On Wednesday 13 November, the University’s Faculty of Science and Engineering’s outreach team welcomed local secondary schools on to campus to celebrate National Engineering Day – this year’s theme was role models. Working in partnership with Manchester United Foundation, the team provided engaging workshops to 44 12- and 13-year-old girls, with the aim of raising awareness and visibility of women in engineering and inspire young learners into STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).

Engaging individuals

The day featured two hands-on workshops led by student societies.

First up, the Women in Science and Engineering Society (WISE) delivered a workshop on the experiences of women in engineering, with statistic-based evidence and examples of inspiring individuals in the field. They then explored aerospace engineering by supporting the pupils to construct and test paper rockets.

The second session was led by the Volunteering Outreach in Science and Engineering (VOISE) Society. This session explored civil engineering by having the pupils develop cantilevers from craft supplies. The pupils tested whether they had applied the right structural properties to their designs by loading the models with weights. We were pleased to see all the structures made it through the testing phase!

Impact and Success

It was brilliant to see the enthusiasm and engagement from the pupils throughout the event.  One pupil mentioned: “I loved how freeing it was and how we were left to do what we felt would work instead of being told we had to do things in a certain way” while another added: “I learnt that STEM isn’t just about sitting in a dark room, typing!” Huge thanks to all the students who volunteered their time to be role models.