The collaboration is part of a three-year deal. With this Siemens will launch a pop-up platform at the Museum of Science and Industry. This will form part of an on-going display where the museum present science and technology demonstrations. The demonstrations are aimed at families with children aged between seven and 14.
The idea is to help foster the next-generation of students, and then potential industry leaders and innovators, in the subjects of science, technology, engineering and mathematics – the so-called STEM subjects, regarded by many as essential to future innovation and economic success. This is perhaps more so in the wake of Industry 4.0.
The STEM acronym began to be used in education and immigration debates during the early 2000s, centered on initiatives to begin to address the perceived lack of qualified candidates for high-tech jobs.
In many fields there remains a STEM shortage as well as a gender imbalance, with a disproportionate number of males taking core STEM subjects compared with females. In the U.K. context there remains a concern that the funding and development of STEM education will be adversely affected by the U.K.’s exit from the European Union (as discussed in detail in an article on Wired).
With the new venture, the Siemens-backed ‘Platform for Investigation’ will include a series of events taking place at the museum each year, with around twenty events scheduled over a three-year period. This will include nine days dedicated to the annual Manchester Science Festival, which takes place each October.
The museum is located in Manchester, U.K. Within the museum, there are extensive displays on transport (cars, aircraft, railway locomotives and rolling stock), power (water, electricity, steam and gas engines), textiles, communications and computing. The museum, which works closely with the University of Manchester, was part of a feature on Digital Journal which looked at the university.
Commenting on the scheme, Siemens’ Sue Bagguley is quoted by Laboratory Talk as saying: “Essential to the partnership is our collective desire to bring science to life; inclusive for all.”
