European Nuclear Society
e-news Issue 47 Winter 2015
http://www.euronuclear.org/e-news/e-news-47/ni-big-bang-fair.htm

Nuclear Institute – Press Release
Tuesday 6th January 2015: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The NI is to inspire future nuclear scientists at National Big Bang Fair

The Nuclear Institute will be exhibiting at the Big Bang Fair, the UK's largest celebration of science and engineering, in support of showing young people the exciting world of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).

The event is to be held at the Birmingham NEC on 11-14 March 2015 and is primarily aimed at to 7-19 year-olds.

The Nuclear Institute, in collaboration with the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB), will be hosting a fun and interactive stand with activities to show off some of the unique challenges and technology involved in nuclear energy, including remote handling a wire buzzer (with a nuclear twist of course), competitive racing with ROVs (remotely operated vehicles), a nuclear reactor simulator, and online games accessed via a Careers App. The ECITB in conjunction with Rapport Theatre Ltd is also running its highly successful Theatre-in-Education workshops to engage young people in thinking about career routes into Engineering Construction.

Mark Lyons, Trustee and Chair of the Education & Training Committee at the Nuclear Institute said:  "This is a great opportunity for us to engage with students on the benefits of nuclear energy and the exciting careers that are available in our industry. The NI has an active educational and public outreach programme across the UK and through this we are aiming to enthuse the next generation of nuclear scientists and engineers and promote career options in conjunction with our colleagues from the ECITB.  The nuclear industry stands at the beginning of a time of key growth to support the major programmes across new nuclear power build, decommissioning and defence."
 
Young people will come face-to-face with the basic aspects of nuclear energy in order to show how interesting the subject can be.

Visitors will also have the opportunity to meet Nuclear Institute members and be informed about possible careers choices in the industry.

Last year the fair saw an attendance of 75,000 at the four-day event with even larger crowds expected in 2015 to include school and community groups, teachers and families.

The Big Bang is a nationwide programme of national, regional and local events led by EngineeringUK aiming to engage and reward young minds with STEM backgrounds and to build a bright future for the UK’s economy.

The Nuclear Institute understands and is a representative of the UK’s nuclear sector.

To find out more about The Big Bang Fair, and to book your place, visit www.thebigbangfair.co.uk

© European Nuclear Society, 2015