Girls Project makes a Big Bang in Manchester

The 'Engineering - Girls Can Do It Too!' girls from Dean Valley and Macclesfield High School

Macclesfield College Principal Wendy Wright OBE (left) joins Parkroyal girls and Programme Manager Kay Lees (right) on the exhibition stand

Michaela From Siemens and the Dean Valley girls

Local school girls taking part in the 'Engineering - Girls Can Do It Too!' project have been showcasing what they've been up to with a stand at 'The Big Bang' Science and Engineering Fair in Manchester recently.

The girls from Dean Valley Primary School, Parkroyal Primary School, Macclesfield High and Tytherington High had the opportunity to visit the UK's biggest Science and Engineering Fair and also spread the word about the Project, which is led by Macclesfield College.

Whilst 'manning' the stand, the girls talked to other students about their adventures on the Project, including industry visits to Siemens, BAE Systems and Airbus and going to the House of Commons.

The girls visited many of the stands at Manchester Central, including Siemens where they saw a 4D baby scanner, gained hands-on experience on a flight simulator from The University of Manchester, talked to 'Brains' the BAE Systems interactive robot and worked with Airbus apprentices' on airflow. The girls also had the exciting opportunity to take part in the TV shows Brainiac and Bang Goes The Theory which were filmed live at the exhibition.

Hannah, from Macclesfield High School was thrilled with the experience and said "I don't want the day to end, it's so exciting being here" and Kymara from Parkroyal Primary said "When I arrived I was surprised by the size of the fair and the number of people but once I got used to it I really enjoyed it and learnt a lot."

The Engineering - Girls Can Do it Too!' project is in its second year with the aim of encouraging girls and young women to look at science and engineering as a career. Kay Lees, Programme Manager, was delighted with the interest in the Project, saying "we had a lot of interest from young woman and organisations who are keen to join the Project, and the young men I chatted to are supportive that Girls Can Do It Too!".

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The Project is hoping to expand to other parts of the North West in the future. More details can be found on the 'Engineering - Girls Can Do It Too!' page.

23/03/2010