Science Revision Weekend
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News: ONLY A FEW DAYS TO GO BEFORE THE HIGHER FEE KICKS IN!

If you are hoping to register for the Revision Weekend at the "normal" rate, you need to get your cheque and form off to us NOW, as anything received after Sunday 1st August will require an additional £25. Although we will register your form on arrival, please do not expect a reply in less than TWO WEEKS, as not only are we all extremely busy with work, life and other things, but this time of year is incredibly hectic on the SRW front!

We are still looking for tutors for S279 and S383. If you know a good tutor for either of these courses, please contact us.

Stone Station now has a Sunday train service! Click here for details.

What it is
The Science Revision Weekend consists of nine 1.5 hour course-specific tutor-led revision sessions for Open University science courses. It takes place over a weekend, from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon.

2010 Dates
The 2010 Science Revision Weekend will take place from 24-26 September 2010.

Venue Yarnfield Park Training and Conference Centre, Stone, Staffordshire

Accommodation
There are 4 accommodation blocks, all non-smoking. All bedrooms are ensuite, have a double bed and TV, and can be let on either a single or double occupancy basis.

Yarnfield Park Accommodation
Courses
We are planning to cover the following courses this year, subject to sufficient student numbers:

S204 Biology, Uniformity and Diversity
S216 Environmental Science
S279 Our dynamic planet: Earth and life
S282 Astronomy
S283 Planetary Science and the Search for Life
S320 Infectious Disease
S330 Oceanography
S339 Understanding the continents
S366 Evolution
 S377 Molecular and Cell Biology
S382 Astrophysics
S383 The Relativistic Universe
SD226 Biological psychology: exploring the brain
SD329 Signals and Perception: the Science of the Senses
SM358 The Quantum World
SMT359 Electromagnetism
S369 The Geological Record of Environmental Change
S207 Preparation (Sat/Sun only)

S207 Preparation
The S207 preparation weekend helps students prepare for the second level physics course S207, which starts in October. This was previously run as a separate event by Fusion, but has now been absorbed into the Revision Weekend. It will still consist of seven clases from Saturday morning to Sunday afternoon, but bookings should now be made using the standard SRW booking form, available here, and following the instructions on the form.
Introductory Session
There will be an introductory session on Friday evening entitled ‘Planned changes to the OU’s Science curriculum’ led by Pat Murphy, the OU's Science Programme Director/Associate Dean (Curriculum & Awards). Pat says: "In order to achieve the flexibility needed to cope with the financial situation, the Faculty of Science is planning to phase out its current suite of named degrees (plus some other qualifications) and replace them with a new BSc (Hons) Natural Sciences degree (plus a Certificate and a Diploma of Higher Education). At the same time there will be significant changes in the delivery of practical work. In this session, I will provide up-to-date information on these plans and try to answer any questions you have about them.".
Guest Lecture
On the Saturday evening, after the last revision session of the day, we invite you to have a break from revision mode and catch up on some cutting-edge science for a change! Dr Simon Goodwin of Sheffield University will give a talk entitled "Are we alone? Looking for life on other planets". Simon will talk about the possibility of finding life on other planets around other stars. The interest in aliens has recently moved beyond science fiction with the new science of 'astrobiology' and plans to build telescopes that could find alien life. What are the chances of finding other life forms? What might they be like, and could they be intelligent?

Individual OUCS or FUSION members will be able to attend these events if they wish, even if they are not attending the Revision Weekend itself.

Information Stalls
On the Saturday there will be stalls staffed by representatives of the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Open University on the first floor landing outside the teaching rooms. They will have plenty of information on their respective institutions, and even perhaps the odd freebie!
Costs
Single occupancy - £250 per person.
Shared occupancy (two students sharing) - £195 per person.
Shared occupancy (student and non-studying partner) - £333 altogether.
Non-resident (if arriving after Friday dinnertime) - £142 per person.
Non-resident (with Friday evening meal) - £159 per person.
S207 Preparation (Sat/Sun only) - £173 per person.

These rates are subject to a £50 deposit being received and cleared by us before 1st August and the balance cleared by 3rd September.

For bookings received after 1st August but before 3rd September, or bookings before that date but without a deposit, all rates will increase by £25, and the full amount must be paid in a single payment and cleared by Sept 3.

For details of additional night stays etc, contact us. To book a place, click here.

There is a £5 reduction if you are a member of OUCS or/and FUSION, but only if booked on a single occupancy basis. (Join OUCS, Join Fusion).

Website last updated:
28 July 2010