UK Space Agency invites ASDC to No.10
- Published: 22 Aug 2023
On Friday 11th August ASDC Chief Executive Shaaron Leverment was invited to speak at No.10 to discuss 'Harnessing the inspirational nature of space', as part of the Space To Learn programme funded by the UK Space Agency.
Alongside our partners in the Space to Learn programme - Jon Egging Trust, STEM Learning UK and National Space Academy - ASDC is committed to giving more young people the opportunity to learn about space and space science.
ASDC’s Our World From Space programme, helping schoolchildren and families discover the relevance of UK space science for environmental science and the sustainability of our home planet, launches this summer in 22 science centres and museums across the UK.
Community engagement and reaching new audiences through STEM is embedded at the heart of ASDC programmes; working with our UK-wide network of science discovery centres and museums to ensure science is accessible, inclusive and valued by everyone.
This photo shows CJ Bishop, Community Engagement Manager at National Space Centre, Shaaron Leverment, ASDC Chief Executive and Ingmar Kamalagharan, Interim Head of Education and Skills at the UK Space Agency outside No.10 Downing Street.
"A great experience participating in the roundtable at No 10, discussing how we can harness the inspirational nature of space to drive widening participation in STEM. Much gratitude to UK Space Agency for bringing together a thoughtful, diverse table, including powerful stories and lived experience of the successes and challenges of navigating the barriers into STEM.
Can we connect, leverage and invest in the full ecosystem of formal and informal learning at our fingertips? Diversity in STEM is mission critical for the UK and the answers are at the table. As Association for Science and Discovery Centres we left feeling hopeful for opportunities to work together to tear down barriers to equitable participation in STEM and build a better world through space science and discovery."
A snippet from ASDC Chief Executive Shaaron Leverment's post on LinkedIn following the roundtable
About Space To Learn
The Space to Learn programme will channel £4.3 million UK Space Agency funding into four major educational projects. The scheme will boost initiatives dedicated to inspiring young people about space and improve access to STEM careers and learning opportunities all over the country.
The programmes include the National Space Academy’s series of 1,000 specialised masterclasses, engaging more than 40,000 students with science career opportunities; the Jon Egging Trust’s Blue Skies initiative delivering 28,000 hours of space-related education resources to students, and the Association for Science and Discovery Centre’s Our World From Space programme, exploring the relevance of UK space science for the future health and sustainability of our home planet.