23 February 2012
News Categories
Business
Financial
Food and Drink
Healthcare
Manufacturing
Property
Shopping
Technology
24 March 2011
Northwich pupils discover science can be explosive fun in hands-on workshop
Pupils at a Northwich school have been discovering the fun side of science by creating their own erupting volcano in a hands-on workshop run by a scientist from biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.
Children from Rudheath Community Primary School have been taking part in weekly workshops led by Anna Parsons, a process engineer for AstraZeneca. The workshops are designed to enhance the young pupils’ understanding of science and spark an early interest in the subject.
In the final workshop, the group of Year 2 pupils used common kitchen ingredients to investigate a chemical reaction, before getting the chance to use their results to make their model volcano erupt in the most impressive way possible.
Sarah Jeffery, assistant head teacher, said: “It’s great that our pupils are able to learn about the fun side of science from an AstraZeneca scientist who has a real passion for the subject.
“The children respond fantastically to Anna’s enthusiastic approach and we hope that her expert guidance will serve to inspire any would-be scientists in the class.”
Anna volunteers her time through the national STEM Ambassador scheme run by STEMNET. The organisation joins professionals in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) industries with school pupils to encourage them to enjoy STEM subjects and learn about relevant career opportunities.
Anna’s two children are pupils at Rudheath Community Primary School, and both took part in the workshops alongside 18 of their classmates.
Anna said: “It’s great to see the positive effects that my work with the pupils has on their understanding of science.
“AstraZeneca is committed to supporting science education throughout the UK. By working with school pupils through these workshops, we’re hoping to inspire budding scientists to think about a career within the industry and sustain this country’s reputation for scientific excellence.”
AstraZeneca has supported the national government-backed STEM Ambassador programme since 2003 and has around 100 employees registered as STEM Ambassadors across the North West.
For more information on AstraZeneca’s community support programmes, please visit: www.astrazeneca.co.uk/community_support/.
For more information about STEMNET, visit www.stemnet.org.uk.
Children from Rudheath Community Primary School have been taking part in weekly workshops led by Anna Parsons, a process engineer for AstraZeneca. The workshops are designed to enhance the young pupils’ understanding of science and spark an early interest in the subject.
In the final workshop, the group of Year 2 pupils used common kitchen ingredients to investigate a chemical reaction, before getting the chance to use their results to make their model volcano erupt in the most impressive way possible.
Sarah Jeffery, assistant head teacher, said: “It’s great that our pupils are able to learn about the fun side of science from an AstraZeneca scientist who has a real passion for the subject.
“The children respond fantastically to Anna’s enthusiastic approach and we hope that her expert guidance will serve to inspire any would-be scientists in the class.”
Anna volunteers her time through the national STEM Ambassador scheme run by STEMNET. The organisation joins professionals in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) industries with school pupils to encourage them to enjoy STEM subjects and learn about relevant career opportunities.
Anna’s two children are pupils at Rudheath Community Primary School, and both took part in the workshops alongside 18 of their classmates.
Anna said: “It’s great to see the positive effects that my work with the pupils has on their understanding of science.
“AstraZeneca is committed to supporting science education throughout the UK. By working with school pupils through these workshops, we’re hoping to inspire budding scientists to think about a career within the industry and sustain this country’s reputation for scientific excellence.”
AstraZeneca has supported the national government-backed STEM Ambassador programme since 2003 and has around 100 employees registered as STEM Ambassadors across the North West.
For more information on AstraZeneca’s community support programmes, please visit: www.astrazeneca.co.uk/community_support/.
For more information about STEMNET, visit www.stemnet.org.uk.
Notes to editors
AstraZeneca is a global, innovation-driven biopharmaceutical business with a primary focus on the discovery, development and commercialisation of prescription medicines. As a leader in gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, neuroscience, respiratory and inflammation, oncology and infectious disease medicines, AstraZeneca generated global revenues of US $32.8 billion in 2009. Back to top | More AstraZeneca stories