Minutes of the first Science Outreach group meeting (08.10.2015)
Members present at the meeting:
1. Timo Valta
2. Gayathri Murukesan
3. Ksenia Zueva
4. Janne Isojärvi
5. Tuomas Kaukoranta
6. Siina Alaranta
Things for group members to do:
1. Make a list of lecture topics that Scientists side of the group can present / Teachers side is willing to
add to their curriculum (and in which language the presentation should be)
Topic examples from the meeting:
- Biofuels, microbiology (Gayathri Murukesan)
- Language and how words create reality, link between everyday life and science (Tuomas Kaukoranta)
- What it means to be a researcher (Janne Isojärvi)
- Ways to raise general appreciation of science as the same profession as any other (Timo Valta)
- Science ethics (Rosa Rantanen)
2. Make a list of topics for: (Scientists & Teachers)
- Potential guided visits to laboratories for children
- Botanical garden (Ruissalo) visits
- Nature walks
3. Contact respective laboratory managers/ heads of the departments to make sure lab visits have green
light (Scientists)
Things to consider and think over:
- How many school students can be allowed in the laboratory facility? (Subject to negotiation with
laboratory in charge of the respective laboratories)
- Lab equipment that can be taken outside the laboratory facility and used to perform experiment outside
the lab (tour plus lab work outside)
Ideas and things to think over:
1) Science day- full day of science for school (the same way as there are sport days and such), science fair
(Tuomas Kaukoranta). Possible start: Moision koulu (Salo), spring 2016
2) Science slam
Question/answer for teachers (Tuomas Kaukoranta). Teacher-researcher discussions together of a certain
topic, ideally prepare lectures together with the teachers.
3) Involvement in IB (international baccalaureate) high school program’s laboratory practicals (Siina
Alaranta)
4) make a one week work possibility for one student (as a part of mandatory work experience). Complete
work each day in different lab? Or “shadowing” one researcher during the day in the lab (Gayathri
Murukesan)
Target schools:
Norssi: IB, international school
Raision lukio
Klassillinen lukio
Lyseon lukio (Runosmäki)
Aurajoki school
Turun Suomalaisen Yhteiskoulun lukio
Naantalin lukio
Liedon lukio
English school (Helsinki)
Ways to accomplish the goals:
- start with high-school lectures (as opposite to middle school, Gayathri Murukesan)
- contact headmasters directly, starting with people we already know (Siina Alaranta)
- ask for curriculum and add/substitute certain parts of it with our lectures; ask teachers to make a list of
key words to know the general background
Define the group:
- For Early PhDs, early postdocs (Gayathri Murukesan)
Practical things:
- make an email list (done)
- Mikko is official web master (put to the Facebook page as well)
- Separate group for the organizing group of the people (done)
- If we procure funding, otherwise not:
 make a board of the group (bookkeeper, communication, secretary, treasurer)
 Legal help from TYY. If we open bank account than we need to registry society: book-keeping, etc
- Next meeting: end of November (possibly 19th, 17.00)