Professor Saiful Islam is a chemist who never wears a white lab coat. Rather than conduct experiments in laboratories, he uses the world's most powerful computers to produce computer models of the inner, 'atomic' structure of materials used in 'green' energy applications, from the lithium ion rechargeable batteries...

A Catalyst article about why human beings need salt (sodium chloride) in their diets to survive, but too much can be toxic. Where does salt come from, and what is it used for? This article looks at salt extraction and mining in England, the domestic and industrial uses of salt as well as its molecular structure....

Salters' Science books differed from the typical textbooks at the time of publication. There were four books for the double-award science course: two for Year 10 and two for Year 11. Each book included chapters related to five or six of the modules in the course.

The books were designed to reflect to aims of...

Salters' Science was a complete teaching programme to provide an applications-led approach to double award science at Key Stage Four. It was followed by 'Science Focus', a Key Stage Three programme to illustrate a similar approach to teaching and learning in science....

The Salters’ double award science course included 12 modules for Year Ten. Each module relates to materials, phenomena or ideas which would be familiar to students or of value in their everyday lives. These starting points illustrate scientific principles in action, creating an applications-led course of study. By...

The Salters’ double award science course included 11 modules for Year 11. Each module relates to materials, phenomena or ideas which would be familiar to students or of value in their everyday lives. These starting points illustrated scientific principles in action,...

This activity allows pupils to learn how to analyse samples on Mars. Students are given the opportunity to use targeted information in areas of astrobiology and geology, to work out what their rovers have found on Mars surface and to think like a geologist as they investigate stratigraphy (layers or rocks) using...

Sanjeev Gupta is a geologist who uses his understanding of rocks and physical processes such as plate tectonics, mountain building, deposition of sediment and erosion by water to understand how particular landscapes were formed from remote deserts, under the sea in the English Channel and on Mars!

He came to...

In this podcast from the Planet Earth Online collection and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), reporters find out how satellites have revolutionised our understanding of climate change.

They provide a completely different perspective on how planet Earth works, which was impossible before the...

A great deal of space exploration is performed by autonomous craft. They have mapped remote planets and even landed to send surface data back to Earth. Satellites have changed the world of communication, earth observation and, through global positioning systems, everyday navigation. This collection, with...

Find out how engineers who work in disaster response save lives on a massive scale. This Tomorrow’s Engineers poster and accompanying teacher booklet, activities and a lesson plan will help students to understand the scale and impact of disaster response engineering.

Many types of engineering are employed in...

How can STEM help us survive and thrive? From thinking about how diseases are spread or contained, to building a better skyscraper that can withstand earthquakes, this programme of activities explores both the practical and the hypothetical. Students are asked to explore the big question: Can we save the world with...