Education / Science fair makes welcome return
STAFF from the Glasgow Science Centre are in the isles to take part in the revived Shetland Science Fair, which is happening for the first time since 2009.
The ‘On Tour’ team from Glasgow Science Centre will be running interactive exhibit sessions for schools at the fair which is taking place on Tuesday and Wednesday this week.
In ‘Fit Lab’, pupils can explore their endurance, power, agility, speed and coordination through a range of interactive exhibits.
Meanwhile in ‘Powering the Future’, pupils will get hands on with exhibits that explore how we can produce electricity and fuels and how we can be smarter with our use of energy.
Pupils at the science fair will also get to take part in Glasgow Science Centre’s space junk workshop and explore the opportunities of Scotland’s growing space industry.
The return of the Shetland Science Fair has been made possible through community benefit funding from Shetland Aerogenerators, the company behind the Burradale windfarm.
NorthLink Ferries are also supporting this year’s fair by providing subsidised transport to Shetland for participating groups.
Glasgow Science Centre’s involvement in the science fair is the latest collaboration in a wider partnership between the organisation and Shetland.
Funded by Edina Trust, two teams from Glasgow Science Centre spent a fortnight on Shetland in January 2023 visiting schools to deliver their ‘Bodyworks’ workshop.
The team also returned in April the same year to visit the harder to reach schools in Burravoe, Mid Yell, Baltasound, Whalsay and Foula.
In July last year the science centre crew also put on exhibits at the Tall Ships Races in Lerwick.
Shetland Aerogenerators project manager and Shetland Science Fair organiser Andi Grochowski said: “We are grateful for the contribution of all of our knowledge delivery partners.
“It’s great to be able to bring these opportunities to some secondary classes when they might have otherwise missed out on this enhanced learning. We look forward to seeing how this first year goes.”
Fiona Davies, science learning manager at Glasgow Science Centre, added: “At Glasgow Science Centre, we believe that every child should have the opportunity to engage with STEM in a way that sparks their curiosity and opens doors to further education and future careers.
“We’re delighted to have been asked to participate in the Shetland Science Fair and to get the chance to work with teachers and pupils across Shetland to deliver a selection of our innovative workshops and Learning Labs, and further strengthen our relationships within Scotland’s national STEM education community.”
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