Project Report
| Mar 6, 2018
Mission report
Overall students they were very happy with the mission to Mars event, they felt challenged, and enjoyed learning more practical aspects of science outside of the classroom.
90% of them felt either agreed or strongly agreed that the session was fun and they really enjoyed the blood analysis. The only comments were that they would have wanted more time for the final activity but that is inevitable.
WHAT HAS BEEN GOING ON?
Our Junior Genius cohort have been getting to know each other more throughout the beginning of the year especially during this February half term where they had the chance to interact and bond as a group.
We were hosted at Imperial College, where Professor Rankin and her team organized a masterclass titled “The Future of Biomedicine”. The Year 10s were introduced to the world of biomedicine and the evolution of medicine reaching from stem cell research to the use of alternative materials in transplants.
According to the feedback 99% of the young people either agreed or strongly agreed that the session was interesting, 85% of them thought that the quality of the teaching was excellent and 92% of them thought that the content was appropriate for them.
Thursday we were off to conquer Mars along with Thinkers in Education at Brunel University. The entire day was staged as a game; 5 groups, 5 nations to be the first to arrive and thrive on Mars. This activity not only engaged them instantly, but challenged their critical thinking, teamwork, time management skills and a range of scientific theories. Thinkers in Education run these workshops around the world and not only for young people, but also in corporate settings to identify individuals that are outstanding. We are proud to say that our winning team that day broke the record that was set by students throughout the UK, Singapore and Australia since 2009!
According to Feedback: 90% of them felt either agreed or strongly agreed that the session was fun
Queen Mary University hosted us on our final half term day for a Masterclass on ‘Wearable Technology’. The challenge was to code a microcomputer called Bella using raw data, think like entrepreneurs and design a product that can help physiotherapy patients complete and count their prescribed exercises.
According to feedback: 90% of them felt they learn things that they would not have learnt in the classroom, it was a brand new topic.
Thanks to our partners at SThree, five of our Uni Jenius year 13s have been awarded a scholarship for their undergraduate degrees. They will be granted £2,000 per year throughout their three or four year courses. They were awarded the scholarship not only because of their outstanding grades, but also for their passion for the STEM sector and the potential we saw in them to achieve great things.
We congratulate Louis, Rada, Mariatu, Gloria and Arron!
Some of Year 12s have completed their work experience in February and we are working hard with our partners to ensure that every one of them will get an experience that will reflect their interests and career goals. Samuel, Year 12 has written a great blog about his experience at Department for Transport
y Samuel Omiye (Uni Genius- Y12)
What do you picture when you hear “Government Department”? Well I pictured a cluster of grey 4-sided cubicles and people typing at desks to fix traffic jams. Well boy was I wrong.
My first point of contact was Martin (HR) who warmly welcomed me to DfT and briefly gave an overview of the advancements in technology that we quite often take for granted (Were it not for engineers you wouldn’t be reading this blog post with the convenience of your computer/mobile). My second host, David (Leader of Innovation Team) introduced us to the rest of the department and informed us of the great developments in transport awaiting us in the not too distant future, and what DfT was doing to stay ahead of the curve. Such novel forms of transport include: Hyperloop; Drones; Automated cars; and Flying vehicles. To be on the cusp of achieving what only existed in Sci-Fi movies, the future does look exciting doesn’t it? On Thursday I was treated to a “Futures Workshop” at the fancy high class Amba Hotel, where some staff members were being trained to identify emerging modes of transport and how they will affect the world.
At the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) I learned about the intriguing research on making energy cleaner. There are experts with various credentials and PhDs working on the development of wind farms, solar panels, and nuclear energy. I was awestruck to discover that the government had a goal of 0, yes 0 carbon emissions by 2050. This monolithic aim explained the atmosphere of urgency and focus that I experienced. Throughout the week I found that most individuals at DfT and BEIS were not driven by money or personal gain but rather the betterment of society as a whole.
Approximately 2 million engineers will be required by 2025 to satisfy growing demands, and unfortunately this is not likely to be met due to a lack of advertising and profession promotion. However, the government is trying to cure this with: “The Year of Engineering”. As of Jan 1st, 2018 has been dubbed as the year of engineering, in which the government (in alliance with private companies) holds educational workshops that encourage passionate children to pursue careers in STEM.
In conclusion, I was very grateful and privileged that Generating Genius organised a work placement at The Department for Transport and gain an insight into what the government have planned and the future they are carefully preparing us for. This experience has fuelled my desire to be an engineer, something that Mr Robinson said not only encouraged the generation ahead of me, but also the one behind me; seeing the flames of innovation pass down and cultivate drives them to continue inspiring.
Dear reader, you too can help solve this skills shortage by sharing this information with others and inspiring them to take up a STEM subject.
WHATS NEXT?
We are continuing our partnership with Latymer Upper School that provides curriculum masterclasses for our Year 10s on March 10 for Maths, and in April for Chemistry.
Junior Genius will also have the chance to meet our GG Alumni Gagan Khurana that is now working at Kilburn & Strode. They will be providing us with an insight day at their new offices exploring the world of intellectual property and the future obstacles that will be faced in privacy law.
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