steps up its bid to win the title. The town is competing against Bradford, County Durham and Southampton to be named City of Culture on 26 May. The panel will visit a youth centre, the Pontcysyllte aqueduct and Wrexham AFC, as the Hollywood star-owned club chase promotion to the Football League. UK Arts Minister Lord Parkinson said even a nomination would have already had an impact on Wrexham. Aerial show for City of Culture celebrations Wrexham 'so proud' to make City of Culture final Culture capital 2025 judges visit Bradford He said the competition was about "shining a spotlight on places and giving them the opportunity to tell their stories". 'Creating that legacy' "We've had 20 places bidding this time round so … [Read more...] about Wrexham: City of Culture judges visit as bid steps up

Published 10 May Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Judges from the UK City of Culture 2025 team have visited Bradford to find out more about what it has to offer. The West Yorkshire city is one of four on the shortlist, with the winner due to be announced within weeks. Ten judges, headed by screenwriter Sir Phil Redmond, began the tour at the National Science and Media Museum. They then visited the Bradford Live development at the former Odeon, as well as Manningham's Lister Mills and the Salts Mill heritage site. The mill in Saltaire recently welcomed David Hockney's latest work , a 295ft (90m)-long piece depicting the changing seasons of his French garden during lockdown. The judges also went to Keighley to visit the Keighley Creative project arts hub, and visited areas of investment and regeneration in the district, including the £23m Darley Street Market. … [Read more...] about Bradford 2025: Culture capital judges visit city

The United States Congress held its first hearing in half a century Tuesday (local time) on unidentified flying objects. And no, there is still no government confirmation of extraterrestrial life. Testifying before a House Intelligence subcommittee, Pentagon officials did not disclose additional information from their ongoing investigation of hundreds of unexplained sightings in the sky. But they said they had picked a director for a new task force to co-ordinate data collection efforts on what the government has officially labelled “unidentified aerial phenomena”. Ronald Moultrie, the undersecretary of defence for intelligence, said the Pentagon was also trying to destigmatize the issue and encourage pilots and other military personnel to report anything unusual they see. “We want to know what's out there as much as you want to know what's out there,” Moultrie told politicians, adding that he was a fan of science fiction himself. READ MORE: Pentagon will track … [Read more...] about US Congress dives into UFOs, but still no signs of extraterrestrial life