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REACHING FOR THE STARS! CELEBRATING OUR WORLD FROM SPACE AT DYNAMIC EARTH
Dynamic Earth were a development and delivery partner on the UK Association for Science and Discovery Centre’s latest national science engagement programme, the largest to date!
Reaching for the Stars! Celebrating Our World From Space at Dynamic Earth
Dynamic Earth were a development and delivery partner on the UK Association for Science and Discovery Centre’s latest national science engagement programme, the largest to date!
Dynamic Earth is a proud member of the UK Association for Science and Discovery Centres, also known as ASDC. We’re excited to be celebrating our involvement in their latest – and largest – national science engagement programme to date.
Empowering audiences to make connections between space, satellites, everyday life and climate change, Dynamic Earth’s programme as part of Our World from Space has connected 45,000 people with new perspectives on how the UK’s space sector is helping us understand and monitor climate change on our home planet. With a focus on satellites and how they help us understand environmental change and monitor biodiversity, the programme has given people new opportunities – in a range of formats – to connect with topical and timely science and understand the UK’s role as a global player in Earth Observation and satellite production.
As well as delivering the programme with audiences in Edinburgh and beyond, Dynamic Earth were a development partner on Our World from Space, working with peers at ASDC, The National Space Centre, Science Oxford and the National Centre for Earth Observation to help develop the full national programme and train colleagues from across 22 centres in its content. From global themes, to local case studies across towns and cities of the UK, the programme has brought to life the immediate relevance of space sciences and how studying space helps us in responding to global challenges today.
Through a packed programme of events and experiences, Dynamic Earth connected families, community audiences, school learners and adults with new opportunities to connect with how we can use space science to monitor changes here on Earth and take action to protect it.
Our family drop-in programmes got audiences acting as satellites in a range of different ways. This included looking at how continents have changed over time, as recorded by NASA, using tablets, as well as crafting and taking home their own satellites out of paper, learning about past, present and future missions weather, sea level rise and rainforests. Interactive games and activities allowed visitors to explore animal tracking and biodiversity monitoring, and they could even hunt for evidence of penguin colonies in satellite imagery, scanning for penguin poo stains left behind on the ice!
In our sensory storytelling sessions for wee ones and their grown-ups, young engineers met plush satellite pals to explore life in ‘satellite school’ and find out more about how satellites monitor and track wildlife closer to home and internationally. Our Summer Outdoor Club saw young explorers draw digital pictures using tablets and GPS apps in Holyrood Park, and our Dino’s Kids’ Science Club programme got young people to become satellite engineers and build their own satellite to help monitor and respond to an environmental problem.
In our planetarium, our in-house astronomers developed a new planetarium show focusing on satellite innovations over time. We were delighted to create a new mini-exhibition spotlighting the work of Earth Observation scientists, including Beth Greenway – Head of Earth Observation at the UK Space Agency!
ESRI UK meet school learners as part of Meet the Scientist Activity at Dynamic Earth.
We were also delighted to welcome scientists from research and industry, including organisations such as ESRI UK, SENSE Centre for Satellite Data at The University of Edinburgh and the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.
Reflecting on Our World from Space, Chris George – Head of Learning and Engagement at Dynamic Earth – said “Our World from Space has been an incredible opportunity to shine a light on how space science can help us learn about the environmental challenges that our planet is facing, as well as engage audiences with scientists who are doing this work to help us all create positive change. It’s allowed us to have conversations with audiences about the collaborative nature of science, and how all sorts of different satellites above our heads are providing data that is essential for us to keep our finger on the pulse of planet Earth’s health in a range of different ways, whether that be looking at sea level rise, penguin populations, or deforestation.”
Our World From Space is a two-year national STEM programme exploring the relevance of UK space science for the future health and sustainability of our home planet, funded by UK Space Agency in partnership with Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
