A huge thanks to everyone who took part in our 2022-2023 schools' project Giving Voice: Stories of STE(A)M through the technology of radio, which saw several teams of students produce podcasts and posters about influential figures from the world of Electronic Communication.
We are pleased to announce that the podcast episodes are now available to listen to, and the prize winners are as follows.
Congratulations to everyone who won an award at the 2023 CSES TEXPO, which took place on Friday 30 June 2023 at Anglia Ruskin University.
Thank you to everyone who entered our 2023 Photographic Competition on the theme of Electronic Communication. This year, we received some particularly witty and poignant entries that we very much enjoyed reviewing!
You can see all of the photographs at our web gallery here.
Congratulations to our winners, whose entries are shown below. Prizes this year were £50 (first) and £20 (second) in both the primary and secondary age categories.
We are pleased to advise that our Centenary Photographic Competition 2023, this year on the theme of Electronic Communication, is now open until Friday 23 June 2023 to allow for further entries.
We want you to take photographs (up to 3 entries) that express what electronic communication means to you, or how it impacts health and environment (for better or worse).
The competition is open to primary or secondary aged students living or educated in Essex. We will be looking for photos that are creative in their approach, with an innovative angle on the subject or a creative interpretation of the themes.
There are two categories of entry: one for primary school students and one for those at secondary level. Cash prizes are available!
You can read the full details here or click below to submit an entry.
Click here to submit your entry »
Happy snapping!
For Y5-13 | Show your project to scientists and engineers | Cash prizes | Free lunch!
Are you in a STEM club at primary or secondary school? Have you made or investigated something fantastic in technology or science lessons? Have you been doing interesting technical projects at home?
Are you a teacher who'd like to showcase your pupils' / students' work? Or are you a parent, guardian or tutor whose child has been working on an exciting project?
If your answer to any of these questions is YES, then exhibit at the annual CSES TEXPO. There is prize money to be won and we even provide lunch!
We welcome projects from all STE(A)M disciplines. You don't need to do any additional work: bring your project(s) as they are. This could be something you've made, software, experiments, reports, posters, videos, presentations etc.
Your project does not need to be unique to TEXPO – in fact we would encourage reuse! We welcome coursework and projects originally from other competitions and schemes.
Click here to find out more | Click here to enter your project(s)
Get your students thinking about issues they're passionate about or coming up with solutions to challenges they've come across in their own lives by doing a project for The Big Bang Competition.
Taking part in the UK's top STEM competition for young people is a brilliant way to inspire your students to think big and show their passion.
Enter your science or engineering project online by 30 March 2023 at 5pm.
If you don't know where to start, or are looking for project ideas, check out some useful resources, tips and guides.
Or you can build a STEM project in easy step-by-steps with The Big Bang Challenge or browse the Big Bang Project Gallery.
For Y5-13 | Show your project to scientists and engineers | Cash prizes | Free lunch!
Are you in a STEM club at primary or secondary school? Have you made or investigated something fantastic in technology or science lessons? Have you been doing interesting technical projects at home?
Are you a teacher who'd like to showcase your pupils' / students' work? Or are you a parent, guardian or tutor whose child has been working on an exciting project?
If your answer to any of these questions is YES, then exhibit at the annual CSES TEXPO. There is prize money to be won and we even provide lunch!
We welcome projects from all STE(A)M disciplines. You don't need to do any additional work: bring your project(s) as they are. This could be something you've made, software, experiments, reports, posters, videos, presentations etc. You can enter the same project to TEXPO and Big Bang, including projects originally from other competitions.
Click here to find out more | Click here to enter your project(s)
Do & Discover 2023 • ARU & The Meadows • 17-18 June
Click here to find out all the details
Our weekend of fun experimental activities for all the family is back! Join CSES and its partners for a full weekend of FREE hands-on discovery across the city of Chelmsford. Taking place across both days at ARU and the Meadows Shopping Centre, we invite you to Do something fun and Discover the wonders of science and innovation in Chelmsford.
There will be loads of hands-on activities for families and children, including AI music, live satellite tracking, a full Raspberry Jam (tech and coding), science experiments, engineering challenges, craft activities and making your own radios.
Pre-booking is advised for Make Your Own Radio – see the event page to book
An exhibition (featuring a live link between the two locations!) will tell the amazing story of how Chelmsford connected and changed the world.
And this year, we are delighted to feature a Hearing Lab and Brain Hub, where you will get to find out what it's like to wear a hearing aid, control a phone with your mind and test yourself with some dementia-friendly games.
Pre-booking is advised for the Saturday Brain Hub – see the event page to book
To round off the Saturday, ARU will be hosting the finale of the Chelmsford Radio Drama Festival in the evening. Just over 100 years ago, Chelmsford introduced the concept of radio entertainment to the world. Come and listen to the premiere of an exciting new work being recorded for broadcast later this year.
So tell everyone, bring your family and friends, and join us for a weekend of doing and discovering!
Spread the word – download the event poster here: PDF • PNG
Do & Discover – A weekend of fun experimental activities for all the family!
We are looking for volunteers who could help us with Do & Discover weekend on 17/18 June, which is part of the Chelmsford Festival.
This will be a weekend of fun experimental activities for all the family, taking place across the city of Chelmsford. To give you an idea, take a look at last year's programme.
Do you have an activity you would like to run in a public place? Or could you spare a few hours on Saturday or Sunday to run an existing activity? Either way, we'd love to hear from you!
Please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you're interested.
Vic Leverett, who has died aged 78, was a former President, recent trustee and active committee member of CSES. From 2009 until his death, Vic was instrumental in modernising the society, raising its profile and building partnerships across Essex to bring science and technology to everyone. His work has had a lasting impact, felt by a lot of people in both the public and private sectors.
After sponsored studies, Vic enjoyed a long and illustrious career at the English Electric Valve company (EEV), now Teledyne e2v, from where he became involved with CSES.
Roger Pittock, a colleague of Vic's at EEV and latterly a good friend and fellow CSES trustee, reflects on their time together, in a celebration of Vic's life.
What is STEAM?
No, not the gaming platform or the gaseous phase of water, but the acronym STEAM: Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics.
Even though I use this phrase several times daily, I think it's confusing to many people, who, when considering the question, "what is STEAM?" may instead reasonably ask, "what isn't STEAM?" It's just every subject, right?
Whatever you think of it, STEAM is a label – the word we use to represent a concept – and there are plenty of unhelpful but widely-used labels around, so I'm not going to pick that particular fight. The STEAM movement is, in fact, something brilliant, and I'd like to talk a little about what it means and why it's important.
Head to cses.podbean.com to listen to the episodes!