By definition, the urban environment is one where many people either live or work. During the course of a day, people will be outdoors for varying lengths of time and be exposed to different levels of air pollutants. During daytime, sunlight can provide the energy needed to produce the hydroxyl radical (written as HO), which is an extremely reactive species that acts like a detergent in the atmosphere, reacting with air pollutants. Therefore, we want to know how much HO there is in the urban atmosphere and how its level changes over the course of a day and from day to day as a function of time of the year. It is possible to measure HO directly using an instrument called FAGE and this has been carried out for some cities in the UK (e.g. Birmingham and London). These data have helped us to understand how HO varies in one location but the instrument FAGE is too expensive to replicate to allow us to make measurements across a city. HO is made and destroyed very rapidly, so a measurement of HO also tells us the ratio of the rate of its production to the rate of its removal and indeed FAGE can also tell us about the rate of its removal. Therefore, we can calculate the rate of production from these measurements, but these other measurements from a number of cities suggest that the rate of production of HO is underestimated based on our current understanding. One possibility is that there are missing sources that we don't know about? Given the importance of HO and other oxidants to urban air quality it is vital to try to work out what these missing sources are. With this in mind we have developed a new technique to allow us to measure the amount of HO (and other detergents) pollutants encounter as they move through the urban environment. In this way we will be able to build up a picture of how removal rates for pollutants varies across a City as a function of time of day, season, pollution loading etc. We will also be able to estimate how rapidly particles are made in the urban environment and begin to understand what controls their production. Particles can be released into the atmosphere directly, e.g. from car exhausts, (called primary particles) but can also be made in the atmosphere, a so called secondary particles. We want to know more about the sources of secondary particles as we can make reasonable estimates of primary particle sources. Particles are known to be bad for air quality and a reduction in levels would be of great benefit. In order to make these measurements we will release small amounts of organic molecules that react with oxidants such as HO and some molecules that don't react with anything. We have tagged the reactive molecules so we can tell them apart from ones that are there already into the city and will measure the levels of both reactive and inert species downwind of the release point. As these molecules disperse their level will drop because of dilution and the inert species will tell us the dilution rate, the reactive ones will drop even more as they will not only disperse but also react. By using these two pieces of information we can estimate their chemical removal rates and hence the amount of HO present. Other measurements of pollutants and meteorology will be made at the same time and we will then be able to estimate how quickly these pollutants are removed. Computer models that contain our current knowledge of urban air quality will be compared with all the measurement data and we will then be able to test a number of hypotheses for the missing source of HO and other oxidants. We will also carry out studies at night where HO levels are very low and a different oxidant called the nitrate radical (NO3) takes over. We have an instrument that can make measurements of NO3 and so we can compare the measurement of NO3 in one location with the NO3 experienced by pollutants as they pass through the city. In this way a detailed comparison can be made.

The British Association of Planetaria is a network of planetarium professionals who play a significant, high-impact role in the education, public engagement and communication of space sciences within the UK. Between the fixed planetarium facilities at science centres and observatories and the smaller, mobile, travelling domes, there are very few areas of the UK that are not reached by our members. Large planetaria are mainly based in cities and have a spreading catchment, the mobile domes reach out into rural schools and travel to under-served communities. The total reach of UK Planetarium domes is over 1.5 million children and adults every year. 750,000 of these visitors have a presenter-led planetarium experience. This project aims to inspire and involve these planetarium audiences with the fantastic stories, science, engineering and people behind the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). It will produce exceptional and unique graphical content that can be projected across the 180 degree surface of the dome to create a fully immersive and captivating experience of the JWST inside the planetarium dome. We aim to raise awareness, excitement and pride for the UK involvement in the JWST mission, share the breath-taking science, technology and engineering and celebrate the diverse team that makes this mission unique. Over 150,000 children and adults will experience planetarium shows that include this content, which will be used far beyond the project period to support ongoing public engagement with the JWST mission. In addition, a key objective of this project is to ensure that this UK science is shared with all: all ages, genders, abilities, beliefs and backgrounds. Care and consideration will be taken to ensure that the design, development and delivery of the planetarium content has diversity and social inclusion embedded, in order to support all audiences. We hope that all will be inspired, engaged and be able to identify with the stories, science and people celebrated in this project. To support this aim, mobile planetarium visits will be available for a limited time at a subsidised cost for schools in areas high on the Index of Multiple Deprivation (or UK national equivalent). Through bespoke, eye-catching graphics and resources with diversity designed in, through to a national event for planetarium professionals which showcases STFC scientists and highlights inclusive methods of communication and professionalisation of the UK planetarium network, this project will be a step-change in the way in which the British Association of Planetaria lead their members in reaching new audiences and disseminating STFC science and technology.

At-Bristol will work in partnership with Dr Hugh Mortimer, a Research Scientist based at the RAL Space centre, to develop and pilot an immersive and challenging workshop, for Key Stage 3 students, that explores the science of understanding our world. The workshop will showcase global remote sensing techniques and will give students the opportunity to plan and carry out their own local scale investigations. In Autumn 2011, At-Bristol will launch ‘Our world’, a new exhibition exploring Earth systems and looking at how nature recycles energy, water, carbon etc. This new workshop would complement and extend the ‘Our world’ exhibition providing students with a wider context and an enriching experience. The workshop also responds to recent consultation with teachers and supports a number of aspects of the Key Stage 3 science curriculum including: •Sci1.1a – using scientific ideas and models to explain phenomena and developing them creatively to generate and test theories. •Sci1.2a – exploring how the creative application of scientific ideas can bring about technological developments and consequent changes in the way people think and behave. •Sci1.4a – sharing developments and common understanding across disciplines and boundaries. •Sci2.2a – Obtain record and analyse data from a wide range of primary and secondary sources. •Sci3.4a – geological activity is caused by chemical and physical processes •Sci3.4c – human activity and natural processes can lead to changes in the environment. •Sci4d – study science in local, national and global contexts, and appreciate the connections between these. Development of the workshop The workshop will be developed by At-Bristol and Dr Hugh Mortimer. Dr Mortimers expertise is in infrared spectroscopy and Earth observation instrumentation calibration. He is part of the team responsible for the management and operation of the SISTeR instrument, a radiometer that is currently operating from the Queen Mary 2 that monitors Sea Surface Temperatures . We will also film Dr Mortimer introducing his work and talking about research and key findings. We aim to pilot the workshop with two different school groups (60 students). This will ensure that the workshop achieves the stated aims and objectives and meets teachers’ and students’ needs. Following the pilot phase the workshop will become part of At-Bristol’s core offer for secondary schools. Secondary schools will then be able to book the workshop on an ongoing basis. We anticipate reaching c600 students per year. A variety of inspiring spaces within At-Bristol will be used during the workshop including the planetarium, At-Bristol’s purpose built classrooms and laboratories and the exhibition spaces, particularly ‘Our world’. The workshop will also give students the opportunity to use specialist data monitoring equipment. These combined factors will create a unique experience that is not possible in schools. The two hour workshop will comprise: •0.5 hour ‘Earth observation and global remote sensing’ •1.5 hours ‘data collection, analysis and presentation’ Earth observation and global remote sensing Making observations of the Earth from space enables scientists to develop and improve their models of our environment. Space instruments provide long term global measurements, allowing climate change and environmental changes happening regionally and globally to be tracked. RAL Space Centre scientists contribute to and underpin UK and international programmes in environmental science through the provision of research expertise, services and facilities in support of the UK science community. With input from Dr Hugh Mortimer, the work of RAL Space Centre Research Scientists will be brought to life for students through incoorporating two RAL Space Centre, Earth observation projects as case studies in the workshop: ENVISAT (ENVIronmental monitoring SATellite ) and SISTeR (Scanning Infrared Sea Surface Temperature Radiometer).

We aim to redefine the methods of engaging young people in STEM by combining cutting-edge research with innovative and immersive digital media. Our team including researchers at the forefront of exoplanet studies, educational game development experts and science communication centres will combine to develop a game, and associated exhibits and media, engaging young people in a significant way, and with an extensive reach. Central to this process will be a Young Persons Advisory Panel (YPAP), involved in the development of the game and developed as ambassadors, alongside current University undergraduates, postgraduates and museum staff. Our activities will span the ranges of significance, and reach in terms of engagement via three pathways, or pillars. Focused and significant engagement will be sought through a series of workshops and engagement activities with local schools delivered by a cohort of Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) students. The understanding of scientific research, and aspirations for future study of the target audience (11-16 year olds) will be monitored and evaluated. Complementary to this, we will develop a unique mobile museum exhibit hosted both at our partners (We The Curious and the National Space Centre) sites, but also taken out to our local schools network and events across the country, reaching potentially ~100,000 people over the lifetime of the project. This aspect will also be bolstered by the training of PGCE students increasing the national capacity. The final pillar includes the free and global access to our visual media and game via various platforms to enable high numbers of people to engage with the research, potentially of order Millions of people. At the heart of exoplanet research lie often conceptually simple techniques, such as radial velocity and transit detection methods, and characterisation methods such as transmission spectroscopy. The game itself, `Planet Royale', will be developed as an exploration game in the race to fine a new Earth-twin. Players will be incentivised by dynamically constructed, short-term goals, to accrue rewards such as advancement in facilities (i.e. moving from ground-based telescopes such as the INT to HST or JWST), regular missions rewarded with upgrades and scientific data, alongside longer term `badge' collection and competition with other players. This pairing of dynamic short-term goals, with overarching longer terms goals has shown to be successful in engaging people with games. As players identify more planets, they obtain more detailed information on them, and additional reward via high-quality visualisations. This format allows us to showcase UK exoplanet research and facilities, and helps players grow their understanding through the game. It is our intention to also include elements of real data and research tools in the game, but in a simplified and accessible way. Our previous experience in generating immersive research-based media, has shown that immense reaches can be achieved (>3million in ~1.5years), and pairing this with a more focused, immersive, and agency-providing game format, alongside museum exhibits, will allow us to increase the significance of our impacts. Developing exciting, and fun to play game mechanics, built-on real-life research and discoveries, will provide a unique approach to our project and game. Our proposal details funds required to develop the game, and create and deliver the engagement activities, alongside a monitoring process which we believe will enable us to reach a large number of young people, across varying levels of significance.

The aim of this project is to use VR to recreate an approximation of the historical experiences (mental and somatic) of individuals consulting the ancient oracle of Zeus at Dodona and then, through user analysis, to investigate how such a recreation can help to advance understanding of (i) an ancient historical context and individual historical experiences of that context; and (ii) the design and deployment of multi-sensory VR experiences for research and educational purposes. This will be achieved by building a VR recreation of the ancient Greek oracle of Zeus and Dione at Dodona (the VRO). The VRO will, on the one hand, address questions of subjective historical experience by creating a convincing reality that will then enable the detailed exploration of the process, experience and effects of ancient oracular consultation; and, on the other hand, facilitate further research into the design of VR technologies for communication of historical experience, including both museums and classroom settings. The VRO will recreate the experience of consulting the ancient Greek oracle of Zeus and Dione at Dodona in NW Greece during the Classical period. A broad constituency of ancient society visited this oracle: evidence shows that Dodona was consulted not only by community leaders, but also by ordinary men, women, and even slaves. This will enable the project to encompass a diverse range of ancient experiences. Moreover, the site has yielded thousands of lead tablets inscribed with questions that visitors posed to the oracle-remarkable documents for the ancient world. They show the everyday anxieties that prompted people to consult the gods, about, for example, travel, business and relationships. Alongside the question tablets, the ancient sources offer myriad possibilities for how the oracle worked, some focusing on Dodona's sacred oak tree, others on the priests and priestesses at the site. This project will explore--and aim to recreate--the diverse experiences of consulting Dodona, by commissioning and working with a VR company to develop a virtual reality oracle (VRO). Using the question tablets found at the site, and informed by specialists in ancient Greek religion and divination, with further support from the Ephorate of Ioannina (near ancient Dodona), the VRO experience will be built around a set of stories about ancient individuals. It will evoke different contexts and subjective experiences of uncertainty and explore the various possible methods of consulting the oracle, helping historians to better understand and differentiate among these mechanisms. The design phase of the VRO will also be informed by the participation of teachers, students and museum/cultural heritage curators, who will help to ensure that the VRO excels in communicating information to different user groups. In the second half of the project, the project will investigate user responses to the VRO both qualitatively and experimentally. This will enhance the project's ancient historical research into the experience of ancient oracular consultation: analysis of user responses by psychologists and neuroscientists will allow the project team to gauge the sensory and cognitive affects of oracular consultation, and to differentiate between different possible modes of divination. User analysis will also be used to examine how VR may be designed and deployed effectively for educational uses in classrooms and museums. Once the VRO is constructed, analysis of users of the VRO by psychologists and experts in human-computer interaction will be used to better understand the role of all the senses in a successful immersive experience, and to establish effective design parameters for immersive VR environments.