STEM subjects brought to life through series of masterclasses

Co-ordinated by Hartlepool Borough Council and delivered by local industry experts from Hart Biologicals, Newcastle University and EDF Energy, the six-week series of masterclasses offer interactive, extracurricular sessions on a range of subjects for young people aged 13 and 14.

During the first session, students looked at how energy powers movement in cars, building their own vehicles out of connective materials to see how far they would travel in a combined distance challenge.

Future sessions will cover the use of electronics in assistive devices and prosthetics, bridge building, blood clotting and gearbox design and testing.

Adrian Brown, Hartlepool Borough Council’s Senior Advisory Consultant (STEM), said: “We are really pleased with how engaged and hard-working the students were during the first session in this year’s STEM masterclass series.

“It is vital that we give our young people the opportunity to interact with science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects in an interesting, hands-on way so they are fully able to benefit from the learning.

“These sessions also help to give the future workforce the chance to interact with high-level professionals from the STEM sectors, giving them the opportunity to find out more about what doors a career in STEM could open.”