The
Science Connects
Bulletin
Spring 2017
Discover an array of STEM Ambassador activity See the strides being made to enhance STEM learning for girls, young people and non-school groups Read about Ambassadors in the field
facebook.com/scienceconnects
twitter.com/ScienceConnects (Picture courtesy of Really Small Science)
Welcome to our latest edition of the Science Connects Bulletin.
Contents 4
Busby STEM Week solves a mystery
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GSK STEM Ambassadors reveal the changing face of apprenticeships
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University of Glasgow event showcases skills to get girls back into the sciences
16
STEM Ambassador Jon Trinder teaches Hillhead High students the components of working with electronics
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STEM Hub Map of Britain
This year’s Bulletin is focussing on the work of STEM Ambassadors in the West of Scotland to show the diversity and reach of the Programme, which is now in its 16th year across the UK. On 1st August 2016, STEMNET merged with STEM Learning, with the STEM Ambassador Programme being co-ordinated and delivered by STEM Learning and the STEMNET charity playing a new role as a supporter of these activities. A network of 19 STEM Ambassador Hubs is now in place across the UK, with three of these in Scotland. Science Connects co-ordinates the new West of Scotland STEM Ambassador Hub and we are delighted to welcome schools and STEM Ambassadors from Argyll and Bute into our area for the first time. This brings us to a total of 2,300 STEM Ambassadors working with over 1,100 primary and secondary schools. 85% of our STEM Ambassadors are active in schools, which amounts to a fantastic amount of STEM inspiration! We continue to work with schools, STEM Providers, partner organisations and our 13 local authorities to identify where Ambassadors can bring the curriculum to life, offer inspiring career talks and provide practical assistance - especially to primary school teachers who may not have a STEM related background. In 2016/17 we will be working with early years practitioners to enable Ambassadors to learn more about engaging with a younger age group, developing our Ambassadors who have been working on the People Like Me gender balance resources and offering new STEM Ambassadors the opportunity to meet with teachers within a local authority as a starting point for their STEM engagement career. STEM Ambassadors come from a multitude of backgrounds and disciplines and by matching their skill sets with teachers’ needs, Science Connects can maximise their impact by embedding Ambassadors into schools and offering sustainable relationships. The need for role models from the STEM subjects is continually highlighted in publications from the Scottish Government, Skills Development Scotland, Education Scotland and many organisations such as ScotlandIS. The STEM Ambassador Programme is an excellent opportunity for industry and education to engage and we are very excited to be part of the next stage of this programme! Aileen Hamilton, Operations Manager
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ld ie F e h t in s r o d a s s a b Am “The way I think about it is, basically you’re training up your replacements for the future” STEM Ambassador David McDove engineers confidence in a new generation a Bronze Cosla Award and high commendation at the Scottish Transport Awards.
While looking through some old papers David
“In one of the projects involving the widening of a masonary bridge the community council and the children decided the colours of the replacement stones, the texture of the stones, and the bonding (laying) pattern. So as well as letting the children be civil engineers and seeing how it all works, they could ask questions and it gave them a sense that ‘I can make a difference in my community, we did this’ and trying to instil the idea of looking after their local area.”
McDove came across a description one of his first STEM Ambassador activities from 1997. Though it was nealy 20 years ago, he remembers: “I was quite nervous as I didn’t know what the school wanted or what I was going to be expected to do” - a common concern for any new Ambassador.
Not content to merely win awards while engaging schools, David is also a 15 year stalwart of the K’Nex Challenge, which he judges each year. His background in civil engineering is perfectly suited for judging the design or operation and function of the models build by the young competitors.
Yet, fast forward 19 years and David now has numerous STEM Ambassador activities under his belt and is attending his umpteenth K’Nex Challenge judging the area final at South Lanarkshire College.
As an active STEM Ambassador David is aware of the impact that he can have on the futures of the young people he mentors. He said:
David’s career as an engineer has been intrinsically connected to his work as a STEM Ambassador and both have brought him plaudits and awards for the great work he has done in his sector and his work with Scotland’s young people.
“The way I think about it is basically you’re training up your replacements for the future. I went out to Eastmuir Primary in 2001 and when I returned the next year the kids had remembered me and gave me a cheer. It was a brilliant feeling and really sticks in my mind as one of my best moments as an Ambassador.”
David and his colleagues set up the paths improvement project, which involved local schools helping to design walkways within their local community. The concept garnered them a 2014 environment award from North Lanarkshire Council,
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STEM Ambassador: David McDove Joined: April 1997 Job: Civil Engineer Expertise: Engineering
ifference in
d ‘I can make a t a th e s n e s ids a ity’ it gave the k my commun
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The case of the broken iPad: Busby STEM Week solves a mystery! school CSI theme truly captivated all of the As the pupils of Busby Primary filed in it was whole pupils and the staff had to continually remind the easy to tell from the hum of activity that this was no ordinary Monday morning. Something had transpired in the gym hall with police tape sectioning off one corner. Wide eyed and excited, everyone wanted to know what the local police officer was doing there and who were these unknown faces around the school?
Something strange had happened... an assembly had been called. The children were told that an incident had occurred! An iPad had been broken! Who could be the culprit? ‘I had a feeling it might have been Mrs Garcia, but at first I thought it was our teacher Miss Harris as she speaks Italian and the note was written in Italian.’
children that it wasn’t real! The STEM Committee were great as detectives, pulling together all of the results from investigations and sharing this with DI Hunter and PC Cunningham”. The week centred on pupils conducting their own forensic investigation and included fingerprint analysis and making use of CCTV footage as evidence. Each year group was separated into different lines of enquiry such as P2 who looked for footprints and made up wanted posters while P4 took statements from possible suspects and dusted for fingerprints around the school. The event was also greatly aided by the expertise of Tom Nelson, the Director of Forensic Services in Scotland. With over 36 years’ experience and the director for nine years, he was a valuable and knowledgeable addition to the investigation.
Izabel Alvarez provided expertise in genetics, molecular biology and forensics. She carried out a DNA fingerprinting activity developed by Aaron Fernandez, where DNA ‘fingerprints’ (STR patterns) were matched with the DNA fingerprints of the suspects by the students so they could identify who committed the crime. A video was also presented going over the basics of molecular biology (PCR, Orchestrated by Principal Teacher of STEM, centrifugation, gel electrophoresis), and the appliLorna Aitken, the whole week was planned out with cation of molecular biology for forensic purposes. military precision. Enlisting the help of all teaching She also demonstrated how samples may be taken staff, STEM Ambassadors, parents and volunteers for analysis and what kind of evidence would be the school organised a full week of Science, used - cheek swabs, hair, fingerprints. Technology, Engineering and and Maths activities focusing on the investigation and other related She said: “I think the pupils at Busby Primary topics. Lorna Aitken said: gained insight on how forensic analysis works, how it is used for solving crimes and the wide range of “Busby Primary has always been a creative and fun interesting careers that are available to a student place to be and this week was no exception. Our studying molecular biology.”
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Many of the young pupils were very excited to find out who may have committed the misdeed and the day provided great speakers and methods to help them solve the mystery. A number of STEM Ambassadors were used and heavily involved in helping pupils understand the many processes involved in solving a crime. While some Ambassadors covered what happens at a typical crime scene, others showed youngsters how often what’s discovered can be analysed within a laboratory and that this can often determine who the perpetrator is. Chris Reid, STEM Ambassador and International Supplier Audit Manager for Diageo, said:
“My part in the week was around chromatography and its purpose in various formats and specifically paper chromatography.This was accompanied by an explanation that such evidence has to be taken in context and is not always inclusive proof but can be excluding explanation or in fact no use at all. “I found that the pupils were very engaged and some of the questions very insightful. I feel that having science incorporated into an actual “live” context really made a difference to the level of interest and the longer term problem solving thought processes of the pupils.” Yet, it was the young investigators who were the real stars of the week by solving the case of the broken iPad – Parent Support Advisor, Grace Garcia was indeed the culprit. One pupil said: “This was the best STEM week ever. I was so excited to come to school” Lorna Aitken said: “Huge thanks to the many STEM Ambassadors who added real life value to the investigations and provided video footage from their labs. We are also very lucky to have a supportive network of parents who came in throughout the week to share their job roles and their career paths that led them into these roles. We were really lucky to have Tom Nelson, from Police Scotland sharing his knowledge of forensics in Scotland.”
STEM Ambassador: Aaron Fernandez Joined: July 2015 Course: Human Biology Expertise: Biology/Chemistry
STEM Ambassador: Izabel Alvarez Joined: Jan 2016 Course: Genetics Expertise: Genetics/ Molecular Biology/ Forensics
STEM Ambassador: Heather Bisbee Joined: Nov 2015 Course: Biomedical Sciences Expertise: Biology and biotechnological techniques
STEM Ambassador: Chris Reid Joined: October 2009 Job: International Supplier Audit Manager for Diageo Expertise: Chromatography/ Science
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Quantum Buddies and Science Connects join forces to bring quantum physics knowledge to teachers
Experts in quantum enhanced imaging,
QuantIC, are at the centre of bringing together a consortium of universities such as Glasgow, Bristol, Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt, Warwick, Oxford and Strathclyde. In developing the idea of Quantum Buddies, and as part of their remit, they aim to support physics teachers by keeping them up to date with what is happening in the field of enhanced imaging and quantum mechanics through public engagement. Science Connects teamed up with the initiative to provide Ambassadors to suit their needs and to help the initiative grow. Peter Chua, QuantIC’s Public Engagement & Communication Officer based at the University of Glasgow, states that the vision for the programme is “to help develop the next generation of quantum technologists by supporting teachers in this area and raising awareness of new innovation that is happening in the world of Quantum Physics.” A series of workshops have already been delivered to teachers and the response Science Connects has received has been highly encouraging. Peter Chua said: “What we are getting back from teachers is that initially they found some of the topics quite bewildering but they were really interested in find out about some of the research and they could better explain to pupils why they should be studying quantum physics.”
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QuantIC decided that it was important to set up a mentoring system where teachers could use the expertise within the consortium of universities they had gathered. However, as Peter and others attempted to get the project off the ground they realised that there were plenty of teachers looking for help but not enough academics and researchers to pair them with. Luckily for Peter and the initiative, Science Connects was on hand to provide STEM Ambassadors. SSERC has also come on board to provide Continued Professional Development (CPD) sessions for teachers in the context of the curriculum around quantum physics. At the same time, Glasgow Science Festival has helped to promote Quantum Buddies with Quantum Physics v Zombies, a theatrical event using Quantum Physics to protect against a zombie attack being the most recent. A bank of resources and a Brief Early history of Quantum Physics poster have also been developed and Peter Chua is confident that this new collaboarion between Quantum Buddies and Science Connects can be a real success. He said: “We are dealing with new and interesting ideas about how we can support teachers who are the people to get kids excited about what’s happening in quantum physics. We’ve got a senior academic at the University of Glasgow labs and PhD students from the University of Strathclyde University who are involved just because they want to encourage people to find out more about the subject.” For more details visit: QuantIC.ac.uk
(Pictures courtesy of Developing Young Workforce)
Making a STEM Ambassador impression at St Andrew’s primary with 3D printing St Andrew’s Primary is keen to engage and embrace the local community and business world. They want to offer young children opportunities to engage with a variety of employers to identify options that will be available to them in later life. They believe that it is better to provide information to parents and children at as early a stage as possible. Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) Ayrshire was approached by Martyn Hendry, STEM Coordinator at East Ayrshire Council, looking for employer support with a new project at St Andrew’s Primary, Kilmarnock. East Ayrshire Council has a number of 3D printers within their primary schools and wished to run a related to project with their P6 pupils. Pupils have recently been developing their computer skills for a number of months and were introduced to ‘Tinkercad’ a computer software program specifically for children. The 3D printer has become an important feature in the classroom and various items have been printed from this. The school wanted to run a session specifically for pupils and parents. This is common practice at St Andrew’s and is known as ‘Sharing and Learning’. Martyn Hendry believes that employer engagement is vital at this session to encourage parents to consider a career within the digital technology sector for their
children. DYW Ayrshire secured STEM Ambassador Malachy Ryan, of Alan White Design in Kilmarnock, an experienced Civil Engineer. Malachy has a wealth of experience using CAD and was therefore an ideal representative for the project. He spoke about his particular career route and how he utilised digital technology. Pupils were fascinated that Malachy had worked on the building of their primary school as a graduate engineer and with various celebrities on equipment for their concerts. Malachy also brought along some items from his company and was able to answer questions. Pupils were then paired with their parents at a computer and were given a worksheet containing specifications to design a keyring which would be printed on a 3D printer. This was a great opportunity for Malachy to rotate around the room and provide his expertise on an individual basis. It was a very enjoyable afternoon for all involved and opened the eyes of pupils and parents to the role of an engineer. STEM Ambassador: Malachy Ryan Joined: Jan 2016 Job: Civil Engineer Expertise: Engineering/Structural design/ K’Nex challenge.
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GSK STEM Ambassadors reveal the changing face of apprenticeships S
cience Connects travelled to Irvine to meet with four of GlaxoSmithKline’s young STEM Ambassadors to discover what’s different about apprenticeships today and how it can help Ambassadors talk to young people who don’t necessarily want to go on to university. In terms of tomorrow’s workforce, they don’t come much newer than Eleanor Trainer, Kirsty Hogg, Jack Elliot and Greg Henderson. With an average age of 20 they are the fresh faces of pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline’s apprentice programme and busy STEM Ambassadors to boot.
Kirsty said: “My apprenticeship gives me the opportunity to earn while I learn, which is a big thing for me. It’s also hands on which is something I really enjoy.” With over 104,000 STEM graduates needed in the UK every year, the apprenticeship programme also allows GSK to extend its reach within the area with regards to STEM engagement. All four have collectively and separately taken part in many engagement opportunities with young people around Ayrshire.
Eleanor said:“Being a STEM Ambassador and an apprentice with GSK gives me the opportunity to get across the idea of GSK, as one of the what an biggest employers apprenticeship in the area, runs is– and for many, an apprenticeship it’s not what they programme across think. An multiple disciplines apprenticeship from engineering to today is not an Kirsty Hogg demonstrates for some pupils extra pair of lab science and hands – but a comprehensive learning experisupply and logistics. The programme ence, where you gain academic and offered by GSK gives those who want to join professional qualifications as well as real the workforce straight out of school just that on-the-job experience.” opportunity. Eleanor Trainer, a Supply Chain Apprentice, and Instrumentation Apprentice, Kirsty Hogg, are keen to point out the benefits of the path they’ve chosen. GSK have held on site open evenings for career advisors as well as parents to share what apprenticeships actually are and dispel the myths surrounding them, while also promoting the idea of STEM careers.
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Jack Elliot agrees, “There’s a lack of knowledge within the general public concerning what can be achieved with an apprenticeship. I’ve gone much farther with my apprenticeship than I ever would have with a degree.” The four are passionate about promoting the concept of apprenticeships as a whole, not just representing GSK, and want to challenge the outdated idea of the apprentice as a ‘young lackey’, an individual only fit to make tea.
Greg Henderson and Jack Elliot (both 18) are perfect examples of how dramatically the perception has changed in the intervening years. While Greg works as a Chemical Engineering Apprentice, to ensure production processes are more economically viable, Jack has to handle weighty issues such as safety compliance as GSK’s first Environmental Health and Safety Apprentice. Greg said: “Within my apprenticeship it’s about working with what you’ve got and looking at how to make it better. Our site has been up and running for over 43 years but we are still driven to improve our processes and performance. This is something you’re not taught to do within the same field at university.” Fiona Bradbury, STEM Lead for the site commented on GSK’s commitment to STEM and the importance of their apprenticeship programme: “Across GSK our vision as an innovative, science-led company is to inspire, educate, recruit and develop the next generation of talent who will deliver the ground-breaking ideas of the future.
Our apprenticeship programme is a major investment in young people who we believe have the potential to become future leaders. In fact, many of the leaders across this manufacturing site have an apprentice background, for example, our site Engineering Director started life at GSK as a Mechanical Apprentice.” GSK apprentices and STEM Ambassadors proactively promote STEM and help to ignite the imagination of students both to consider STEM subjects or a career in STEM. They have chosen to focus on four schools within their area through STEM networking, career talks and the Industrial Cadets’ scheme. Eleanor Trainer said: “We’re encouraged to go out and connect with students in our local schools. In fact, many of the apprentices on site are former students. This together with our age helps us to relate to pupils and them to us.” Kirsty Hogg agrees, “I really enjoy giving back. It’s fun speaking to students and sharing our experience. We give them a glimpse through what could be an alternative window to university.”
STEM Ambassador: Eleanor Trainer Joined: Feb 2015 Job: Supply Chain Apprentice Expertise: Science
STEM Ambassador: Kirsty Hogg Joined: Feb 2015 Job: Instrumentation Apprentice Expertise: Engineering
STEM Ambassador: Jack Elliot Joined: Feb2015 Job: Environmental H&S Apprentice Expertise: Science/Physics
STEM Ambassador: Greg Henderson Joined: June 2016 Job: Chemical Engineering Apprentice Expertise: Engineering/ Maths/ Science
Eleanor Trainor and friends at a GSK apprenticeship event
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Explorathon Extravaganza – Researchers and STEM Ambassadors connect with the public during European Researchers’ Night European Researchers’ Night returned to Scotland for an ‘Explorathon’ of research from Friday 30 September to Saturday 1 October 2016. The event, now in its third year, saw researchers from across Scotland take to the streets, visit local schools, pop-up at shopping centres, museums and cinemas, to showcase the latest research. This year focused on school engagement, with around 50 schools in Glasgow taking part. Researchers from Strathclyde and Glasgow Universities paired up with local primary and secondary schools to deliver hands-on activities, discussions, debates and interactive workshops, all based around their research. Ross Brisco, PhD student and STEM Ambassador, from the Department of Design Manufacture & Engineering Management (DMEM), at the University of Strathclyde,delivered a workshop at a local secondary school during the event. Ross interacted with pupils and discussed his research on communication for engineering design. Pupils took on the ‘cardboard chair challenge’ and found out about engineering design, teamwork and the vital communication skills required to build a simple chair structure. The fun didn’t stop there, with a packed programme of events for all ages, the afternoon and evening of the 30th saw a selection of activities took placen all through the Saturday morning. Highlights from the programme included, a Pokémon Go Tour of the Glasgow University campus, and the popular Explorathon Extravaganza at the Glasgow Science Centre, with planetarium shows, spotlight researcher talks and hands-on activities. New for this year was a shopping bag swap for science at the Forge Shopping Centre. Some even played in an eco-playground and discovered Scottish scientists with the Glasgow Science Festival Team. For more information about future Explorathon events and how you can get involved in events in Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh and St. Andrews visit www. explorathon.co.uk or follow on social media (@ernscot #explorathon16).
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STEM Ambassadors in the Field W
e talked to Microbiology and Software Development Master’s student Ewa Grabowiecka about her experience as a hard-working STEM Ambassador. “I remember looking down a microscope and seeing a new world. It wasn’t our world it was another world and I thought that was really cool.” It would be fair to say that Ewa Grabowiecka is quite excitable… but that’s partly what makes her such an effective STEM Ambassador. Kids love her, teachers love her and the West of Scotland STEM Ambassador programme is lucky to have someone like her. She’s been a STEM Ambassador all over Scotland and is a perfect example of why the programme exists in the first place. When the BBC micro:bit recently came on the scene, Ewa acted as an effective conduit between the tech and the teachers and has been great at helping pupils understand what the Micro:bit is capable of. Asked why she became a STEM Ambassador she answers emphatically:“I always liked the idea of sharing knowledge with younger people. I think in order to have good education you need to have community and I just think it’s such a vital part of learning and it helps me learn as well. I’m quite bubbly and I find it easy to relate to young people. I’ve been doing it for a while now so it would be fair to say I like it.” An Ambassador since 2011, Ewa heard about the programme while in second year of University at Dundee. Since then she’s helped at George
Heriot’s School, Douglas Academy and Bishopbriggs Academy among others. Aside from helping young people better understand Microbiology and technology, Ewa is also highly involved in getting young girls more interested in STEM subjects. It seems to be a very personal mission and one she takes seriously: “I’ve been attempting to figure out why girls don’t take STEM subjects. Speaking to teachers is very useful and discussing it with them. What I’ve been trying to do is tailor little things towards girls who don’t generally take an interest in computing, because the girls who already like tech will be there, it’s now about attracting those girls who might previously have never considered tech as a career path. There needs to be more engagement and we need to work with them. “ Knowing that computing is where jobs are at right now, Ewa realised that she could really aid students in their choices and their parents in their understanding of what’s out there. As an Ambassador she’s thrown herself into promoting tech as a viable career option while at the same time promoting the sector to young women who might not otherwise have known about it. She said: “I just enjoy it really. I think being part of the launch into schools of the BBC micro:bit has been quite cool to be part of. Also, because I want to go into software development it’s been quite good to see how it can be used to teach different things, what resources are out there and it helps kids see what’s possible in the future.” STEM Ambassador: Ewa Grabowiecka Joined: Nov 2011 Course: Microbiology and Sofware Development Expertise: Science/Technology
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STEM Hub Map of Britain
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Scottis then th
sh STEM Hubs: And here were three... As of 1st August 2016, STEMNET and STEM Learning Ltd finalised a merger which heralded changes to the STEM Ambassador Programme structure in the UK, consolidating 19 Ambassador Hubs across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. The STEM Ambassador Programme is now coordinated and delivered by STEM Learning, with the STEMNET charity playing a new role as a supporter of these activities. In Scotland, three new Ambassador Hubs (West, East and North) have been established, creating an increase in geographical area of responsibility for each of the hubs and a change of management for the North of Scotland. While Science Connects welcomes the authority of Argyll and Bute, STEM East, based in Dunfermline, increase their reach by assuming responsibility of the area of Angus. STEM North, who operate from their base within Aberdeen Science Centre and a satellite office in Inverness, are responsible for the whole north region including Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles. Scottish Schools Education Research Centre (SSERC) is the STEM Learning partner responsible for the smooth running of the STEM Ambassador programme in Scotland, working with each of the Scottish STEM Ambassador Hubs to deliver the programme in correlation with the needs of Curriculum for Excellence and dovetail Ambassador training with the extensive CPD courses they currently offer to teachers. 13
My experience as a STEM Ambassador at Lochwinnoch Primary School by Sandy Smith
My wife, Lorna, and I are long-time STEM
Ambassadors. Thankfully, now we’ve retired, we have more time for science communication and are lucky enough to have a large amount of “molymod” kit, provided by Keele University. This allows us to run molecule-building workshops in schools for P4 to P7 pupils and at science festivals up and down the country. This spring, I was invited to deliver three 40 minute workshops at Lochwinnoch Primary School in Renfrewshire. A parent had kindly put us in touch with an appropriate member of the school staff and we agreed a suitable date.
On the day itself, we arrived early enough to lay out tables and chairs in the school hall. We’ve found it works best for pupils to work in twos or threes at either end of a large table and we have enough kit for at least 12 such groups. We started the session by chatting with the whole class for about 10 minutes, highlighting how everything is made up of atoms and how, if all the atoms are identical, then we have a single element. I introduced them to the periodic table
especially those in the air around us. After a safety briefing, we gave the pupils laminated molecule templates and explain they will only be working with a few different elements, mainly carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen, but from these they can make a huge number of different molecules. These range from simple structures such as ethanol and acetic acid to more complicated molecules such as aspirin, caffeine and quinine - all of these experiment were downloaded from the Make it Molecular section on the Keele university website.. The kits allow each pupil to build their own simple
molecules but for the more complex structures they need to work as a team. It amazes us how quickly they learn though, progressing to quite complicated structures after building only a couple of models. Although we’ve been running this activity across Scotland for years now, I think we enjoy the workshops as much as they do!
ods for
e molym m o s e v a h if I could m u m y e 10 m g a d , e k M s W a e ” ! v y “I’ my birthda and explained that most elements are metals, asking them to tell me of any metals they know. We then go on to discuss molecules,
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STEM Ambassador: Sandy Smith Joined: August 2008 Job: Retired Civil Servant and Regional Officer for BSA Expertise: Science/Life Sciences/ Molecules
University of Glasgow event showcases skills to get girls back into the sciences S
chool and college age girls from all over Glasgow descended on the University of Glasgow campus recently to learn more about how they can find a rewarding career in Science, Technology, Engineering or Maths. Though hosted by the University, the event itself was organised and run through a collaboration between the jobs site, Monster, and STEMettes, an organisation committed to getting more girls into tech. 250 secondary school girls and 120 college and university age women from institutions across Glasgow took part in networking events, workshops and were treated to a keynote speech by space engineer, Jenni Doonan, and aerodynamics engineer and STEM Ambassador, Ian Taylor. Mary Youngs, MD at Accenture and volunteer for STEMettes, said: “I had no idea that there could be so much buzz and noise and that the girls could be so interested. What we’ve seen here today has been amazing and only goes to show how interested, and interesting, women are in technology, engineering and the sciences.”
Sinead Bunting, EU Marketing Director at Monster, realised two years ago that the organisation needed to do something to help young women bridge the pay and confidence gap, which precipitated the collaboration with STEMettes. She said: “We need to help build a pipeline to get women into these careers. There will be 1 million more jobs needed in tech by 2020 and society can no longer afford to ignore such a large percentage of the workforce. Historically so many women have featured in tech such as Grace Hopper and British information technology pioneer, Dame Stephanie Shirley.”
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Girls need to get back into the top jobs in technology and can’t be underrepresented any longer.
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Discovering Devro: World leading firm invites school on-site to meet STEM Ambassadors and see how collagen casing is made. Presented with a spirited talk-come-practical demonstration by Project Engineer Sheena Ross and Development Engineer Bill Potts, the young pupils were shown some of the working parts that had been designed and were given an opportunity to assemble some of the smaller parts themselves. Holly McLoone and Kiera Logan, both S3, enjoyed this activity with Holly saying: “I found it really interesting... especially when I got to build stuff.” The visit was organised and facilitated with the help of the Scottish Food and Drink Federation’s Moyna Kennedy who is their Food and Drink Skills Ambass one of the worlds leading manufacturers of sadors Network Manager. She said: “The Ambassacollagen food products, Devro, situated in Moodiesburn, felt that it was about time they opened dors from Devro did an outstanding job with up their doors to allow 30 local school pupils from St inspiring the students to consider a career in our exciting industry and demonstrating the unexpected Maurice’s High School to see why they are so successful in their field – and potentially attract a few range of jobs available across the food supply chain. They were able to dispel some of the outdated future employees in the process. myths about working in food and drink and highlight the opportunities and benefits it has to offer.” With over 2,200 staff, and situated in five countries worldwide, they’re understandably proud of their position within the collagen casing sector and this is Each of Devro’s Ambassadors was more reflected in the number of STEM Ambassadors they enthusiastic than the last which seems to derive were able to provide. Each of the nine Ambassadors from a close sense of community and camaraderie within the organisation, as Gary maintains, they’re present was trained by Science Connects and is “a diverse company with a very low staff turnover. If active in promoting their own specific area of people join, they tend to stay.” expertise in STEM.
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Technical & Operations Director, Gary Shiels, started off the day with a talk explaining what it is Devro do and what the visit would entail. The pupils would then be whisked off for a whistle stop tour around the building where they would take in a plant tour, and experience design engineering, product development and application, microbiology and chemical analysis first hand.
Question sheets were provided and as the pupils went around each section they were required to do some research in order to understand how it fitted in with what Devro does as an organisation. The three pupils with the highest score at the end – Jack Traynor, Holly McLoone and Kiera Logan – received Amazon vouchers.
Devro produce somewhere in the region of 200 different collagen based products but mainly focus on the production of collagen casings for a variety of different sausage applications. Broadly speaking, if you buy sausages within the UK there’s a good chance they’ll be encased within a Devro product.
John Osborne, Faculty Head of Sciences at St Maurice’s High School, said: “Anything that gives the pupils an idea of the real world of work is great and the reality of what goes on outside of school is important for them to see. The pupils really enjoyed the visit and learned a lot about the food and drink production process and the variety of careers that are involved.”
Most surprising was the level of development and design that goes on behind the scenes to produce the humble sausage skin. No maker of sausage skins uses the same design technology so all small parts that go into the production are designed onsite.
What was at the root of this visit was to give local pupils a better idea of potential jobs that are out there. Devro, being a large organisation, is an excellent example of somewhere right on their doorstep that can offer opportunity and possibility.
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STEM Brigade learn Science and Engineering skills with Ambassador David Buchanan
W
orking within a local Boy’s Brigade company for the past year has allowed the boys to explore the different applications of STEM in their day to day lives and highlighted the need of STEM subjects for future careers. The young people I have worked with have undertaken a number of activities to highlight each subject area individually. One of the first activities was building bridges from one end of a hall to the other, allowing the boys to move safely from one end to the other without the structure collapsing. With this, the principles of structural engineering and design were highlighted and it soon became apparent just how much planning and design is required for these structures we take for granted.
Exploring the world of science was also a key focus for some of our activities, such as using Styrofoam and nail varnish remover to show that everyday items are formed through the joining of small building blocks by chemical bonding. Following these activities there have been short discussions with the boys involved to highlight the possible careers associated with each topic and ensure their understanding of STEM in practice. Each activity has been well received amongst the groups, providing insight to particular individual’s interests and planting that seed for potential career options in their future.
STEM Ambassador: David Buchanan Course: Pharmacology Expertise: Science/Engineering 17
STEM Ambassador Jon Trinder teaches Hillhead High students the components of working with electronics
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s Dr Jon Trinder travelled around different departments of the University of Glasgow attempting to find people interested in tutoring eight tech keen students from Hillhead High School, he didn’t have high expectations. “I didn’t think there would be much of an appetite to be honest. People around campus are just so busy. Turns out I was wrong, there was a very large appetite!” He quickly realised that people inside and even outside of his faculty were excited about the prospect of helping in any way they could. He managed to get several volunteers from a selection of departments to help show eight students over eight weeks how electronics work in practice.The catalyst for the project was a BTech student, taught by Jon,who had been on placement at the school. The student, Cameron Eusebi, had been asked by a teacher if it would be possible to get the pupils experience of programming microcontrollers. The student contacted Jon and asked if they could perhaps get use of the electronics labs. Jon thought there might be scope to make this happen, getting each of the pupils access to a portable programmable device so that they could take it home and hopefully demystify electronics to some parents at the same time. He said: “I grew up in an age where if you wanted to know how something worked then you could take it to pieces, things were big enough then that you could take them to bits. Unfortunately these days the bits are small, so small you can barely see it, never mind figure out what it does. People have got used to buying a bit of technology and using without ever giving any thought that someone else actually made it and made it do what it does.” After careful consideration he plumped for an mbed microcontroller as it seemed the most robust and accessible option and the model he chose could be plugged into breadboard (breadboard is a rapid prototyping platform used to connected electronic components), “I just got whatever I could get together.”
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The mbed and breadboard combination was indeed the most accessible choice as Gerry Barnett, who worked with the pupils, explains: “The workshops involved electronics construction on Breadboards with LEDs, buzzers and web based coding. The pupils constructed a pedestrian crossing and developed the initial code introducing more complexity and features. It was well received by all pupils with some excelling and others to a lesser degree, coding is not for everyone.” “There was a huge amount of effort put in by the university staff to make the workshops happen and support them, using the mBed microcontroller. The pupils went on to scratch build two working projects during the IET Faraday Challenge Day, the only team to achieve this, yet unfortunately they didn’t win the event on the day.” This collaboration between university, high school and STEM Ambassadors is a perfect example of what can be achieved when different education disciplines work toward the common aim of supporting schools within their local area. Professor Scott Roy, Head of Electronics & Electrical Engineering Discipline School of Engineering, said of the collaboration:
“Electronics & Electrical Engineering were extremely pleased to be visited by such a diverse group of enthusiastic and intelligent pupils from Hillhead High. We helped them as they wrote computer programs and interfaced all sorts of hardware (including LEDs, switches and scrolling displays) to ARM based ‘mbed’ microcontrollers provided by the School of Engineering. Our ‘mbed’ microcontrollers are the ‘big brother’ of the BBC’s micro:bit microcontroller development boards, which the pupils also used on their visits. “I was particularly impressed by one incident. While most of the pupils were working out how to make arrays of LEDs flash on and off to create moving LED patterns, one young pupil noticed that the programming libraries included a ‘sound’ function and asked if it was possible to make sounds with the ‘mbed’. We dug out a small speaker from the electronics store and wired it up. Within a few minutes she was getting a pretty passable set of notes out of the micro-controller, and working towards the creation of a musical instrument. One of the great things about modern electronics is the ability to quickly prototype systems, if you are creative enough to ask ‘is it possible’ and then have a go at making your idea work.”
Great skills: Bishopbriggs student invents Microbit football game A young pupil from Bishopbriggs Academy has invented a table football game using only some tin foil, some cardboard, and the new BBC micro:bit. Angus Baird, an S2 pupil at Bishopbriggs Academy, decided when STEM Ambassador, Eva Grabowiecka (see page 11), came to demonstrate the programmable, handheld device that he was going to design a “flick-football game.” He said: “I just wanted to do something different. No one had used the GPIO pins to design anything so I designed this game.” While most of us would stare blankly at the items Angus used to design the game, he saw table football with a difference. He said that he looked at the micro:bit and “it just made sense” to him. Asked whether the game can only be played by those who understand technology, Angus said: “No, it’s easy to play as long as you understand the rules.” Fellow pupils found it extremely interesting and Angus’ parents were highly impressed with what their son had managed to create.
It’s also given Angus a potential look into his future career where he would like to “do something in robotics”. Teacher, Tony Lochran said of the 13 year old: “Angus as a computer programmer is excellent. He’s a great example to the school and we’re really proud of him.”
Brownie investigators tackle science! Mhairi MacKay, Leader with 8th Penicuik Brownies, talks about her troop undertaking the science investigators badge: “This year we’ve taken part in a few STEM activities that the girls have really enjoyed. We’ve made orange sorbet, lava lamps and slime. The girls have really enjoyed the practical and hands-on experiments. When conducting the experiments we’ve been giving the girls printed instructions and the necessary equipment and it’s been great to watch them figure out how the experiments work and help each other to conduct them. We’re planning a visit to Camera Obscura to end our term to find out all about optical illusions- which the girls are really excited about!”
Energy Quest
SCDI’s Young Engineers and Science Clubs have partnered with Tomorrow’s Engineers to deliver the Energy Quest programme. Now in its third year, the programme has expanded to involve 60 secondary schools across Scotland; inspiring S1/2 pupils about careers in engineering through an exciting interactive Energiser event then a multi week interdisciplinary project on Carbon Capture and Storage. STEM Ambassadors have provided valuable support to the delivery team in the West of Scotland and volunteers have enjoyed supporting the pupils to learn about different forms of energy then take on the exciting practical task of building then calibrating a battery powered car to run over a set distance. Ambassadors took the opportunity to speak to pupils about their job and excite them about the vast range of roles and opportunities including travelling abroad! www.tomorrowsengineers. org.uk/energy-quest/
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STEM Ambassadors and to highlight the RollsRoyce Company Values in the most cherished bastions of education. Just as these schools are the pillars of education we have shown our ‘Company Values’ which are neatly captured in the work and presentations that we have taken to the schools which have demonstrated in a very powerful manner these values. We have had a lot of very positive feedback from the schools and the Rolls-Royce reputation for Excellence is facilitating more and more requests as the good reviews and feedback is permeating through the local schools community.This exemplifies the company values in the following ways as we have undertaken a four pronged approach to engaging in the STEM process which we believe meet the Company Values:-
For Rolls-Royce to support the future growth and delivery of our order book, then it is essential to be investing in future Engineering Excellence going forward and with this requirement to be able to attract and recruit the next generation of innovative, creative and talented individuals. Through the initiative sponsored by the government for Science,Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) support, we provide school work placements and Nuffield Bursary Students at Inchinnan. We are fully engaged with STEM and have proactively organised events and placements for nearly 2000 budding School aged Engineers in the Renfrewshire County and beyond. We have been nominated for a local Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce Award (ROCCO) and all round we are creating a very positive impact in the schools with which we interact as we share the Trusted to Deliver Excellence values that are a fundamental and key foundation of our global business. Rolls-Royce has a target to reach 6 million young people through the STEM programme by the year 2020. We have embraced this task as we believe that attracting talented young people is essential for the future, development and growth of RollsRoyce plc.
1. We have had local schools visit our site and be taken through presentations, tours, fun activities and games that demonstrate our core manufacturing through STEM methodology. We have a number of STEM Ambassadors covering a full range of work experience from apprentice right through to Senior Business managers. We have also taken a ‘Road show’ to local primaries to light the ‘learning flame’ early in their careers. 2. We have supported S4/S5 /S6 Career nights discussing career opportunities with both the students and parents and trying to inspire our next generation of Rolls-Royce Engineers. All the out of hours work is done in our own time by volunteers who want to give back a little time and inspire future engineers. 3. We also take a quantity of students for their 4th Year work experience week and have had lots of wonderful feedback from the schools and pupils with respect to the positive impact we have on their career aspirations. 4. We also place Nuffield Bursary Students for a 6 week placement through the summer holidays and again have received business benefit from the projects they have undertaken. We have recently won a national award for one of our placements.
We have been given a great opportunity to go into the local schools as PVG (Disclosure) checked
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Revealed: Positive impact report from STEM Ambassador influence in schools North of Scotland. While Science Connects in the West welcomes the authority of Argyll and Bute, STEM East, based in Dunfermline, increase their reach by assuming responsibility of the area of Angus. STEM North, who operate from their base within Aberdeen Science Centre and a satellite presence in Inverness, is responsible for the whole north region including Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles.
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hat is the actual impact of STEM Ambassadors in schools? Do they increase student engagement? Is there any overall value for teachers? These are just some of the questions answered by the recent impact report produced by the National STEM Learning Network, the new coordinators of the UK wide STEM Ambassador programme. Published in late 2016, the report shows the full effect that STEM Ambassadors can have on young people to enthuse them in STEM subjects. The report used independent data collected from a network of over 30,000 STEM Ambassadors, as well as hundreds of teachers and thousands of young people. The results are favourable, with 90% stating that STEM Ambassadors increase young people’s engagement in science, technology, engineering and maths subjects, while 81% said STEM Ambassadors improve teacher understanding in their discipline ‘so they can better articulate information about STEM careers’. Since its creation in 2001, the STEM Ambassador Programme has consistently worked with educators to enhance student learning, yet, until now, the impact of these activities hasn’t been fully maximised. The encouraging findings within the report come at a key moment, as of 1 August 2016, STEMNET and STEM Learning Ltd finalised a merger, which heralded changes to the STEM Ambassador Programme structure in the UK, consolidating 19 Ambassador Hubs across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. The STEM Ambassador Programme is now coordinated and delivered by the National STEM Learning Network, with the STEMNET charity playing a new role as a supporter of these activities. In Scotland, three new Ambassador Hubs (West, East and North) have been established, creating an increase in geographical area of responsibility for each of the hubs and a change of management for the
The Scottish Schools Education Research Centre (SSERC) is the National STEM Learning Network partner charged with leading the STEM Ambassador programme in Scotland. SSERC is working closely with each of the three Scottish STEM Ambassador Hubs to deliver a programme which aligns with Curriculum for Excellence and supports programmes such as Developing the Young Workforce (DYW), SDS My World of Work, Education Scotland’s National STEM Programme and SSERC’s own Primary Cluster Programme. The Partnership between SSERC and the Scottish Ambassador Hubs will open up access for Ambassadors to SSERC professional learning programmes. These changes, along with the Scottish Government breaking cover with the announcement of a commitment to a STEM Ambassador programme in their 2016 manifesto, suggests another potential shift in the programme within the next few years.“We are very much looking forward to working with the National STEM Learning Network and Scottish Ambassador Hubs to support the existing provision. It is also encouraging that the Scottish Government sees the value in such a network” said Fred Young, CEO at SSERC. “We look forward to engaging with the Scottish Government to further develop the network of Ambassadors across Scotland so that all schools can benefit from the extensive expertise available.” Aileen Hamilton, Operations Manager with Science Connects who runs the West of Scotland STEM Ambassador programme, is confident that the merger, hubs and new partnership with SSERC will benefit schools, students and STEM Ambassadors. She said: “Working with SSERC will enable our Ambassadors to align their talks, workshops and resources with the experiences and outcomes of the Broad General Education and support the Senior Phase, alongside making the vital real life link to industry and education. The support of SSERC and STEM Learning means our Ambassadors can be part of the complete picture, understanding more about what
young people are learning in the classroom and being able to extend this knowledge to inspire and enthuse them in the STEM subjects.” Based at the University of Glasgow, Science Connects has been steadily building the STEM Ambassador Programme in the West of Scotland since its inception in 2001. Of the 3,700 approved STEM Ambassadors in Scotland, Science Connects handles 2,000 of them, representing routes into higher education, further education and industry, whilst meeting the needs of teachers. Aileen Hamilton said “We are starting to see strong links between the Developing the Young Workforce agenda and STEM Ambassador companies and we are encouraging these two groups to work together and form partnerships to ensure that STEM companies are actively involved in DYW. STEM Ambassadors are a fantastic extension to the classroom and the regular feedback we receive shows how appreciative teachers are.” Ambassador Ewa Grabowiecka’s impact is a perfect example of what can be achieved when teachers, schools, Hubs and STEM Ambassadors forge good working and long-lasting relationships. When the BBC micro:bit arrived in schools in early 2016, Ewa acted as an effective conduit between the tech world and teachers, ultimately helping students understand what the device was truly capable of. After delivering one successful workshop at a secondary school in East Dunbartonshire, she was quickly snapped up by another local school where teachers had heard of her passion for technology. “I always liked the idea of sharing knowledge with younger people. I think in order to have good education you need to have community and I just think it’s such a vital part of learning and it helps me learn as well.” She said. “I’m quite bubbly and I find it easy to relate to young people. I’ve been a STEM Ambassador for a while now so it would be fair to say I like it.” Teacher, Tony Lochran, of Bishopbriggs Academy, said: “Ewa was very accommodating in delivering her BBC micro:bit lesson to as many students as possible, up to 40 students in one 50 minute period, several times. Her explanations and demonstrations were excellent and the students really enjoyed the experience. It’s hard to believe she’s not a teacher in training. Ewa has a lovely, engaging personality, which the students and staff loved. She became an instant hit with us and we would love to get her back sometime in the future.” The new contract with National STEM Learning Network has also increased the reach and potential future impact of STEM Ambassadors. While the programme has always included early years, primary and secondary schools, it now has the opportunity to become involved with many non-school organisations, such as: science centres, science festivals, museums and scout and guide groups.
Scotland’s Hubs have always supported non-school STEM activities, but now Ambassadors are able to include these as part of their STEM Ambassador activity which is a bonus for their continued professional development as well as a major boost for organisations requiring STEM inspirational support. Kevin McKeever, Director, STEM East commented “We are delighted to be part of the next phase of the STEM Ambassador Programme with the introduction of 19 STEM Ambassador Hubs across the UK. As part of the wider National STEM Learning Network organisation, we see obvious benefits which will enrich and add further value to our work and relationships with schools, businesses and stakeholders. We are excited about this new partnership, and will be working much closer with SSERC from a Scottish dimension, with whom we have enjoyed a close relationship spanning a number of years. We are also looking forward to developing current relationships and welcome the opportunities to work with new parties in our extended geographic area of Perth and Kinross, Dundee and Angus.” As the Scottish Ambassador Hubs look to the future, a pervading ambiguity has arisen over their future with the introduction of the idea of a Scottish STEM Ambassador programme. The recent Consultation on STEM Education and Training Strategy for Scotland from the Scottish Government has generated much discussion and many questions as to how a Scottish STEM Ambassador Programme can run concurrent with the existing UK programme to enhance the existing offering in Scotland. Aileen Hamilton said: “It has been very interesting to hear professional institutions’ and individual’s responses to the Scottish STEM Ambassador question in the recent STEM strategy consultation. The UK wide STEM Ambassador Programme has grown tremendously since we started and we are very proud of the reach and positive effect our STEM Ambassadors have had on young people and teachers. Additional scope, specific to Scotland, can only improve the use of Ambassadors further and we look forward to the collated responses when the report is published in May.” Yvonne Baker, Chief Executive of the National STEM Learning Network, is understandably delighted about the positive impact shown in the Making an Impact report, she said: “STEM Ambassadors are a UK national treasure – an important and free-of-charge resource that benefits the young people, teachers, schools and other groups that they come into contact with.” She said. “Our new report shows they even benefit their own organisations, bringing new skills, experience and enthusiasm back into their workplace.”
To read the STEM Ambassador Impact Report in full, visit: www.stem.org.uk/rxa75f
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Get Connected Science Connects is the STEM LEARNING contract holder responsible for the co-ordination and management of the STEM Ambassador Programme in the West of Scotland. STEM LEARNING creates opportunities to inspire young people in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and operates a network of contract holders throughout the UK. There are 3 STEM LEARNING contract holders in Scotland who work collaboratively to promote and raise awareness of STEM Enhancement & Enrichment activity provision in Scotland. Contacts for these contract holders are:
WEST Aileen Hamilton Science Connects Room 229 Kelvin Building University of Glasgow Glasgow G12 8QQ Tel: 0141 330 6396 aileen.hamilton@glasgow.ac.uk www.scienceconnects.org.uk
NORTH OF SCOTLAND Liz Hodge STEM Ambassador Hub North of Scotland Aberdeen Science Centre 179 Constitution St, Aberdeen AB24 5TU Tel: 01224 640 340 stemambassadors@asc.scot aberdeensciencecentre.org
EAST Kevin McKeever STEM East Room F4, Carnegie Conference Centre Fife College Dunfermline Fife KY11 8DY Tel: 01383 59 123 ambassadors@fife.ac.uk www.stemeast.org.uk
Science Connects Room 229 Kelvin Building University of Glasgow G12 8QQ Tel: 0141 330 6396 stem-ambassadors@glasgow.ac.uk Aileen Hamilton Operations Manager aileen.hamilton@glasgow.ac.uk Lydia Nicol STEM Ambassador Coordinator STEM-Ambassadors@glasgow.ac.uk David McPhee STEM Communications david.mcphee@glasgow.ac.uk Laura-Alexandra Smith STEM Project Development laura-alexandra.smith@glasgow.ac.uk