Sir Isaac Newton Lecture inspired careers in aviation and aerospace

A group of Year 10 STEM students had an amazing experience when they were able to attend the annual Sir Isaac Newton Lecture at Skegness Academy.

The theme for this year was sponsored by AeroDiscover, which is a ground-breaking programme funded from the Civil Aviation and Department for Transport’s Reach for the Skies Challenge Fund. The programme aims to make waves by inspiring and engaging the next generation of aviation and aerospace professionals across Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire.

The students enjoyed five different presentations about STEM projects. These included how the UK Space Agency remove debris from retired man-made satellites, there was real life examples of RAF members who became a Military Officer then deployed humanitarian missions after deadly hurricanes, a RAF pilot talked about their experiences flying fighter jets and a chemist who developed pyrobiodiesel for aviation fuel at home in their garage! They were also shown examples of what artificial intelligence currently contributes in maintaining our airspace, as well as its limitations.

The students were enthused about the topics they had listened to. Reece Woods and Filip Rak said they enjoyed learning about a different alternative fuel to fossil fuels such as pyrodiesel that they haven’t heard of before. Adam Steane commented he loved the story of the Typhoon jet fighter.

The event had female speakers to illustrate how successful girls can be in STEM subjects. All the students went away with the inspiring message that they can be future Engineers, Scientists or Computer Scientists and to consider career in the aviation and aerospace sector.

AeroDiscover will be attending our annual Careers Fair at Bourne Academy on Thursday 14th November 2024 so all students will be able to find out about the careers opportunities in this exciting sector.