PICTURES: SmartSTEMs and UHI Moray join forces to provide STEM workshops for 250 Moray pupils
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AROUND 250 local children have taken part in fun, interactive sessions to develop their love of STEM subjects.
The sessions were part of a week long STEM focused event run in collaboration between UHI Moray and Scottish charity SmartSTEMs with the aim of inspiring more pupils to choose Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths subjects in school.
SmartSTEMs travels across the country to host workshops with local schools to encourage pupils to become more passionate about STEM.
Workshops ran by UHI Moray took place on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday before SmartSTEMs spent two days on Thursday and Friday with pupils. Monday's focus was on the "World in Space," featuring a science skills academy where students constructed LEGO satellites and learned about space satellites.
On Tuesday, secondary pupils took part in a LEGO League competition where they coded model LEGO machines to navigate tracks and perform tasks. The winning team from Keith Grammar will now attend a national competition, where they will compete against teams from across the country.
Sam Bright UHI Moray's Head of Curriculum for STEM said: "We have had a great week of STEM activities for primary secondary and teachers with lots of events taking place to inspire them into STEM. All these workshops are great for pupils to do fun, creative and interactive science."
Thursday's event featured workshops led by experts from various fields, including the Navy, Forestry and Land Scotland, the RAF, Morgan Sindall, and Make It Happen and the event's sponsor SSEN Transmissions. During the workshops, pupils operated virtual submarines, felled trees with a virtual replica, learned how wind turbines work and designed an App.
Susan Stewart, Pupil Support Assistant at East End Primary said: "The kids have just absolutely loved it, they are so engaged and interested in it all and it's really lovely to see. We are really grateful for the opportunity to come along to something like this, all of the people in the workshops have been really good and explained things in a way that they are able to understand, they are all really learning a lot."
Emma Bodiam, Programme Manager at SmartSTEMs said: "Over the course of two incredible days, our SmartSTEMs event for local young people was an unforgettable journey of exploration and hands-on learning! With workshops led by experts from the Navy, Forestry and Land Scotland, RAF, Morgan Sindall, Make It Happen and Morgan Sindal, the excitement was palpable as participants delved into the fascinating realms of science, technology, engineering, and math.
"We would like to say a massive thank you to our sponsors, SSEN Transmissions for their support and hosting multiple workshops. A huge shoutout to our fantastic hosts at UHI Moray for providing the perfect backdrop for this enriching experience!"
