Published:
Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP, Minister for Higher Education, Further Education and Science, has visited Heriot-Watt University's Edinburgh Campus to view Summer Week events taking place as part of the Brightest Watts initiative, one of the University's activities targeted at widening access to higher education.
The Minister visited Mechanical Engineering workshops and Biology workshops, meeting fifteen and sixteen year old pupils about to enter S5 at schools from Edinburgh, Lothians, the Borders, Forth Valley and Fife.
Projects like the Brightest Watts Summer Week offer a great way for school pupils to experience university life and to better understand what higher education has to offer. Given the growing significance of science and technology, engineering, mathematics and digital skills, it is particularly encouraging to see access programmes with an emphasis on STEM subjects.
Brightest Watts Summer Week is part of a wide variety of activities that Heriot-Watt delivers for widening access. It aims to give pupils a taste of what University life might be like, and includes academic workshops, team-building events and a social outing mid-week. On the final day the students deliver presentations about their experience of the week.
The Summer Week event, now in its seventh year, is funded by Baillie Gifford and is free to participants. Applicants from widening access backgrounds are given priority. In addition to the Summer Week, Brightest Watts programmes involve current Heriot-Watt students visiting schools to act as Mentors.
The Minister saw students in the Mechanical Engineering workshops working to build a robot and to construct a bridge. They then had to navigate their robot over the bridge.
In the Biology workshop participants examined cells to establish if they were alive or dead and learned how to turn their phones into microscopes to take ‘cellfies'. They also worked with environmental organisms, and looked at fluorescent fish using special microscopes.
The Minister chatted to participating pupils and to Student Ambassadors. She said, “We are determined to ensure that every child gets an equal chance to go to university regardless of their background. The Commission on Widening Access recognised the importance of providing the right ‘access' support for young people at each stage of their education. Projects like the Brightest Watts Summer Week offer a great way for school pupils to experience university life and to better understand what higher education has to offer. Given the growing significance of science and technology, engineering, mathematics and digital skills, it is particularly encouraging to see access programmes with an emphasis on STEM subjects.”
Raising aspirations and attainment
Professor Richard A Williams, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Heriot-Watt University, said, “We are committed to rigorous selection of students on competitive merit, to promoting inclusivity and eliminating discrimination. We want to raise aspirations, raise attainment and provide advice to pupils on routes into higher education.
“The young people we have seen at these workshops are clearly enjoying the experience. I hope they will finish their Brightest Watts Summer Week with a real sense of achievement and a feeling of excitement about what University could offer them.”
Heriot-Watt Educational Liaison Officer Keir Robinson, said, “University can be a complete unknown for many secondary pupils. The Brightest Watts summer week provides a taster of what University life is actually like. By removing the mystique we hope they make university an accessible prospect, and encourage more pupils to consider higher education.”