Children from Doncaster School for the Deaf are gearing up to take part in a special event to mark British Science Week (8-17 March 2024).
Pupils from Y7-9 at Doncaster School for the Deaf, part of Doncaster Deaf Trust, will be taking part in the online event along with St Roch’s Secondary School in Glasgow, Heathlands School in St Albans and the Royal School for the Deaf in Derby to explore the wonders of science in British Sign Language (BSL)
During the event there will be online BSL sessions from leading Deaf science teachers, practical activities for the young people to take part in and the event will culminate with an opportunity for pupils from all the schools to showcase their own science projects.
At the end of the showcase, there will be live Q&A with Dr Audrey Cameron, who has been profoundly deaf from birth and gained her chemistry degree at Paisley University before going to the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow to do her PhD. She also manages the Scottish Sensory Centre's BSL Glossary project, a collaborative effort with a team of 36 Deaf scientists, educators working with deaf children and BSL sign linguists since 2007. This project has compiled over 3,000 signs for STEM with BSL definitions and examples.
Rebecah Talyor, teacher at Doncaster School for the Deaf, said: “I have been working with the Scottish Sensory Centre on BSL for a while now and when this science week initiative for BSL was discussed, it was immediately something that really excited me, and I knew our children would be interested in too. It’s great to be working with the other schools as well as leading Deaf science teachers and scientists such as Dr Cameron who really is a shining light in her field as well as being such a strong advocate for BSL and deaf education.
“Our children are thrilled to be involved and can’t wait to showcase the science projects they have been working on during the online event.”
British Science Week is a ten-day celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths with a focus this year on time.