Schools & Teachers

Twinkle is a UK-led space mission dedicated to studying the atmospheres of extrasolar planets.

In the Original Research By Young Twinkle Students (ORBYTS) program, secondary school pupils perform original research related to this space mission under the supervision of trained PhD students and other young scientists. Meetings between pupils and tutors occur every two weeks for the duration of the project (usually a full school year), adapting tasks to best suit the interests of the group and the progress of the research.

Pupils can choose to use this research in their

Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) (England)
CREST Award (UK)
Big Bang Science Fair (UK)

Very successful pupils may be invited to become co-authors of resulting scientific publication; your school will also be referenced in the paper.

For more information or if your school is interested in being part of ORBYTS, please contact orbyts@twinkle-spacemission.co.uk

Key Benefits for Pupils

Pupils gain applied scientific and technical skills and knowledge, varying based on the specific project, but generally including computer skills (e.g. Microsoft Excel), astronomy and spectroscopy.
Pupils gain transferable skills, including research skills, debugging, “Googling”, asking well-posed questions, creative problem-solving, team-work, communication (both written and spoken), independence and self-motivation.
Pupils develop increased confidence in their own abilities and skills.
Pupils experience increased engagement with the subject, with one student stating “ORBYTS has been one of the best experiences of my life.”

Pupils gain an appreciation and understanding of modern scientific research and of scientists, including their career options with a science degree.

What you can expect from tutors and research leads

All tutors are DBS-certified.
All tutors are professional, punctual, enthusiastic and knowledgeable.
Most tutors will be PhD students or post-doctoral researchers.
Tutors will usually have some teaching experience, though not necessarily at the high school level.
Tutors will organise and run interactive sessions where student questions are encouraged and student interests are followed.

What do we expect from ORBYTS teachers?

Required

Recruit pupils and organise suitable regular meeting time
Organise rooms for meetings, with computers
Liaise with senior staff at the school wherever necessary
Interact with IT staff to ensure pupils and tutors get the support they need
Organise suitable communication channel between pupils and tutors
Inform tutors of any child safety requirements at your school
Attend out-of-school opening and closing ceremony events
Arrange for school approval to take pupils to out-of-school events
Support funding applications by reviewing and providing school specific data

Desirable

Provide pastoral support to pupils as required
Highlight links between ORBYTS research and their curriculum
Support and sometimes assisting tutors in teaching

[Optional] Teachers may be interested in improving subject specialist knowledge through involvement in ORBYTS and may subsequently be eligible to be credited as a co-author on any resulting scientific paper

Testimonials

"The ORBYTS program is an integral part of our extra-curricular offerings to A level physics and Chemistry students at Highams Park School. The opportunity to work with PhD and post-doc students at UCL is absolute gold dust to the students and they show their appreciation through their professionalism and dedication to the project. To have three students as named authors on a published paper from the first year of the ORBYTS program was a great honour to them as well as the school and we hope to see several more papers published in due course. The ORBYTS mentors are unfailingly helpful and cheerful, patiently explaining the details of quantum astrophysics at a level that Year 12 students can grasp. More important than this stretching of understanding and even the glimpse of life as a researcher are the skills the students develop such as teamwork, resilience, organisation and not being afraid of asking questions!" - Jon Barker, physics teacher at Highams Park School

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