School teams from Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire attended The University of Aberdeen to take part in the Go4SET initiative for 2014/15, designed to stimulate the interest of young people in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
The teams of six S2 pupils (12-14 year old) were given a selection of projects to choose to work on, all environmentally themed, participated in workshops on problem solving, project management and teamwork skills in order to fully prepare them for the 10 week STEM experience. They were also introduced to their industry mentors from Balfour Beatty, Centrica, ConocoPhillips, Intertek and Langstane Housing, who will support during the project and arrange for them to visit their companies.
The school teams from Harlaw Academy, Kemnay Academy, Northfield Academy, St Machar Academy and Torry Academy. The project outcomes will be assessed at a celebration event in December where the teams are required to display and present their solutions to guests and will also be interviewed by a panel of experienced assessors drawn from a variety of areas in the field of STEM.
Professor Dubravka Pokrajac opened the launch day and welcomed the pupils to the University of Aberdeen. She said: “The University is delighted to support Go4SET and the Engineering Development Trust in this exciting project. Working with schools and industry to engage and inspire young people to get involved in finding solutions to the challenges facing the world they are inheriting is very much a key role for the University of Aberdeen.
Go4SET is a national programme, which is part of the EDT’s continuum of programmes aimed at stimulating the interest of young people in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) at a key stage in their education.
Duncan McSporran EDT Scotland Director said: “Go4SET encourages young pupils of today to be the engineers and scientists of tomorrow”.
