It gave us a first-hand experience of what astronauts go
through before they go to space.
It was a lot better than I expected. I thought it would be a bit
more, like, learning rather than hands-on.
It's got to be probably getting all together and working together
to, like, achieve something.
Science Club has kind of been what I expected, it's really good.
The Club gave them the opportunity to do a lot of activities
and visits to sites such as QinetiQ that they wouldn't have been able to do otherwise.
Dr Hannah Moir (Senior Lecturer Sport & Exercise Science): In conjunction with the Sorrell
Foundation, Kingston University hosted the first ever Science and Engineering Saturday
Club. 36 13 to 15 year olds from 10 local schools joined us here at Kingston University
on a 16 week programme exploring 'The Journey into Space' where they explored the aspects
of science, engineering and technology behind British astronaut Tim Peake's mission. Led
by Kingston academic experts and a team of Student Ambassadors, Club members got off
to an explosive start learning about rockets and propulsion, then building and launching
their own craft. In the weeks that followed, members discovered how an astronaut trains,
the physical effects of space on the body and how food is prepared and water purified.
They also discovered how space explorers adjust when they come back to Earth. Our adventure
finished with a look at computing behind rocket navigation, programming of lunar robots and
the development of space flight games, plus their filming of special effects in our green
screen suite. First Briton into space, Helen Sharman, thrilled with stories of training,
launch, time in the MIR space station and life back on Earth, whilst Tim Peake was beamed
in to talk about his adventure. Club members witnessed how Helen and other astronauts prepare
for the g-force of launch thanks to QinetiQ's demo spin of their human centrifuge and discovered
how satellites that enable global communication are built thanks to the British Interplanetary
Society's Alistair Scott. What was fantastic was to see all of these young persons who
were interested and keen to get involved in whatever activity was thrown at them each
Saturday. What inspired me the most was their dedication and willingness to get involved,
especially out of their comfort zone for something like sports activities. Our student ambassadors
had the opportunity to develop their transferable skills and also inspire them into different
career avenues, perhaps considering more teaching or working with young persons. The Saturday
Club has been a fantastic opportunity and exciting experience for everybody involved,
from the student ambassadors, the academics and, of course, the young people. We would
like to thank the Sorrell Foundation, Kingston University and our sponsors for making this
opportunity and we would hope to continue this in the future.
I don't really know what I want to do in my future but by doing
Saturday Club it's kind of urged me a bit more towards the science section rather than
anything else.
I was planning to be an engineer when I grew up but now that I've
seen it I know which type I want to be and how I can achieve it, by going to Saturday
Club.
I've always wanted to go into biology so, medicine particularly
and I was going to take chemistry on like a side line but now it's very much a race
between physics and chemistry now because of the Club. It's changed the way I view physics
as, like, a whole. So, engineering might be something that I want to do now.