Whether you teach maths, biology, history, music or anything else, we’ve got resources for you! Here is a selection of our subject-specific resources published over the past year:

Maths

Statistics – Dr Catia Scricciolo is developing statistical methods to counteract the problem of noise in scientific data. Show your students how maths can be used to support real life science projects.

Applied mathematics – Professor Jeff Anderson is developing an open-access learning curriculum to create rich applied learning experiences for his students. His article discusses all of the different careers available to those who study maths!

Mathematical modelling – Professor Mark Boyce is modelling wildlife populations to help inform management decisions. His article shows how maths can be used to help solve some of our most pressing issues.

The beauty of maths – Assistant Professor Pierre-Olivier Parisé has developed a method to visually render fractal objects, showcasing the beauty of these intriguing patterns. Inspire your students by showing them maths like they’ve never seen it before!

English

Comprehension – All our articles can be used for comprehension reading exercises. Each article is accompanied by an activity sheet that contains talking points to encourage students to reflect on what they have read.

Publishing – Dr John Maxwell and Alessandra Bordini are studying, archiving and sharing the work of Aldus Manutius, a renaissance scholar and printer who revolutionised book design and publishing.

Science fiction – After learning about Dr Andrea Alamia’s work in neuroscience, students are encouraged to write a science fiction short story that explores his research. 

Biology

Evolution – Dr Kate Ostevik is investigating the process of speciation using sunflowers. Why not use this real-world example to teach your students about evolution?

Immune system – Dr Steven Kerfoot is studying the interactions between B cells and T cells in the immune system and exploring how malfunctions can lead to the development of autoimmune diseases.

Ecology – Dr Camilla Filgueiras and her students have been developing new technologies to shine a light on the hidden world of soil ecology. Show your students how they can get involved in real-world research!

Molecular biology – Professor Patricia Kane is investigating how V-ATPase dysfunction may lead to neurodegenerative disease. Encourage your students to use their biology skills to make a difference in the world!

Chemistry

Biomaterials – Dr Andrea Carlini and her research team are designing structurally-responsive polymer probes to help doctors track and treat diseases. She also encourages students to join chemistry clubs to gain hands-on experience.

Direct air capture – At the RECARB hub at Monash University, researchers are looking for innovative ways to recycle and reuse carbon. Show your students how chemistry can help solve one of the world’s biggest challenges!

Chemical engineering – How can chemistry help make the textile industry more sustainable? Explore the research of Dr María González Alriols and Dr Mirari Antxustegi Bengoetxea to find out!

Physics

Nuclear fusion – Dr Kurt F Schoenberg is a nuclear physicist who believes that nuclear fusion will become viable within the next few decades. Do your students agree?

Atmospheric physics – As an atmospheric physicist, Dr Naruki Hiranuma hopes to improve our understanding of atmospheric ice and cloud formation and refine the physics theories that explain how clouds and precipitation form.

Engineering – Benedict Späth is designing new batteries to help the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Show your students how physics can be used to solve problems.

Geography

Geology – Dr James Mungall and his team are using remote sensing tools and laboratory techniques to discover potential new copper mining sites, and developing new ways of deciding which rocks may be useful for copper extraction.

Geotechnical engineering – How can we predict where falling rocks will end up, and why should we care? Professor Nick Hudyma and his team are conducting geotechnical experiments to better predict rockfalls.

Natural disasters – Dr Christin Salley is investigating how community resilience can support disaster preparation and response. Investigate what happens when human and physical geography come face to face.

Oceanography – Dr Juliana Marson uses mathematical models to understand ocean currents and track icebergs. Show your students how geography can help them travel the world!

History

Archaeology – Professor Karl Knappett leads a team of archaeologists who are piecing together ancient Greek pottery fragments. Your students will discover how archaeologists learn about ancient societies through artefacts.

Changing cultural attitudes – How have opinions about feminism changed throughout history and around the world? Dr Maha F. Habib explores the writings of two Egyptian women to examine how colonialism shaped their countries attitudes towards women.

The history of science – Dr Matteo Sporanzo analyses medieval manuscripts to investigate how culture shaped scientific ideas and priorities. What can your students learn from his historical research?

Modern Languages

Comprehension – Many of our research articles and activity sheet have been translated into other languages, including Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Swahili, Mandarin and Arabic. This makes them ideal resources for language lessons and means they are accessible for speakers of other languages.

Art

Arts-based knowledge mobilisation – Professor Elaine Power and the Hungry Stories team use art to share stories about food insecurity. Ask your students how they would use art to create change.

Sculpture – After learning about Dr Chinyere Knight’s research in mycology, challenge your students to create a 3D model of a slime mould!

Graphic novels – After learning about Dr Ariangela Kozik’s research in microbiology, encourage your students to create a graphic novel based on what they’ve learnt.

Textiles – Dr Karin Högberg and Nils Lindh have designed an innovative new sanitary pad designed to be durable, hygienic and easy to clean, providing dignity for women and girls who desperately need it.

Citizenship

Youth empowerment – The YES programme supports and empowers young people through community engagement. Inspire your students to engage with local community groups and make change.

Sociology – Dr Michelle Maroto is one of the researchers leading the Great Canadian Class Study, a large-scale project using surveys, interviews and other tools to understand the links between economic, social and cultural factors within Canada’s diverse population.

Economics – Do your students have dreams of owning their own homes? Professor Rachel Ong Viforj is a housing economist who informs and advises policymakers with the hope of helping young people buy their first homes.

Computer Science and Technology

Artificial intelligence – AI is everywhere and, for better or worse, it is here to stay. In this resource, researchers from the London School of Economics discuss issues surrounding artificial intelligence and its effects on society.

Software engineering – Dr Masud Rahman is investigating how artificial intelligence is changing how software engineers fix bugs. His article is full of extra resources for your students to explore.

Robotics – Dr Hao Zhang is exploring how robot teams can become more resilient, intelligent and cooperative by learning from human teamwork. Inspire your students to follow their dreams and design their own robots!

Music

Ethnomusicology – Music is a central part of almost all human communities. Professor Marcia Ostashewski founded the Centre for Sound Communities to explore the stories that connect people to their music, their communities and their identities.

Music education – COVID-19 is likely to have affected your students lives in many ways, including how they engage with music. Dr Ardelle Ries is investigating how the pandemic affected children’s attitudes to singing, and what this means for their development.

Bioacoustics – How can music feed in to other subjects that your students study? Dr Lucille Chapuis studies how fish communicate using sound, and how they are affects by human-made noise.

Physical Education

Nutrition – How does nutrition affect the performance of student athletes? Dr Tamara Cohen and her student Alysha Deslippe have developed an app that could help your students make better decisions about what to eat.

Recreation and leisure – Professor Heather Mair is studying the social role of curling clubs and exploring the impact of curling on well-being. Challenge your students to investigate the impact of extra-curricular activities at your school.

Teacher CPD

Two-eyed seeing – In many classrooms, STEAM subjects are primarily taught through Western or mainstream scientific approaches. That’s why IndigeSTEAM Society is supporting teachers in adopting Two-Eyed Seeing – a framework that brings together Indigenous/traditional and Western/mainstream ways of knowing to create more meaningful, culturally-responsive learning experiences.

Metacognition – Led by Professor Mariëtte van Loon, a research team in Switzerland is investigating how metacognition affects a student’s ability to learn. Discover how you can adapt your teaching style to better support this vital cognitive faculty.

Need more inspiration?

If you want more classroom activities for different subjects, check out these ideas from last year: https://futurumcareers.com/classroom-resources-for-the-new-school-year-4

You bombed a test. Your experiment flopped. Your presentation fell flat. Your stomach drops, your face flushes, and your mind goes blank. Here is the thing: that meltdown is not a character flaw. It is your brain doing exactly what it evolved to do.

What is actually happening inside your head?

Your brain has two key players when it comes to failure. The prefrontal cortex, responsible for logic, planning, and reasoning, and the amygdala, which reacts instinctively, flooding your body with adrenaline before your rational mind can assess the situation.  Psychologists call this an “emotional hijack.” Your rational brain goes offline, and your body launches into one of four autopilot responses: fight, flight, freeze, or fawn.

That is why failure feels so physical: a racing heart, shallow breathing, heat rushing to your face. Your brain treats a bad grade the same way your ancestors’ brains treated a predator leaping from the bushes.

Why failure feels worse than it should

Your brain is also a storyteller. Emotions are not just raw feelings; they are feelings with a story on top. When you fail a chemistry exam, your brain does not just register disappointment. The story: “I’m not smart enough.” The real damage isn’t the failure. It’s the story. That’s what breeds shame, which is heavier than anything that actually happened.

Fear of failure is also learned. Babies fail constantly as they figure out how to crawl, walk, and talk, yet they never hesitate to try again. Over time, society teaches us that mistakes are bad. The more we absorb those messages, the thicker our neural pathways of avoidance become, and the harder it becomes to take risks.

Try This …

Your brain can be rewired. Every time you practise a new response, you build fresh neural circuits. The more you practise, the stronger the connection becomes.

Notice what you’re feeling. Next time panic hits, stop for a second and actually name it. “Okay, this is fear” or “I’m feeling ashamed.” Naming an emotion activates the prefrontal cortex and dials down the amygdala’s alarm.  Sounds simple, but naming it takes away some of its power. 

Separate facts from stories. Write down what actually happened as if a camera recorded it, then write the story your brain added. Seeing the gap between “I got 42% on my physics test” and “I’m a total failure” helps you challenge the narrative and respond with clarity.

Practise self-compassion. Talk to yourself the way you would talk to a friend who just failed. Research shows self-compassion lowers the stress response and makes you more willing to try again. Beating yourself up strengthens the fear loop and makes future risks feel scarier.

Failure may be uncomfortable, but it does not define your identity.  Once you see what your brain is doing, why it’s panicking, you’re not its prisoner anymore. And that’s when you can actually learn and grow.

Dr. Melisa Buie is the co-author of Faceplant: FREE Yourself From Failure’s Funk (Practical Inspiration Publishing), and a speaker, facilitator and organisational strategist with 30+ years of experience in industry, government and academia.

Dr Roseane de Fátima Guimarães from the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières in Canada examines the relationships between young people and their phones, and looks for ways to make these relationships healthier.

“Problematic smartphone use is broadly defined as a compulsive pattern of smartphone use that interferes with daily functioning, academic performance or social relationships,” she says. “The teenage brain is still developing and is highly plastic. It has a strong desire for rewards, limited behavioural control and a high sensitivity to experiences.”

Many social media apps are designed to trigger the unpredictable release of dopamine, a chemical messenger in the brain that triggers feelings of pleasure and satisfaction. For example, your brain will give you a hit of dopamine when one of your posts gets a like or you receive a message from a friend. This trains your brain to constantly be craving the next hit and makes social media particularly addictive. “Adolescent brains are particularly sensitive to dopamine,” says Roseane. “As a result, smartphone and social media use may feel especially appealing.”

If you are struggling with problematic smartphone use, Roseane has some tips that can help. “Try setting limits on social media use and prioritising real-world activities like physical exercise, outdoor walks and meeting friends in person,” advises Roseane. “Build your self-regulation skills, develop healthy routines and nurture supportive family or peer environments.”

Noticing native ads

Dr Maike Hübner and Professor Julia Thalmann from Hochschule Ruhr West University of Applied Sciences in Germany are studying how people on social media engage with advertising. In particular, they have been investigating how users engage with ‘native ads’, adverts that have been disguised to look like normal posts.

“Instead of appearing as separate commercials, native ads are placed directly into a social media feed, so they blend in with posts from friends or influencers,” says Maike. “If you cannot tell that something has commercial intent behind it, you cannot judge it critically,”

In their research, Maike and Julia found that users tend to disengage with content when they notice that it has been tagged as an advert. However, many users don’t notice these tags, suggesting that advertising can influence people even when they are not aware of it.

“Recognising ads is not just about spotting disclosures, it’s also about asking questions,” says Maike. “Ask yourself, what is the intent behind this post? Is someone trying to sell me something, promote an idea or influence how I feel? Taking a moment to question what you see and why you respond to it will give you more control over your decisions.”

Will the ban work?

Well, that is the question on everyone’s lips – and opinion is divided. On one hand, the ban sets a clear legal standard and empowers parents to set boundaries with their children. On the other hand, teenagers have a knack for bypassing regulations that stand between them and what they want.

At the end of 2025, Australia introduced a similar ban, but so far, research seems to suggest that it is having limited success. One study found that 61% of 12-to-15-year-olds are still accessing the banned sites.

So, will the UK’s ban prove more successful?

If you’re a student, parent/guardian or teacher let us know what you think in the comments box below.

In the end, half an hour of sweaty palms and stammering speech was well worth it. Not only did I get to listen to Julian Kytasty, a world-renowned bandura player, but I also got to chat with him and learn about his musical heritage and traditions. Not only did I get to experience the joyful teaching of Mamadou Koita, a virtuoso balafón player from Burkina Faso, but I also got to play djembe alongside him and Afua Cooper, a slam poet, author and scholar.

I’ve been a drummer for the best part of two decades, but taking part in this course and working with Marcia has broadened my understanding of what music is, what it can be and what it can mean to different people. Music can be collaboration and friendship, culture and purpose, identity and belonging.

In Marcia’s podcast episode, I spoke to Leim Joe, a research assistant at the CSC who grew up in Eskasoni, the world’s largest Mi’kmaw First Nation community. I asked Leim about his relationship with Mi’kmaw music and how it shapes his identity. This is what he said:

“I’ve always been part of it. I’ve always heard the chants. But a couple years ago, somebody told me, “If you don’t take a hold of your culture now, you will regret it, because every time you look at somebody and you’re proud of them, but you’re not proud of yourself, you’re missing out.” So I picked up the drum and started singing.”

While it’s easy to think of music as something done by other people – performed by pop stars, played by musicians, studied by ethnomusicologists – the truth is that music is a part of all of us. No matter where you live or where you’re from, the chances are that music plays a role in your culture, whether you have “taken hold of it” yet or not. All that remains is for you to pick up the drum and start singing.

You can access the Centre for Sound Communities Futurum resources here: futurumcareers.com/how-can-innovative-ethnomusicology-research-help-foster-diversity-inclusivity-and-equity-in-the-music-industry

The full list of UK schools with students confirmed as finalists can now be viewed on The Big Bang website. The STEM projects come under the following themes:

• AI, robotics and digital technology
• Design for people and communities
• Entertainment and hobbies
• Health, medicine and wellbeing
• Sustainability and environment

Phillip McShane, Associate Director of Engagement Projects at EUK Education commented: “It’s brilliant to see so many young people making the connections between their own creativity and how STEM can help solve real-world challenges. Once again, the standard of projects has been incredibly high. The environment, AI and health are project themes that continue to be popular as young people look to engineering and technology to provide solutions. This year we continue to see entrants using a greater mix of STEM skills to create their projects.”

Top awards include The Big Bang UK Young Engineer (supported by Thales), The Big Bang UK Young Technologist (supported by Siemens), and The Big Bang UK Young Scientist of the Year. Winners of each category will receive a trophy plus £1,000 prize money. A host of special awards supported by key engineering and tech industry partners are also on offer, as well as the EUK Education teacher award for school staff who have gone above and beyond to support students throughout their projects.

James Mackay, Head of STEM in the UK at Thales, commented: “Congratulations to all the young people who have entered The Big Bang Competition – your curiosity, creativity, and passion for discovering new possibilities are truly inspiring. At Thales, we’re proud to support The Competition for the first time, helping to nurture the next generation of engineers and innovators. I know myself and my colleagues have loved looking over and providing feedback for some of the submissions – it’s been wonderful to see such exciting ideas. Your ideas today have the power to shape a brighter tomorrow, and we encourage you to keep exploring, questioning, and believing in your potential.”

Mark Wood, Social Sustainability Lead, Great Britain & Ireland, at Siemens said: “Congratulations to all the finalists in The Big Bang Competition, supported by Siemens. As always, the competition has been fierce, but the finalists should be so proud of what they have already achieved, and I look forward to meeting them to hear more about their projects. Technology holds the key to solving the problems we face every day, so competitions like The Big Bang Competition, which embed creativity as well as real world solutions using technology, have never been more important to our environment, our society and our world.”

Finalists will be invited to showcase their projects to industry professionals, employers, and other young people at The Big Bang Fair taking place 9 to 11 June 2026 at the NEC in Birmingham. Winners of The Competition will be crowned at an exciting awards ceremony at The Fair on 9 June.

The annual Big Bang Fair is the largest free celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) for young people aged 10 to 13 in the UK. Through hands-on activities, incredible shows and career panels, the fair inspires students about the diverse careers in STEM.

School groups can book free tickets to attend The Big Bang Fair.

Find out more information about The Big Bang Competition here.

In the lab, neurobiologists are studying the brain to understand psychiatric diseases, pharmacologists are investigating the function of unknown proteins in the body, molecular biologists are exploring why and how our cells age in the hope of helping people live healthier lives for longer, and cancer researchers are examining whether diet influences the outcome of cancer treatment.

In hospitals, health researchers are examining scientific evidence to determine which treatments doctors should recommend for different health conditions, doctors and data scientists are working together to improve emergency departments, and nurses are improving the health of Indigenous communities.

Biomedical engineers are developing wearable sensors to monitor health conditions, testing whether new tissue can be grown in microgravity, and combining mechanical technology with AI to create smart prostheses. And textile scientists have designed an innovative new sanitary pad to improve the menstrual health and dignity of women and girls in low-income countries.

And scientific advances are not only improving human health. From environmental scientists who are using plants to clean contaminated land and ecologists who are using mathematical models to monitor wildlife populations, to microbiologists who are preventing the spread of livestock diseases and geographers who are using remote sensing technologies to make agriculture more sustainable, scientists around the world are using their knowledge and discoveries to protect the health of the planet.

This World Health Day, what questions do you have about how science can improve the health of people and the planet? Visit futurumcareers.com/articles and scroll to the bottom of each article to ask your questions!

The STEM Discovery Campaign is your opportunity to showcase your successes, inspire others and amplify the impact of your practice. It helps you share your educational achievements inside and outside the classroom with thousands of educators around the world, using the Scientix^® portal or the STEM Discovery Campaign App.

And in the spirit of celebration and championing success, more than 20 Scientix® Awards will once again recognise the contributions of exceptional educators who pinned their activities on the map and contributed to making STEM education better for their students and fellow educators.

This year, the STEM Discovery Campaign is co-organised with NBS Academy, a project co-funded by the European Union that puts solutions inspired by nature at the heart of teacher training.

The project aims to set up an international Community of Practice on Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) education for both teachers and teacher training providers. With its resources for educators and teacher trainers, NBS Academy makes it easier than ever before to introduce environmental education into everyday teaching, helping students and teachers develop crucial skills and competencies for tomorrow. By co-organising the STEM Discovery Campaign in 2026, NBS Academy helps celebrate education for sustainability by exploring the power of NBS in teaching and learning. Make sure to visit the NBS Academy resource hub to discover hundreds of resources to upskill with environmental knowledge.

Join the STEM Discovery Campaign and celebrate your place in the thriving STEM education community. Explore the STEM Discovery Campaign page for more information.

• Dr Ann Weaver is a biostatistician who is statistically analysing data about wild bottlenose dolphins to understand their behaviour and culture.
• Professor Astrid Linder is a road safety expert who has developed the world’s first female crash test dummy to ensure that new vehicles are designed to protect female drivers and passengers as well as male ones.
• Professor Barbara Zeeb is an environmental scientist who is using plants to remove salts from contaminated soils.
• Dr Beth Stevens and Dr Cherish Taylor are neurobiologists who are investigating how problems with brain development during adolescence can cause schizophrenia.
• Dr Catherine Patocka and Dr Jessalyn Holodinsky, an emergency department doctor and data scientist respectively, are creating a system to optimise patient care in emergency departments.
• Professor Elena Suvorova is a cell biologist who is studying how the Toxoplasma gondii parasite reproduces at a cellular level.
• Dr Émilie Saulnier-Talbot and Dr Hilary Corlett, a biogeographer and geologist respectively, are collecting seafloor sediments from the Canadian Arctic to understand how carbon is transferred from the lad to the sea.
• Dr Holly Graham is a nurse who is supporting Indigenous nurses and empowering healthcare professionals to address racism.
• Dr Jill Maron is a neonatal paediatrician who is developing tests that use saliva to diagnose health conditions in newborn babies.
• Dr Katherine Cook is a translational cancer researcher who is analysing faecal samples to understand how the gut microbiome impacts the outcomes of cancer treatments.
• Kathryn Vaughan and Gillian Power are conservation ecology students who are developing mathematical models to help manage wildlife populations.
• Professor Lali Medina-Kauwe is a biomedical scientist who has created a new protein that can deliver drugs into the brain to fight cancer.
• Dr Marilyn Lightstone is a mechanical engineer who is investigating how to make buildings more energy efficient.
• Professor Natalie Trevaskis is a pharmaceutical scientist who is developing new drugs that are delivered to the body by the lymphatic system rather than the bloodstream.
• Toni Scullion is a computer science teacher who has started a girls’ coding club to enthuse girls about computer science.

Visit the Futurum website to read more articles about how women are contributing to advancements in STEM and sign up for our newsletter at futurumcareers.com/sign-up.

Connecting with role models

Meet real-life engineers and scientists with the Big Bang at School Blueprint! Support students to no longer see STEM as an abstract concept and start seeing it as an exciting future. Get expert support from our team to integrate STEM Ambassadors, local employers and diverse role models into your STEM event. Every school that signs up receives tailored regional information, templates and resources to reach out to speakers and visitors to share their story. Students will hear first-hand about diversity in the STEM sector – from people who work in fashion, sport, cutting-edge tech or solving issues such as climate change. Challenge stereotypes and show students that whoever they are, there is a place for them in STEM.

Navigating career pathways

There’s lots of different routes into a STEM career. T Levels, traditional university degrees, apprenticeships, and vocational qualifications all lead to an exciting career in STEM. Running a STEM event supports your class to learn more about these routes in a fun and motivating way. By using resources from EUK Education, teachers can guide students through pathways, using role models along the way.

Meeting school targets

As well as inspiring students, the Big Bang at School Blueprint is a useful tool to meet school goals – setting you apart. It directly contributes to meeting targets such as new Provider Access Legislation and Gatsby Benchmarks. By bringing speakers into school, students will experience vital encounters with employers and experiences of workplaces.

The Big Bang at School Blueprint isn’t just about a single day of fun. It supports teachers to start student journeys into rewarding, inspiring careers.

Are you ready to inspire your students? Apply for the Big Bang at School Blueprint by 13 February.

This guest blog was written by Charlie Cantwell, Marketing and Communications Manager at EngineeringUK. The Big Bang at School Blueprint is hosted by EUK Education. Learn more about their programmes, resources and competitions: futurumcareers.com/inspiring-students-to-consider-careers-in-engineering

Not to blow our own trumpet, but we’re a great team! And celebrating together as a group of wonderful colleagues was a fantastic end to the year. As we begin 2026, we look back on all we achieved in 2025…

We published:

• 100 sets of educational articles and activity sheets
• Six issues of our magazine, featuring 13 change makers – individuals and organisations who are striving to make a difference in their communities and in the wider world
• A bonus EQUS issue, celebrating excellence in quantum research

We also:

• Created numerous additional educational resources including animations (which bring the research stories to life), careers PowerPoints (which highlight the researcher’s careers advice for students) and podcasts (in which researchers talk candidly about their personal experiences, share inspiring stories of their career journeys and provide practical advice for students)
• Translated articles and activity sheets into French, Spanish, Swedish, Portuguese and Swahili, allowing our educational resources to be accessed by students around the world and to be used as resources for teaching foreign languages

Our resources were used by students and teachers around the world:

• Over 28,000 downloads from our website
• Over 8,400 downloads from TES
• Over 74,000 views of our animations and podcasts on YouTube

We can’t wait to see what 2026 will bring!