STEMWorks Engages Young Minds at Igniting Futures Event

On Thursday, April 18th, 2024, STEMWorks participated in the Igniting Futures event in Carterton. The event, tailored for children from military families, aimed to provide support and guidance on accessing higher education, including university and degree apprenticeships. Recognising the under-representation of children from forces families in higher education, STEMWorks took the opportunity to empower these young minds.

The highlight of the event was a hands-on workshop where students from years 9 and 10, representing five different schools from Oxfordshire, engaged in building wind turbines. The task involved designing and constructing turbine blades and determining the optimal angle to harness maximum power from the wind. Throughout the workshop, about 60 enthusiastic 13-15-year-olds dove into the challenge.

Initially, groups of three students managed a consistent output of approximately 0.5 volts. However, as they tinkered and experimented, incremental improvements were made. By the end of the hour-and-a-half workshop, the triumphant team from Carterton Community College achieved an impressive voltage of 4.8 volts. While not sufficient to power a home or charge your phone, this hands-on activity gave them a practical understanding of how wind turbines utilise nature to generate electricity for households.

Following an engaging lunch break, students had the chance to interact with engineers from various fields, gaining insights into their careers and journeys. This opportunity allowed the young participants to explore the diverse avenues within the realm of engineering and understand the pathways to pursuing such professions.

Giving our young people all the information they need to be able to access their goal is key so the got the opportunity to learn about the different pathways and options available to pursue STEM in higher education.

The event served as a platform for young individuals to apply their problem-solving skills collaboratively in an engineering context. Witnessing the students' enthusiasm and determination to achieve a shared goal was a testament to the efficacy of practical, interactive learning experiences in igniting curiosity and passion for STEM fields.

STEMWorks remains committed to fostering a generation of innovative thinkers and problem solvers, empowering young minds to envision and create a brighter future through science, technology, engineering, and maths.