Karen Womack

Onboarding 2024

This year’s onboarding event was held on Friday 17th May, at The Kings Church in Burgess Hill. We extend our gratitude to them for hosting us.

Combining the events from Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill allows more businesses and schools to join in celebrating STEM. Mid Sussex Science Week 2024 will see participation from nine schools and one SEND school, along with judges, and will feature a greater number of exhibitors in one place. This creates an enhanced, fully interactive experience for the students.

We are grateful for Richard Cox from Burgess Hill Business Parks Association and MSSW committee member for joining us, who spoke about the association and the processes of judging and gaining sponsorship for the event.

The event allows schools and business STEM Ambassadors to meet face-to-face, providing an opportunity to understand the business’s sector and collaborate on a project in preparation for the week and final judging.

This year’s pairings were arranged ahead of the afternoon, ensuring that no-one was matched with the same business or school as before. Unfortunately, not all our schools and Ambassadors could join us, but the MSSW committee was available to assist as needed.

Southway Primary School HPC
Bolney CE Primary School Furnace Design
Warden Park Primary Academy Adelphi UK
Harlands Primary School Caffyns
Windmills Junior School Flakt Group
Ditchling Primary School Leap Environmental
Birchwood Grove TBC
St Wilfrids CofE School Mitsubishi Electric
London Meed Primary School Edwards Vacuum
MSSW Pairings

If you would like to offer any assistance, albeit sponsorship or gifts for the children attending, please contact us.

Official launch of 2023 MSSW!

Last month we held the official launch of Mid Sussex Science Week 2023. The onboarding meetings are for schools and business representatives to meet face-to-face, find out who they would be paired with for the duration of the programme and meet other people involved with the week. Phil Todd Chairman of MSSW welcomed attendees at the beginning of each meeting and thanked Edwards Vacuum in Burgess Hill and Haywards Heath College for providing us with their facilities.

Phil spoke about how MSSW started 8 years ago with other likeminded individuals, who saw a gap in STEM opportunities for children of primary school age. Being able to continue putting on such events like MSSW is all down to the continued support of businesses and the individuals representing them. Without them it would not be possible to secure Science Week on our calendars year on year and reinforces how we can empower the young into STEM as a profession.

Richard Cox was representing BHBPA which is a community focussed group of local businesses from Burgess Hill and he is also a member of the MSSW committee.

Burgess Hill

Carl Morphew of BSE|FM Limited shared his experiences as a STEM Ambassador since 2018 and how rewarding engaging with students can be and their infectious enthusiasm is encouraging.

Haywards Heath

There were several STEM Ambassadors in attendance. Darren Coomber of BSEFM Ltd offered an insight into projects he has helped schools produce over previous shows and how being a STEM Ambassador is gratifying for him to be able to see the benefits of inspiring children.

The STEMHub community was also represented by Peter Sutton of Canterbury Christ Church University. They provide a networking base for businesses and individuals aiming to inspire the next generation.

During the meeting we were again delighted that Mims Davies, Member of Parliament for Mid Sussex attended. Mims is a keen advocate of the promotion of STEM in the younger generation and girls in particular.

STEM Ambassador / school pairing for Burgess Hill was kindly provided by Richard Cox.

Sheddingdean Primary School HPC
Birchwood Grove Primary School Ridgeview
London Meed Primary School Cybility Consulting
Bolney CE Primary School Edwards Vacuum
Southway Primary School Leap Environmental

Mims Davies and Phil Todd drew pairings in Haywards Heath.

Warden Park Primary Academy Mitsubishi Electric
Harlands Primary School KLA Architect
St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School Artemis Marketing
St Wilfrid’s CofE Primary School Flowserve
Lindfield Primary Academy Caffyns
St Augustine’s CofE Primary School BSEFM Ltd

We would like to thank all our businesses for taking part in MSSW 2023 without them and our sponsors these events wouldn’t be able to be put on.

Further details will be sent to all schools and businesses in due course, please keep an eye on your emails.

2023 Science Week Onboarding

We are pleased to announce our Science week will be held over two weeks…a celebration of the imagination of the young minds from Mid Sussex.

Dates have been finalised for the onboarding days, these are:

BURGESS HILL – 4pm on Monday 27th March at Edwards Vacuum in Burgess Hill

HAYWARDS HEATH – 4pm Friday 31st March at Haywards Heath College, Harlands Road, Haywards Heath.

Schools and Businesses will be given an introduction to the event by the Mid Sussex Science Week Chair Mr Phil Todd, and an explanation of how the events will operate. Each school participating will be paired with STEM Ambassadors from one of the supporting companies with a science / engineering background, all with a common aim ‘to enthuse children into the world of STEM’.

Come back later for more updates!

Final day of MSWW 2022

On a blazing hot day we finally got to the end of Mid Sussex Science Week 2022 and what a day it was!

Science Week 2022

To find out more, please read our report and if this is something you would like to hear more about please contact chair@midsussexscience.org or call 01444 414241 for further information.

3 weeks and counting!

With science week fast approaching, the organising committee are in the process of coordinating preparations for the culmination of activities on the final day.

Our Stem Ambassadors have already been designated their schools and should be liaising with them in order to arrange visiting them and discussing their project ideas and designs.

The judges have also made themselves available on the day, they have a variety of backgrounds to enable the judging process to be a fair as possible. Our thanks to the StemHub for helping and those to whom we have again called upon again to assist.

This event would not be possible without the aid of many individuals including support from local businesses, council members and back ground staff.

The final day begins with the presentation of each schools project to the judging committee. We have also secured STEM activities which are being provided by local businesses during the morning for the students to partake in, but we don’t want to give too much away now, you’ll have to come back afterwards for our full report.

After lunch, I will be inviting Minister for Employment Mims Davies and Richard Cox from Burgess Hill Business Parks Association to present a selection awards. STEMHub are also donating books to the overall winning school, these books tell stories to inspire the next generation of engineers and scientists and each student will receive a certificate of attendance.

For the finale and once presentations have finished the children will be provided with a professional childrens science show containing many wonders for them to ‘wow’ over.

We are looking forward to the first Burgess Hill science week and hope our schools enjoy themselves.

Philip Todd

Chairman

MSSW

chair@midsussexscience.org

On-Boarding Update 2022

The on-boarding meeting was well attended with STEM Ambassadors, Businesses, Sponsors and Schools on 25th March at Kings Centre, Burgess Hill.

The meeting commenced with a welcome from Mr Phil Todd (Chair of MSSW and BSE 3D Ltd, MD) and an introduction to Mid Sussex Science Week and the programme of events leading up to the main week in June.

Mr Richard Cox (Burgess Hill Business Parks Association, Chief Exec) followed presenting details of the Association, Company Sponsors, exhibitors and Company Partners.

Mr Carl Morphew (BSE|FM Ltd, Director) talked about how working as a STEM Ambassador with schools and the previous events he has been involved with is inspiring and how engaging students are with the whole event.

Dr Hellen Ward (The STEMHUB, Director) representing STEM covering the South-East, how rewarding being an Ambassador can be and how to become one. The special prizes and certificates being provided by them for MSSW.

Concluding with Mims Davies (MP and Employment Minister) explaining how these type of events inspire the next generation, to give them opportunities and encourage diversity.

The draw took place which paired each school with a STEM Ambassador from a participating Business.

School

Birchwood Grove Primary School

Southway Primary School

Bolney CE Primary School

Sheddingdean Primary School

London Meed Primary School

Business

Leap Environmental

Edwards Vacuum

HPC Compressed Air Systems

BSE|FM Limited

Mitsubishi Electric