Exploring STEM - 4th May 2023

The MAPP Stand was a hit at the Exploring STEM for Girls event at the Octagon on the 4 May 2023.

Around 280 pupils from 10 local schools attended the event, with the 3D pens attracting many visitors to the MAPP stand. A fun and easy-to-understand activity, pupils enjoyed creating butterflies from stencils and their own designs before moving on to learn how the 3D printer running on the stand worked.

The powder matching game also proved to be popular, with pupils having to identify the materials using only a magnet, a set of scales and a few hints and tips from the MAPP Project Researchers on the stand. This provided a tangible link to the research carried out in MAPP, giving the pupils a chance to get hands on with the powders familiar to the MAPP team (including iron, tungsten, aluminium, and nylon) and giving them a deeper understanding of the different manufacturing processes at the cutting edge of research.