STEMFest

On Thursday 21st November, RHS hosted its first ever BIG BANG @ School event 'STEMFEST'.

The afternoon, supported by The Royal Academy of Engineering Connecting STEM Teachers Programme, brought together 21 leading organisations in STEM alongside some spectacular and explosive Royal Institution Science Shows, Army Careers Talks and Rapid Electronics Education Team delivering coding sessions to Year 5 and 6 using Codey Rocky Robots. Thirteen schools from across Essex and Suffolk with pupils ranging from Year 5 through to Year 13 came along to engage with the day and RHS saw over 1,100 students through its doors on what was a phenomenal event. The day finished with a keynote lecture from Tom Pratt, an RHS alumni (St Vincent, 1998) Google's Chrome Operating Lead in the UK talking about the evolution of technology and demands for the future with STEM technology (of ALL aspects in life) that may not even exist yet!

As well as the array of stickers and freebies, students of all ages came away from the event with a real buzz for STEM ambition and what it could offer them. The engagement from the exhibitors provided them with an interactive exposure that has captured their prospective ideals for their future.

The Royal Institution Science Shows across the afternoon saw Dan Plane sizzle some gherkins, electrify Barbie and test the strengths of magnets in a superb delivery from Dan Plane on Feel the Power. The Codey Rocky workshops equally impressed the youthful minds of our younger students testing out their games with Chris Calver from Rapid Electronics Education team.

The event was "simply awesome" and "just WOW" and "spectacular" according to some of the students. A fantastic opportunity for all here at RHS.