The Power of Light Zine 2 - Why does life exist? - an epistemically insightful way to explore the nature of science and research at Diamond Light Source, UK

Abstract

In the STFC funded Epistemic Insight Initiative project, The Power of Light, a series of resources have been designed informed by co-creation activities, pilot lessons, and workshops that involved children in schools and with their families in community spaces. Through this project with Diamond, we brought into classrooms and community spaces how light can be used to help investigate the world around us, address real-world problems and inform our thinking about Big Questions. The resources we develop support teachers' and their students' sense of agency when exploring 'how knowledge works' and how knowledge is built through different disciplines (including the natural sciences, the arts, and the humanities). This 'zine', with its focus on how scientists have been working with paleotonologists to investigate evidence, found inside the fossilised leg of a thescelosaurus, of the cataclysmic event that led to the extinction of dinosaurs. Zine 2 'Why does life exist?' has been developed through co-creative activities involving research scientists at Diamond Light Source (UK), academics, primary school teachers, STEM ambassadors, and Diamond's public engagement team. Zines use an appealing combination of text and images to create a concise comic-like narrative format to generate enthusiasm about a particular area of interest - the series of zines designed for this project focuses on research taking place at the Diamond facility. The Diamond Light Source facility houses a synchrotron which is used to conduct research in a variety of applied fields of science and technology. This zine is designed to be accessible to ages 8+, and works well with a short animation (available in both Zenodo and on the Epistemic Insight You Tube channel) that has been created with additional funding from STFC. Teaching notes are available for this zine, with guidance and activity sheets to support working with the Power of Light resources. This zine explores these discussion questions: 1) What is needed for living things to exist on Earth? 2) What helps us to learn more about past events? 3) What enables us to be able say we 'know' something