This January students in the North West found out what a typical day looks like working in the green energy and hydrogen market as part of Catalyst’s ‘Chemistry at Work Week’ supported by NanoSUN.
Hosted by the Catalyst Science Discovery Centre and Museum in Cheshire, over four days nearly 400 KS3 pupils joined a programme of scientific activities designed to inspire students to take an interest in careers in the energy and low-carbon sector when they finish school.
The event, supported by over 15 local businesses within the scientific industries, included hydrogen focused companies such as NanoSUN, Ulemco and Inovyn. Representatives were invited to talk about their company roles and get involved in a range of fun activities to engage and excite children about working in the science and technology world.
The week consisted of various workshops focused on making Chemistry interesting and interactive, one of these being a hydrogen fuel cell car demonstration to show the potential for hydrogen vehicles. This demonstration included producing hydrogen from the electrolysis of water using solar power, highlighting how this alternative energy can be completely green and could revolutionise the automotive industry.
There were also hands-on activities for example pupils carried out the hydrogen ‘squeaky pop’ test, representing hydrogen combustion and explaining how this can be used in an engine. Pupils were then encouraged to consider the environmental impact of road transport and the best cars for the future: fossil fuel, electric or hydrogen powered?
Rachel Didsbury, Graduate Scientist and NanoSUN representative at the event said: “It was great to see how engaged the children were and how they really understood the importance of the climate crisis. Teaching them about hydrogen gave them a new perspective on how we can reduce transport emissions, allowing them to understand the different ways hydrogen can be used and its implications. Making children aware of the possibilities of their future career is so important to inspire them and for them to realise their power to help protect the planet.”
Dr Lee Juby, CEO of Catalyst commented on the event: “Understanding how renewable energy sources like hydrogen work is the key to creating a net-zero future and this understanding must start with children because they are the future. The event was a great opportunity to bring hydrogen to the classroom, encouraging students to discover how hydrogen can play a vital role in decarbonising power, transport, mobility and many more industries.”
Catalyst Science Discovery Centre and Museum Trust Ltd is a registered charity. Its mission is to inform, educate and inspire the widest audience about the relevance of chemistry and STEM in general, through our unique offerings and hands-on experiences, our rich industrial heritage archives and our strong links to the local area.
NanoSUN is a world leading, award-winning, engineering company focused on the development, manufacture and commercialisation of mobile hydrogen refuelling solutions for use within the Transportation & Mobility sectors. Our core focus is to accelerate hydrogen use with our innovative technologies by bridging the gap between the hydrogen supply industry and the needs of end users for convenient, low cost, simple-to-use and safe fuelling systems.
Find out more about NanoSUN.
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