How do you survive an asteroid impact? School pupils learn the vital lessons
30 January, 2025
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Our STEM outreach team has delivered a series of five one-hour STEM Club sessions to pupils at St Michael’s Primary in Treforest.
The sessions – based on the STEM Learning resources ‘Could you survive an asteroid impact?’ - were delivered by nine students from the University’s Faculty of Computing, Engineering, and Science, who are all trained STEM Ambassadors.
The sessions allowed the pupils to make gas masks out of bottles, plan a menu based on edible insects and trying edible insects themselves, calculate the size of asteroid impact craters, study the effects of acid rain, and make their own telescopes.
The resources for the sessions were provided by the University, with the pupils able to take home their work at the end of each session.
Glen Payne, the STEM Co-ordinator at St Michael’s Primary, said: “The STEM Club is fantastic. The communication before the sessions is timely and very helpful.
“The Ambassadors are very enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and positive role models. All have really enjoyed teaching, and the pupils have really responded to them in terms of their engagement, excitement, and overall value they have gained from the experiences.
“I'm very grateful to Laura for organising, and the students for delivering such excellent sessions. The pupils, and I, are gutted that it's coming to an end and will be looking to be involved again in the future.”
Laura Roberts, USW’s STEM Outreach Officer, said: “The student STEM Ambassadors have been amazing delivering these sessions, making them fun and engaging for the pupils, I am extremely proud of them.
“We have more STEM Clubs booked for the summer term with two more primary schools, and have a Civic Mission Fund bid submitted that will expand the number of STEM Clubs we can offer this academic year, in collaboration with Coleg y Cymoedd and the College, Merthyr.”
If any schools are interested in booking a STEM Club or other STEM Workshops with the STEM Outreach team (pre-16) please contact [email protected].