About this day
In four incredible sessions we will bring the excitement of STEM subjects to audiences using real world applications and future directions. We know that getting the fundamentals right at KS3 is key to later success and we want students to be engaged and curious from an early age. Join us for a programme of inspiration, exploration and experimentation!
Host: Dr Emma Byrne (Author and Science Communicator)
Speakers and sessions for this exciting event will be announced soon!
Programme & speakers
Biomimicry - How Nature Inspires Engineering Phillip Burnett, Zoolab UK
Join Zoolab for an exciting animal encounter all about Biomimicry. We’ll explore exactly how Scientists and Engineers have been inspired by animals to design, build and create new things to help us humans. We’ll be talking all about gecko feet, spider silk and snake venom in this interactive show with an experiement on stage and of course meeting the animals too.
About Phillip Burnett
Phil is the Corporate Manager at Zoolab UK – the UK’s No.1 Ethical Animal Encounters Company. They use animals as a tool to ‘Amaze, Educate and Inspire’.
Data and creativity: A career within - and without - AI Emma Byrne, Science Writer and Communicator
Dr Emma Byrne has spent two decades researching AI and neuroscience. In this talk she’ll explain what AI has taught us about the human brain, and why we still need human creativity and judgment.
About Dr Emma Byrne
Emma Byrne began her research career in computational neuroscience in the early 2000s. She is also an award-winning author and broadcaster on the topics of AI and neuroscience, and is the recipient of the 2025 Rosalind Franklin Lecture medal.
The Chemistry Spectacular James Copeland-Jordan, Head of STEM, Cheltenham College
The Chemistry Spectacular offers a rare chance to witness experiments you have never seen before and will never see again. Whether you are a lifelong lover of science or simply curious to explore the world from a new perspective, this extraordinary event promises an unforgettable experience. From explosions to detonations to deflagrations, we will reveal the chemistry behind chemical reactions in ways you have never encountered before.
About Dr James Copeland-Jordan
James is Head of STEM at Cheltenham College and a Trustee of the Cheltenham Education Partnership. He believes the STEM battleground lies at the heart of modern life and is central to addressing some of humanity’s greatest challenges: meeting growing energy demands; developing new medicines for an ageing population; tackling potable water scarcity; and ultimately sustaining a global food supply.
Tower of Hanoi Ayliean MacDonald, Maths Artist and Content Creator
TBC
About Ayliean MacDonald
Ayliean, brimming with nerdiness and creativity, showcases the beauty of Math through art and videos. Catch her on TikTok, Numberphile, hosting weekly Maths Circle livestreams for charity, and serving as the Community Mathematician 2023 for MathsCity Leeds.