SATRO Maths Challenge 2016

SATRO hosted its annual Maths Challenge across two dates at George Abbot School, Guildford on 25^th February and 3^rd March 2016. This after-school event is aimed at sixth form students from schools around Surrey and neighbouring counties, and challenges them to tackle mathematical problems, including concepts taught at A-Level, as well as ideas which the students might expect to meet should they continue to study maths at degree level.

In addition to the Challenge element, the students were treated to talks from staff at Unum on how studying maths at university can be an excellent choice for a career, explaining that there is far more to maths than meets the eye!

The event was sponsored by Unum, Ernest Cook Trust, Surrey County Councillor Keith Taylor and The Community Foundation for Surrey in partnership with Electronic Arts. Susan Sanderson, spokesperson for Unum, had this to say:

“It was an honour to be asked to support SATRO with their annual Maths Challenge for the third year running.  Education and supporting the development of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) and employability skills of young people within our local communities is a core element of Unum’s Corporate Social Responsibility programme. Our actuaries really enjoyed the opportunity to speak to the students about their journey from University to Unum and we hope their presentation gave them some valuable insights into where a degree in maths could take them.”

 

The highest scoring teams from the two evenings were the Sutton Grammar School for Boys, Sutton and Tiffin School, Kingston.

83% of students who attended the event said they were more interested in studying maths at a high level as a result of participating; 93% said they had increased their understanding of how maths might be useful in a career. 

Less than 20% of students continue the study of mathematics beyond the age of 16. This comes at a time when findings from the Economic & Social Research Council report that at age 14 students today have less mathematical understanding than in the 1970s.

STEMalive! Inspirational speaker - Stefanie Kohl, Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd

STEMalive! events are a collaboration between educational charity, SATRO and Dr Elaine Hickmott of EH Enterprises. The events are designed to bring together STEM professionals and students in Years 11, 12 & 13 in a supportive environment to have cool conversations and be inspired by real career stories and insights in science, technology, engineering and maths. 

The next event is taking place on Thursday 10th March at St Peter's School, Guildford. We already have four STEM speakers confirmed! Over the last few weeks, we have been blogging a short bio for each of our speakers. 

Up last, but certainly not least, is Stefanie Kohl!

Stefanie Kohl

Systems Engineer

Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd

Stefanie did her A-Levels in Physics and Mathematics and, following a gap year, she enrolled in a 5-year Mechanical Engineering course at the TU Dresden in Germany. She later specialised in space systems engineering and did various internships and student exchanges in Germany, Sweden and Holland.

After finishing university with ‘Diplom Ingenieur’ (equivalent to a ‘Masters’ degree) she went to Holland to work for the European Space Agency as a young graduate. There she worked in the Concurrent Design Facility on feasibility studies for future missions. After this 15-month placement she accepted a job as systems engineer at SSTL in Guildford, where she has been working for five years.

Stefanie is currently the lead systems engineer of a three satellite constellation which was launched in July 2015. She has worked on the project from the beginning to hand over to the customer which was a unique and amazing opportunity.

SSTL Website:                                http://www.sstl.co.uk/

SSTL on Twitter:                            @SurreySat

Stefanie on LinkedIn:                    https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefanie-kohl-56060625

STEMalive! is FREE for schools to attend – Contact Lisa@satro.org.uk

Engineers share your knowledge and experience with us – Contact jules@satro.org.uk

SATRO'S STEMX EVENT PROGRAMME - SUMMER TERM 2015

Over the next four weeks, SATRO will be delivering 15 events in various local schools, to over 1,200 students. By delivering these events, we aim to provide young people with a glimpse into the working world at every stage in their education. Our programmes reach young people from their early school years, to their final years in education. Over the next four weeks we will be delivering exciting hands-on science lessons, practical lessons in building and construction, company challenges, business games, careers events and much more. We do this to enable young people to raise their aspirations, identify their skills and passions and reach their potential. 

SATRO is thrilled that one of our Mega-Structures events is being supported by ExxonMobil. We will also be receiving support from many other companies, such as New Malden Rotary, Willmott Dixon, P&G, The Royal Navy, Pirbright Institute and Minted Box - to name just a few, who have offered their time to come and volunteer at our events. The value of volunteers facilitating our events is huge. Individuals offer young people exciting access to the world of work in a wide variety of different situations. Without the support of local companies we simply would not be able to deliver our events. 

If you or your company are interested in supporting us, please visit our website www.satro.org.uk or email contactus@satro.org.uk 

Science in Primary Schools - Lucy Miguda

John Cridland, Director-General of the CBI recently said “How can we expect to inspire future generations of scientists and engineers if we don’t deliver high-quality and inspiring science lessons at primary school age?  If we are not careful, too many children will have lost interest in science before they reach their teens”.  SATRO is able to help teachers of whom over half say that primary science in schools is being squeezed out and that many teachers feel it is not a priority subject and many schools struggling to teach the recommended two hours per week.

Last year we worked with over 15,000 young people aged from 5 – 18 by delivering our inspirational hands on challenging and diverse programmes in schools.  Our programmes range from Fun Maths, Business Games, Career Speed Dating to ICT programming which are all delivered in an age appropriate manner utilising our 650 professional volunteers many of whom are from the science, technology, engineering and maths business sectors.

If you would like to know more about the programmes we run please contact lucy@satro.org.uk for more information.

SATRO's Top Ten STEM Resource Websites #BritishScienceWeek

Here at SATRO we are celebrating British Science Week! http://www.britishscienceweek.org/

We have listed our Top 10 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) Resource websites – take a look and dive in to a world of discovery

1.  The British Science Association have FREE packs full of science and engineering hands-on activities and projects which are available to download all year round http://www.britishscienceassociation.org/ Each year, over 32,000 CREST Awards are undertaken by 11-to-19-year-olds, giving them opportunities to explore real-world STEM projects in an exciting way. http://www.britishscienceassociation.org/crest-award

2. Want to set up a STEM Club at your school? Check out  http://www.stemclubs.net/

3.  Visit the latest Bee Scene newsletter from the Wild About Plants team designed for teachers, educators and those working with 4-11 year olds.

4. Science and Plants for Schools (SAPS) creates opportunities for teachers and students to find out more about plants and to become more interested in plant science.  SAPS believe that young people should understand the importance of plants in the world and be aware of the relevance of plant science to modern life.

5.  The Society of Biology has launched a new higher education teaching website

6.  The Science Museum has launched Futurecade, a suite of four online games which engage students with current and future applications of science, technology and engineering through gameplay and powerful questions

7.  In the Zone is the Wellcome Trust’s major initiative inspired by London’s 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. It provides a fun, FREE and fascinating way of using science to discover how our bodies work during sport activity, movement and rest. 

8. The James Dyson Foundation wants to excite young people about design and engineering, demystify the design process, and encourage creativity.  Whether you are a teacher or a student, their resources will give you an insight into the process of making something that works.

9. Easily create Apps for your Android Phone, Tablet or Smart Watch using JavaScript. Control devices such as Lego Mindstorms, Espruino and Arduino! For more information click here 

10. The ‘Changing Futures’ website has been launched - developed by teenagers for teenagers - exploring cystic fibrosis (CF) and gene therapy.

Little BIG Awards – new website

The 12 schools currently involved in Cisco’s Little BIG awards will soon be able to use this new website set up by Cisco. It explains what the awards are. And for the schools it will be the place to find support materials and details of key dates and submission requirements. They will also be able to upload their submissions and presentations for Cisco direct to the website.  Take a look. https://www.littlebigawards.co.uk

SCHOOLS OUT!

We have now had our last event of this academic year. However - there is no time to put our feet up and relax, as it's time to replenish all resources and restock for next year. We have already taken many bookings for the next academic year including numerous Business Games, Discovery Science Workshops and Careers Speed Dating Workshops. We also have a couple of events happening over the Summer Holidays. The Three Peaks Challenge, a sponsored walk, is taking place in August and our very own Dani Longhurst and Lisa Dimbylow will be facing the challenge amongst a group of others, any sponsorships would be very welcome!! We also will begin preparations for our Fundraising Concert that is happening on Saturday 18th October. For more details about any of these events please visit our website. Don't forget to keep checking our blog, Twitter & Facebook pages for updates and information. We hope you all have a lovely summer!