Welcome to British Science Week Monday 11th – Friday 15th March

What is our science week all about? Throughout the week, we are going to be looking at some of the amazing women in Science who have helped shape our understanding of the world Without them, the world would have been a different place, but as you’ll find out, they had to work extra hard just to be listened to!

What is our aim? The aim of British Science week is to inspire as many of you as possible to find something within the world of science that you enjoy and to find out about the many different career opportunities available within STEM for young women just like you!

Marie Curie!! Inspiring females in Science Every day this week, we will start by looking at a woman in Science who has changed the world and achieved something amazing! We are going to start off by looking at the woman who inspired the charity we supported during Bosco book week…… Marie Curie!!

Marie Curie (1867 – 1934) Key facts: Born in Warsaw, Poland in 1867 but spent much of her life working in Paris Still the only scientist to win a Nobel prize in two different fields (Chemistry and Physics) Discovered that radiation could be used to treat cancer

Why is Marie Curie so inspiring? Marie Curie was the first scientist to develop any real understanding of radioactive elements Alongside her husband Pierre, they worked to discover two new radioactive elements (Radium and Polonium) whilst also figuring out their uses Despite her husband dying in a tragic incident in 1906, she continued her work and discovered that Radium could be used to treat cancer – something that is still used today!!!

Why is Marie Curie so inspiring? As we now know, long-term exposure to radiation causes us to become poisoned and can lead to death However, this was not known at the time and Marie became sick as a result of this work Despite this, Marie continued her work and this has led to millions of lives being saved as result of her discoveries!

“I was taught that the way of progress is neither swift nor easy.” Famous quote “I was taught that the way of progress is neither swift nor easy.”

Pursuing a career in STEM:

Puzzle time!!! Every day during Science week, there will be a puzzle to get you thinking!! The answer will be revealed the next morning! There are prizes on offer for the first person to solve the puzzle in each form

Puzzle number 1 – How tall? When Claire was six years old she hammered a nail into her favourite tree to mark her height. Five years later at age eleven , Claire returned to see how much higher the nail was. If the tree grew by ten inches each year, how much higher would the nail be?