|
|
Leading Space Experts Gather to Inspire Young Minds
Leading science and engineering experts from major
organisations, including BAE Systems, EADS Astrium and Surrey Satellites
are coming together on 5 October to meet students from across the South
West, hoping to inspire young minds to take up science as a future career.
More than 70 students will be joining the event, representing schools from
across the South West region including, Worcestershire, Gloucester,
Torquay and Swindon.
This special theme day, ‘Engineering for the Future’, is organised by
At-Bristol science centre as part of their week-long World Space Week
celebration.
This effort is applauded by the national Science and Technology Facilities
Council and according to Gareth James, Schools Manager from the council
“Scientists and engineers perform a wide range of exciting and vital
roles. Getting students face to face with real people performing these
jobs is a great way to inspire them to follow science at school. Space in
particular is a fantastic subject for engaging students with physics,
which has seen a fall in numbers in recent years.”
“That’s what we aim to achieve in At-Bristol, bridging the divide between
scientists and the public. It is through such personal meetings with
scientists in an interactive environment that can really inspire students
to consider science or engineering as a career.” Says Katy McDonald,
Learning Officer, At-Bristol.
These organisations, which have been instrumental in producing some of the
world’s most cutting-edge technologies, will be showcasing some of their
leading innovations to engage and impress the visiting students.
Among these inventions is the ‘Shadow Dextrous Hand’. This robotic hand is
designed to have the same level of sensitivity and to reproduce similar
movements with precision as a human hand. It can do exactly what any human
hand can do - picking up an egg, giving a massage and even playing a game
of scissor, paper, stone!
The Shadow Robot company is behind this invention and this product is
being adopted by NASA to inspire their creation of the humanoid robot,
Robonaut.
This event also offers students the chance to meet the smart and dynamic
‘Bridget’.
Bridget is a Mars rover device that is developed to be part of the ExoMars
space mission. Currently a prototype, the rover will land on Mars in 2011
to test the Martian surface for the chemical signs of life, including
amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. The machine is cleverly
manufacturered to negotiate the red planet's notoriously punishing
terrain. It can cope with a 30-degree incline and its suspension allows it
to roll over 30cm-high rocks.
The participation from the manufacturer, EADS Astrium, has certainly made
the once-in-a-lifetime chance possible for these students to try their
hands on manning this intelligent machine before it embarks on its
perilous journey.
For press enquiries:
Mavis Choong, At-Bristol
0117 915 7152 / 0796 733 4152 /
mavis.choong@at-bristol.org.uk
Notes to Editors:
1. This year’s World Space Week celebration is a pivotal
one as it coincides with the 50th anniversary of Sputnik, the world’s
first artificial satellite. At-Bristol has organised a series of
activities for schools as well as the public, and this also include a
special Meet the Expert session with Professor Colin Pillinger, the
scientist behind Beagle 2.
Colin Pillinger is meeting the public at 2pm - 3pm on 6th October in
Explore-At-Bristol. Entry is free with a ticket to the science centre.
World Space Week is from 4 - 10 October.
2. At-Bristol is a leading science centre in the UK and a major player in
the worldwide science centre movement. It aims to be a world-class science
centre that makes distinctive, valued and recognised contributions to
informal science learning and public engagement with science across
Europe. A registered charity, At-Bristol has hosted more than three
million visits and continually strives towards making science accessible
to all.
3. The Science and Technology Facilities Council funds UK space science,
including the UK subscription to the Aurora programme, which will land a
rover on Mars as part of the ExoMars mission.
|
