Hundreds of school pupils from across Essex and Suffolk attended the Big Bang fair at the University of Essex's Colchester Campus to take part in workshops, experiments and demonstrations focused on science, maths, engineering and computing.
Activities highlighted the University’s excellence in science research with demonstrations ranging from research into collective crowd behaviour and coral reefs to climate change and how our brains function.
Leading companies and organisations also supported the Big Bang fair to highlight the vital role science, technology and engineering play in the UK’s economomy and the career opportunities on offer.
Companies and organisations taking part included BT, Suitcase TV, baking specialist Zeelandia, Colchester Zoo, automotive climate technology firm HVCC, the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), Greenpower Education Trust, the Royal Society of Chemistry, independent games company Fayju, the British Science Association, Essex County County, building services institution CIBSE and engineering and environmental consultancy MLM.
Samantha Strauss, Senior Software Engineer at Suitcase TV, said there had been a lot of interest in the companies work helping the BBC deliver live online coverage from music festivals across the UK including Glastonbury.
She added: "It was very encouraging to see the number of female students who came to speak to us during the day."
Andy Taylor, Development and Technical Specialist in Bakery at Zeelandia, delivered some flavoursome experiments with young people getting the chance to taste lots of different types of bread from brioche to panattone. He said: "It is all about getting young people interested and using experiments to show them the science behind the food we eat."
Many companies used the opportunity to show their cutting edge work. BT hosted a virtual and live demonstration of artificial intelligence and also showcased the development of its new BT Sport app.
Essex graduate Razvan Muscalu, who now works at BT, said: "It was good to have the chance to show the different things we do. The reaction was really good."