Shaw-IAU Workshops by the OAE

This study involved students from Years 7–13 at an English secondary school in an intervention introducing gravity through spacetime curvature. The goal was to evaluate the feasibility of teaching relativity at the secondary level. All students showed some grasp of the concept, with visual aids helping Years 7–8. Years 9–13 understood ideas beyond the demonstrations, but a deeper understanding of curvature as gravity’s source emerged only in Years 12–13. Year 13 students showed the strongest overall grasp of the concepts introduced.

Biography:

Corey McInerney is an Astrophysics PhD student at the University of Lincoln working on understanding the potential resonant interaction of gravitational waves and planetary ring particles. He graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Astrophysics from Aberystwyth University in 2019 and an MSc in Theoretical Physics from the University of Edinburgh in 2020. He also works in secondary education as a science technician.