The Space Zone ran from 2 to 27 November 2020 as part of I’m an Engineer.
The activity ran for longer than previous I’m an Engineer Zones (4 weeks instead of 2). It also featured more engineers (20 instead of 6). This was to offer greater flexibility to teachers in how, and when, they could take part. This was in response to the COVID-19 situation and greater restrictions and uncertainty in schools.
The Space Zone was funded by the UK Space Agency, and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC).
Engineers
- 20 engineers created profiles in the Zone
- 19 engaged with students through live Chats and/or Ask questions
- Engineers from a broad range of fields and career stages took part. For example:
- Abbie Hutty – works on the Exo-Mars Rosalind Franklin Rover for Airbus Defence and Space Ltd
- Steve Williams – a Flight Software Engineer at Surrey Satellite Technologies
- Harriet Gamble – a Space Systems Engineer at Airbus
Students
- 486 students from 20 schools all over the UK logged into the Zone
- Turnout was 60% of the 800 target
- 63% of active students were from target schools (WP and/or U)
- 45% were from widening participation (WP) schools
- 26% were from underserved (U) schools
Live Chats and Questions
- 38 live Chats took place took place during the activity
- 56 live Chats were booked (93% of capacity), but dropout was higher than usual, with 14 cancellations and 4 ‘school no shows’
- On average, 4 engineers attended each live Chat session
- 5 teachers typed questions in a live Chat on behalf of their students, so the number of students engaged may be higher by up to 125
- 82 student questions were approved – engineers responded with 182 answers
