As The Big Bang Fair prepares to come to Birmingham’s NEC on Wednesday 22 to Friday 24 June, organisers have released a sneak peak of the top things to do at this year’s event, including slime making, flying drones and virtual reality to name a few.
And with The Big Bang Fair Unlocked on Thursday 23 June giving kids and their families the chance to enjoy all the fun of the fair at an exclusive event between 4-8pm, there are even more chances for young people to immerse themselves in the thrilling world of science and technology.
The Fair has signed some of the biggest names in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to exhibit at this year’s event, including Unboxed, NHS, Rolls Royce, and the Environment Agency . The exhibitors are promising a host of fantastic showcases, displays and experiments to thrill young minds and inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers and technologists.
Dr Hilary Leevers, Chief Executive of Engineering UK, said:
We are so excited for young people and their families to experience this year’s event. With some of the biggest names in STEM, visitors will be able to hear about the brightest ideas from those working at the cutting edge. We are sure that everyone will be inspired, and we hope that young people will feel welcomed and attracted to explore STEM further.
Top tips for this year’s Fair
- RAF engineers will be showcasing their expertise in coding, robotics and the theory of flight with a virtual reality experience for budding young pilots to feel the exhilaration of flying a jet. The RAF stand will also have an area to make and fly a simple plane design, as well as a coding experience with LEGO Spike Prime.
- Young people can enjoy the Big Bang Fair’s Slime Club, which gives kids the chance to make their own slime while learning about why animals produce slime and why it’s so important.
- Wessex Archaeology will be bringing to life the wonders of the underground with an edible experiment to help kids read soil and rocks to understand he past. They will also be bringing along some genuine artefacts that are thousands of years old.
- The Environment Agency’s stand will be themed ‘Source to Sea’ and will be showcasing a virtual reality session to show how we can eliminate avoidable plastic waste and investigate the different sources of plastic that we use every day.
- Codes4Drones will be offering the chance to fly a drone through an assault course and will give budding coders the chance to design, write and debug codes to fly drones.
- Braintastic! Science will be running two hands-on workshops to help young scientists hone their abilities. The first workshop will focus on how art and science inspire one another and how to develop a creative brain. The second workshop will help kids develop a resilient mindset and look at how resilience supports our mental wellbeing.
- Fuze4 will be running a coding workshop on Nintendo Switch gaming consoles to show young delegates how coding works in real time.
- The Royal Entomological Society will be bringing along a selection of live insects and running a workshop on how insects are ‘little things that run the world’. Scientists from the Society will be on hand to chat about their work in entomology and some of the career opportunities available to young people within the sector.
- Engineers from Rolls-Royce will be showcasing some of the sustainable technologies the firm is using to help them achieve its net zero carob goals, including harnessing the power of nuclear energy to drive own emissions and create thousands of STEM jobs for future generations.
- Through UNBOXED, attendees will have the chance to travel through the solar system, dodge asteroids and explore planets using greenscreen special effects, courtesy of Our Place in Space, an experience created by artist Oliver Jeffers and astrophysicist Stephen Smartt. Or explore the amazing potential of the human brain with some mind-boggling illusions from Dreamachine.
Register for free family tickets to The Big Bang Fair Unlocked at www.thebigbang.org.uk/fair.
About the Big Bang Fair Unlocked:
About The Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Fair
The Big Bang Fair Unlocked is a chance for families, home educators and school groups to visit us from Thursday 23 June from 4pm to 8pm. Register for free here: www.thebigbang.org.uk/fair
The Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Fair is the largest celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) for young people in the UK. Taking place from 22 to 24 June at The NEC in Birmingham, The Big Bang Fair is an award-winning combination of inspirational talks, interactive workshops, hands-on exhibits and careers information from STEM professionals. The Big Bang Fair is made possible through the collaborative efforts of over 200 organisations. www.thebigbang.org.uk
EngineeringUK is a not-for-profit organisation that works in partnership with the engineering community to inspire tomorrow’s engineers. We lead the engagement programmes: The Big Bang, Robotics Challenge and Energy Quest and help schools bring STEM to life through real-world engineering via Neon. We bring engineering careers inspiration and resources together through Tomorrow’s Engineers and manage The Code, which drives change at scale to increase the number and diversity of young people choosing academic and vocational pathways into engineering. We base everything we do on evidence and share our insight widely. www.engineeringuk.com