A series of events being held at Teesside University this month aims to shatter the stereotypes that are putting children off science. Christen Pears reports.

HAVE you ever wondered why snot is green, or what happens to the germs on your hands when you don't wash them? Do you fancy making ice cream using liquid nitrogen, or creating your own hydrogen-powered rocket? Most children are dying to know how their bodies work - the more disgusting the detail the better - and they would relish the opportunity to become a young inventor. But they don't often get the chance because they are being put off science by its stuffy image.

Science Is Great (SIG), a week of events taking place later this month at Teesside University, will try to dispel that image by showing children that science can be exciting. The activities, which include an inflatable planetarium and hands-on experiments, are fun but the message is a serious one.

SIG is organised by Dr Sarah McLuskey, operations manager for SETPOINT North East, the new regional organisation charged with encouraging children to study science, maths and technology, and consider it as a career.

She says: "We need to get more children interested in science and show them that it is relevant to them. Their bodies, the environment, the desks they work at, they're all products of science, but a lot of them aren't even aware how much it affects their everyday lives".

In Britain, Science has an image problem that is turning youngsters away from the subject. The majority of children see scientists as unfashionable geeks who spend too much time in the laboratory.

In 2000, a survey carried out by Leicester University found that this negative impression is already formed by the time children leave primary school. Researchers asked children aged six to eight to draw their idea of a scientist, and the pictures they produced showed men wearing white coats with glasses and wild hair. The image was reinforced as children got older, with nine-year-olds declaring that scientists "never have fun".

The problem has been exacerbated by the way science is taught in schools. Two years ago, MPs warned that science lessons for teenagers were so boring they were putting pupils off the subject for life. The Commons Science and Technology Committee described GCSE science, which is based on rote learning of facts, as "tedious and dull", and called for a greater focus on contemporary science.

The result of all this is a shortage of youngsters studying science subjects beyond the age of 16, and that could have a major impact on both scientific research and the economy. Already, there is a shortage of science teachers in Britain's schools, while some universities have started offering students financial incentives to study science subjects.

Sarah says: "We do know that in the UK we haven't got as many scientists, engineers and innovators as we need to support the economy in the future. I think one of the things that puts people off is that they see it as a hard subject. But actually, if it's introduced in the right way, I think it's the most fascinating subject.

"Children often see it as boring and for only really brainy people. They don't always understand how important it is in our lives and we need to change their perceptions. The only way we can do that is to get them interested when they're young, and we actually work with children as young as four and five."

Science Is Great, which is now in its 14th year, aims to do just that. The week of events is packed with activities designed to get youngsters thinking about science and enjoying it. These include a challenge to make the Leaning Tower of Teesside, the Livewire electrical experience and Yucky You - a science show that includes the stomach-churning details about the human body that seem to appeal to children. Microscopes, geology and the structure of the universe are among the topics simplified and made interesting to youngsters.

'The idea is to give children the opportunity to do something exciting with science. It makes it fun and it helps them find out about the world of science we all live in," says Sarah.

Science is Great has been held at various locations across the region but this is the second year it has been hosted by Teesside University. More than 4,000 children are expected through the doors during the course of the week.

A whole host of companies and organisations are involved in the event, including Cleveland Fire Brigade, Durham University, British Telecom and BOC. This will give older children the opportunity to see the sort of careers that are on offer and, with this in mind, steer them towards science at school.

The week will also see the official launch of SETPOINT North East on June 18, which brings together the separate SETPOINT organisations that existed in the region, in Tyne and Wear, Tees Valley and County Durham. A new regional centre of excellence for science, technology, engineering and maths, it aims to inspire the scientists and engineers of the future.

It organises events and activities for pupils from ages four to 19, as well as providing teacher training.

SETPOINT North East is funded by the Department for Trade and Industry and is one of several centres across the country. It provides activities in schools, including travelling workshops. A favourite is Science Story Time for Key Stage One, which is often booked up by schools weeks in advance. The key to its success, says Sarah, is that it pitches the subject at the right level and gets pupils hooked from the start.

There are opportunities for older children, too, centred around work-related learning. The Nuffield Science Bursaries, which are available to Year 12 students, allow them to work in local companies during the summer holidays.

Sarah, who has a PhD in biochemistry, found the laboratory lifestyle didn't suit her and moved into science education. Her appointment to SETPOINT was preceded by a stint at the Centre for Life in Newcastle, another organisation working to make science accessible to youngsters.

She says: "In the past, working in science was more difficult for women. It can still be a bit of a problem in the heavy industries like engineering, but nowadays there a lot more girls doing science subjects and there are the same opportunities for them as there are for boys. It's up to us to let everyone know that the opportunities are there and that everyone can find their niche in science."

* The Science is Great event is running at Teesside University from June 13 to 19. The first week will be for schools, with an open day for members of the public on June 19. For more information, visit the website at www.setpointnortheast.org.uk