On the 14th of June, the School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering hosted an IET Openhouse event where we opened our doors to the public to showcase the exciting world of STEM.
The Engineering Open House Week is a constituent part of the Engineer a Better World campaign by the IET (The Institution of Engineering and Technology), aiming to inspire children to explore the captivating realm of STEM and explore the wide range of innovative and rewarding professions available in modern engineering.
This was a wonderful experience! We should have more events like this more frequently for kids to ignite their minds! My 8-year-old loved the event and he loves science a lot!
The event was tailored for children aged 5-13 and their parents / guardians, and we lined up three exciting and interactive activities for them to engage with. The NFI (Nuclear Futures Institute) gave a tour of their brand-new laboratory facilities, and also had some hands-on demos for children to interact with, including Lego Mindstorms and outreach equipment on loan to the NFI from Magnox, and the DSP Centre (Digital Signal Processing Centre) had the participants build their own torches and learn about Morse code, and then sent an encrypted Morse code message down an optical fibre for others to decrypt. Finally, Technocamps had them battle it out as code breaking teams to solve a number of mind-bending clues in order to open a box before other teams, or before their time ran out.
We also had a NAO6 robot walking about, and the children loved interacting and talking to him! They also enjoyed the Sphero balls rolling around that our students were demonstrating.
Dr Daniel Roberts, the schools outreach officer and organiser of the event said,
It was a pleasure to welcome so many aspiring young minds to the department to participate in some exciting activities to inspire them to continue into STEM related subjects in the future. By welcoming these aspiring Engineers and Scientists, we’re encouraging them to pursue their passions and laying the foundations for what is possible in a scientific discipline.
Dr Roger Giddings, Deputy Operation Director of the Digital Signal Processing Centre (DSP) and leader of their event said,
Being able to open our doors to not only the public, but to a young audience to inspire the future generation of Engineers, was a fantastic opportunity. By introducing young minds to the captivating world of fiber optics and giving them some glimpses into how the internet works, we aimed to ignite a spark of curiosity and inspiration, empowering them to embrace the wonders of communication technologies.
Showing young scientists through the captivating brand-new Nuclear Futures Institute laboratory, and engaging them in hands-on demos is a transformative experience that sparks a passion for discovery and fuels their imagination. By immersing them in the realm of science and technology, we empower the next generation of innovators to dream big, ask bold questions, and turn their ideas into reality.
This was an excellent event, clearly presented and allowing adequate time for questions. The presenters were enthusiastic, and this was very inspirational to the young audience.
Thank you very much for opening your doors. The field is new to us and had no idea what to expect, but please keep opening your doors! It was a lot of fun, and well done for keeping my 7-year-olds interest for the entirety!