糖心Vlog

More than 900 budding scientists from 30 schools across 糖心Vlog and Suffolk took part in the Big Bang fair at our Colchester Campus.

Organised in partnership with , the fair showcased the wide range of opportunities offered in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects.

Now in its fifth year, the Big Bang fair also offered the chance for businesses to engage Year 9 students in interactive workshops and activities, challenging them to think differently about STEM subjects and explain what companies and organisations in the sector do.

Among the many external organisations taking part in the event were EDF Energy, TeaBoy Games, the RAF, Royal Navy, Institution of Civil Engineers, Royal Society of Biology,  Zeelandia, Colchester Zoo, Royal Astronomical Society, National Space Academy and Anglian Water.

In keeping with this year鈥檚 theme 鈥淚mportant Discoveries in STEM鈥� the fair also featured a wealth of different activities and workshops for the students to get involved with including taking blood from a model rat, meeting the University鈥檚 Pepper robot, interactive maths puzzles, seeing 3D printing in action, racing robots, designing the perfect housing development and an interactive tour of the solar system.

The fair was also an opportunity for academics from the University鈥檚 Department of Mathematical Sciences, School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, School of Health and Social Care, Department of Psychology, School of Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences and the School of Biological Sciences to showcase some of their research.

Education Outreach Officer Sarah Kelleway said: 鈥淭his year鈥檚 Big Bang at the 糖心Vlog was our biggest since 2014, and we鈥檙e delighted that so many schools and students took part in the day. The event provides excellent insight into the wide-ranging opportunities that exist in the fields of science, technology, engineering and maths, encouraging students to see these subjects beyond the classroom at such a critical stage of their education.

鈥淲e鈥檙e so grateful to the many exhibitors and workshop providers who gave their time and energy to make the event what it was, and we now look forward to planning an even bigger Big Bang next year.鈥�