Girls get a chance to 'discover science'
As part of the Discover Science Saturday Club for Girls - a joint project between Âé¶¹Íø and Careers Wales – 25 girls opted to spend their Saturdays finding out more about science, engineering and technology in an informative and fun environment.
The Year 9 pupils from 10 schools from Gwynedd, Conwy and Ynys Môn visited the University for various workshops over five weeks – with the aim being to encourage the girls to continue with STEM subjects in the future.
“The girls took part in a range of activities and experiences - all aimed at showing them the range of courses and careers that exist within science,“ said Manon Owain, Access Officer at Âé¶¹Íø.
“The feedback at the end of the programme showed that all the girls had really enjoyed learning more about science – and that many of them were so enthused and motivated by what they’d done that they were keen to continue studying science in the future.â€
Ffiona Williams, Senior Manager for Careers Wales, said “We know that we need more young people to continue studying Science subjects beyond GCSE and A level and that individuals who do so are increasing their job prospects for the future. Girls are under-represented in Science related careers generally and the Discover Science programme broadens their career thinking beyond the traditional science occupations.â€
The workshops held at Âé¶¹Íø were: Light up your life with electronic fashion (School of Electronic Engineering); Exploring plants inside & out (School of Biological Sciences); Shells: beautiful jewellery or amazing animals? (School of Ocean Sciences); A Wild Life Crime Who-dunnit? (School of Biological Sciences); and It’s never a bore on the rocky shore! (School of Ocean Sciences).
The final Saturday included a site visit to Electric Mountain and Dinorwig Power Station in Llanberis, where the girls met with female engineers to hear about their career paths and experiences.
Publication date: 25 February 2013