The Curiosity Cube, a retrofitted shipping container transformed into a mobile science lab, sparked rave reviews from students across Ayrshire last week
With the support of the Ayrshire Council Developing Young Workforce (DYW), the Curiosity Cube devised by Merck visited Auchenharvie Academy, Loudoun Academy and Ayr Academy - and the company's own Irvine site.
A total of 46 amazing Merck Irvine employee volunteers helped sparked curiosity in over 500 students during the visits.
During the Curiosity Cube visit, the enthusiastic students had the opportunity to interact with local STEM experts, from their own community.
One S2 student from Auchenharvie Academy said: “I like the microscope experiment and how you can look at contamination.
"I definitely recommend the Curiosity Cube to any school or student interested. I enjoyed the learning activity outside the classroom.”
Kelly Foster, Merck Irvine site director, joined a school visit and added: "This is our way of ensuring that young people in our communities understand more about science – to SPARK the interest in them early. This way, we can encourage kids who might have thought otherwise about pursuing a career in science.”
Moragh Hastie, the local project lead said: “The Curiosity Cube’s second visit to schools in the Ayrshire region was a great success.
"The teachers and school staff were impressed with the hands-on experiments on contamination. Students also had the opportunity learn about the STEM careers at Merck. It has been an impactful week."
Mr Marwick, a teacher at Auchenharvie Academy, added: “It has been so lovely to see all the pupils fully motivated, engaged and enjoying the experience at the Curiosity Cube.
"I’ve got a few pupils who struggle to remain concentrated in class but at the Curiosity Cube, the motivation levels are through the roof, so thank you.”
Gillian Longmuir, DYW Ayrshire regional lead said: ” DYW Ayrshire were delighted to support Merck to roll out the Curiosity Cube at three schools across Ayrshire.
"The Curiosity Cube is a fantastic opportunity for young people to find out more about science in a fun and interactive way which will hopefully inspire them to pursue careers in STEM.
"The schools really benefitted from having the cube onsite as this allowed larger number of pupils to engage, often the cost of travel for external visits can be an issue and puts a limit on the number of pupils who can engage.
"We would be delighted to support Merck with future engagements and thank them for bringing this opportunity to Ayrshire.”
The Curiosity Cube was created in 2017 as a platform to immerse young minds in STEM subjects in a fun and memorable way.
Its impact extends well beyond the classroom to reach more students and their families at schools and public events.
Merck scientists lead all experiments, allowing visitors to connect with real-life scientists, ask questions and learn firsthand about the power of STEM careers.
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