On 16 June, a group of Year 12 girls with an interest in Aerospace Engineering visited Queen Mary for a day of learning and hands-on experience.

To qualify for the day, the students submitted entries to a competition, which included an essay and a problem-solving task. At the in-person event, they each presented on area of Aerospace Engineering that inspires them, with prizes awarded for the best presentations.

The event also included:

• A Q&A panel discussion with women in the Aerospace industry.

• Opportunities to meet and talk with academics and students of all levels.

• Hands-on activities in the Makerspace workshop.

• Experiments in the wind and visualisation tunnels.

One attendee, Maria, reflected: “Queen Mary hosted a fantastic informative experience for us. We presented our ideas to the judges and received fantastic feedback, which has built upon my confidence to approach future events like these. I also formed great connections and developed so many new interests!”

We are grateful to Lily Board (PhD researcher, University of Cambridge), Jivya Rajesh (Senior Engineer, MBDA), and Kate Goldup (Lead Aerodynamicist, Alpine Formula One Team) for sharing their experiences and judging the presentations. Thanks also to Dr Kshitij Sabnis for organising the project, and to all academics who supported the event.

This project was made possible with the support of a Small Grant from the Centre for Public Engagement and the QMUL EDI Team (C&I Initiatives).