Aberdeen’s annual science festival TechFest has launched its most exciting and ambitious programme yet for nursery and school pupils, including a new home in bigger premises at Robert Gordon University.
The festival’s Early Years and Primary Programme and the Activity Weekend will take place at RGU at Garthdee, while the public programme will continue to feature venues across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
The 2017 Early Years and Primary Programme is expected to attract thousands of pupils and staff from primary schools and nurseries across Aberdeen City and Shire from August 28 to September 1.
Pupils can choose from more than 24 workshops and four interactive shows that explore a variety of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) topics, all offering hands-on activities designed to enrich and enhance the children’s work in the classroom and support teachers on their return to school.
The programme features new workshops including ‘Great Scot’ sponsored by Marathon Oil which features Scottish Scientists and Engineers who have influenced our society through their discoveries and inventions. Through interactive experiments and demonstrations TechFest will explore some of the colourful characters that have made Scotland great.
There’s also the opportunity to look at the technology used to explore our deepest oceans and the chance to ‘fly’ a Remotely Operated Vehicle in ‘Underwater Exploration’ with Robert Gordon University.
Details of The Early Years and Primary Programme can be found on the newly launched TechFest website (www.techfest.org.uk) and information packs have been distributed to schools across the City and Shire.
TechFest’s managing director Sarah Chew said: “Moving the Early Years and Primary Programme and the Activity Weekend to RGU’s state of the art facilities significantly increases our ability to engage more young people in STEM activities than previous years.
“Last year the Early Years and Primary Programme alone attracted more than 5,000 pupils and staff to the Gordon Barracks, and we can’t thank the team there enough for making us so welcome over the past two years.
“The prospect of building on this already strong attendance is very and exciting and positive for the festival as a whole. We’re extremely grateful to RGU for their support and look forward to welcoming pupils and their teachers to the venue from August 28 to September 1.”
Jan Cutting, RGU’s Vice-Principal for commercial and regional engagement, said: “TechFest is a fantastic initiative for the region which supports vital engagement in STEM. We’re delighted to help it build on its Early Years and Primary Programme and Activity Weekend by providing a state-of-the-art educational setting for its exciting line up.”
Mark Thomas, regional president, BP North Sea said: “TechFest is a long-standing highlight in the Aberdeen festival calendar and BP is pleased to once again support the diverse programme of activity and events. Like previous years, this year’s TechFest programme promises to deliver a range of fun activities designed to capture young people’s imagination and stimulate their interest in the STEM subjects.”
Steve Phimister, upstream vice president U.K. & Ireland, Shell UK Ltd said: “Shell is delighted to be a part of this great event. We are committed to inspiring and supporting the next generation of young scientists and engineers as we continue to address the global energy challenges.”
TechFest 2017 will run from August 26 to September 25 and the full programme will be unveiled in the summer, with a wide range of activities for all ages.
The Activity Weekend is due to take place in RGU’s Sir Ian Wood Building on August 26 and August 27.
To download the Primary Programme please visit the TechFest website: www.techfest.org.uk