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Fuselab Go inspires Aberdeen's teens to embrace innovation

The autumn tour of Fuselab Go, an innovation and creativity ‘boot camp’ for teenagers developed and delivered by Edinburgh International Science Festival, kicked off this week with its first sessions at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen.

Fuselab Go offers 15-18 year olds the chance to learn about innovation and creativity through two days of intensive workshops, presentations and activities. They are challenged to come up with innovations to aid the development of a sustainable way of life on a new planet, free from the constraints of the systems and structures that exist here on Earth.

On the second day of activities the participants develop their ideas with support from mentors ­– local experts who bring expertise in engineering, product and graphic design, business strategy and marketing – as they work towards a final presentation to pitch their innovation.

Mentors attending the Aberdeen sessions include Mike Watson, CEO of Scottish Business News Network; Mark Kemp, Managing Director at EQ Design; Design Lecturer and Researcher Susan Fairburn, Nick Swan, a Subsea Operations Engineer at BP; Graphic Designer Jahncie Hepburn; Jamie Robertson from RGU and James Williams, a freelance Product Designer.

Speaking about the rationale behind Fuselab Go and its first appearance in Aberdeen, Director of Edinburgh International Science Festival Dr Simon Gage said:“With Fuselab Go, we invite 15-18 year olds to escape the confines of everyday life and look at the world a little differently. We take them out of their usual school setting to inspiring work environments and challenge them to work together to come up with brand new innovations. In doing so they learn how to expand their ideas, build their confidence and develop some of the skills that will help them to thrive in a fast moving future.’

‘We’re really excited to be bringing the project to Aberdeen for the first time, giving local teenagers the chance to meet and work with each other, as well as the opportunity to meet and learn from some exceptional local experts who bring a wealth of industry experience in their role as mentors.”

The Aberdeen sessions of Fuselab Go are taking place on RGU’s Garthdee campus.

James Dunphy, Head of the university’s Department for the Enhancement of Learning, Teaching and Assessment (DELTA), said: “We’re proud to work with our colleagues at Edinburgh International Science Festival to host the first Fuselab Go boot camp sessions in Aberdeen which will see a number of key industry leaders work alongside young people from across the north-east.’

‘The project is a great way to help young people develop the skills they will need once they enter the workplace. RGU has strong links with industry and we’re always working to support our students to take the next step in their career. Fuselab Go is a good example of what can be done to help school pupils and we’re happy to play a leading role in that.”

One of the mentors attending Fuselab Go in Aberdeen is Sue Fairburn, Design Lecturer and Researcher at Gray’s School of Art. She said: “One of the ways to set a challenge is to think beyond the ordinary and the everyday - to shift our perspectives. As a Design Lecturer, I tell my students Design is about making your ideas tangible. When it comes to designing for living in space, that seems like it would be difficult but we have the tools and can build the prototypes to help people see what we think is possible. Fuselab has set a great challenge this year and I can’t wait to see the results.”

Nick Swan, Subsea Operations Engineer at BP is also attending as a mentor on the project, he said: “I am mentoring at Fuselab Go as I feel the future opportunities available for students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths are fantastic and anything that gets students excited in a career in these disciplines is a great thing.”

Graphic Designer Jahnice Hepburn, another mentor on the project, said: "A lot of very kind people took the time to mentor and support me when I was training and hopefully I can pass on some of my knowledge and enthusiasm for design to the next generation of innovators."

The visit to Aberdeen represents the first stop in the autumn 2015 tour of Fuselab Go. There will be two sessions in Aberdeen on 8/9 and 10/11 September before the tour moves on to Dundee, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

The project was developed with support from the Scottish Government’s Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund and the 2015 tour, including the visit to Aberdeen, is supported by the Garfield Weston Foundation and Young Start.

Further information about Fuselab Go is available at www.sciencefestival.co.uk/fuselab

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