This weekend, more than 500 Cubs, Beavers, and Brownies enjoyed a range of exciting hands-on scientific experiments and activities at the University’s annual Science Jamboree.
Now celebrating its tenth year, the award-winning public engagement programme is designed to inspire Cubs, Beavers, and Brownies to the world of science and help them achieve their science related badges.
This year’s extra celebratory event included new and exciting activities from across the science spectrum including planetarium stargazing, mini-drone flight training, solar system building, gravity-defying egg drops, marshmallow bridge engineering and the chemistry of “dragon snot”
Launched in 2016, the Science Jamboree was created to give university students the opportunity to develop their science-communication skills, build confidence and inspire the joy of discovery with young people.
Over this time, it has welcomed over 4,500 young members from the Cheshire and Merseyside’s Scouting and Girlguiding organisations, to experience hands-on STEM exploration sessions at the University’s Central Teaching Laboratorie.
It is organised by Drs Charlie Devlin, Laura Randle and Cate Cropper along with Chris Marchant.
This year’s event involved more than 70 volunteer undergraduate students from across the Faculty of Science and Engineering, supported by staff and specialist mentors.
They students form project teams to design and deliver safe, engaging sessions based on the strict briefs for Scouting and Girlguiding criteria.
Dr Cate Cropper, Science Jamboree organiser and Senior Lecturer at the University of Liverpool, said: “It’s a privilege to be part of something so joyful and educational. Alongside my colleague Chris Marchant, we’ve been involved since the very beginning, and the enduring partnerships with Girlguiding and Scouts County and Regional Commissioners have been instrumental to our success.
“The Science Jamboree sells out almost as soon as places open — it’s genuinely harder to get a place here than to get tickets for a Taylor Swift concert! We’re incredibly proud of our students, who design and deliver these sessions with such passion and professionalism.”
Heather Lomas, Northwest Regional Lead Volunteer for Scouts, said: “Science Jamboree is one of the highlights of our year. It’s a fantastic day. Everyone enjoys it and learns a huge amount, from our youngest members to troop leaders. They experience an amazing range of STEM activities that have been designed to inspire learning and help develop young people’s STEM skills for life. Our partnership with the University of Liverpool is something we value deeply.”
Dr Chris Marchant, organiser and Outreach Manager for the School of Physical Sciences and Scout Leader at 1st Great Sutton in Ellesmere Port, said: “We’re incredibly proud to celebrate this milestone for the Science Jamboree and the legacy it has created. In total, more than 4,500 young people — and over 700 university students — have been part of this fantastic event, and each year we see the impact it makes. Our students gain invaluable communication and employability skills, while the young people they work with leave inspired, curious and excited about science.”
Jenny Brown, Girlguiding Wirral County Commissioner, added: “We’d like to say a big thank you to Liverpool University for welcoming Girlguiding units from the Wirral over the last 10 years! Experiences like this spark confidence and curiosity, provide access, and open our young members’ eyes to the world of STEM. It is so important that girls see the exciting careers waiting for them and know that they can be innovators of the future.”
Find out more about the Science Jamboree here.
You can listen to Dr Cate Cropper talking to Radio Merseyside about the Science Jamboree here (from 1:51 – 1:58): https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002mpxh
