Sustainability News
Sellafield Ltd supports National Science and Engineering Week
Sellafield Ltd threw its support behind a three day Young Scientists and Engineers fair aimed at raising the profile of science and engineering careers amongst UK schoolchildren.
‘Big Bang’, which took place at the Manchester Central Convention Complex, rounded off this year’s National Science and Engineering week.
Sellafield Ltd was one of three major sponsors of the Big Bang, a free, annual event spearheaded by Sir Anthony Cleaver, Chair of Engineering-UK and Sir Tom McKillop, President of the Science Council.
Big Bang 2010 showcased the many and varied exciting science and engineering careers on offer to 22,500 children, teachers and parents from across the UK.
Featuring the National Science and Engineering competition, the fair aimed to celebrate the achievement and excellence of young people, while educating, enthusing and inspiring them into following STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subjects and future career options.
Sellafield Ltd provided and funded a team of 15 multi-discipline STEM graduates from across its sites in Cumbria and Cheshire to put together an interactive display area and workshop for the event, led by project manager Vicky Harold.
Vicky said: “Our vision was to create a fun, lively, memorable experience for all visitors who passed through our exhibition stand. It was our mission that each visitor left with a desire to discover more about the nuclear industry”.
The interactive stand consisted of activities intended to provide an insight into different processes and challenges faced at Sellafield.
Activities included a ‘mock barrier’ for visitors to pass over and try on PVC suits and protective equipment, a hand-held remote control crane challenge, a glovebox, a table of experiments that, when combined, demonstrated the nuclear fuel cycle and a remote handler activity to name just a few.
Hundreds of pupils from schools from across Cumbria attended the inspirational event, including a group of 35 year nine pupils from Whitehaven School and pupils from St. Benedict’s RC High School in Whitehaven and the West Lakes Academy in Egremont.
