School pupils tackle global sustainability challenges at Swansea University engineering festival

Welsh school pupils have been exploring how a more sustainable world can be achieved through the lens of materials, thanks to a Swansea University festival where each student was gifted a free mini microscope.

The Discover Engineering Festival is part of a programme of outreach events run by the University's Faculty of Science and Engineering with funding from the Ironmongers' Foundation.

The festival welcomed students and teachers from eleven schools across Swansea, Neath Port Talbot and Bridgend for a day of discovery, creativity and hands-on experiences.

Richard Pugh, Head of Science and Technology at Llangatwg Community School, said: "In ten years of teaching, this was the most organised, engaging and relevant day I have taken pupils on, with three different workshops all linked to the modern world topics within the current engineering, product design and science GCSE courses.

"It was a great opportunity for them to learn about recycling, the effect on the environment and how future resources can be used to reduce the effect of global warming."

198 Year 9 pupils took part in a number of exciting workshops; from energy storage and sustainable buildings to the circular economy, they helped students understand the important role engineering can play in tackling global sustainability challenges.

One student said: "It was so fun! It was very interesting and definitely inspired me. Thank you!"

As a reminder of their journey into the world of materials science, each student was given their very own mini microscope to take home.

Using these pocket-sized marvels, students can uncover the hidden world of everyday materials by entering the University's Marvellous Materials Microscopy Competition, with several prizes to be won, including a Galaxy tablet, 3D printing sets and digital microscopes.

Laura Penney, Swansea University Outreach and Recruitment Officer, said: "Materials engineering is a rewarding and well-paid profession, yet many students are unaware of it. The generosity of the Ironmongers' Foundation has allowed pupils to discover this exciting engineering discipline through lab work, activities and competitions at Swansea University Bay Campus, where every school student can become a materials engineer for the day."

Find out more about Engineering at Swansea University.

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