Budding scientists and engineers put their minds to an exciting STEM summer school at the Stirling Campus (from 7-11 August), which was made possible thanks to the support of EDF Energy Renewables.
Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) was at the forefront for the group of youngsters who had fun and were inspired by FVC lecturers as they spent part of their holidays learning and improving their career prospects at the same time.
Aimed at pupils in the Forth Valley area aged between 11-14, the school opened up a whole new world to young people who want to reinforce the path they want to take when they leave school, and also to those who are looking to turn that spark of interest in a subject into a full blown career.
Curiosity was the key for young people as they discovered what’s in Irn Bru using liquid chromatography, and found out more about instrumental techniques, atomic absorption, blood sampling and augmented reality through a fantastic mix of hands-on practical workshops and project work.
Kenny MacInnes, Head of the Department of Applied Science, Maths and Mechanical Engineering, said:
“It has been a great week for the young people who were here to find out more about STEM subjects. They had a lot of great topics and experiments to explore and from the feedback we have had they all seemed to enjoy themselves.
“We were also delighted to receive support from EDF Energy Renewables on the summer school which is very much appreciated. We are sure the young people who came along for the summer school will benefit from the expertise and the relevant industry knowledge.”
Jennifer Tempany, FVC’s Head of Business Development, said:
“STEM Summer schools like this are a great way to introduce school pupils to what they can look forward to in further and higher education, when they leave school. We are absolutely delighted that EDF Energy Renewables, who we have recently built up a strong working relationship with, have supported this course and we look forward to working closely with them again in the future.”
Nick Bradford, Head of Asset Management at EDF Energy Renewables, said:
“We are very pleased the STEM Summer School has been such a success. Initiatives such as this are very important to us as we want to encourage more young people to think about their future careers as early as possible.”
Anyone looking to find out more information on the FVC Summer Schools call 01324 403000.