Centre for Life pledges support to government’s ‘Your Life’ project

The International Centre for Life has today (7 May 2014) pledged its support to the government’s newly launched ‘Your Life’ campaign which aims to boost participation in science, technology, engineering and maths (the STEM subjects) across the UK, especially amongst women. Linda Conlon, Chief Executive of the International Centre for Life, was among the 170 representatives from leading businesses and institutions who joined the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Rt. Hon. George Osborne MP as he launched the ‘Your Life’ campaign. She said: “The government has today committed to double the number of women studying engineering and technology by 2030 and we have pledged our support to this campaign.” She added: “We’re already doing lots to address gender diversity in this field.  Life Science Centre attracts 250,000 visitors every year and of those, around 50% are female.  We have a very strong female representation among our Science Explainers who act as role models for the thousands of girls who take part in our schools education workshops every year and of the 500 staff working on site, many of them are women working on cutting-edge scientific research and development.  On top of this, our programme of exhibitions and events such as the recent Maker Faire UK which saw girls as young as six using soldering irons and building circuits, are great ways of showing how exciting and relevant science and technology can be.” In addition to its existing activities, Life recently announced a formal partnership with Northumbria University which will see the two institutions collaborate on a number of projects one of which is ‘Think Physics’, an innovative, cradle-to-career project aimed at using physics to inspire young people, particularly women, into STEM disciplines. The three-year project comes after research by the Institute of Physics revealed only 21% of physics students at UK universities were female. Launching the ‘Your Life’ project, George Osborne said; “Backing growth in sectors such as science, tech and engineering are part of our long term plan to deliver economic security and sustainable growth for a more resilient economy. “This campaign, which brings together some of Britain’s best businesses, institutions and government, will help inspire young people into jobs in these exciting sectors that are essential to our economic prosperity.” Full details of the campaign can be found at www.yourlife.org.uk Life’s pledge of support to the campaign is as follows:

• We will engage at least 100,000 women and girls to explore science and engineering through our science exhibitions
• We will aim to involve at least 10,000 school girls in our science workshops
• We will aim to engage a further 5000 through our schools outreach programme
• We will continue to provide positive role models by ensuring at least 50% of our graduate Explainer team who deliver science activities to the public are women
• We will seek out female researchers in physics and engineering to provide role models through our Meet the Scientist programme
• We will continue our partnership with Northumbria University’s Think Physics programme that is designed to encourage and support girls in choosing to study and pursue a career in physics
• We will run Maker Faire UK – the UK’s leading DIY Technology event, which historically has attracted an approximately 50/50 gender split both in its audience of over 10,000 people and in the participating makers
• We will continue to run Life’s Science Club (for ages 7-12) and Science Sessions (for ages 13-18) which provide monthly out of school science enrichment activities for young people and which attract at least 50% female participants. These involve the participants in the design of the programmes, provide  role models, bespoke careers advice on an individual basis as well as engaging  science experiences that are both exciting and relevant to everyday life.
• We will strive to ensure all our science programmes and exhibitions appeal equally to both genders, while providing a realistic view of the paths available in research and related careers.
• Over the next 6 months we will explore how our organisation can do more to inspire more girls with physics, maths, engineering and technology, including highlighting the exciting career opportunities with mums and dads, and will add this to our pledge.
• We will stay up to date with research into gender imbalance in the sciences, and with the best practice in our field, by participating in projects such as Girls RISEnet (based in the US) and more local ventures like Girl Geeks.
• Monitor and improve our performance as a responsible, diverse employer and service provider in line with our Equality Gold award.