In this Catalyst article, students at La Sainte Union Catholic School in North London investigate the link between lichen species and air pollution around their school.

Lichens are indicators of changes in air quality; tolerant species replace those which are sensitive to a given pollutant. This effect is...

A Catalyst article looking at which type of radiation is absorbed and emitted through spectroscopy. This is the study of the wavelengths of light which allows us to identify the substances present in the source. This investigation provides a lot of useful information about a compound. It is used in a very wide...

A Catalyst article looking at strategies for ensuring that there is a plentiful food supply in the future and how this can be sustained.

The article looks at three main areas for scientific investigation:

*Fertilisation

*Pest control

*Genetic modification

It also looks at...

This toolkit from Plus magazine and Arctic Survey Education explores statistical aspects of the expedition, including the 'spin' that can be put on statistical evidence to make it sound positive or negative, and methods to predict future trends in Arctic climate change.

The whole toolkit can be downloaded...

Stephanie Kwolek invented the tough polymer Kevlar, used in protective clothing and developed a method for demonstrating the production of nylon in the classroom which is still used today.

The article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2014, Volume 25, Issue 1.

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A Catalyst article about working as a photographer in a scientific laboratory. The photographer explains how he sees his role as producing striking images to help promote these facilities and science in general and explains how he goes about achieving this.

This article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science...

This Catalyst article looks at how stress can have an impact on people's well-being but at the same time, humans need a degree of stress in their lives.

This article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2017, Volume 27, Issue 3.

Catalyst...

This guide, for more advanced users of LINUX, shows how BASH scripts can be used for operations on strings and for arithmetical operations. The syntax for BASH is clearly explained.

A useful handbook for setting up a student-led STEM club, with exemplars from three schools.

It is increasingly recognised that giving students opportunities to act as ambassadors and mentors for STEM subjects outside of school can be of great benefit to the individual, their institution, and to the broader...

A Catalyst article about the inner surface of lungs, which is coated with surfactant, allowing oxygen to enter the bloodstream. When babies are born very prematurely they can lack this surfactant, and this can make it very difficult for them to breathe. This is called Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS). This...

This Catalyst article features an activity to explore the science behind creating earthquake-proof buildings and the impact of structure stabilisation.

This article is from Catalyst: Secondary Science Review 2016, Volume 27, Issue 2.

Catalyst...

A Catalyst article about the many uses of superconductors. The article looks at what the 1700 magnets at the Large Hadron Collider and power cables in Detroit have in common. Both use superconductors - materials which, when cooled below a certain temperature, lose all their electrical resistance, and display some...