Gold Youth STEMM

As part of the STEMM Gold Award, I have interviewed my local pharmacist, David Standerwick, for an article. David has been a pharmacist for around 15 years, and also allowed me to do some work experience with him in the pharmacy, to learn what a pharmacist actually does first hand. Could you describe a regular day as a pharmacist? On a daily basis I meet lots of customers and patients. Each one has a different issue and trying to establish the nature of their problems and deciding on the most appropriate course of action is a bit of a detective story. Dispensing prescriptions is a routine job. It has to be to get a high quality of service. Some people can find this too routine and this is where the dedication comes in. When you were in high school, did you ever consider a career in a STEMM subject? I first became interested in pharmacy in the year before I left school. I has always been really into science subjects and had done well with these and so had looked around t...

Yesterday was the day of the Eastern Big Bang Fair. We left college at 8.15 for our 2-hour journey to Anglia Ruskin University, Chelmsford. Unfortunately, Kate couldn't make it as she was busy looking around Plymouth University. The first stand we visited was the Royal Society of Chemistry, where we were shown how sun cream works and was able to observe the importance of it. Opposite that was the Youth STEMM Award table, where the wonderful Sam and Simon Fox were talking to prospective STEMM Award students. From there, we made our way downstairs to GlaxoSmithKline, where we met the extraordinary scientists behind a revolutionary medicine to be used in poverty stricken countries, and who kindly allowed us to take a photo of them with the new medicine. It is a gel that is used to clean the umbilical cord of a newborn baby after it has been cut; often, mud and animal manure would be used to wipe it 'clean', however, this would be likely to give the baby harmful disea...

Opportunities. New knowledge. Moving forward. Our planet is changing faster than it ever has before, and it doesn't show signs of slowing any time soon. As scientists, we have to keep up with the world we live in and we believe STEMM is the way forward.  STEMM: Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Medicine. The five components which have truly shaped the way we function as a human race. But why are they so important, and why do we need STEMM to continue growth? Science has allowed us to create and use things today that we consider to be the norm; lighting, electricity, kitchen appliances, safe drinking water, and even the device you're using to read this on. Science is an ongoing battle, and without it the rate of ozone depletion would be far higher than it currently is. Science is also improving the environment around us, especially in areas such as the Arctic and Antarctic, where the icebergs are melting as a result of climate change. Technology is a...

Hello and welcome to our first post. We are 5 individuals who are currently completing our Gold Youth STEMM Award.  Here's a small introduction to each of us: Imogen:  I am 17 and studying A Level Chemistry, Maths, and BTEC Level 3 Criminology. After college, I want to go to university to study forensic science.  Olivia:  I'm 16 and studying A Level Maths, Biology, and Physics.  When I finish college I plan to study nutrition.   Kioni:  I'm 17 and studying A Level Maths, Media, Chemistry, and AS Level Further Maths.  I hope to be able to study mathematics at university after finishing college.  Kate:  I am also 17 and studying A Level Maths, Chemistry, Biology, and Physics.  In the future, I plan to study dentistry at university. Evie:  I'm 17 and studying A Level Maths, Further Maths, Chemistry, and Physics.  In the future, I would like to study Geophysics and go into something in th...