SATROclub Extended Research Placements

This Summer, a cohort of students from all around Surrey will be participating in SATROclub Extended Work Placements at various companies and Universities including, The University of Surrey, Royal Holloway University, St George's Hospital Cardiology Unit, Card Geotechnics Ltd, Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd, KBC Advanced Technology Engineering and Jacobs Engineering.


SATRO organises these STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) placements to give students aged 16+ a chance to undertake a real STEM research project by working in a research environment for four weeks, after which they are inspired to pursue further study, and employment, in STEM.


Students who have participated in previous years benefitted hugely from the programme,


"The extended work placement gave me a valuable insight into what research in a STEM subject might be like, which helped me in considering career choices and the possibility of post graduate study."


"This placement has helped me become better equipped for life at university, allowing me to gain a much great appreciation of life as a science undergraduate. It gave me the chance to develop not only my subject knowledge but also my practical skills, study skills, time management and organisation."

For monthly updates with more opportunities like this, subscribe to SATROclub by emailing SATROclub@satro.org.uk  

Help Light a Spark!

“Enterprise means much more than just the ability to become an entrepreneur.  It is that quality that gives an individual a positive outlook, an ability to see the glass as half full rather than half empty, and is a valuable attribute for the whole of life.  It is a quality many bring with them on starting primary school but far too many leave secondary school without.”

Lord Young, Enterprise for All  (June 2014)

 

A new Government initiative to support schools by recruiting business volunteers to help with their enterprise and careers activities is currently being piloted around the country.   The Government have set up the Careers and Enterprise Company (www.careersandenterprise.co.uk) and asked Local Enterprise Partnerships to deliver on this project.  Enterprise M3 (www.enterprisem3.org.uk) covers the M3 corridor.

 

After a tendering exercise, SATRO (in partnership with the Basingstoke Consortium) have secured the contract from Enterprise M3.  In line with the initiative, SATRO have appointed an Enterprise Coordinator whose job it  will be to recruit volunteers from all areas of business. Those volunteers will aim to inspire and help young people, when they are looking at their futures.

 

SATRO are in the process of meeting with schools in Farnham and Waverley to see what they are currently doing and what they need help with - seeing where the gaps are if you like.  The feedback so far has been very positive.

 

The next piece in the jigsaw is to recruit those volunteers from local businesses - Enterprise Advisors (EAs) - to help support the schools' careers and enterprise activities, and that is what we are asking you to consider doing.

 

The model is for one EA to be linked to one school. He or she would be able to draw upon their local connections (and new ones made through the network) to help support individual schools’ specific needs. They would be supported by the Enterprise Coordinators: not just initially, but throughout.

 

What would it involve?  Well, that very much depends upon what would best help the individual schools.

 

Evidence shows that this kind of employer/business engagement produces positive outcomes not only for the young people involved, but also for the local economy. The benefits for business include: the opportunity to make new business contacts; positive local publicity; opportunities for their workforce to learn new skills by engaging with the schools; creating a motivated and able pool from which to recruit employees and meeting their social responsibility targets. 

 

Some of us were lucky enough when we were in school to encounter a person who somehow lit a spark and set us thinking about what we would like to do with our lives, we all remember them. So, if you think that you could help inspire young minds… help light a spark… and would like to know more, please email mo@satro.org.uk . 

 

 

Dr Griffith Pugh by guest blogger John Faulkner

When hiking in Britain's hilly regions you are advised to dress appropriately and always include in your pack, waterproofs and spare dry, warm clothes.  Seemingly obvious but the person who may have saved your life is an unsung hero from the conquest of Everest -  scientist Dr Griffith Pugh - the mountaineer who made it possible.

 

Until Everest was finally climbed, attempts had ended in tragic failure.  There seemed to be an impassable ceiling a thousand feet below it's 29,000' summit.  The Royal Geographical Society decided the 1953 expedition take a scientist, physiologist, Dr Griffith Pugh.  He had studied survival in inhospitable conditions, mostly by experiments on himself and field research. Studying endurance in freezing water he could be found at his lab in a bath of ice water recording body heat loss as he slipped into unconsciousness!  In the extremes of cold, exhaustion and altitude of the Himalayas he found ways to technically and physically prepare the expedition.  As a result, he designed new oxygen equipment, boots, clothing, down jackets, tents, cooking equipment and he insisted the team follow his strict instructions on diet, hydration, oxygen intake and hygiene for the 1953 assault.  His demands did not endear him to the expedition but not a single member suffered injury or ill health following their immense achievement.

 

Before the 1970s, hikers would regularly die in bad weather from 'exposure' in hilly regions. After a particular disaster during the 1964 Derbyshire Four Inns Challenge, where a group of exhausted young people had perished in wet and windy conditions, Griffith Pugh was invited to join the investigation. From having the deceased hikers kit worn and hiked in, he proved accidental hypothermia from their soaking clothes, an unexpected result. His comprehensive report to the Medical Commission contains our modern day advice to hikers.

 

Nowadays how to prepare for hiking and mountaineering is well documented but the science of Dr. Griffith Pugh, unsung hero of Mount Everest, is behind it.

 

You can see some more of his amazing life as a scientist from a Royal Society lecture given by his daughter Harriet Tuckey who uncovered and published untold his story almost lost to the history of science. See below.

 

 

http://royalsociety.tv/rsPlayer.aspx?presentationid=1150

The High Sheriff of Surrey 2016-17

Richard Whittington was installed as The High Sheriff of Surrey 2016-17 on Friday at Guildford Cathedral, with a commitment to helping young people into work.

 

Making his declaration of allegiance to the Queen to a congregation of civic dignitaries at the close of choral evensong, Richard Whittington of Chobham assumed an office that is at least 1,000 years old with its roots in Saxon England. It is the oldest continuous secular office under the crown.

 

Mr Whittington takes over from the 2015-16 High Sheriff, Elizabeth Kennedy. High Sheriffs are appointed by the Queen, and she pricked his name with a brass bodkin from a shortlist of three candidates.

 

His role is The Queen’s representative of the judiciary, and the office is unpaid, with each Sheriff covering his own expenses. Mr Whittington will support organisations that uphold law and order, including the courts, police, prisons, emergency service and voluntary bodies.

 

He is keenly interested in youth opportunities and will be working to promote openings to bring them into work through apprenticeships, internships and work experience, with particular focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

 

Mr Whittington previously worked for KPMG, where he was Partner-in-Charge of the Infrastructure, Government and Healthcare group and simultaneously Global Head of Building and Construction, based in London. He has lived in Surrey for over 30 years and is involved with the community in a number of areas including being a Governor of Gordon's School and non-executive director of The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Richard is Honorary Treasurer of the Community Foundation for Surrey and sits on the Finance and Investment Group.

‘Give it Away’ celebrates 10 years of fundraising with star-studded charity auction

Fourteen ‘money can’t buy’ lots up for grabs to support good causes across the UK


Lots include a tennis lesson from world number one doubles champion Jamie Murray, and a skiing experience with Olympic superstar Eddie ‘the Eagle’ Edwards


An online auction aiming to raise funds in support of six small charities across the UK launches today (18^th April 2016), to celebrate a decade of Give it Away, the unique fundraising brainchild of property developer and philanthropist Charlotte Grobien OBE.


Give it Away benefits children and young people by donating the profits of property developments to good causes. Through this work, and in just 10 years, Charlotte has raised and given away more than £1.6 million to 19 different charities.


To mark this fantastic milestone, Charlotte and Give it Away are aiming to raise more than £15,000 through a ‘money can’t buy’ online auction, the proceeds of which will be divided equally between the six charities she currently supports: Ambitious about Autism, Back Up, Eikon, SATRO, Small Steps and Whizz-Kidz.


With lots including two VIP tickets for a Chairman’s Club experience at a Manchester City home match, to a unique opportunity to see behind the scenes at Asprey in London, these once-in-a-lifetime experiences not only promise something for everyone, they also promise to make a huge difference to beneficiaries of the six charities across the UK.
                                                        
A great believer in building personal relationships with the causes she supports, Charlotte has always taken the time to get to know the charities, their teams and their beneficiaries personally to have the confidence of knowing that her donations will be spent in the right way, and encourages others to take a more active role in giving to charity.


Launching the auction, Charlotte Grobien OBE said “I see first-hand the incredible work my six chosen charities do to make a difference to people’s lives. Small charities in particular have limited resources and their impact to help change lives is often under threat because of funding “I feel very fortunate to have been given opportunities in my career that now enable me to support young people with physical and mental conditions by distributing the profits from my new property developments to these causes. “I regularly visit the charities I support and meet the young people and their families who benefit directly. It is incredibly inspiring and I am so glad that the hard work involved in building new houses actually results in changing other people’s lives for the better. “I believe we all have philanthropic instincts and I hope that this auction will help inspire everyone to go online and bid for an auction lot that money can’t buy – their bid really will help change a life!” 


The auction will run online at http://fundraising.bid/giveitaway/ from Monday 18^th April, and closes on Tuesday 3^rd May at 12 noon. 

#GiveItAwayAuction

  

 

Festival of Tulips - Dunsborough Park, Ripley

The Mayor of Guildford, Councillor Nikki Nelson-Smith invites you to afternoon tea and cakes at Dunsborough Park on Thursday 21st April, the second day of the Festival of Tulips, from 2pm-7pm.

This is a spectacular event and is not to be missed! 20,000 new bulbs have been planted and over 20,000 1 year-old bulbs replanted in grass to create a wild meadow.

Refreshments will be provided by Ockham Women's Institute in aid of the Mayor's chosen charity, SATRO.

Admission to gardens: adults £6, children FREE.

Dunsborough Park, Ripley, Woking, Surrey GU23 6AL

www.dunsboroughpark.com

email: office@sweerts.com

Twitter: @DunsboroughPark

SATRO PROBLEM SOLVING CHALLENGE 2016 - British Science Week 11th - 20th March

SATRO Problem Solving Challenge 2016

As part of British Science Week 2016, SATRO is holding the annual Problem Solving Challenge Grand Final on 17th March 2016. 

The well established SATRO Problem Solving Challenge is a competition for teams of six students in Key Stage groups 3-5 (years 7-13) and is open to all secondary schools in Surrey and the surrounding areas. The teams are set a problem to solve within a set time, using only the materials provided (anything from a marble to a piece of tin foil!). The winning teams are those in each key stage group who have been judged to have best met the criteria set out in the problem.

The culmination of the 2016 SATRO Problem Solving Challenge heats which took place around the county will be on Thursday 17^th March 2016. The two highest scoring teams from each of the 3 key stages at each heat will go up against each other at ACS Cobham International School to decide the 2016 victors.

This year’s Problem Solving Challenge has been kindly supported by Allianz, Give-It-Away, The Manly Trust, Frazer-Nash Consultancy, The Armourers and Brasiers Company and the Institution of Chemical Engineers. Their support has allowed SATRO to host 62 schools, reaching over 900 students; enabling them to develop their team working, problem solving and time management skills, as well as have fun whilst learning.

Students from our SATRO Problem Solving Challenge heats commented:

 “I learnt about teamwork and time management, as well as overcoming problems.”

“I learnt that trial and improvement is always the best solution. Not all things will work and it’s never too late to start again.”

"The best thing I learnt today was that more time is needed to be spent on planning because once you start making something it can be hard to change.”

How do I find a good Apprentice? Apprenticeships Week 14th - 18th March 2016

How do I find a good Apprentice?

The simple answer is to volunteer for SATRO! But why would that help you find a good Apprentice?

In July 2015, Minted Box began its first year-long apprenticeship with now 18-year-old Will Wright who left Ashcombe School in Dorking to learn more about something he is genuinely passionate about; Web Development. “As it happened, we found Will at a school event we were at,” says Minted Box Director Iain Bell.

This particular event involved Minted Box Head Developer James Alvarez-Buylla visiting Will’s school for ‘Career Speed Dating’. Students would sit in a big hall and business owners would rotate around, giving the students 5 minutes to guess what their job was and a further 5 minutes to talk and ask questions. “Everyone at school knew me as the guy who builds websites because I did it in my free time. So at the end of the event I got a card from James and I emailed him for advice, he turned around and offered an apprenticeship which turned out to be for the best!” said Will.

“Will was 17 at the time so we were keen not to encourage him to jump ship but we put the apprenticeship offer on the table if he wanted it and that really worked,” said Iain.
“The apprenticeship scheme is aimed at creating a rounded individual and it’s up to us as a company to make the whole environment and deal attractive enough as we've invested time into them. But Will is learning enough other things that he could take them elsewhere,” said Iain. For Will, the offer presented to him was perfect: “It turned out my AS grades were really bad. I failed my AS Levels but I was good at computers and I was good at websites, I just wasn't good in the academic sense.” “It really is different going straight from school and I stay in touch with some people from school and they are saying that A2s are really hard and I'm sitting here saying, I'm just having fun at work in a company whilst getting paid to do it.”

Minted Box really helped support Will as he knows he can ask whatever question comes up: “You can get what you need. You can get an answer that doesn't get tied up in an email chain somewhere. You just turn around and ask.”
“It’s quite cool that I'm actually involved in a big project and it's Vodafone! I was in school 2 months ago and now I'm working with Vodafone. Something is wrong here! Vodafone are a huge multi-national company, and it’s like. I'm building their website! So it's quite amazing.”

This apprenticeship has also allowed James to push Will out of his comfort zone: “I'm not a very talkative person and I wouldn't be doing the things I'm doing by myself. It's the fact that James is going: ‘Here, try this, try this.’ If I have James' approval I'm more than happy to give something a shot because he trusts me enough to do it and that's enough for me to think, ok I can do it then.”

If you are interested in volunteering for SATRO or getting involved in any of our events, contact us via contactus@satro.org.uk or visit our website for more information www.satro.org.uk

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

Who's Behind Your Fridge? By Dr Elaine Hickmott, EH Enterprises

Who’s Behind Your Fridge?

By Dr Elaine Hickmott, EH Enterprises

The first week of January 2016 saw people from across the globe gather for the Consumer Electronics Show® (CES2016) in Las Vegas.  Billed as the place to experience ‘mind-blowing technology and awe-inducing innovations’, CES2016 showcased products and services from established mega-brands and start-ups alike.

When we look at the gadgets, the technological advancements and all the glitz and glamour of CES2016 it’s easy to take everything at face value and not think about the people behind the innovations; those who turn ideas into the reliable products and services we use today and in the future.   These people come in many guises, come from an array of disciplines, have a range of responsibilities and... many are engineers.

Let’s consider three household mega-brands that took part in CES2016. Volkswagen showcasing a car combining electric mobility with the Internet of Things; LG exhibiting a prototype ‘foldable’ 18inch organic LED display; Bosch championing technology for smart and more efficient homes.  All showed different products which deliver different consumer value. 

To achieve, sustain and extend their mega-brand status these organisations need and employ a range of engineering talent.  Having done a quick internet search here is a small selection of the types of engineers they employ: 

Impressive or what?!  Engineering is part of our lives; engineers matter.  And it goes further.

Let’s explore now the world of the entrepreneur.  CES2016 also showcases hundreds of newer and start-up businesses.  Many of these organisations are the brainchild of... you’ve guessed it, engineers.  Take for example the following three CES2016 contributors:

DJI:  Founded by Frank Wang in 2006, DJI is market leader in easy-to-fly drones and aerial photography systems.  Frank originally studied electronics and computer engineering.

GoSun:  Founded by Patrick Sherwin in 2013, GoSun’s portable solar oven cooks meals quickly and is inspired by renewable energy solutions.  Patrick originally studied mechanical engineering.

Sevenhugs:  Founded by Simon Tchedikian in 2013, Sevenhugs’ hugOne product is designed to improve everyone’s sleep quality.  Simon originally studied electronics and electrical engineering.

Impressive or what?!  Engineering is the starting point for many entrepreneurs. 

Taking our day-to-day lives at face value without curiosity; being bombarded with information without context; making assumptions in isolation without speaking to others can drive a very narrow view of life and of engineering.  Especially for younger people who are starting out on their career adventure.  SATRO has been working tirelessly for years to address this by championing STEM and providing insights into work and the opportunities engineering can bring.  And 2016 is set to be another year full of STEM-tastic activities, events and initiatives like STEMalive! on the evening of 10 March 2016 in Guildford.

STEMalive! will bring together engineers and schools from across the south-east to join in an inspirational evening of STEM careers facts and fun.  We’ll be kicking off the evening with upbeat ‘ignite-style’ talks from engaging engineers including Keisha Smith, Principal Engineer at CGL and Phil Edwards, founder and MD of Weald Technology.  Then we’ll be straight into fast-paced career speed dating. 

STEMalive! is set to be a great evening and if you’re a sixth former who’d like to attend or an engineer who’d like to get involved with the career speed dating session please get in touch via contactus@satro.org.uk

'Ada Lovelace' by guest blogger John Faulkner

"We may say most aptly, that the Analytical Engine weaves algebraical patterns just as the Jacquard-loom weaves flowers and leaves."

This Ada Lovelace quote describes her belief that complicated logical problems could be solved by machine, just as the recently invented automatic loom could weave brocade cloth. 

In 1833, at the age of 17, gifted mathematician Ada became an associate of Charles Babbage the Cambridge University Lucasian Professor of mathematics. He named her The Enchantress of Numbers. Then, tables such as for navigation, were calculated by human 'computers'  but prone to mistakes. Babbage saw mechanical processing could eliminate error and started to design a machine called the Analytical Engine. Translating a Babbage lecture about the engine inspired Ada to produce the very first published computer program. This required a mathematical algorithm to be converted into the sequence of steps necessary for the engine to compute. The program formed a table for punched card instructions. The cards were to operate the engine and in this case produce Bernoulli numbers, for use by mathematicians. Ada proposed that beside numbers there would be no reason why machines could not work with symbols such as musical notes.

Born on 10th December 1815 Ada grew up during the Industrial Revolution. With a scientific upbringing she had a natural desire to find out as much as she could about the world of engineering. She was married to the Earl of Lovelace and lived in Horsley with her three children. At the age of only 36 she died of cancer but her legacy is computer programming which lives on with us every moment of the day in the modern world.

Ada was a visionary and here are some of her quotes:

"A new, a vast, and a powerful language is developed for the future use of analysis, in which to wield its truths so that these may become of more speedy and accurate practical application for the purposes of mankind than the means hitherto in our possession have rendered possible."

"The Analytical Engine might act upon other things besides number, were objects found whose mutual fundamental relations could be expressed by those of the abstract science of operations, and which should be also susceptible of adaptations to the action of the operating notation and mechanism of the engine… Supposing, for instance, that the fundamental relations of pitched sounds in the science of harmony and of musical composition were susceptible of such expression and adaptations, the engine might compose elaborate and scientific pieces of music of any degree of complexity or extent."

.....and here, much like a modern day spreadsheet, is the first published program:

There is an exhibition at the Science Museum until the end of March 2016 of Ada's life and work...

http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visitmuseum/Plan_your_visit/exhibitions/ada-lovelace.aspx

- John Faulkner, SATRO Volunteer

If you would like to find out more information and/or book tickets for the Ada Lovelace Evening taking place tomorrow in aid of SATRO follow this link. Alternatively call Guildford Tourist Information on 01483 444334

'Are there sufficient women in non-traditional roles today?' by guest blogger Keisha Smith

The Ada Lovelace Discussion on 10 December is titled ‘Are there sufficient women in non-traditional roles/careers today If not, why not?’

I’m mostly familiar with my field of STEM and engineering and based on current statistics, the answer to the first question seems to be no. The latest figures (August 2015[1]) for the UK suggest that women make up 14.4% of all people working in STEM occupations and 8.2% working as engineering professionals.

So why aren’t there more women? My recent 6 week secondment with WISE (Women in Science and Engineering) has helped me with this question. Even though girls continue to do out perform boys at GCSE/A-level STEM subject, many areas of research suggest that some girls still don’t see non traditional STEM careers or engineering for people like them and many aren’t progressing with the subject options, such as physics, that are required for the engineering profession. Although it’s about 50:50 at GCSE level for boy and girls doing physics, at A-level it approximately 80:20[2] and therefore this has a knock on effect in the work force.

Work force figures are also affected, not only by the limited number of women entering the profession, but also by retention issues whereby women leave the profession because of lack of progression/training due to the culture of some companies.

I believe that one of the actions we can do to increase the numbers in the workforce is to try and encourage girls, both at primary and secondary level, to see engineering as a career for them. As a STEM Ambassador I go into primary schools and show students (both boys and girls) what civil engineers do, the varied nature of engineering and the positive impact engineers have on shaping the society.

Working with organisations such as SATRO also helps in encouraging girls into engineering. The company I work for was recently involved in a SATRO programme where an A-level student was given the opportunity to undertake research based on an actual project. CGL provided the student a brief based on one of our major brownfield sites in London and during the 2 weeks with the company she gained an understanding of what ground engineering (both geotechnical and geoenvironmental aspects) is all about. I supervised this work placement and it was very encouraging to see the enthusiasm she had for engineering and she helped to show me that with the right encouragement more girls could be driven to consider a career in engineering.

---

[1] https://www.wisecampaign.org.uk/resources/2015/09/women-in-the-stem-workforce

[2] https://www.wisecampaign.org.uk/resources/2015/08/stem-a-level-and-gcse-statistics

- Keisha Smith

Giving Tuesday - why give? by guest blogger and SATRO Patron James Dubois

At a time when our minds are full of the recent horrific terrorist murders in Paris, it is perhaps good to focus on what we, personally, can do to help others. Rather than sit back and leave actions to others, we should consider what difference each of us could make to the lives and opportunities of those less fortunate than ourselves.

Material objects and hedonistic pleasures are but a fleeting pleasure: how much better to give to worthy causes with which we can identify. Whether it be £1, £100 or £1,000 – start with some gift, of any amount, to help others. It’s a good habit that rewards the donor as much as it enriches the recipient. Gifts freely donated will probably not change your standard of life, but they may make a big difference to those who need the funds.

Are you ready to make a habit of giving and, in the process, enrich your own life?

- James Dubois, SATRO Patron

If you would like to give to SATRO you can do so by texting SATR11 to 70070 or visit our website to find out how else you can support us. 

HOWARD RAILTON TO BECOME NEW CHAIRMAN OF TRUSTEES FOR SATRO

SATRO, the Guildford based education charity, is delighted to announce the appointment of Howard Railton as the new Chairman of Trustees

Dr Beccy Bowden CEO of SATRO has announced that Howard Railton has been appointed as the new SATRO Chairman of Trustees. In addition, Dr Bowden is delighted that the outgoing Chairman, James Dubois, will join Jon Tickle and Dr Matt Perkins of e2v as Patrons of SATRO.

Dr Beccy Bowden commented, ‘I am delighted that Howard has agreed to take on the role of SATRO Chairman as we enter our fourth decade of inspiring young people about their future careers.  I know that our cause is one he feels passionately about. I am also very pleased that James will remain an active supporter by joining our Patrons and taking the lead on our fundraising activities. The last few years have seen the need for inspirational programmes for young people grow and grow – whilst the funding climate has been tough for all small charities. Without the hard work, dedication and active support of our Trustees and Patrons we would not be able to continue to grow and develop and we are indebted to them for everything they do for us’.

In June 2014, Howard Railton retired as Director of Projects for Air Products’ Global Engineering Organisation, Europe. Whilst there he was providing Organisational Management, Safety and Leadership consultancy and worked with various organisations to promote a greater interest in education and jobs in science and engineering in the UK.  Howard graduated from Bristol University with an Honours Degree in Mechanical Engineering and he is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.  He is a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Scientific Instrument Makers who are devoted to promoting science and engineering in the City of London.

Mr Railton, Chairman of Trustees added “It is a great honour to be asked to take on this role.  James has done a fantastic job and I hope that I can continue the momentum he has created.  Enabling young people from all backgrounds to achieve their very best potential is a wonderful part of SATRO’s role.  Inspiring them with a passion for science, technology, engineering and mathematics is key to meeting a critical and worsening national skills shortage in those areas.”

Our new Patron, James Dubois initially worked with Beccy for three years as her Coach/Mentor during which time he helped her to shape the Board of Trustees to be fit to compete in a new world of Charity competitiveness. Beccy suggested that James might like to tackle the role of Chairman, which is a role he undertook with relish for three years. During that time, he oversaw SATRO’s biggest challenge - the survival of SATRO which had just lost all its central State funding (almost half total income).

Due to the generosity of various funders and the careful financial skills of the Trustee Board the financial deficit has steadily reduced. The published results for the year ended March 2015 showed a surplus which was a major achievement.

Over the period of James’ tenure, he has met many students who have had the benefit of being awakened and inspired by our staff and volunteers which confirm the vital work SATRO does.  James thanks all the staff and the Trustees for their many and varied contributions he believes that if we can give something back to the community then that is only as it should be.

James hopes to concentrate as a SATRO Patron on the role of liaising with major donors to keep them informed and in-touch, continuing to donate generously of their time and money whilst also spreading the word to their wider networks of additional potential financial supporters.

James is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, and qualified in 1968 with top insolvency firm, Cork Gully.  In 2012, 40 years in public practice, he retired as Managing Partner of Body Dubois, a firm of Chartered Accountants specialising in different aspects of wealth creation, working mainly with owner-operated companies, professional partnerships and divisions of multi-nationals providing high levels of service on a personal basis.  He continues to work with the Firm as a Consultant.  He continues to serve as a Director or Consultant to various Companies and also some Pension Trustee Boards. Until 2011 he ran a Footdown Coaching/Mentoring Group for Chief Executives and Business Owners assisting them to improve their business and personal performance, involving Group mentoring issues as well as one-to-one personal coaching.  James has served as Chairman of Trustees since 2013 until 2015.  

Guest blogger Charlotte Grobien OBE of Give it Away on 'Giving to charities'

Give it Away was formed with the sole purpose of trying to make profits from the property market in order to support a variety of Charities. Since its beginning in 2006, I have built 8 new houses and supported over 12 different Charities.  Building houses is not traditionally a work place where you find an abundance of women but I often think that with a feminine approach to the detail of how a house needs to be finished (and on time) in order to make a good sale, it is an area well suited to us!

In terms of choosing which Charities could benefit from these donations I took a similarly detailed approach.  By researching those who supported children with multiple physical and mental challenges in homes where finance was strained together with finding concerns who mentored young people out of difficulty to face a better future, I formed the basis for Give it Away. Donations are made to “projects” and because I choose the smaller Charities working locally I am able to see exactly how these monies make a difference to many families.

I am a firm believer in trying to create career opportunities for young people and to develop skills and interests they may not know they had so that they are less likely to face a crisis in their formative years.  SATRO do this at a time when there is considerable need for young people to focus on technology and innovation giving them practical experience in a range of related subjects they may never have considered exploring . If this happens to include more young girls taking an interest in non-traditional career roles so much the better – I have not found it a problem!

If I could exhort more people in their middle years to use their valuable experience and resources to “earn” money or offer “time” to help young people find a better future, I will have achieved something!

- Charlotte Grobien, OBE

Charlotte Grobien OBE visits SATRO Mobile Classroom at Woodlands School

GIVE-IT-AWAY to make a difference!

A real example of social entrepreneurship

Surrey-based charity SATRO is delighted to announce that Charlotte Grobien OBE, a unique and very special social entrepreneur, has stepped up to the challenge of changing young people’s lives by supporting our programmes to inspire them about their future careers.

Charlotte visited Woodlands School on 1^st October 2015 to see the SATRO Mobile Classroom in action accompanied by SATRO Chairman, James Dubois and Fundraiser, Lucy Miguda.  Charlotte has very kindly sponsored this very special activity for the students for this academic year, the students were delighted to present her with a bird box they had made during their sessions with the SATRO Mobile Classroom.

Charlotte Grobien, said “I loved the visit to Woodlands.  Such a lovely school in all respects: beautiful grounds and buildings with dedicated staff and happy children.  It is a pleasure to help them with funding for the SATRO Mobile Classroom”

During the course the students have also made planters which so impressed Charlotte that she has commissioned the students to make two for her next project in Woking.  The students are thrilled with this opportunity to showcase and sell their work; for Charlotte this is real social entrepreneurship!

Charlotte runs Give-it-Away which is unique in how it raises money for charity – it builds  houses, sells them and then gives the profits to charities that fit with Charlotte’s charitable interests.  Charlotte supports small, local charities who work with vulnerable children and young people who have disabilities, learning problems, difficult home backgrounds and where there is also financial deprivation. 

Gill Lloyd, Teacher at Woodlands School commented “The students look forward to working with the tutor from SATRO each week and are very proud of their new skills and of the useful items that they make”.

Woodlands is in Leatherhead and is a school for children aged 2–19 with a range of difficulties including severe learning difficulties and complex needs. The SATRO Mobile Classroom will be teaching the schools 6^th Form Students construction skills to enable them to extend, enhance and learn new manual skills.

The school have appreciated the benefit of the SATRO offer which gives the students opportunities to develop their awareness of safety, how to follow instructions, learn new and different vocabulary, work as part of a team or in a group, learn to take turns and work independently. The SATRO Mobile Construction Classroom is very exciting for the students; and provides them with different stimulation and the opportunity to learn by doing which suits the learning style of many of the students. The school very much appreciates that this opportunity would not be available to us without the financial support of the “Give it Away” Charity or the expertise of Surrey SATRO. 

ADA LOVELACE DAY

The 13^th October is Ada Lovelace Day which is an international celebration of the achievements of women in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).  She was a Guildford resident and is credited with creating the first computer programmer and this year it is 200 years since she was born.

History of Ada Lovelace

She was born Ada Gordon in 1815, sole child of the brief and tempestuous marriage of the poet George Gordon, Lord Byron, and his mathematics-loving wife Annabella Milbanke.  Fearing that Ada would inherit her father’s volatile ‘poetic’ temperament, her mother raised her under a strict regimen of science, logic, and mathematics. Ada herself from childhood had a fascination with machines– designing fanciful boats and steam flying machines, and pouring over the diagrams of the new inventions of the Industrial Revolution that filled the scientific magazines of the time.  She spent her childhood at what is now Horsley Towers, Horsley, Surrey.

At the age of 19 she was married to an aristocrat, William King; when King was made Earl of Lovelace in 1838 his wife became Lady Ada King, Countess of Lovelace.  She had three children.  In 1833, Lovelace’s mentor, the scientist and polymath Mary Sommerville, introduced her to Charles Babbage, the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics who had already attained considerable celebrity for his visionary and perpetually unfinished plans for gigantic clockwork calculating machines. Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace both had somewhat unconventional personalities and became close and lifelong friends. Babbage described her as “that Enchantress who has thrown her magical spell around the most abstract of Sciences and has grasped it with a force which few masculine intellects could have exerted over it,” or an another occasion, as “The Enchantress of Numbers”.

Lovelace was deeply intrigued by Babbage’s plans for a tremendously complicated device he called the ‘Analytical Engine’, which was to combine the array of adding gears of his earlier Difference Engine with an elaborate punchcard operating system. It was never built, but the design had all the essential elements of a modern computer.

In 1842 Lovelace translated a short article describing the Analytical Engine by the Italian mathematician Luigi Menabrea, for publication in England. Babbage asked her to expand the article, “as she understood the machine so well”. The final article is over three times the length of the original and contains several early ‘computer programs,’ as well as striking observations on the potential uses of the machine, including the manipulation of symbols and creation of music. Although Babbage and his assistants had sketched out programs for his engine before, Lovelace’s are the most elaborate and complete, and the first to be published; so she is often referred to as “the first computer programmer”. 

The Analytical Engine remained a vision,  until Lovelace’s notes became one of the most critical documents to inspire Alan Turing’s work on the first modern computers in the 1940s.

ALAN FOSTER, MCLAREN AUTOMOTIVE OPERATIONS DIRECTOR NEW TRUSTEE OF SATRO

SATRO, the Guildford based educational charity, is delighted to announce the appointment of Alan Foster, McLaren Automotive Operations Director as new Trustee

Dr Beccy Bowden CEO of SATRO has announced that Alan Foster has been appointed as a SATRO Trustee.  Dr Bowden said, “We are delighted that Alan has joined the Board of SATRO – I know that his wealth of business experience will be a huge benefit to us in continuing to grow and develop our organisation. The Trustees of a small charity are very much unsung heroes – we truly could not have survived in recent years without our hard-working and knowledgeable Board."

Alan Foster commented, “Having not excelled at school and chosen an apprenticeship route, I have an affinity with SATROs vision. I was influenced by a couple of business leaders when I was young and now find myself in a position where I can hopefully light a blazing passion in people, so that they too can be supported to fulfil their true potential. I bring enthusiasm, professional business knowledge and lots of practical expertise to SATRO that will support the broad spectrum team in many aspects of their pioneering work.”

Alan Foster’s career has spanned 39-years in the international automotive manufacturing industry, with over 20 years in management, executive and board positions. The last eleven years he has been with McLaren as their Operations Director. McLaren Automotive are manufacturers of some of the world’s most advanced, fastest and most expensive high performance cars.

Alan also acts as a Brand Ambassador for McLaren Automotive and regularly hosts internal events; expanding the global awareness of the brand through interviews and videos. Alan says, “The simplistic elegance of the manufacturing systems deployed within McLaren has been referred to as “genius”. The philosophy is constructed around simple visual controls and metrics, people systems and engagement.”

Before McLaren, Alan who started as a Press Tool making Apprentice, went on to work in engineering, management and executive roles at Ford Motor Company, Toyota UK at Burnaston, and from 1997 to 2005, for General Motors in the UK, Germany and in Switzerland, where he was their Lean Consulting Group manager. Alan supplemented his work career with academic qualifications, attaining a 1st class Honours Degree in Manufacturing from Liverpool and an MBA from Cranfield. He was recently acknowledged by The Manufacturer publication as one to the Top 100 most influential people in the UK Manufacturing industry. He also holds Advisory Board positions with Liverpool Superport and ICON Aircraft.