This week we were delighted to welcome girls from across Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire secondary schools to The Wood Foundation Centre for Science and Technology at Robert Gordon’s College for a day of inspiring physics sessions.

Aimed to invigorate and inspire the next generation of female leaders in science, the pupils, alongside 21 of our S2 pupils attended a total of 8 workshops. 

Hosted in conjunction with partners of the Institute of Physics (Scotland), the sessions were delivered by the University of Aberdeen, University of Glasgow and University of Edinburgh as well as industry partners TechnipFMC, Royal Navy STEM team, TECHFEST and Aon. 

Mr McEwan, Principal Teacher of Physics, shared: “Young people are aware of the challenges that society faces today and how these affect their future and we need voices from all backgrounds to make informed choices that contribute to a more positive future. This event hopefully goes a little way to dispelling the misconception, based on prejudice or stereotypes, that girls can’t do physics or that they don’t fit in; they certainly can and do fit in! I was delighted to see so many girls enthused by the workshops, asking lots of questions and exploring what physics can do for them and their career options.”

Mrs Jappy, Head of Science, shared: “We were absolutely delighted to host this event and look forward to similar events in the future. We believe that engaging young minds in STEM activities is vital for success across so many sectors, in particular the energy industry which is increasingly diversifying.

“In this day and age, ensuring a balance within the workforce is vital and we were thrilled to play a role in engaging and encouraging girls to consider opportunities in Physics. There was a real energy from the pupils who enjoyed experiencing a wide range of hands-on workshops. 

“STEM at Robert Gordon’s starts at an early age and, through our 3-18 delivery of Science, our pupils are given every opportunity to explore, investigate and engage in activities that ignite an interest in STEM related subjects.”

Considered to be a leading school teaching facility in Science and Technology, and the largest in the UK, The Wood Foundation Centre for Science and Technology was officially opened by HRH The Princess Royal in February 2016 and awarded the 2017 Education Business School Building Award recognising excellence and investment in education.