University of Leicester Open Journals
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Student Attitudes to Science in an Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Science Programme
No full textWe address the extent to which students developed expert attitudes in the individual disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics in the course of their degree programme. By attitudes we mean the way students think about the sciences compared to discipline experts.We used the standard CLASS survey instrument to compare student attitudes to biology, chemistry and physics with those of experts. The programme featured interdisciplinary modules involving biology, chemistry and physics delivered by a form of problem-based learning across a three-year (BSc) or four-year (MSci) degree. The survey was administered at the start of the programme and at the end of each year of the programme allowing us to execute a longitudinal study of changes over the three or four year degree. The survey was run over a total of six years to students on the Interdisciplinary Science degree at the University of Leicester. We find positive results in the formation of expert-like attitudes in biology and chemistry and for higher performing students in physics. We note that the nature of science, that is the beliefs of experts about science with which our students’ responses are compared, are not taught explicitly in this programme, but acquired through experience of the problem-based pedagogy. Our conclusion is that students generally develop more expert-like attitudes in the separate disciplines, and hence a greater understanding of the sciences, over the first years of the degree.The numbers of students on the degree programme averaged around 20 and the questionnaires were completed by about 60 students in total. This imposes a limitation on the power of the survey. Nevertheless we find some statistically significant results.This is the first use of the CLASS tool to investigate the development of attitudes across the disciplines with the same set of students and over an extended period. We believe this is an important contribution to the argument for greater interdisciplinarity at all levels in STEM education.
Why Hearts Don’t Explode
No full textHeart explosions are medically not possible. But if they were, how much internal pressure would it take to achieve this and is this amount of pressure anywhere close to any previous recorded blood pressures? This paper calculates a required blood pressure of 12877 mmHg to achieve a total heart explosion using Barlow’s formula
How Lucky is George Russell
No full textIn the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz crashed into one another when battling for P3, ultimately leading to George Russell miraculously going from P5 to P3 within the final lap. This paper explores the likelihood of this happening based on past driver’s stats in the 2024 F1 season to see whether Russell came out lucky or whether this event was predictable
Carcinisation Beyond Earth: Could Alien Life Take the Form of Crabs?
No full textOn Earth, crabs have appeared independently across different crustacean groups, highlighting their evolutionary success in a wide range of environments. This repeated emergence suggests that the crab-like body plan offers significant advantages. Could this recurring evolutionary pattern be universal, with alien worlds harbouring their own crabs adapted to extraterrestrial conditions
Could a Human Survive Inside of a Pokéball?
No full textThe Pokéball is a staple of the Pokémon franchise, allowing trainers to capture and store creatures in a small, spherical device. However, little is known about the physics and biological implications of being inside a Pokéball. This paper explores the potential mechanisms behind Pokéball functionality, including quantum compression, digital storage, and pocket dimension theories. The paper evaluates whether a human placed inside such a device could survive, analysing key factors such as air supply, biological stasis, psychological impact, and potential malfunctions. Findings suggest that survival is highly dependent on the assumed internal mechanisms, with some possibilities leading to instant death while others propose long-term containment
Border Grassroots Museums, Memory Activism, and Radical Public History: Challenges and Possibilities
No full textThe El Paso/Ciudad Juárez region has long served as a vibrant contact zone where diverse communities intersect, coexist, and sometimes clash. This article explores Museo Mayachen, a grassroots museum established in 2008 by La Mujer Obrera, a nonprofit organisation addressing the needs of displaced garment workers. The museum was created in response to the lack of Mexican and Mexican American representation in the city’s historical narratives and the ongoing gentrification of working-class neighbourhoods. Situated in a former garment factory, the museum serves as a space for preserving community heritage and memory through initiatives like workshops, community assemblies, and a community archive. The article explores how grassroots museums, particularly in contested areas like the U.S.-Mexico border, empower marginalised communities to reclaim and represent their own histories despite the challenges involved.
Keywords: Memory, Community Museums, Representation, Public Histor
The Dirty Patrons: Environmental Responsibility And Museum Sponsorship
No full textOver the past two decades, societal pressure over and scrutiny of the ethics of museum funding have grown exponentially, particularly regarding sponsorship from the fossil-fuel industry. This spotlight, fuelled by environmental concerns and accusations of 'greenwashing,' has prompted significant changes in museum/oil company relationships. For instance, protests by climate activists and artists led to the end, in 2022, of the 30- year partnership between BP and the National Portrait Gallery in London. Whilst flagship museums such as the Louvre and the British Museum are still renewing oil-funded partnerships, the evolving landscape suggests a growing environmental responsibility in sponsorship models. In order to facilitate an understanding of the ongoing shift, this article explores the impact of environmental and art activism on museum/fossil-fuel connections. By using mainly primary materials, it emphasises everyday practice over theoretical analysis, encouraging a reflection on museums' links with their sponsors, and highlighting ideas of trustworthiness, accountability, financial independence, transparency, ethical decision-making, and social and environmental responsibility.
Keywords: Museum sponsorship, ethical funding models, institutional critique, museum activism, environmental responsibility
Democracy in Progress
No full textOur contemporary world faces multifaceted crises spanning political, socio-cultural, and economic aspects, underlined by events like the COVID pandemic, climate emergencies and geopolitical conflicts. These challenges fuel scepticism towards democracy's efficacy in surmounting obstacles, evident in the rise of far-right movements globally. Amidst this situation, museums can serve as crucial spaces for fostering dialogue and understanding as they not only act as repositories of collective memory but also have the potential to become platforms for re-evaluation and innovation. Furthermore, they provide needed physical spaces in a digital age, which can offer opportunities for communal engagement and knowledge sharing. Futurium in Berlin and Theodor-Heuss-House in Stuttgart exemplify this by providing forums for discussing the principles of democracy and its future. Through interactive exhibits and public events, they facilitate informed discourse and societal reflection. By studying their approaches, we gather insights into fostering democratic engagement, highlighting the pivotal role of museums in nurturing informed citizenship, and shaping the trajectory of democratic societies.
Keywords: discussing the future of democracy, Futurium, Theodor-Heuss- House
Right-Wing Populism and Museums: Findings from an Interview Study in the UK, Poland and Germany
No full textThis paper contributes to the growing research on right-wing populism’s increasing impact on cultural and heritage institutions, presenting findings from an interview study with museum professionals in Poland, Germany, and the UK. Our comparative analysis highlights the multifarious ways populist politics affect museum work, including potentially violent interventions that target museum staff and more diffuse forms of influence on museums that are not under direct political pressure. In anticipation of negative consequences, museum staff may avoid issues that they anticipate will lead to public hostility or political interference, modifying curatorial practice and effectively self-censoring. These findings underscore the complex power dynamics museums navigate in a political climate marked by the resurgence of right-wing populism and attempts to instrumentalize cultural heritage and institutional life for political purposes
Children during the Holocaust: Analysis of the narrative line of the exhibition at the Jewish Museum Berlin.
No full textHow does the Jewish Museum Berlin (JMB) present the stories of the youngest participants in the Second World War? What role do children play in the narrative of the museum? Do the curators of the exhibition devote a separate space to them or are the children’s fates ‘inscribed’ in the overall message about history? I set out to address these questions in the article by undertaking research to analyse the narrative approach of the JMB. I examine how the museum constructs the messages it presents to its audiences and explore the composition and content of the exhibition, the tangible and intangible heritage gathered within it, and the possible meanings of the various elements of the exhibition. This research reveals that the Holocaust story presented at the JMB is one centred on the interruption of life, loss, and suffering, with a strong focus on the perspectives of the civilian victims of genocide