28 May 2013

Costain is helping to organise an event in Whitehaven that aims to spark an interest in science, technology, engineering and maths for school children in the West Cumbria area.

The event is being held at Whitehaven Harbour on Friday June 21 and is being organised by Costain, National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) and Sellafield Ltd. Over 720 school children are expected to visit the Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) event, which is taking place just before the annual Whitehaven Festival and with the support of the Whitehaven Festival Company.

Local schools have been invited to take part in the STEM Festival which includes a talk and demonstration hosted by Costain in the 200-seat education theatre, wacky science demonstrations by NNL, an array of fun activities organised by Sellafield and a visit around the tall ships and Navy vessels. Steve Mould, a comedian and television science presenter, will be there with a stage show that covers physics, chemistry and psychology all wrapped up in dramatic experiments.

The promotion of STEM will continue over the weekend (Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 June), allowing Festival-goers to watch the creation of oddly shaped bubbles, wonder at the many 'cool' uses of nitrogen and be amazed at a show full of flashes and bangs, all inside the Samuel Lindow Foundation tent on Whitehaven Harbour.

Members of The Royal Society of Chemistry, the Institute of Physics and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers will join fellow STEM enthusiasts from Costain, Atkins, NMP and Sellafield Ltd, as well as from the National Nuclear Laboratory, guiding a constant stream of small hands and inquisitive minds through experiments to show how much fun science is.

Luke Richardson, Community Relations Manager for Costain, said: “The aim of the Whitehaven STEM is to promote careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.  These subjects are really important for the development of Britain's Energy Coast Master plan. I’m really pleased that Costain has sponsored the appearance of Steve Mould as special guest. We also have a lot of staff who will be supporting the event through our Costain Volunteering policy which is great news. The event will be proof of what can be done when companies come together and share resources.”

Rory O’Neil, Director of Stakeholder Relations for Sellafield, added: “The Whitehaven Festival is a fantastic event and we are delighted to be getting our STEM ambassadors involved in it. Sellafield Ltd will be working in partnership with NNL and Costain to support the Whitehaven STEM Festival by inviting students along to their STEM Marquee. The Marquee will be packed with all manner of challenging hands-on activities for all ages. Our STEM ambassadors will assist students as well as providing support in the NNL tent with the delivery of their science shows.”

 

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