Royal Navy promotes STEM at Big Bang @ Solent

Above: Maisie Magnunn, Tia Welsh and Commander Sophie Shaughnessy.
Courtesy Royal Navy

The event, which was held at the Hilton Ageas Bowl, offered 750 youngsters aged 11-16 the opportunity to explore many of the different career options that are available across the industry.

Guests were greeted upon arrival by a variety of interactive outdoor displays, which included a Lynx helicopter from the Defence College of Technical Training’s (DCTT) Royal Naval Air Engineering and Survival Equipment School.

Above: Petty Officer Jo Rooke with Caleb Thorne.
Courtesy Royal Navy

Inside the exhibition students got to explore many STEM activities, with the Royal Navy’s own Year of Engineering themed stalls proving particularly popular. STEM Ambassadors from the Royal Navy University Technical Colleges team were spread out throughout with multiple establishments providing support and representation.

Junior Marine Engineering Officers, who are about to start the Systems Engineering Management Course for Marine engineers at Sultan, manned an Aircraft Carrier coding challenge involving spherical robots about the size of cricket balls that contained motors, a gyro and led lights which were coded using iPads to communicate with them via Bluetooth, to simulate take off and landings of Merlin Helicopters and F-35s.

Above: Chief Petty Officer Andy Hampson with Sophie Majewski, Ellie Bulpitt and Amelia Armstrong.
Courtesy Royal Navy

Royal Naval Engineering Officer Career Manager, Commander Sophie Shaughnessy, who was formerly the Executive Officer at HMS Sultan, helped to man an interactive model of a Gas Turbine Engine to teach students about how design and maintenance can combine to improve an engine’s efficiency.

On other RN stalls students enjoyed learning about festo pneumatics test rigs that demonstrate how the landing gear on an aircraft work, interactions with robots Jack and Jenny, 3D printing and opportunities to discuss all the STEM related areas of employment within the RN.

Above: Cdr Shaughnessy with Year 9 students, Josh, Jared, George and Myles.
Courtesy Royal Navy

Cdr Shaughnessy said: “Events like this are particularly important, not just for a career within the within the Royal Navy, but for getting young people to become enthused by STEM and to see the whole range of opportunities that are open to them.”

“The Royal Navy is powered by a tremendous array of technology and we need all of our future generation of engineers to be inspired by coming and seeing the whole range of IT and technology that we have.“

“For me, inspiring the girls is really what I’m here for. The boys will gravitate towards technology and machines but getting the girls to engage with these sorts of subjects and careers is so important as we’re going to need tremendously talented and technology wise and educated women.”