Angry Birds, robots and delta wing aircrafts: outreach round-up March 2024

Outreach Social responsibility 5th April 2024

Believe it or not, we’re now a quarter of the way through the new year. Winter has come to a close, Spring is slowly emerging, and daylight savings brought us an extra hour of daylight (or one less in bed, whichever way you see it).  

Over the long Bank Holiday weekend, we’ve been reflecting on yet another successful month of outreach events from the Faculty. Our Social Responsibility team are always working hard to connect with the local community through school-outreach initiatives! Their goal is to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers from targeted schools across the Northwest.  

The team enlist the help of academics and students alike to spread the message of inclusive and inspiring STEM. From the Women in Engineering Society (WES) and Engineering Volunteering Outreach Society (EVO), to the aptly named Giant Foamboard Aircraft Society (GFA), our student body enthusiastically contribute to engaging the city’s younger communities.  

Working in partnership with the Manchester United Foundation and Medlock Primary School, March was a month packed-full of outreach days. Over the course of four events, hundreds of 10–15 year olds were invited to gain experience, enhance their knowledge, and ignite a life-long interest in STEM.

Here are March’s outreach efforts in review!  

Inspiring Inclusion with Girls in STEM  

7 March  

What better way to engage with engineering than making Angry Bird catapults? Exactly. With a focus on aerospace and civil engineering, International Women’s Day (IWD) saw the team task 63 Year 8 girls with activities promoting teamwork, ambition, and independent logic.  

The day wasn’t just a celebration of women in engineering. The workshops aimed to also encourage a sense of belonging between pupils and STEM-related subjects. 

The initiative was well-received, with students attending from across seven schools in Manchester. One pupil remarked, “I enjoyed the event because it was inspiring [to hear] the university students [share] their career, life, and field. I learnt that you should never give up, you should try your best, and do beyond your standards. [You should also] make everyone proud and make your name shine.”

Celebrating 30 Years of British Science Week  

13 March 

The next event took place a week later, mirroring a similar aerospace and civil engineering focus (complete with paper rockets and Angry Bird catapults, of course). This time, 46 Year 8 pupils from across 5 schools were celebrating British Science Week.

Collaboration, innovation, and creativity were consistent themes throughout the day, as pupils were introduced to different concepts of engineering and other student experiences. One pupil from the event “enjoyed the fact that the activities were very hands-on” while another “loved the teamwork activity and working with students from other schools.”  

Building a Giant Foamboard Aircraft… in One Day  

20 March  

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s actually a Giant Foamboard Aircraft. One of several at the University, in fact.  

To the excitement of 23 Year 9 and 10 students, they were tasked with building a structurally efficient Delta Wing aircraft, assisted by the University’s Giant Foamboard Aircraft student society. The activity offered a unique and hands-on insight into STEM, and the students managed to construct the entire model in just one day! It also created an environment for pupils to chat with society members about their engineering experiences. 

The pupils really appreciated the creativity and teamwork involved. One student said, “I enjoyed working together as a team to make the plane, and I really loved how they taught us step-by-step which was helpful. They made us feel as if we were a part of [their team] which I really loved.” 

Another student said, “The creativity in everyone was so nice. We were doing most of the things together,” later commenting on the team’s kindness, helping nature and overall team spirit.  

On-Campus Learning for Local Primary Schools  

28 March  

The last event was especially local to the university, with 28 Year 6 pupils from Medlock Primary School learning about maths and computer science. It was their first time seeing the University, which included access to the impressive facilities on offer in Engineering Building A and B.  

Not only does this enhance the knowledge of STEM in a different environment, but it supports the learning and development of local schools. One student said, “My favourite parts was practising driving [the] robots, and decorating and making the kaleidoscope,” while another remarked they “learnt a lot [including] an interesting fact [that] owls fly silently.”  

Special thanks to all the University staff involved in this month’s run of outreach events: Daniel Koning, Professor Bill Crowther, Ahmadreza Farrokhnia, Dr Anastasia Kisil, Dr Alejandra Vicente Colmenares, Yifan Xu and Diana Benjumea Hernandez. 

Lauren Teasdale is our Outreach and Events Administrator in the Social Responsibility team and is eager to hear from anyone interested in getting involved with outreach events! Contact her via email: lauren.teasdale@manchester.ac.uk  

british science weekcommunityInternational Women's Dayoutreachsocial responsibilitySTEMwomen in STEM