Students help schools with science

Project Director Charlie Gilderdale says the scheme is meeting a very real need: "There is a growing pressure on schools to focus on science and technology but it is often difficult to recruit specialist staff to teach these subjects."

STIMULUS is now in its 15th year and the well-established programme is more popular than ever -100 student volunteers took part this year, the highest number ever. The students work in primary and secondary schools and sixth-form colleges.

"This year we have placed students with 20 schools and colleges across the city and the number of teachers using the scheme is steadily growing. One of the great advantages of STIMULUS is its flexibility - students can assist teachers in whole-class teaching or they can take individual groups, giving extra assistance to high-flyers or students who are struggling," says Mr Gilderdale.

A teacher at the Milton Road Primary School expresses the views of many who are involved in the scheme:

"STIMULUS worked very well for us. The children enjoyed the visits enormously. They like the opportunity to talk with someone closer to their age. I think the students can also serve as valuable role models, especially the girls if they are studying maths/science subjects."

Students come to the scheme for a number of reasons: some want to contribute to the local community; others simply enjoy the opportunity to talk about subjects they have a passion for. For some students STIMULUS is a way of finding out if they want to become teachers. Indeed, one student has gone full circle and now works as a teacher in a local secondary school, using STIMULUS volunteers to assist in her lessons.

Whatever their motivation, students gain a tremendous amount from taking part in STIMULUS, as is made clear by Dipa Raja Ramen who went to Chesterton Community College:

"STIMULUS has been a wonderful experience. It is so exciting and interesting teaching children and seeing how much they appreciate the individual attention. They seem to get so much out of it, but I think I have got even more out of it.

When STIMULUS was set up in 1987, it was one of only six similar projects in the United Kingdom. The scheme was initially funded by the University Grants Committee, but since 1990 it has depended entirely upon sponsorship funding in roughly equal proportions from three main sources: the Isaac Newton Trust, Cambridge colleges, and from industry.

"We need about £30, 000 pa to run the scheme. In recent years we have received very generous funding from the Ford Motor Company but that ends this year. We are very grateful for the support we continue to receive but we urgently need some major donations to keep the scheme going," says Mr Gilderdale.

For further information about STIMULUS, contact Charlie Gilderdale:
Tel: 01223 330578
Email: cfg21@cam.ac.uk