Professor Brian Cox sparks ideas for STEM careers

Our CEO and two of our trustees joined more than 400 students at a recent celebration event at the Brooklands Innovation Academy, designed to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers.   

The Academy connects young people aged 11-18 with scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians from leading businesses. Part of a national Science Summer School programme co-founded by Professor Brian Cox and Lord Andrew Mawson, it offers a hands-on ‘learning by doing’ approach, providing practical experience and guidance for engineers and scientists of the future. 

Image courtesy of JP Bland, for Brooklands Museum

The celebration event, led by Professor Cox, included 20 action-packed workshops – including a toothpaste-themed workshop attended by Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Edinburgh! 

Walton Charity recently supported Brooklands Museum with a £51,100 grant, over a three-year period, to aid learning and community engagement with local schools. 

Prioritising schools with a high percentage of pupil premium pupils, 5,400 Elmbridge young people will have access to a programme of curriculum-linked visits to Brooklands Museum. A further 250 Elmbridge young people will attend events at Brooklands Innovation Academy, giving them direct contact with STEM professionals.

Tamalie Newbery, Brooklands Museum’s CEO, said:

“At Brooklands, engineers who lived and worked in Elmbridge solved the problems of their day and broke boundaries in aviation and motorsport, with world-changing impacts.

We are delighted to work with so many partners and supporters, including Walton Charity, to keep this local legacy alive by inspiring and supporting young people to take up rewarding careers in STEM, whatever their backgrounds.”