Pupils at nurseries and primary schools in Aberdeen are to take part in a new project which aims to use the North Sea oil and gas industry to teach safety and science lessons. TecFest's STEM in the Installation has been devised by TechFest, a city-based charity which aims to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) activities to young people and the wider community.
A total of five schools have signed up to take part in the first STEM in the Installation sessions, which are being sponsored by Nexen. The stage one workshop is designed for early years to primary three pupils and uses new North Sea developments to encourage children to take responsibility for their own safety and learn how to make their school and home environment safer. The stage two workshop for youngsters in P4-7 explores the engineering, science and technology involved in the installation of North Sea assets. Pupils will use skills such as problem solving, collaboration, evaluation and improvement as they work as a team.
Additional workshops for lower secondary age pupils (stage three) and S6 pupils (stage four) are also being developed and will follow later this year.
TechFest's education manager, Molly Imrie, said: “We have run the STEM in the Pipeline scheme for secondary school pupils for the past 10 years, allowing them to work with industry mentors to solve a problem which is relevant to the oil and gas industry. We wanted to offer the same experience to younger children so have developed STEM in the Installation, which gives them an age-appropriate introduction to the energy sector and teaches science, technology and engineering lessons as well as important life skills such as decision making. We are grateful to our sponsor Nexen for its support in the development of this new programme and look forward to seeing the results of the pupils’ work over the coming weeks.”
Ray Riddoch, Managing Director UK & SVP Europe, Nexen Petroleum U.K. Limited said: “STEM subjects are important in equipping students for the wide and varied roles within Nexen and across the Oil and Gas industry. Stem in the Installation is a fun and immersive project which can pave the way in igniting the imagination of our younger generations to consider careers in science, technology and engineering. Nexen is delighted to support this worthy project taking place across Aberdeen primary and secondary schools as it will increase understanding of how these subjects can translate into a real and fulfilling career.”
The schools taking part are Cornhill Primary School, Hanover Street Primary School, Riverbank Primary School, St Peter's RC Primary School and Woodside Primary School.
Investigating Fingerprints workshop at TechFest Festival 2016.
Celebrating its 24th anniversary, the TechFest Festival is widely acknowledged as a key event within education, industry and the wider community. The Early Years and Primary Programme plays a significant role in the Festival, allowing children to explore and engage with a variety of STEM-based activities.
The exciting 2017 line-up of workshops available to schools and nurseries has been chosen with the capacities, principles, experiences and outcomes of the Curriculum for Excellence in mind. The 5 -day long Programme will be held this year at the Robert Gordon University campus from the 28th August - 1st September.
Children aged 3 to 12 are invited along with teachers, classroom assistants and parent helpers to attend a whole host of interactive and fun workshops.
The Programme features a wide range of workshops new to 2017 such as 'Wild About Maths', presented by TechFest and sponsored by Chevron. The interactive Maths workshop involves children taking on puzzles, challenges and problem-solving activities inspired by the natural world.
Another brand new show is 'The Science of Bubbles', where children help Scientific Sue in her Bubble laboratory answer questions such as "why are bubbles round?". Presented by Science2Life, volunteers are needed to help Sue investigate the properties of solids, liquids and gases.
2016's Early Years and Primary Programme saw 4368 pupils from 57 schools, 5 nurseries and 3 Additional Support Needs classes get involved with the TechFest Festival. With a jam-packed programme of almost 30 workshops and shows to engage with, this year bodes to be just as successful!
To download the Early Years and Primary Programme click here.
TechFest's Activity Weekend is one of the most popular events in the TechFest calendar! The weekend is made up of two days of workshops, shows and activities for families to get involved with.
"Great event. Very friendly and professional assistants and specialists introducing science. Fantastic opportunity for kids to experience science." - Activity Weekend Participant
Date: Sat, 1 & Sun, 2 June, 2024
Opening hours: 09:30 - 16:00 each day.
Location: RGU, the Sir Ian Wood building
No parking restrictions during weekends, but please make sure to use the available car park spaces to park.
‘In for a Penny, In for a Pound’ adults pay £1 and children pay 1p; or donations! Cash only.
View our 2024 Activity Weekend programme.
We would like to thank our sponsors and supporters*
TechFest is kindly hosted by the University of Aberdeen.
*This page acknowledges the generous contributions of all our sponsors and supporters at the time of the programme being published.
logo on the workshop pages!
Download Primary Outreach catalogue.
Booking information:A minimum of two workshops must be booked per visit.
Maximum capacity for workshops: 33 pupils
Fee: £66 per workshop (min 2 to be booked) + mileage cost of £15 per day visit.
Due to the high cost of living we have had to take the hard decision to apply mileage costs to all our workshops. To make it fair to all schools across the Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire area we have averaged out the cost to £15 and will place this on all bookings from 01 April 2023.
For schools outwith Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, mileage is charged at 45p per mile and is calculated from TechFest offices (Butchart Centre, University of Aberdeen, University Road, Aberdeen, AB24 3UT).
Email the Outreach Programme team at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.
Board of Directors
Chair Person:
Brenda Wyllie
Brenda started in the Oil Industry 33 year ago as an apprentice welder, whilst welding is no longer a core skill, this humble start to her working career helped establish a good level of personal resilience along with a solid foundation of people skills. Over her career, Brenda has worked in the service sector, private sector and is now in the public sector working for the Oil & Gas Authority. These varied work environments, both home and abroad, have helped develop a well-rounded approach to understand how value is created in the Energy sector. Brenda has been a strong advocate of TechFest over the years including supporting a visit to Shetland and Edinburgh to take Stem in Pipeline to a wider Scottish audience.
Trustees:
Sarah Chew- Managing Director, TechFest
Sarah Chew, managing director at TechFest is passionate about developing young people and the wider community, particularly within the world of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM). During her years at TechFest, Sarah has worked to encourage young audiences and ensure all young people reach a positive destination and especially highlight the benefits of a career in these sectors.
With a BSc in psychology and a MSc in Marketing, Sarah has a wide range of knowledge across the business sector and how to engage with various audiences, promoting education in a fun and enjoyable way. Prior to TechFest and her time at the University of Aberdeen, Sarah was seconded to the Scottish Government while working with North East Charity Live Wire Productions, a role that provided great insight to the overall picture of government campaigns across Scotland.
Sarah sits on the North East of Scotland Developing Young Workforce Board and ACVO – the third sector interface.
Tom Sanders
Tom came to Aberdeen 15 years ago for university and has never looked back. Following graduation he joined EY and is now an Associate Partner at the firm. Tom has always had a desire to develop, coach and attract people to Aberdeen having previously been on the policy council at Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce and chairing EYs Connecting Emerging Leaders programme. Tom was a keen supporter of the EY business apprentice programme when it was launched at the firm and personally mentored a number of the original cohort.
Mirela Delibegovic
Prof Mirela Delibegovic is the Dean for Industrial Engagement in Research and Knowledge Transfer at the University of Aberdeen and the Director (Diabetes) of the Aberdeen Cardiovascular and Diabetes Centre.
Prof Delibegovic’s research for the past 20+ years has focused on the causes and consequences of development of diabetes and the complications associated with diabetes. Her laboratory is particularly interested in co-morbidities such as atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease, diabetic nephropathy, diabetic foot ulcers as well as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and NASH. In more recent years, she has been investigating the molecular link between diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease and how these are regulated by nutrition and ageing. Prof Delibegovic sits on several national funding committees, including acting as Chair/Vice-Chair of the British Heart Foundation project grants committee, Chair/Vice-Chair roles within Diabetes UK main committee, grants committee member of the Bart’s Charity and scientific advisory board of the Diabetes Research & Wellness Foundation (DRWF). She is passionate about career development of staff and students, public engagement in research, academia/industry collaborations and knowledge transfer.
Susie Walsh
Susie is the Dean of the School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen where her role includes strategy, admissions, and research.
Susie holds a BSc in Applied Biology, a PhD in the field of disinfection and sterilisation and an MBA from Cardiff University. She began her career with Cardiff University as a post-doctoral researcher, before moving to De Montfort University, Leicester where she held various positions, latterly Associate Head of the School of Pharmacy and Professor of Pharmaceutical Microbiology.
Passionate about widening participation in Higher Education, Susie also maintains her research interests in microbiology focussing on disinfection.
Ralph McIntosh
Ralph has fifteen years’ experience as corporate lawyer, working principally in and with the oil and gas industry. He spent thirteen years working as a corporate lawyer with Burness Paull LLP, latterly as a director, before joining energy infrastructure company Kellas Midstream in an in-house legal role. Ralph’s experience of a wide range of corporate deals, mainly in the energy and technology sectors, has provided Ralph with an excellent insight into the key factors in success for technology and energy focused businesses. His current role with Kellas gives him a thorough understanding of the lifecycle and value chain in oil and gas and net zero projects.
Ralph is passionate about helping people develop and ensuring equality of opportunity for all. He sits on the board of youth sports charity Inverurie Youth Sports Foundation and in that role has seen many young people blossom and succeed with the assistance of targeted support. He is delighted to have the opportunity to be able to contribute to the positive impact he has seen TechFest have on young people and their engagement with STEM subjects.
Kathryn McKee
Head of communications & external affairs, Scotland, bp
Kathryn has more than 20 years’ experience in communications and public relations, spanning the public and private sector and a broad range of industries – from food and pharmaceuticals, to tourism, health, transport and energy. She currently leads bp’s communications team in Scotland, having previously held roles with Shell, NHS Scotland and in PR consultancy where she spent a significant part of her career delivering communications campaigns for the Scottish Government’s major infrastructure projects through Transport Scotland.
Kathryn holds an MA in interpreting & translating from Heriot-Watt University, a diploma in public affairs and is a chartered member of the Institute of Public Relations.
Having seen first-hand the positive impact of TechFest on young people – including her own daughters – she is delighted to be able to contribute to the continuing success of TechFest as a member of the board.
Prof. Donald Cairns
Don Cairns completed his degree and PhD at the University of Strathclyde and worked as an academic in Leicester and Sunderland before moving back to Scotland to take up the post of Associate Head of the School of Pharmacy at The Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen. In 2006, he was promoted to Professor of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry at RGU and in 2010 was appointed Head of the School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences. He became an emeritus Professor in January 2022 when he retired from the university.
Prof Cairns is a member of the General Pharmaceutical Council, a Fellow of the Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists and of the Royal Society of Chemistry. In 2006 he was appointed to the British Pharmacopoeia Commission and serves on an MHRA Expert Advisory Group on Medicinal Chemicals. He is also the author of a textbook, Essentials of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, currently in its 4th Edition
