Earlier this month, 11 Year 9 students were lucky enough to take part in the SATRO STEMfest at ACS International School in Cobham, where we participated in some great STEM sessions organised by the welcoming staff. The purpose of the event was to introduce and promote different industries to young people who have an interest in working in STEM.

We were able to visit many different stands and learn about the latest technologies and the various aspects of jobs, in all different parts of the world. It was fascinating to hear about how CNOOC International Energy were developing ways to store carbon underground – a process called ‘carbon capture’ and how Artificial Intelligence is used to guess words from pictures. We were able to interact with computers, build electric circuits, programme robots and build our own bridges out of paper to balance weights on. I was most interested in the robots and circuits, which were amusing to programme.

We also learned about wind turbines for renewable energy and hi-tech products made from recyclable materials. Finally, we really enjoyed exploring the concept of STEM and innovation behind highway construction during an interactive talk, as not many girls in our group knew much about it. The whole day was very educational, and if I got the amazing opportunity to go again I would!

Reeya, Year 9