Thousands expected at South East science fair

The seventh annual Big Bang Fair South East is being held over two days for the first time – 27 and 28 June – and more than 10,000 students between nine and 19 and their teachers from 200 schools across the region are expected to attend. 

The event is part of the nationwide Big Bang Near Me programme, the biggest single celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) for young people in the UK.

Over 250 companies, professional bodies and educational institutions will provide more than 200 STEM-related interactive workshops, shows and demonstrations aimed at giving young people a fun and exciting insight into future courses of study and careers. 

The fair is open between 10am and 3.30pm and this year’s headline sponsor is London Gatwick Airport. Their Head of Community Engagement, Alison Addy, said: “We are looking forward to another successful Big Bang Fair and are delighted that we have been able to work with STEM Sussex to expand the event over two days. This year we are not only creating our Airport Zone, but also helping to create a new Construction Zone with our airport partners. Gatwick is passionate about inspiring young people to develop the skills needed for the future and the Big Bang is a perfect fit for our education programme.

“Our objective as an airport is to inform the next generation of young people about the wide range of jobs that STEM skills are needed for at the airport, and help to build a pipeline of talent for the future.”

In addition, young people will demonstrate projects they have entered in the Big Bang UK Young Scientists and Engineers Competition, with the best entries going on to represent the region in next year’s national finals.

The Big Bang Fair South East is organised by STEM Sussex, the outreach department of the University of Brighton. Estelle Whewell, Project Manager, said: “Since it was first held in 2012, the Big Bang Fair South East has continued to grow, both in terms of the numbers attending and the organisations involved – an indication of its increasing importance to the young people of the region and their teachers.

“We are really looking forward to this year’s event and want to thank all those involved for their support, time and effort in helping make this an exciting and impactful event for young people in the south east.”

For a flavour of what happened at the Big Bang South East 2017, please see pictures here: http://www.crawleystemfest.co.uk/about-crawley-stemfest/big-bang-2017

For further information about the 2018 Big Bang Fair South East, contact STEM Sussex, tel. 01273 641874 or email BigBangSE@brighton.ac.uk