Kids Action Thru Science

We are delighted to announce that our upcoming Kids Action Thru Science (KATS) project will be funded by the North of Tyne Combined Authority. The NTCA is a partnership of three local authorities: Newcastle City Council, North Tyneside Council, and Northumberland County Council and the North of Tyne Elected Mayor.

The funding will be used to expand the Kids Action Thru Science (KATS) project to 12 local primary schools in the North of Tyne region. The project will focus on encouraging young people to learn about Sustainable Development Goal 13 (Climate Action), 14 (Life Below Water) and 15 (Life on Land), and empower them to become citizen scientists…helping to tackle the world’s most pressing environmental challenges. For the upcoming round in June, the KATS team will be working with young people from Benton Park Primary, St Teresa’s Catholic Primary and Gosforth East Middle.

We are excited to see how KATS grows from strength to strength in 2023…so watch this space!

It’s awards season at Newcastle University and members of the KATS team have been recognised for their achievements!

On the 27th April, our very own KATS curator, Professor Pauline Dixon, was awarded Supervisor of the Year at Newcastle University’s Education awards. Pauline was recognised for her outstanding efforts to supporting and guiding postgraduate research students. Pauline is passionate about sustainable development and has years of experience conducting groundbreaking research with children all around the world. She created the KATS project and has played an integral role in making it grow into a global success.

This week Elle Young, the KATS Lead, was shortlisted in the Early Career Researcher category at Newcastle University’s Engagement & Place awards for her role in delivering the KATS project to children in the UK, Barbados and India. Elle also won Worker of the Year at the university’s Celebrating Success awards for her going above and beyond in her role in delivering climate change education to young people all over the globe.

We are certainly very proud of the KATS team for their achievements, well done!

Exciting news! The KATS Project Lead – Elle Young – has been shortlisted in the award category of ‘Early Career Researcher’ at Newcastle University’s Engagement & Place Awards for her involvement in the KATS project. Well done Elle!

Take a look at the KATS nomination below:

This innovative outreach project encourages young people to learn about climate change issues. It teaches the skills to become climate activists and global citizens, helping to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

We are excited to share the latest video by Flooded Cellar that documents the recent KATS project that was delivered in Delhi back in February 2023.

Working with Newcastle University’s Water Security and Sustainable Development Hub and the Janya Collective, the team delivered exciting educational sessions to children from two communities (Nizamuddin Basti and Jagdamba Camp) and Shiv Nadar School. The sessions focussed around exploring the environmental issues impacting their communities and identifying how they can protect themselves and others from the harsh impacts of climate change.

We can’t wait to see the gradual international expansion of KATS and how the project continues to harness the creativity of young people to inspire positive global change. The team are continuing to work with the Water Security and Sustainable Development Hub and their partners to expand the KATS project in Delhi and create lasting change.

Wondering what the Kids Action Thru Science (KATS) project is all about?

Take a look at Flooded Cellar’s recent video that captures a snapshot of how KATS inspires generations of young learners to become climate changemakers.

KATS has continued working with Kids Making Sense to encourage young people to explore the impacts of climate change and become citizen scientists!

Kids Making Sense has collaborated with KATS on previous projects, such as UK, The Puffin Project, EFECTS and Barbados (SIDS), where children have used air quality sensors and weather metres to collect data about their natural environments.

In February 2023, Dr. Olivia Ryder (Kids Making Sense Program Manager) joined Elle Young (KATS Lead) on a visit to New Delhi (the world’s most polluted city), India, to work with young people in three different communities and help them learn more about the air they breathe.

Find out more about how children became citizen scientists by visiting the Kids Making Sense blog!

Elle and Dr. Andrea Wilkinson had a fantastic afternoon at West Jesmond Primary School talking to Year 1’s about the Kids Action Thru Science (KATS) project and how they can become scientists and climate changemakers, as part of their Raising Aspirations and Careers Week.

We spoke all about how KATS aims to inspire young people to take climate action, and the children enjoyed spotting members of West Jesmond on the video of last year’s Puffin Project! The best part was having a go on the virtual reality headsets where children got to choose lots of different experiences in the natural….the favourite was obviously the shark encounter!

In February 2023, the latest KATS project (KATS: India) was delivered with children living in communities in Nizamuddin and Jagdamba Camp, as well as Shiv Nadar School in New Delhi, India. The children became citizen scientists by collecting air quality data (focussing on PM2.5) within their local communities using mobile sensors provided by Kids Making Sense. The children found that the highest polluted areas were near congested highways, welding shops and dusty enclosed spaces.

This data can support scientists in making important advances in scientific research on air pollution in New Delhi, India. Their data is now uploaded onto the ‘Air Quality Data Visualisation Map‘ on the Kids Making Sense website which can be accessed worldwide.

KATS will continue to use the sensors which enables young people to become citizen scientists by measuring and monitoring air quality, interpreting the data they collect, and take action to reduce their exposure to air pollution. We can’t wait to show young people around the world the data that children from KATS: India collected!