Submitted by Elena Gonzalez on Tue, 21/02/2023 - 13:01
On 15 February we hosted a ‘Connect Day’ with 58 Arkwright Scholars supported by Smallpeice Trust to help them find out more about chemical engineering and biotechnology.
For the third year running, and following the success of last year’s in person event, CEB hosted a this large grouo of Year 12 students awarded a Arkwright Engineering Scholarship. This is the most esteemed scholarship of its type in the UK, designed to inspire students to pursue their dreams and change the world as a future leader in engineering.
On the day scholars were first taken on a tour of the building and our researchers shared highlights of the sustainability and healthcare projects they are working on. They also visited our Makerspace and Teaching lab where a great deal of undergraduate experiments and project work take place.
Our academics also led a number of infornative sessions in the afternoon focusing on the discipline, the role chemical engineers play in tackling the biggest global challenges, and the exciting careers a degree in chemical engineering and biotechnology can lead to. The Scholars gathered valuable advice and tips on how to apply to Cambridge and how to write an application personal statement.
Our Teaching Associate Dr Zach Bond ran a fluid dynamics demo involving water and dye and set up a practical problem-solving exercise for students. They got to apply their understanding of flow and worked out flow pressure using the Ballotini equation. The day was wrapped up with a Q&A session also involving the Scholars' parents. They all learned more about Cambridge admissions process and the College system.
During the day they had many opportunities to interact with our staff and students throughout the day and to ask questions at the Q&A sessions and networking lunch. Students generally enjoyed the event and hearing about the diversity of areas we are working on. They also reported that they understood more about the subject, and many would consider our undergraduate course at Cambridge and/or a career in the field.
CEB would like to express its thanks to the Smallpeice Trust for providing the Arkwright Engineering Scholarships and, once again, facilitating this programme at CEB. We look forward to continue supporting more of these outreach initiatives in the future. If you are a charitable organisation interested in working with us, or a company looking to support us or get involved with our oureach programmes do contact us.