As awareness of the current climate crisis becomes an ever-present part of daily life, St Pius X Preparatory School in Preston have recently set up a dedicated STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) class, where students can put scientific learnings into practice, and explore engineering and sustainability projects in a creative environment.
As part of the programme, C-Capture’s Business Development Manager Dr Helen Atkinson was invited to spend a morning at the school in her home town, explaining the role of carbon capture and storage (CCS) in a net zero world to Years 5 and 6.
Helen gave the students an overview of her previous research in the polar regions, the students loved the pictures of polar bears and penguins. The classes then explored the importance of climate change in the polar regions: the melting of ice caps, associated sea level rise, and the impact on wildlife of a warming world. The students then learnt the concepts of CCS, and how the technology can be used to prevent greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere and contributing to climate change.
The St Pius students then took part in a drawing competition, based on the information they had learnt in the sessions. Congratulations to winner Harrison Murch (Age 10, Year 6) and runner up Aamina Amaji (Age 10, Year 5). Harrison’s entry was considered the most detailed and accurate by the judges of carbon capture scientists at C-Capture, and Aamina’s entry scored points for engineering design and creativity.
Helen said “I was blown away by how much the students at St Pius already knew about renewable energy & climate change, and how quickly they picked up the concepts of CCS – they are a credit to their school, which recognises the importance of teaching climate change and sustainability. Harrison, Aamina and their classmates asked lots of excellent questions, and provided some outstanding contributions to the drawing competition – well done to all”.
