LUSSAGO Science Jamboree 2021
James Barber (Liverpool Universities' SSAGO)
Thursday 5th of May 2022
After months of planning, LUSSAGO members prepared boxes of science experiments for over 1200 Beavers, Rainbows, Cubs and Brownies as part of Science Jamboree 2021 in December 2021-January 2022.
With COVID-19 meaning we were unable to hold the Science Jamboree in person again, the SciJam Committee came up with the idea to produce boxes of experiments for units to do in their unit meetings. Removing the in-person aspect of the event meant that we could open the event up to the entire country, and we had an astonishing response which led to the massive logistical challenge of packing boxes which included:
- 2170 plant pots
- 273 metres of copper tape
- Almost 1000 LEDs
- 2kg of cress seeds
- and much more!
With a small army of volunteers, the team spent over three days packing boxes and figuring out the logistics of delivering 120 boxes across Merseyside and Cheshire and posting the rest. Despite many delays to items arriving and almost half the Committee catching COVID over packing days, every box was delivered successfully, and 1530 young people and leaders have successfully earned their SciJam 2021 badge!
The boxes contained a variety of experiments devised by University of Liverpool societies: LUMOS (Marine Biology and Oceanography), Physics Outreach and Life Sciences Outreach (and thoroughly risk assessed by LUSSAGO!) Some highlights of the experiments included are:
- Simulating the depths of the oceans to understand how and why sea creatures adapt
- Creating light-up LED greeting cards and learning how circuits work
- Growing different types of herbs and analysing how they all grow differently
We’re really proud of the amazing team who gave up many hours to make the event a reality and delighted that we could share the experiments with so many young people across the country.
The SciJam Committee are honoured to have been awarded the Committee Colander in recognition of the work we put into this project and are really excited for the future of this event (fingers crossed back in person)!
