The day will start with a Blu-ray™ screening of the Oscar-nominated film, Hidden Figures which is launching on Blu-ray™ and DVD July 3rd, followed by interactive talks and demonstrations from some of the University's leading female academics who will discuss how women engineers are shaping the future of space exploration.
Hidden Figures is the incredible untold story of Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe), brilliant African-American women mathematicians and engineers working at NASA. They were as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the USA's launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, a stunning achievement that restored the nation's confidence, turned around the Space Race, and galvanised the world. A visionary trio who crossed all gender and race lines, to inspire future generations to dream big.
Following the screening the students will meet some of the University’s world-leading academics and hear about their work. They will also have talks from current female engineering students. It is hoped the day will inspire them to pursue their passion for STEM subjects.
Talks taking place during the day include:
- Dr Lucy Berthoud from the Department of Aerospace Engineering will ask the question 'Is there life on Mars?' using a skateboard, a fire extinguisher and some Martian rock.
- Dr Valeska Ting from the Department of Mechanical Engineering and a member of Bristol Composites Institute (ACCIS), a newly created Specialist Research Institute (SRI), will talk about the development of advanced materials for use in space flight and exploration.
- Dr Kate Robson Brown will explain about her work in biomechanics, and three projects she is working on relating to human spaceflight, which are radiation effects on bone, microgravity effects on bone, and the development of a space suit to ease these effects.
- Heather McDonald Tait will demonstrate Ultrahaptics, the new science that is changing the face of virtual reality by allowing users to feel virtual objects in mid-air. The company was founded by Bristol postgraduate Tom Carter during his PhD in Computer Science.
- Dr Alicia Gonzalez-Buelga and Dr Irina Lazar from the Department of Mechanical Engineering will give an interactive demonstration on vibrations in structures.
- Dr Sabine Hauert from the Department of Engineering Maths and Bristol Robotics Laboratory (BRL) will explain her work in nano-robotics, and discuss how robots help in space exploration.
Dr Lucy Berthoud,Senior Teaching Fellow in the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Chair of Space Universities Network (SUN), said: "International National Women in Engineering Day has been created to celebrate the achievements of women. The day will give students an overview of what it might be like to work or study in science, technology, engineering and maths.
"Women are currently under-represented in these areas and we need to inspire girls to study STEM subjects and get them excited about what they can achieve in the future."