Science trip destinations in UK or at least Europe

[yeOldeTrout]

School proposed a science trip to JFK Space Centre in Florida for yr9-11s.
I know it's a great place, went there 20 yrs ago, but so expensive, high carbon emissions to get there, am not keen.

Can anyone suggest anywhere in UK or at least Europe that would be equally cool and genuinely educational to this age group?

I wondered about CERN or Leicester space centre, others? TIA.

The Wellcome Centre in London is good too, if you want to stay close to home.

wellcomecollection.org

I like the idea of going to CERN, it's a little bit further though. London has so much already. (The JFK idea is really just a jolly. If you are going that far, you might as well be honest with yourself and just head straight to Disney!)

Bristol?

@ Bristol
the SS Great Britain
the museum next door
Bristol museum
Slimbridge

(remember that science trips are all of the STEM subjects)

We live within an hour of the Space Centre in Belgium. I would not recommend a trip from the UK just to visit it ... In fact having been there I would not drive an hour again to get there.

It's fine as an alternative to a motorway cafe (it's right on the motorway) but not worth a long trip.

Bristol update:
atBristol Science centre now has updated planetarium and is currently running a space exhibition until December.
Next door is Bristol aquarium.
SS Great Britain
M-shed by the harbourside
City of Bristol museum and art gallery
Bristol zoo for animals with new wildplace area near M4/5 junction.

I heard that the Cite de Sciences in Paris has burnt down recently so perhaps that can be crossed off the list.

There is also Bristol University botanic garden in Stoke Bishop and a Camera obscura near the Clifton Suspension bridge (which also has a visitor centre).

I really enjoyed the Deutsches Museum in Munich, though it could be too much like the Science Museum.

Cambridge has a whole load of science museums.

A guided tour round the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment at Orford Ness?

Maybe a trip to the Royal Gunpowder Mills in Essex on another day?

Bletchley Park?

My mother worked on ACE1, which is now in the science museum, so I keep meaning to take her to the Women in Computing exhibition.

Magna is not worth the trip, and I live about 30 mins away.

Jodrell Bank
Sellafield
Dinorwic
One of the big Scottish hydro power stations.
Maybe combine CAT and Dinorwic ?
Diamond Light
HR Wallingford flumes
Landfill site?
Big university research departments?

My A level physics class went down a coal mine, but that's not happening anymore.

If I had any grandmothers left i would kill them for a trip to CERN

we did Bletchley not long ago
and went to NHM Tring
both good

an interesing one for the museums is Berlin
because you have the amazing wet collection in a building that is still a half ruin from WW2 / Cold war
the Transport/Technical museum combines science and history
the Botanic garden is good

basically everywhere we go we check out the botanic Gardens and Science centres

Centre of the Cell in London - really educational and fun computer games too! Oh and chances to see real researchers working.

Florida is like Hell, without the interesting people. Greenwich would be far more interesting.

What kind of science are they interested in?
Space / physics
Earth sciences
Life sciences
Chemistry, including nano
Energy and renewables
Bio medical
Robotics
Cryptology/ computing

Would they like to visit a power station?
A water purification treatment plant or another engineering feature like a dam/ hydroelectric power station? The Thames barrages?

Would a visit to a pharmaceutical factory please them better?

Or how about visiting agricultural research institutes, learning how to create seeds that can withstand drought and invasive pests.

I'm sure there's something for everyone in Oxford, or Greenwich especially as they're only 9.

Themes of interest might include

biodiversity loss
Renewable energy
Clean water and food production in a 10 billion plus human world
Sea level rise
Climate change, and climate refugees
Infectious diseases
Epidemics, including obesity
Aging and longevity,
robotics
Increased surveillance and our human rights
How to lobby for action on the carbon emissions/ climate change treaty in Paris in December.

Just a few ideas.

year 9+, Venus, age 13-15 yrs old. Teenagers can be very hard to engage.

There used to be a science-engineering museum in Mons, Belgium, which was good. Cannot remember what it was called though. It was on the site of a worked-out mining area. In Bristol, Brunel's last great ship in the docks is interesting.

Sorry, PPs have already mentioned Bristol!

yeOldeTrout - are you (ie your child(ren)) HA?

Sorry, what is HA?

Seems like all the things folk on here have suggested someone else has said is rubbish, but I emailed a few ideas to the science teacher at DD's school, anyway. Felt nicer than saying ARE YOU MAD about the JFK centre idea. Thx for replies.

sorry - school name!

Amsterdam has a science museum and a microbiology one. Plus good access to Germany if you've got the time for museums there too.

Herstmonceaux, in Sussex

www.the-observatory.org/index.php

Nero science museum in Netherlands (displays in English and Dutch)- my boys loved it

Science museum - london

London zoo - my son had scientific workshops there

The DIAMOND light source at Harwell is a great visit.

Am not surprised JET is fully booked. I have very happy memories of my summer job there as a student

Herstmonceux is great. Maybe the science exhibits are a bit young for teens, but if you could do night time astronomy there it would have more wow factor.

The Royal Society Summer Exhibition is a great chance to talk to cutting edge scientists about their research. We always go at the weekend when it's rammed, but I assume it's better midweek. I'd definitely take a group of teens, and you could mix it up with Greenwich Observatory or the cool modern non-dinosaur bits of the NHM.

I went to CERN over 20 years ago, but that was a physics a level trip. It was fricking awesome.