Project Overview

STEM Connections is a Research England funded project at the University of Warwick that highlights the technology that is being researched at the university, the impacts that research could have on the local population and wider society, and the personal stories of the people involved in that research.

This project is supported by Innovative Manufacturing and Future Materials Global Research Properties and Culture Coventry.

Who is involved?

Research staff or research groups
Teaching staff
Technical support staff

Jas and Eden standing in front of an egg drop tower machine

Aims:

To build strong links between Culture Coventry, the University of Warwick, and our local public audiences.
To plainly demonstrate research at the University of Warwick that will impact the local public in Coventry and Warwickshire in the future.
To showcase the contributions of engineers from traditionally under-represented backgrounds (i.e. women, people of colour, people with disabilities) to those research topics.
To highlight the personal stories behind any developments in science, technology, engineering and maths.
To develop the communication and presentation skills of University of Warwick staff at every career level.
To support University of Warwick staff in demonstrating their commitment to public engagement to support their career development.

Dr Antonia pressing her hands on an thermoelectric generator which is connected to a light bulb and a voltmeter,

Schools Roadshow

Teams of academics visited local primary and secondary schools and worked with almost 400 students to bring science to life. Students got to explore the interactive demonstrations and learn more about topics such as thermoelectric generators, microscopic steel structures, drug design and more. For example, the children used the heat in their hands to turn on a light bulb using the thermoelectric generator.

Showcase Outreach Event at the Coventry Transport Museum

Students from secondary schools in the local area are coming to a showcase event at the Coventry Transport museum. Academics from various departments are bringing science to life with their demonstrations on topics such as robots in battery manufacturing, helioseismology, solar powered transport and more.