What Are Things Made Of? (WATMO)

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The WATMO project is a careers education project that will initially use the project model and virtual platform that the careers education charity 4wardFutures (4FC) have developed as part of the STFC-funded Eyes to the Sky project. The project will introduce learners from socio-economically deprived areas, who could be considered to have low science capital to the work that researchers, PhD students, apprentices and engineers from STFC are doing to answer the question of "What are things made of? and the real-world applications of this research. Aims: - To understand the views and needs of learners from socio-economically deprived areas in relation to what will inspire their engagement with STEM interests- To apply this learning and further develop existing 4FC high-quality resources to extend their knowledge and impact, and ensure 4FC and STFC partners engage and inspire a wider cohort of learners from socio-economically deprived areas - To develop a framework with STFC partners to demonstrate how STFC's leading science facilities, diverse staff and World-leading research can be incorporated into these project resources - Inspire creative public engagement with scientific and engineering research and projects- Motivate and support scientists and engineers to share their stories, passion and expertise with wider audiences and develop their communication and engagement skills- Raise awareness of the diversity, nature and impact of scientific research and engineering and the career opportunities available to people of all ages and backgrounds- Provide support and opportunities for scientists and engineers to engage with members of the public from groups currently under-represented in science and engineeringA key element of the project will be to follow the STFC Wonder Initiative model of public engagement. We will work collaboratively with the learners and their key influencers, such as teachers and parents by listening to, understanding and working with them to find out what they want to know and how they want to learn about science, technology and engineering fields, for example to underpin the exploration of the WATMO question - What are things made of? We will then use the feedback we gain from the learners and their key influencers to revise and further develop our resources to help improve opportunities to increase the learners' science capital.Impact:-180 learners aged 8 to 11 (from groups that are currently under-represented in science and engineering) will take part in a series of 2 live and 2 online workshops to: -Learn how STFC scientists, apprentices and engineers are collaborating to explore the WATMO question-Learn about the real-world outcomes of this work -Find out about career opportunities in science and engineering-Work in teams to plan and create a presentation to share what they have learnt about the work of STFC staff-Understand the importance of and develop their own collaboration, communication and problem-solving skillsThrough co-creating and co-delivering WATMO live and online workshops with the 4FC team and primary school teachers, 18 scientists, apprentices and engineers will be supported in developing their communication and engagement skills to share their stories, passion and expertise with learners.Develop a virtual STFC Visitors Centre through which:-Scientists and engineers can share with learners (and the general public who will not be directly involved in the project) how they are collaborating to explore the WATMO question -Learners can enrich their learning from the workshops through finding out how and why a wider cohort of STFC scientists & engineers are researching the WATMO question -The awareness of the diversity, nature and impact of scientific and engineering research and careers can be raised amongst members of the general public and a wider cohort of learners who are currently under-represented in these sectors