On 27 April, the Schools of Physics and Astronomy, Materials and Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering organised a day of inspiring activities for young girls to mark Bring your Daughter to Work Week – part of the WISE campaign for gender balance in science, technology and engineering.

Academics and PSS staff from the three Schools their brought daughters to work with them for the day. 45 girls from Years 5 and 6 from Gee Cross Primary School in Hyde and Armitage Primary School in Ardwick, a widening participation school, also came along to find out what scientists and engineers at The University of Manchester get up to.

The day aimed to give the young girls attending relatable female role models in STEM to look up to and to excite them about future study and work in science and engineering. The activities on offer meant the attendees had the chance to get hands-on through fun experiments and to try solving problems with creative ideas.

The daughters and schoolchildren were first tasked with looking at replica dinosaur fossils for signs of how the creatures evolved. The second activity was inspired by the game Angry Birds; it challenged the girls to build a wind turbine out of paper that could carry the eggs to safety.

Female scientists and engineers from the Faculty answered the many questions that the girls had. Teachers who came with the schoolchildren commented that the girls were more confident in asking their questions about science and engineering without their male counterparts there. Despite the perception reported by many girls of this age that science and engineering ‘isn’t for them’, spending time learning from these female role models will hopefully demonstrate to these young girls that a future in this area is an exciting option for them.

Read the full blog on the Bring your Daughter to Work Day event on the Science and Engineering Hub.