CanSat Blog – Outreach
This is our second blog of 2020, as we work busily to finalise our build ready for our trip to the local competition hoping to be selected for the finals!
A main area of CanSat is the element of Outreach, an element where the aim is to make an impact in your local community and engaging others within STEM. After tedious discussions and planning the team decided the area that they would like to make an impact in was with Young People, as all making the decision to join the UTC in year 10, we ourselves were once inspired to pursue STEM subjects and wished to do the same for others.
We were invited to present and run the session for the two colonies of 1st Ripley Beavers, after presenting our plan for a session called ‘Making Rockets: The CanSat experience’ to the leader. We explained (in brief) the idea of CanSat and during the design, manufacture and testing of their paper rockets (as well as the feathers, glitter, pipe cleaners and crayons of course!) related these stages to CanSat and how the process of their projects mimicked ours.
However, as you might expect as hopeful programmers, scientists and engineers most of the group wouldn’t have classed working with children (6-8-year old’s to be precise) as a strength. Yet after the activity the smiles of the team members seemed just as large as those of the Beavers!
It was a fantastic experience and we are very grateful to 1st Ripley Beavers Ladybower and Derwent colonies for having us.
Thank you,
Caitlin A