THE BIG BANG FAIR

The Big Bang Fair at the South of England Showground in Sussex is the biggest single celebration of STEM in the UK and the fourteen Year 10 students from Sunbury Manor School were just a small part of the 8,000 school children who attended this event on the day we attended.

Our day started with a show, which related blowing up, popping and firing balloons to all aspects of Physics – an  engaging way for the Year 10s to revisit their knowledge of forces and what makes up atoms. This show was followed by our workshop and for the second year in a row we were really lucky to be allocated the Thermoscientific Company, especially as the Year 10 post-exam project is about microbiology.  Whilst wearing protective equipment we set up agar plates, diagnosed patients and provided effective treatment, as well as learning about the vast array of careers that Thermoscientific has on offer and the fact that you can move between their different sites, which are all over the world.

After these two events, the students had time to wander round the site visiting the 150+ stalls, where displays, activities and “hands-on” events were available, so they were able to handle snakes and ask questions about potential careers in that field.