DNA, the human brain and upcycling textiles were on the agenda at this year’s Girls into STEAM event

Squeals of excitement could be heard around Avenue Campus on Wednesday 8 February as the University of Northampton hosted over 120 young girls for a series of fun and interactive workshops designed to inspire and motivate them into all things science.

The annual Girls Into STEAM event saw children aged seven and eight from 15 schools across the county taking part in a series of workshops throughout the day which concentrate on the key subjects; Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths.

The workshops were led by University lecturers, students and industry representatives and included topics, such as exploring the human brain, boat building, floating and sinking, how DNA is locked up in a strawberry, drawing with light, experiencing leather and what upcycling textiles actually means.

Linda Davis-Sinclair, Schools Engagement Lead at the University of Northampton, commented: “This annual event coincides with the celebration of International Girls into Science Day and is all about getting young girls inspired by the STEAM subjects.

“The girls were excited and eager to learn, engaging in all of their workshops and asking great questions such as ‘why isn’t all plastic recyclable?’ and ‘how do we know it is that old?’ which was fantastic to hear.  The workshops were delivered by our University academics, industry partners such as Nissan, Canal and River Trust and Atomic Science and our own student STEAM Changemakers were on hand all day to help and support the girls and their teachers.

“This type of event is the perfect opportunity for our student ambassadors to develop vital employability skills. They were certainly challenged with organising and shepherding over 100 children between three different buildings to 12 different workshops, but the teachers told us they had been able to answer any questions and supported the children throughout the day.”

Janice Mardell, Headteacher at Overstone Primary, said: “Our Year Three girls very much enjoyed the Girls into STEAM event and came back to school extremely excited about their day as they were so inspired by it.

“I have also had several parents who have approached me to say how much their child enjoyed the event and how much they taught their parents when they got home.”

The event was part of a bigger initiative to raise aspiration amongst young people across Northamptonshire.

The schools taking part were Stanwick Primary, Boothville Primary, St Luke’s CE Primary, Cogenhoe Primary, St Mary’s Catholic Primary, Upton Meadows Primary, Kislingbury Primary, Abbey Primary, Weedon Bec Primary, Eastfield Academy, Bridgewater Primary, Flore Primary, Wilby CEVA Primary, Vernon Terrace Primary and Overstone Primary.