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Left to right ( Sukanya Dhawan - Postgraduate at ������Ƶ, Laura Watford - Founder Stemunity, Kerry Cullimore - Delta Smoke Control, Ruby Trott - Undergraduate at ������Ƶ, Justin Dizon - Stemunity Ambassador, Muhammad Asim - Postgraduate at ������Ƶ) 

������Ƶ students volunteered their time to bring hands-on science to over 100 primary school pupils from ������Ƶ's most disadvantaged communities - showing the next generation what a career in STEM looks like. 

On Monday (9 March), three ������Ƶ students - postgraduate researchers Sukanya Dhawan and Muhammad Asim, and undergraduate Ruby Trott - joined a community partnership event designed to fire the scientific imagination of 107 Key Stage 2 pupils across the city. 

The '100 Future Scientists for ������Ƶ 100' event, held during British Science Week, was organised by ������Ƶ-based education charity  in partnership with engineering company  and the  (������Ƶ branch). The initiative focused specifically on schools with high levels of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) need, ensuring science experiences reached children who might not otherwise access them. 

The University's students helped guide pupils through a range of practical activities, including building circuits with fruit and Limelight kits, exploring osteo-archaeology, and launching the Big Plastic Count - a national citizen science project that will see children continue tracking plastic waste in their schools and communities. The group also visited the Mary Rose Museum. 

Laura Watford, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of STEMunity, said: “When children meet real engineers and scientists from their own city, they start to picture themselves in those roles. Today, I watched that confidence grow in real time.”

Georgios Georgiou, Research Associate at Revolution Plastics Institute, also commented, saying: "The children and teachers were very excited to be taking part in the big plastic count. They were all shocked at the microplastic experiments we did, and all wanted to help count their plastic to help with the project."

For the ������Ƶ students involved, the day offered a chance to put their knowledge to practical use and act as visible role models for local children -demonstrating that scientists and engineers are people from their own community. 

The event reflects the University's commitment to civic engagement and widening participation in higher education. By placing students in community settings alongside working engineers and researchers, the initiative bridges the gap between university and the wider ������Ƶ public. 

Inspiring the Next Generation 

Georgios Georgiou and from Revolution Plastics Institute also attended to launch the Big Plastic Count, giving pupils a direct connection to active research and citizen science. Each child received a take-home experiment pack, designed to sustain curiosity and extend learning beyond the classroom. 

Organisers described the day as "nothing short of joyful," with children and volunteers alike energised by the collaborative spirit of the event.