DYW Ayrshire have been working with our local schools and business partners to adapt engagements to a virtual setting whilst restrictions from the COVID-19 outbreak are in place.
On Friday 25th September DYW Ayrshire helped to facilitate the first virtual event of the new school year with pupils from Girvan Academy’s National 5 Laboratory Science class. These young people are currently undertaking a unit of work which involves them researching and gaining a knowledge of how laboratory skills are used in various career settings, other skills which can develop as a result of working in a lab and the qualifications and experience needed for these opportunities.
During the Microsoft Teams session the class were fortunate to hear from PhD students Mark Thomas and Kimberly Black as well as Dr Anne Crilly at the University of the West of Scotland who all shared how they use laboratory skills in their roles.
Dr Anne Crilly commented “The BREATH Team from the University of the West of Scotland (UWS), which included PhD students Ms Kimberly Black and Mr Mark Thomas, were delighted to have the opportunity to be part of an online public engagement event involving N5 pupils at Girvan Academy, Ayrshire. The Interreg BREATH research programme aims to improve understanding and knowledge around a progressive lung condition known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD, with Ayrshire and Arran having an unusually high incidence of the condition. The EU Interreg funded BREATH research programme at UWS supports the doctoral training of 7 PhD students, which includes Kimberly and Mark. It was a fantastic opportunity for Kimberly and Mark to talk to pupils at Girvan Academy about their own journey into a career in science and the transferrable skill sets that they are developing while studying for a PhD. The event also allowed us to promote awareness of lung health and COPD to school pupils within Ayrshire and Arran”.
Class teacher, Stephen Lam was very appreciative of the support received and commented “The speakers from UWS were very helpful and enthusiastic – I certainly think it is a good experience for pupils at Girvan to hear presenters from different backgrounds talk about their careers and jobs.”
Over the next few months the Laboratory Science class will benefit from further virtual engagements organised by DYW Ayrshire.
