An Outreach Success Story

As a (very) early career researcher, I know first-hand the impact of outreach on young people starting STEM degrees and careers. Experience Physics outreach at university visit and events is what made me want to be a Physicist back when I was 11.

The first time I can remember wanting to be a Physicist (or approximately a Physicist) was when I was 11, in my first year of secondary school. I had been to a 1-day National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth (or NAGTY for short) outreach event at Leicester University called ‘How to be a Rocket Scientist’, and I brought the cardboard rocket I’d made (along with pictures of it flying) into a school science lesson and announced that I was going to be a rocket scientist. I’d never had any contact with a university before then and I can’t remember doing any science before secondary school so this was a pretty big leap (in fact a leap from Archaeologist – I spent too much time watching time team). After that fantastic day out, I went as many NAGTY things as possible: ‘Dig in a Day’ (indulging my love of Time Team), several CSI courses, ‘Mission to Mars’ at the National Space Centre, and a Physics summer school at Durham University.

The outreach events I went to even influenced my choice of university – I ended up going to Durham, and even went to the college we stayed in for the summer school.  During school, I did work experience at the UK Dark Matter Facility at Boulby Potash twice, all because I visited there during the summer school. And my career ambitions steadily progressed from the original Rocket Scientist to Astrophysicist, to Particle Physicist, to Astroparticle Physicist. 

But the inlfuence of outreach didn’t stop when I started university. I was assigned a mentor who sparked my interest in Atomic Physics (in fact I didn’t know what Atomic Physics was before I met him).  His generosity and support has been a pivotal part of my journey to doing a PhD in Cold Atoms and settling on the ambition of calling myself an Atomic Physicist or Quantum Physicist.

I’m proof that outreach and public engagement is absolutely crucial when encouraging young people to choose STEM careers. It’s essential for the continuing success of UK research.