Promoting STEM with Teesside primary school pupils

Kellas volunteers recently spent a day with Teesside primary school pupils at the Net Zero Industry Innovation Centre (NZIIC), supporting Children Challenging Industry (CCI) as part of our CSR commitment to education.

Our team and fellows from Teesside University worked with children from Bewley Primary School on a number of science and engineering-focused activities, with the aim of sharing insights into the energy industry and the various STEM opportunities in it.

There was an interactive green hydrogen role play game which engaged them in learning about the different stages of the green hydrogen cycle using the NZIIC’s hydrogen rig where they saw a demonstration of how the electricity produced is used to power a fan.

Kellas volunteers led The Great Gas Journey, a hands-on activity illustrating how gas coming ashore is processed and then distributed around the UK. The children played the roles of Project Manager, Construction Engineer, Quantity Surveyor and Accountant, working together to develop and cost a distribution network linking rigs to processing plants and then on to cities around the UK.

A third activity let the children become scientists in an experiment where they dissolved sugar to understand the concept of surface area and how it impacts chemical reactions. They enjoyed dissolving granulated sugar as well as sugar cubes in both cold and warm water and observing how long it took for it to dissolve.

Jeremy Skedge, Kellas Hydrogen Opportunity Lead and one of our volunteers, said: “We would like to thank CCI, NZIIC and Teesside University for helping us deliver an engaging and enjoyable day for the children. Even though they are still at primary school, we hope the day gave them a bit of an insight into the energy industry and what a career in science or engineering could be like.”

CCI is a charity that works with companies to increase awareness of STEM careers amongst primary school age children. It is delivered by the Centre for Industry Education Collaboration at the University of York and since 1996 it has engaged over 60,000 children in 1600 schools.