TechFest, in partnership with St Margaret’s School for Girls in Aberdeen, will mark the International Day of Women and Girls in Science today with a series of physics workshops.
Around 130 pupils from primary schools in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire will join students from St Margaret’s, Scotland’s oldest all girls’ school, at the event.
The day is supported by Apache Corporation, whose team will welcome the young people to their premises in Kingswells, and is designed to help the pupils learn more about career options in the field of physics.
Keynote speaker on the day will be former St Margaret’s pupil Sinead Farrington, Professor of Experimental Particle Physics at the University of Edinburgh.
Author of an impressive list of physics-related papers, Professor Farrington previously held posts at Warwick and Oxford universities and works on the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider.
The event will give pupils in P6 and P7 the chance to take part in hands on learning experiences themed around physics, which will include workshops delivered by TechFest staff sponsored by bp and Shell, TAQA, Equinor, Apollo, and OPITO as part of its My Energy Future (MEF) programme.
The workshops include Isaac's Big Idea, which tells the story of Isaac Newton and how forces interact with objects, an Apollo 7 Challenge, which sees pupils working as a team to apply physics and engineering principles to bring an astronaut safely back to Earth and Measuring the Gravitational Force Field, which teaches the young people about the force of gravity.
Pupils will also have the chance to visit the Apache Dome, a mobile planetarium which is sponsored by event host Apache and brings the night sky alive.
A recent report prepared on behalf of Education Scotland, which looked at structural barriers to STEM engagement, found that there is a clear demand for more engaging and more relevant STEM teaching among learners.
This is a particular issue for pupils from S1-3, which is when their perceptions of STEM and decisions on whether to continue STEM subject studies come to the fore.
The reports notes that there is a real need to ensure that STEM education being provided in schools is rooted in the real world. The workshops will give them a real opportunity to find out how the STEM subjects relate to the world of work, giving them an insight into possible future careers.
Sarah Chew, managing director of TechFest, said: “We are looking forward to running these interactive and engaging workshops which we hope will inspire the pupils to consider a career in STEM and particularly physics.
“This is an ideal way to celebrate International Day of Women and Girls in Science, which is an annual day adopted by the United Nations General Assembly to promote the full and equal access and participation of females in the fields of science, technology, engineering and maths.”
Headteacher of St Margaret’s School for Girls, Anna Tomlinson, said: “We hope that the combination of real-life role models and engaging practical activities at the event will spark an interest in the field of physics and related careers. At St Margaret’s we have long celebrated the achievements of women in STEM and are pleased to come together with pupils from across the region to hear from our former pupil, Professor Sinead Farrington. We are delighted to partner with Techfest in our celebration of International Day of Women and Girls in Science.”
Jillian Owen, Apache’s UK country manager, said: “Apache is committed to building long-lasting relationships with our local communities and supporting partners doing critical work. We are delighted to partner with Techfest to welcome local school children to our facility to learn more about the opportunities within STEM careers in a fun and engaging way. Investing in the education of our young people is investing in a brighter future for all of us.”
TechFest is an Aberdeen-based charity which aims to engage young people in the four main STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and encourage them to go on to follow a career which utilises these skills by demonstrating that they are both fun and relevant in day-to-day life.
For more information on TechFest, visit www.techfest.org.uk