Can you help with Essex Record Office's oral history project?
'Communicating Connections' is an oral history based community heritage project funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, with contributions from Essex 2020 and the Friends of Historic Essex. It will explore the heritage of the Marconi Company, a telecommunications and engineering company based in Chelmsford, by collecting and archiving oral history interviews with past employees of the company. Chelmsford is known locally as the 'birthplace of radio', so we want to share this heritage with the local and wider community.
We're still looking for oral history interviewers and interviewees.
Full training in oral history interviewing will be provided by the Oral History Society and further support will be available throughout the project so there's no need for prior oral history experience.
Read more: Volunteers and participants sought for Communicating Connections
Located in Great Baddow, the Chain Home Tower which helped provide early warning of Luftwaffe attacks during the Battle of Britain has been Grade II listed by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
It is the only complete tower of its kind surviving in the British Isles.
Read more: Essex Battle of Britain Radar Tower Given Protected Status
Welcome to our 2020/21 season – our centenary year – and the Essex 2020 Autumn programme. We will be starting with a celebration event on our 'birthday' itself...
On 13 October 2020, CSES turns 100, and we are delighted to be holding a virtual conversation evening to celebrate this milestone and to look forward to what the next 100 years might bring. Please join us to talk about the past, the present and the future as our panel of guest contributors explore the pressing issue of sustainability.
And on 14 October, CSES will be taking part in the Big Education Conversation as we ramp up the Essex 2020 autumn programme.
We hope to see you there!
SEA-KIT is an Essex based company focusing on the development of Uncrewed Surface Vessels (USVs). Based in Tollesbury, the have developed a leading solution to remotely map under the sea. Their solution won the Shell Ocean Discovery X-Prize and recently completed a three week mapping mission in the Atlantic. SEA-KIT are currently looking for a network and systems engineer to join their team. The full job description can be found below.
Read more: Network and Systems Engineer Job Opportunity at SEA-KIT
From their base in Tollesbury, SEA-KIT International have successfully controlled their uncrewed surface vessel (USV) Maxlimer on a 22 day mapping voyage in the Atlantic Ocean. Using a multi beam ultrasonic sounder, the vessel mapped around 1000 km² of continental shelf to a depth of up to 1 km.
Maxlimer is a demonstration of over 'Over-the-horizon' control technology with the aim of showing that it is safe and practical. The boat was connected to the Tollesbury base via satellite where operators could see images from onboard cameras, listen in to its surroundings and access data from thermal imaging cameras and radar. The vessel was initially developed for the Shell Ocean Discovery X-Prize which it went on to win.
More information can be found on the article from BBC news here. A talk from Ben Simpson, managing director of SEA-KIT and original designer of the vessel gave a talk for CSES in early January 2019 when the craft was competing in the Shell X-Prize Competition.
Showcasing women in STEM and engaging children through music and song
Are you interested in learning more about incredible local women from the past and present working in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine industries? Chelmsford Theatres have teamed up with Electric Voice Theatre to bring you eight FREE weekly sessions with historian Dr Fara and a modern-day scientist, starting from Monday 27 July.
Essex Cultural Diversity Project has teamed up with Chelmsford City Council, to create an opportunity for artists to creatively respond to the rich story of Chelmsford as a city and district, its heritage and ambitions for the future.
A key aim of this place-based commission is to celebrate diversity, as well as harness and explore digital innovation as part of Essex2020 – Year of Science and Creativity. We are particularly interested in looking at Chelmsford’s rivers and waterways; how they connect people and places, and form an integral part of the area’s environment and cultural, agricultural and industrial history.
UPDATE: We are delighted to announce that artist Sian Fan has been appointed for the Chelmsford & Essex2020 Artist Commission, a partnership between Chelmsford City Council and Essex Cultural Diversity Project.
Read more: Chelmsford Essex2020 Artist Commission: Calls for Proposals
Deadline extended until 31 October!
For our centenary year, 2020, we have worked with Essex County Council and Chelmsford City Council to celebrate Essex 2020 – a year of Science and Creativity – with hundreds of events being organised by a range of organisations and people.
This county-wide STEAM festival is putting the creative arts into STEM, and as part of this CSES is running a Centenary Photographic Competition open to primary and secondary students in Essex.
A visual celebration of Science and Engineering in Essex
We want you to take and submit photographs which capture what is unique or special about science and technology from across our amazing county. From the longest pier in the world and the birthplace of radio, to Nobel prize winners, companies that put image sensors into space and much, much more...
A DIY Imagine! STEM competition during lockdown
We are pleased to publish our Imagine! masterclasses for Essex 2020 online.
Go to our resources section to find out more.
Bridge building competition
The CSES Build a Bridge Competition is now closed and we thank all those who made the effort and took the time to submit an entry. With entries across a very wide age range, judging proved to be very difficult, but the quality of effort throughout and ingenuity applied to the challenge by everyone has been beyond our imagination! Well done to all participants.
Due to the COVID-19 situation we will unfortunately be unable to hold the CSES Schools' Competition this year.
If you were thinking of entering, we will gladly allow entries from this year to be presented next year. We'll announce the details once confirmed.
Thank you for your understanding, and the very best wishes for the coming months. Stay safe!
- COVID-19 Update
- Imagine! Returns with 2020 Masterclasses
- Essex 2020 Podcast: Marconi and The Making Of Chelmsford
- 20 surprising and inspiring inventions from Essex
- Our Essex 2020 season
- Greensward Academy at the IET Faraday Challenge
- Greensward Academy at the CSES Schools' Challenge
- More FREE Digital Skills Training – this time by Google
- FREE Digital Skills Training by Facebook
- Welcome to our 2019-2020 season!