University of Sunderland Bright Sparks Science and Technology Club

Bright Sparks Science and Technology Club is a successful club aimed at local young people with a passion for STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths) subjects. It is coordinated by the University’s Access to Higher Education team, who work with pupils across the region aiming to inspire them to progress to Further and Higher Education.

The Club offers monthly activities with pupils having taken part in Psychology, Media and Engineering taster sessions as well as a trip to BBC Studios in 2018/19. Sessions are linked to the national curriculum and aim to raise aspirations and attainment whilst encouraging participants to consider a career related to a STEAM subject.

We have over 70 members and offer ALL sessions completely free of charge. Staffing costs, resources, ticket prices and transport to outside venues are covered by the University to ensure that the activities are accessible to all, regardless of background.

We also run a number of Family Fun Days, where members of our community are invited onto campus to partake in exciting activities including trying Virtual Reality headsets and programming Lego® Education robots. To celebrate the University’s new School of Medicine, we also run medical-themed activities.

An award from Bright Ideas Fund would enable the purchase of a ‘Wash and Glow Checkpoint’ which is used by NHS to indicate the presence of bacteria using UV light. This exciting piece of equipment would massively enhance our Family Fun Days and further inspire our members to consider careers within the medicine sector.