A researcher from this department took part in the Cambridge East STEM Day in February where more than 800 girl guides came along to explore science.
Kellie Jenkinson, who has just finished her PhD with the Wheatley Group, and is currently a postdoc in the Ringe Group, was one of several University researchers who ran activities and gave talks at the event. It was aimed at sparking the girls' curiosity and fostering their interest in STEM subjects.
She was invited to take part by the student organisation Girls in STEM, which hopes to inspire women of all backgrounds in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. And they would love to hear from more researchers who could volunteer their time in this way.
Kellie says: “The day was challenging because the girls were younger than I had originally thought – more from primary rather than secondary school. So all the time I was talking, I had to think about explaining my research in plain English, using words that they could understand and relate to.
"But it was good to see lots of girls there, ready to find out about a life in science, and I enjoyed talking to them. They were younger, but still understood what atoms were. One little lady answered me perfectly about how atoms are the most important thing ever because it LITERALLY makes up everything in the whole entire world. She couldn't be more right."
"We're currently recruiting volunteers to take part in outreach events, career panels, workshops, and more," says Gates Cambridge Scholar Gabrielle Mills, one of the Girls in STEM organisers.
To find out more about for Girls in STEM Cambridge, email girlsinstem.cambridge@gmail.com or visit their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/cu.girlsinstem/