STEM Archives - Page 8 of 12 - Millennium Point

Our Chief Executive talked about the importance of our fully-funded university scholarship in an interview with Nikki Tapper on her evening show on BBC Radio WM last Sunday.

The Millennium Point Scholarship offers a fully funded undergraduate degree to one young person each year in the West Midlands at Birmingham City University’s Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment. Applications are open for 2021 and close on midnight 31st January 2021. To start your application or find out more information please visit millenniumpoint.org.uk/scholarship.

Talking STEM on BBC WM
CEO of Millennium Point Abbie Vlahakis featured on Nikki Tapper’s Sunday evening show on BBC Radio WM on Sunday 24th January 2021. The host interviewed Abbie on the importance of STEM as well as the life-changing fully funded scholarship that Millennium Point is offering to students in the West Midlands. You can listen back to the interview by following this link and skipping to 01:23:00.

Speaking to the host, Abbie discussed how the Millennium Point Charitable Trust is working with schools to break down the stigma of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) careers through the scholarship by funding a range of STEM-related degrees including video game design, film production, digital technology, cybersecurity among more traditional STEM subjects such as construction and engineering.

Abbie comments: “Children don’t realise the opportunities that are out there […] STEM subjects are not necessarily white lab coats […] they’re problem-solving careers, they’re creative careers. Don’t think of STEM as something that is feared.”

Other topics discussed included the importance of diversity in STEM, briefly mentioning world-famous mathematician Katherine Johnson whose calculations of orbital mechanics as a NASA employee were critical to the success of the first and the subsequent U.S. crewed spaceflights; and the need to encourage more people of colour into STEM subjects. Past winners and finalists of the scholarship, now in its seventh year, have included a range of students from diverse ethnic, social and economic backgrounds from across the region looking to pursue a spectrum of subjects from civil engineering the music technology.

Deadline for 2021 applications
The application is quick and easy with a simple application form which can be downloaded from our website and submitted to [email protected] before midnight on 31st January 2021. A shortlist of finalists will then be chosen to take part in an assessment day in early March.

Sagal, who won the scholarship in 2017, comments about her experience of winning the life-changing scholarship: “Winning the scholarship has given me the confidence to yes to every opportunity and as a result, I am working in a field that I am passionate about. I would definitely advise you to apply for the scholarship if you’re thinking of studying a STEM degree at BCU!”

Sagal graduated with first-class honours in Civil Engineering last year and now works full time for esteemed international engineering company Jacobs.

Photo caption: L/R – Hanifah Shah (BCU), Abbie Vlahakis (Millennium Point) Shennice Talburt (Scholarship winner 2020) Professor Nick Morton (BCU)

For further information on the fully-funded scholarship or to start your application please visit www.millenniumpoint.org.uk/scholarship

Millennium Point is a landmark public building and multi-award-winning events venue in the Eastside of Birmingham City centre. Profits from our commercial activity are invested by the Millennium Point Charitable Trust into projects, events and initiatives which support the growth of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and education in the West Midlands. Find more interesting content from Millennium Point over at our news section, or follow us for daily updates on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn with @MillenniumPoint.

The deadline for our life-changing fully funded undergraduate scholarship at Birmingham City University is midnight on 31st January 2021.

Each year, the Millennium Point Charitable Trust fully fund an undergraduate degree at Birmingham City University’s Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment, which covers over 20 different courses across computing, digital technology, engineering and the built environment. Now in its seventh year, the Millennium Point Trust Scholarship has already funded six young people from the region through their degrees at Birmingham City University.

The competition is open to applicants aged 17 and over within the West Midlands Combined Authority, who are looking to start a qualifying degree in September 2021. To apply, they need to download and complete our quick and easy application form from our website by answering four questions. They will then submit their completed form to [email protected] by Sunday 31st January 2021. We will invite five applicants to a final assessment day in March 2021 before deciding a winner.

Why apply?
If you win you we’ll pay your tuition fees. If you make it to the shortlist you get a range of benefits and support that develop your core skills and create opportunities to help you kick start your career in science, technology, engineering and maths. You have nothing to lose by applying.

Get started
If you or someone you know is interested, head over tomillenniumpoint.org.uk/scholarship to download the application form before 31st January 2021.

We are delighted to report that the Millennium Point Charitable Trust has contributed more than £25m over the past six years to science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) across the West Midlands.

Profits from the commercial activity from the building and venue go towards trust.

Despite a year rocked by covid-19, the Millennium Point Charitable Trust amassed multi-millions in contributions and donations in 2020 as part of its mission to provide continued support for the region’s STEM sector; this has included funding more than 40 projects in the form of small grants to fund STEM-related projects in the region; working with Birmingham City University’s Faculty of Computing, Engineering and The Built Environment to offer a free undergraduate degree through the Millennium Point Scholarship, with applications for the seventh year is open now; an annual donation to ThinkTank Science Museum and rent reductions for STEM tenants.

CEO Abbie Vlahakis standing next to Jean McLeod of the PSP at King Solomon International Business School.

Abbie Vlahakis, CEO of Millennium Point said: “This year has highlighted the significant role STEM plays in the world today, from medical breakthroughs to technology that keeps us all connected. We’re immensely proud of the quality and breadth of STEM-related projects that the Millennium Point Charitable Trust has been able to support. The Trust has made a significant difference in the region and, particularly with projects such as our scholarship, it’s encouraging to see young people taking a real interest in STEM as a future career.”

Where does the money come from?
All of the commercial activity that takes place in the landmark building and multi-award-winning conference and events venue feeds back into the charity. The charity then donates and invest in STEM-related organisations, projects and initiatives that benefit Birmingham and the wider region.

For further information on the charity or the venue please get in touch with our team.

Press enquiries please contact Jon Perks or Allyson Loots at CAB Campaign – [email protected] / [email protected]

About the Author
This article was written by Chloe, an alumnus of the Millennium Point Scholarship in 2020. Chloe is an aspiring young engineer who is currently undertaking a degree in Civil and Infrastructure Engineering at the University of Warwick as part of an apprenticeship with design & engineering consultancy, Atkins. Her lifelong passion is Motorsport, which she hopes to pursue a career after her studies. She aims to inspire the next generation of engineers through her work, with a particular focus on bringing more women into engineering and motorsports.
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What has STEM ever done for us?
Well, if you look past the attempt at a Monty Python reference, quite a lot, actually! In a time where uncertainty reigns and the education system is facing (likely) its biggest challenge yet, it is interesting to see the strength of one career area: STEM. STEM is the combination of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, though is also recognised by some as STEAM with the arts now beginning to be incorporated. We all rely on STEM massively; yet often do not realise this. As a young person just beginning to step into STEM at the end of my mandatory education it is clear to me that we need to highlight not only the importance of careers in STEM but also the potential for excitement and job satisfaction these jobs have for young people. By the end of the next few minutes, I will have hopefully given you an insight into why careers in STEM are important to us all.

Why STEM?
I was first drawn to STEM at quite a young age. I grew up surrounded by a number of family members and friends of the family who were involved in engineering and STEM. I would often try and join in when we were having building work done on the house or would want to watch my Dad working away in the garage to repair or come up with a solution for something. As I continued to grow older, I became LEGO obsessed (which, quite understandably, is even the case for many adults). I always wanted to know how things were made and why they worked. It wasn’t until I was much older that I realised this way of thinking could actually be a career.

From building blocks to building a career.

At the point where I had to start making decisions about my future, STEM seemed like the way to go; I could have a job where I could design, fix and innovate all while making a positive difference through my work. For example, without STEM we wouldn’t have X-rays to help us when we get injured (I learnt the importance of this being a quite adventurous child), or our water supply and sanitation systems which we all see as a necessity in modern times. Even the day-to-day is full of STEM – like sending a message to a friend using an app that has been developed by programmers for a phone which has been constructed by a team of engineers and technicians. Without these necessities, our lives would be very different in a negative way.

Remote working and learning has only been made possible through the advancements in digital and technology

Why STEM now?
While the current pandemic has stretched our healthcare system further than ever before and put a stop to ‘normal’ life, people working in STEM (including scientists and engineers) have worked hard to reduce the strain the virus has put on us all. Many engineers, designers and even students utilised 3D printers to manufacture additional PPE equipment for our healthcare workers who needed it. F1 teams banded together to help design and manufacture ventilators to help hospitals care for those in need of medical attention and scientists are still working hard to find a cure for this virus. The clear benefits of this hard work really drive home the point that STEM careers are key in the continuing fight against Covid-19 and whatever may be thrown at the world next. It doesn’t end at using STEM to combat the virus. Without the innovations in digital and tech, remote working and learning would not have been possible. Many more businesses would have been impacted more severely, which have resulted in even more job losses and a bigger impact on the economy. The impact on education was hard-hitting for school leavers like me, but at least through the use of technology, we could still get through it.

Millennium Point offers funding for STEM education and a fully-funded STEM degree at Birmingham City University.

It is essential that going into the future we not only encourage young people to follow careers in STEM but also support them to see it through. We as young people are the future innovators, the future leaders and will be the future of STEM in years to come, in roles that have not even been conceived yet. This is especially important for female students and those of minority races, genders and sexualities, who often feel discouraged from working in STEM due to hostile atmospheres and workplaces. This matters because without diversity we are minimising the talent pool and hindering progress which impacts every facet of our society. According to the IET (The Institution of Engineering and Technology), only 13% of the people working in STEM are female. More must be done to help and encourage girls to pursue and remain in STEM careers to continue to innovate further.

STEM is essential and now, more than ever, we each have the responsibility to support that growth by acting now to support the world of tomorrow.

Start Your Career in STEM With the Millennium Point Scholarship

Millennium Point is offering a fully funded undergraduate degree at Birmingham City University’s Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment. Applications are open now until 31st January 2021. This unique opportunity is open to people over 17 looking to start a STEM degree, and includes a wealth of development opportunities to further kickstart your career.

A leading music industry-academic at Birmingham City University has welcomed the findings of UK Music’s Music By Numbers report and calls for UK Government and industry to work together to secure further support tackling ongoing challenges presented by Covid-19 and Brexit.

Dr Matt Grimes is the music industries course leader at Birmingham City University and member of UK Music’s Music Academic Partnership (MAP) initiative. Dr Grimes warns that ‘the UK’s music industries are facing the biggest existentialist crisis in history due to the continuing Covid-19 pandemic, but that the year on year growth recorded in the Music By Numbers report available to read here, is likely to be significantly damaged – potentially irreparably – by both the pandemic and new legislation following the UK’s exit from the EU.

Dr Matt Grimes Senior Music Industry Lecturer Birmingham City University

“Amongst the headlines from UK Music’s latest report – recording data from January 2019 – December 2019 – is a stark reminder of the music industries’ importance, documenting an increase in its financial contribution to the UK economy via an increase of 11.8% from 2018 data to £5.8 billion. But after the worst year on record, with the widely reported brutal blow to the live music sector, what does the latest data tell us about how the UK’s music industries can recover from the combined challenges posed by Covid-19 and Brexit?

“We need the UK Government to negotiate and put in place a simplified system to enable the continuation of reciprocal artistic exchange between the UK and EU. This is just one of a number of ‘next steps’ we must see taken in order to protect and secure the massive contribution that music makes to the UK’s economy and cultural fabric. Other steps highlighted in the UK Music report include Covid-19 recovery and revival; a continuation of and a more robust system for workforce support during the pandemic, to make sure that skilled workers are ready to reactively and successfully hit the ground running at the earliest opportunity post-Covid.

“UK Government must develop a post Brexit copyright framework to enable music creators to fairly monetise their work; offer international trade support that further develops the UK music industries around the globe by entering into trade agreements that allow UK music to grow in key markets; a nurturing of the UK’s talent pipeline by an investment by the government into music education and the development and support of regional music boards; and tax incentive schemes, which are common in other countries, to support the growth and development of the UK music industries.

Music industries form part of the wider S.T.E.M umbrella, alongside digital technology, film and the games industry. The Millennium Point Charitable Trust is working in partnership with Birmingham City University to offer a fully funded undergraduate scholarship at the faculty of computing, engineering and the built environment. Courses eligible for funding include Music Technology and Sound Engineering and Production. Applications open on 2nd December 2020 for any young people looking to start their career in music. For more information or to apply please visit this page.

Promote Millennium Point Scholarship — Scholarship 2020 Finalists (From Left to Right) Kallum Wright, Chloe Copeland, Shennice Talburt, Lauren Davies, Amber Kelsey.

Dr Grimes concludes: “The music industry is critical to the UK’s post-Covid recovery. It may well have to mutate to survive and new models of music production, distribution and consumption may well emerge from post-Covid music industries. Models we hope will be able to sustain and grow what is a key national asset.”

For print, online and broadcast interviews with Dr Matt Grimes, please contact Lyle Bignon on 07740 753 779 or via [email protected].

Find more interesting content from Millennium Point over at our news section, or follow us for daily updates on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn with @MillenniumPoint. Millennium Point is a landmark public building and multi-award-winning events venue in the Eastside of Birmingham City centre. Profits from our commercial activity are invested by the Millennium Point Charitable Trust into projects, events and initiatives which support the growth of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and education in the West Midlands.

Every year, the Millennium Point Charitable Trust Small Grants programme gives out grants of up to £20,000 to support science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) education projects in the West Midlands. Applications are now open for 2021.

Here is one of the many projects that the programme has funded in 2020:

‘BREAKING THE BARRIERS TO STEM’

Who’s running the project?
The project is managed by a parent’s voluntary organisation in partnership with King Solomon International Business School – Birmingham’s first all-through (4-19) Christian free school, which specialises in international business and entrepreneurship. The Parent School Partnership (PSP) was established in 2015 by parents of pupils who attend the school. To this end, PSP activities have been by donation of time, gifts and resources from willing parents and community partners – and now Millennium Point.

What’s it all about?
An inner-city school in Birmingham with a high proportion of BAME (Black, Asian and Ethnic Minorities) pupils, its ambition is to ‘break barriers’ and increase STEM engagement across the entire pupil population, whatever their gender or ethnicity, through a series of onsite activities, workshops, clubs, as well as STEM-related off-site trips. For a lot of children at the school, this will be their only chance to experience this kind of specialist learning in addition to the national curriculum and the aim is for them to be immersed into the world of STEM; give them opportunities that they otherwise would not have to boost STEM participation and be excited about the possibilities of careers in STEM.

The PSP and school has identified gaps in the children’s exposure to STEM learning and wants to reach individuals from urban, challenged or hard to reach backgrounds by providing all of this free of charge to prevent barriers to their involvement.

The project will include the following:

Code Club – an after-school club designed to immerse students in the world of code – HTML, Java, CSS etc.
Eco-friendly sensory wildlife garden – designed to help students explore science in a practical way and learn about life cycles, growing, plants, climate, habitats, weather. The Code Club will create a QR code for the various plants and environments, which can be scanned to get the information about the optimum climate for growth etc.
Equipment – for a variety of science and maths experiments, including one which will measure the carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide levels in classrooms and outside areas.
Excursions – a range of STEM-related school trips, including Dudley Canal and Tunnel Trust; Planetarium at Thinktank; Jaguar Land Rover Wolverhampton; Birmingham Botanical Gardens.

Who does it benefit?
The aim is everyone at the school, from ages 4-19, a total of around 1,200 pupils.

What they said: Jean McLeod, lead chair of the Parent School Partnership, said: “We want to increase STEM engagement opportunities across the whole school, both Primary and Secondary. We are an inner-city school in Birmingham – 98% BAME – and we want to make sure that this traditionally marginalised group is not missing out on opportunities for STEM learning and careers in STEM. We have identified gaps in the children’s exposure to STEM learning; we want to reach individuals from urban, challenged or hard to reach backgrounds by providing these activities without the barrier of cost.”

When’s it all happening?
Work on the QR codes and sensory garden began in September. Other projects will be delivered and completed across the school year.

About grant funding from Millennium Point
Applications for 2021 grant funding have now closed. For information on the Millennium Point Charitable Trust Grants programme 2022, please visit: millenniumpoint.org.uk/grants

(Images in order: Featured Image – Faith Smith and Dylan Binns, King Solomon International Business School, Pupils testing our the QR codes in their Sensory Garden, Abbie Vlahakis, Millennium Point CEO with Jean McLeod, Head of PSP, standing by the Sensory Garden.)

Applications are now open for our life-changing scholarship at Birmingham City University.

Who can apply?
Applications are only being accepted from students living in the West Midlands Combined Authority, who cannot already have or currently be studying an undergraduate degree. The scholarship only applies to a qualifying course at Birmingham City University. For further information, check out the rules section.

Why should they apply?
All finalists will benefit from the programme with opportunities that can kick start their career in science, technology, engineering or maths (STEM). One person will get a fully funded degree – which means they won’t pay their undergraduate tuition fees. They’ll also have several opportunities to develop through networking, events and industry links provided through Millennium Point. All finalists receive skills development and training to build their confidence before the live final. Following the competition, they can become an alumnus of the programme and benefit from a range of opportunities such as mentoring, work placements and networking.

Why do we do this?
Birmingham and the West Midlands is teeming with unfettered STEM talent. Now, more than ever, young people need our support and encouragement for them to unlock their potential. The scholarship is one of several ways we, as a charitable trust, support the growth of STEM industries in the region and do our bit to secure the future and economic growth of an area and a community that has been designated the largest hub for science and innovation outside of London. For more information on how you can get involved please visit this page.

Get started
If you or someone you know is interested, head over to millenniumpoint.org.uk/scholarship and start the application.

Organisations within the West Midlands Combined Authority have just one week left to apply for a grant from the Millennium Point Charitable Trust to support their science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) education projects. Not-for-profits, schools and charities can apply for funding from £1,000 up to £20,000 from the Millennium Point Charitable Trust to fund their STEM projects starting in September 2021. Projects can be activity focussed or for the purchasing of resources and materials which enables STEM-related education to children or communities. With the deadline fast approaching, we are urging organisations not to miss out on this important funding opportunity.

Applications close on Monday 30th November at 5pm.

How do you apply?
Applicants will need to download and complete the application form on the Millennium Point website. The completed application should be submitted to [email protected] before 5 pm on Monday 30th November 2020.

Since 2018, Millennium Point Charitable Trust has donated over £969,000 through its annual grants process to a diverse range of projects across education, STEM-focused charities, sporting charities and museums. This year Millennium Point awarded £560,000 to fund over 60 projects across the region. Projects funded include ‘STEM stars’ from Aston Villa Foundation, a programme which engages young people in coding using football; and ‘Sensory STEM’ from Longwill School for the Deaf, Northfield, and a programme teaching the science of rollercoasters to children with illnesses, which will make science more visual and accessible to their pupils through science-based equipment and an enhanced curriculum.

Where does the money come from?
The Millennium Point Charitable Trust owns the 46,450 sqm landmark Millennium Point building on Curzon street in the eastside of Birmingham City Centre (opposite the future Curzon Railway). Millennium Point is “COVID Secure” and has 17 versatile event spaces capable of holding a variety of events from meetings to formal dinners. Profits from our commercial activity as a landmark public building and multi-award-winning conference and events venue feedback into the charitable trust, enabling it to donate and invest in STEM-related organisations, projects and initiatives. The grants scheme is our flagship initiative alongside the Millennium Point Trust Scholarship which funds at least one young person’s undergraduate degree each year at Birmingham City University.

Head over to our grants page and start your application. Applications close at 5 pm on Monday 30th November 2020.

Each year Millennium Point Charitable Trust give hundreds-of-thousands in grants to schools, charities and not-for-profits in Birmingham and the wider region. These grants fund projects, resources and activities which enhance education of science, technology engineering and maths (STEM) education. While applications for 2021 are open now, we look at how a grant from the Millennium Point Charitable Trust changed one primary school for the better.

Great Bridge Primary School – “Lego WeDo” Project
Great Bridge Primary, Tipton, is a large primary school with over 500 students. The school sits in an area of known deprivation within the region. Like many of its kind, the school suffers from limited funding which means a restricted programme to engage pupils in the opportunities of STEM learning. In 2019, they successfully applied for a grant from the Millennium Point Trust to change this.

Their application sought to enhance their teaching and learning within computing and coding which would expand their currently limited curriculum. The grant-funded 17 LEGO WeDo sets, for coding lessons at the school alongside resources to help train staff in how to use the equipment. “LEGO WeDo” are sets designed for primary school classrooms comprising of an assortment of physical LEGO building components, electronics and accompanying software for desktops or mobile devices. With the kits, the pupils at the school can build physical LEGO models including tilt and movement sensors and motors then control them via code they build themselves in the dedicated LEGO WeDo software programme. Students would then be set real-life scenarios in which to come up with models and code that would suit, such as creating a science rover to explore a radioactive setting or spy bots detecting movement.

What was the impact?
Now the school benefits from an engaging computing curriculum which is inspiring their students to pursue STEM learning previously unobtainable. Over 120 Year 5 and 6 pupils benefited from the programme. Each 2-hour lesson developing their computer and coding literacy alongside transferable skills such as problem-solving, teamwork and communication. Most significantly, the project has created a much stronger enthusiasm for STEM subjects, with the school reporting an increase in student performance. Similarly, several members of staff also benefited from the project which improved their confidence with computing and coding, allowing for them to set more engaging and “outside-of-the-box” tasks for the pupils as their confidence with the equipment grew.

Judith Bedford, Computing Curriculum Leader for Great Bridge Primary Comments:
“Enhancing the computing curriculum for upper Key Stage 2 at Great Bridge has had an immediate impact. The children who have taken part in the initial part of the project have had the opportunity to see how coding can be used to control a range of physical mechanisms and relate this to developing knowledge of coding in real-life scenarios […] As a school, we will not look back on our Computing curriculum but instead, this project has made us look to the future and consider how we can inspire children to engage with STEM.”

This is just one example of how a grant from the Millennium Point Charitable Trust can help make a difference to schools in the region. Applications are now open for 2021 and close on 30^th November 2020. For further information visit millenniumpoint.org.uk/grants

Here is one of the many projects that the programme has funded in 2020:

‘THE SCIENCE OF ROLLERCOASTERS’

Who’s running the project?
The Hospital Education Service – which provides an education to those who are unable to attend school due to injuries, illnesses, or any other reason. It is a unique setting split across University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire; Whitmore Park Annexe; and home tuition to individuals. Its aim is to provide continuity in education when pupils miss school.

What’s it all about?
It’s an investigation into rollercoasters – from designing, testing and risk assessments, to research into energy, speed, acceleration, friction and gravity weight calculations. The aim is to teach students to use and think about science in a fun and interesting way; the project will end with students presenting their findings before they all go on a trip to a theme park to see the real-world science, first-hand.

The project will develop key areas within science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), whilst also encouraging communication, key investigative skills and collaboration. These will all contribute to building self-esteem, with the intention of giving the pupils motivation to return to mainstream school and have faith in their own ability. It’s hoped that it will also encourage pupils to study science post-16.

Who will benefit?
Pupils at Whitmore Park Annexe – there are currently six students in the GCSE group and two in the pre-GCSE group.

What they said:
Debbie Glenn, Lead Science teacher, commented: “Whitmore Park Annexe, which the funding will directly benefit, is a small school that caters for pupils ages 11-17. These pupils are very vulnerable and have often had a negative experience of school and life.

“STEM is an area that I have been developing since joining the Hospital Education Service, with the aim to close the attainment gap of disadvantaged pupils. I try to link to what is of interest to the pupils to create engaging lessons, and this project is the ideal opportunity to demonstrate and apply the science being taught. Pupils can see the relevance of physics in everyday life, and that excites them!”

When’s it all happening?
There are three key stages to the project – exploration and investigation in the Autumn term; methodology, measurement and adapting rollercoasters linking to energy and forces in the Spring; the presentation of findings during the investigation, and finally a theme park visit in the Summer.

Applications must be submitted by 5pm on 30th November 2020. To apply for the Millennium Point Charitable Trust Small Grants programme 2021, visit: www.millenniumpoint.org.uk/grants/apply