Almost 300 school and college pupils from across London explored the world of science through hands-on demonstrations at St Mary’s University, London as part of British Science Week.
The event took place at the University’s Twickenham campus, where academics and St Mary’s students delivered 16 interactive science demonstrations designed to showcase the wide range of careers and disciplines within science.
The demonstrations covered psychology, nutrition, sport and exercise science, computer science, physiotherapy and strength and conditioning, giving pupils the opportunity to see how broad modern science is, and inspire young adults to consider a science pathway – particularly girls and students from black and minority ethnic backgrounds who are under-represented in the field.
Activities throughout the day included psychology demonstrations exploring visual illusions and the human senses, sports physiology testing, virtual reality technology, sports nutrition investigations, and artificial intelligence and robotics demonstrations.
British Science Week is a celebration of science, technology, designed to smash stereotypes with the aim of encouraging young people from all backgrounds to see themselves as scientists.
Academics from across the university will be leading the demonstrations alongside current St Mary’s students, giving visiting pupils the opportunity to speak directly with people studying and working in scientific fields.
Dr Ammi King, Head of Allied Health and Life Sciences at St Mary’s University, said: “Science plays a role in so many aspects of our lives – from understanding mental health and human behaviour to improving athletic performance and developing new technologies. British Science Week is a fantastic opportunity to show young people that science is not just one subject, but a wide range of exciting areas they could explore in the future.”