Open day on Friday with the Institution of Chemical Engineers and University of Aberdeen
SLIME, fossils, K’NEX challenges and fun experiments will be on offer this Friday at Aberdeen Science Centre, which is joining forces with the Institution of Chemical Engineers and the University of Aberdeen to offer an insight into STEM.
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Visitors will learn how to use everyday items to create fun experiments, while the science centre’s public programme team has created a series of challenges including tasks related to engineering and technology.
Thanks to IChemE, visitors to the open day on Friday (July 29) will have the opportunity to learn how gravity can be used to separate two liquids thanks to an oily water separator activity.
Youngsters can use cotton wool, sand, gravel, stones and water to make a multimedia filter and test out the design.
They can also use a paper cup and lentils to learn how a mechanical valve controls fluid flow.
The University of Aberdeen will be introducing the science of biomedical engineering, focusing on the use of engineering to study human movement and restore people’s ability to move following an injury.
The team will be demonstrating how the body’s 600 muscles create electrical impulses as they move.
With the help of ASC’s STEM communicators, children will be able to make their own slime in the centre’s lab and investigate the chemistry of polymers, which make up many of the materials in living organisms.
They will also be able to bring out their inner Indiana Jones to investigate a wide range of fossils and get their hands dirty to discover them in the sand, or make their own paleoart to take home.
The centre will also host a K’NEX challenge to build the strongest bridge possible, while learning about different types of bridges and their strengths and weaknesses.
Bryan Snelling, chief executive at Aberdeen Science Centre, said, “Engineering plays such a huge part in our society and it’s incredibly exciting for us to be able to teach children just how incorporated it is in our daily lives.
“It is our goal to make a visit to the science centre engaging for both children and adults. There’s plenty of activities to create memories together and you’ll always learn new things along the way.”
Recently awarded 5-star status by VisitScotland, Aberdeen Science Centre reopened to the public in 2020 after a major project to create an aspirational science centre which reflects the STEM priorities for both industry and education.
The centre’s exhibits are aimed at all ages and are themed into six zones: Energy; Space; Life Sciences; Make It, Test It; and the dedicated area for the under-6s, as well as the Shell Learning Zone, where science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) are brought to life.
Aberdeen Science Centre’s £4.7million redevelopment was made possible by generous support and funding from the Inspiring Science Fund – a partnership between the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Wellcome – with additional funding provided by Opportunity North East (ONE) and Aberdeen City Council.
The project secured a further £1.5million from funders and sponsors including OPITO, Shell, Equinor, bp, The Robertson Trust, TAQA and CNOOC International to deliver quality exhibits and programmes to enhance the overall visitor experience at the venue, as well through outreach work.
- The IChemE activities will be running between 10am and 4pm this Friday, July 29. Advance booking is recommended and general admission fees apply. To find out more please visit https://aberdeensciencecentre.org/
