Hosted by our two Year 13 students, Bhairavi and Pritthika, we held our first ever STEM conference at NLCS. The event welcomed over 200 students from eight different state and independent schools who were able to choose from a range of sessions, exploring five areas of STEM: Natural Sciences, Medicine, Maths, Engineering and Computer Science & Technology.
The day featured an impressive line up of over eight different speakers. Professor Ijeoma Uchegbu, a leading expert in Pharmaceutical Nanoscience at UCL and governor of Wellcome, one of the largest biomedical research charities globally, spoke to students in the Natural Sciences workshop.
In the Math’s session, students listened to words of wisdom from Professor Emmanuel Breuillard, a maths professor at Oxford University who won the 2024 Frohlich Prize from London Mathematical Society for his study of symmetric groups in algebra and analysis.
In computer science, Rajiv Azhapilli, a tech entrepreneur and founder of Tabnova highlighted his innovative career and Sarika Basel, a Senior Solution at Nando’s tech, discussed the concept T-shaped engineering and highlighted the significance of women in technology.
Engineering was represented by a panel including Dr. Ram Datt, a solar energy researcher, Leome Francis, a Vodafone Network Operations Specialist, and Mr Walsh, NLCS’s own teacher whose expertise spans Mechanical, Electrical and Bio-engineering.
In Medicine, Dr Sarah Dawson, a specialist in Paediatric Neuro-oncology at the Royal Marsden Hospital gave a talk on her personal journey into her career at one of the worlds foremost cancer centres.
The conference concluded with a keynote from Chrissy Hill, a strategic leader who has acted as a trusted advisor for Tony Blair, Dr Gavin Wood, Barclays Capital and Linklaters, offering insights into STEM and leadership.
Reflecting on the conference, Bhairavi and Pritthika said: “ We started this STEM Conference to bring together like-minded individuals and discover the incredible opportunities within this field. We want to inspire, excite and bring other students closer to some incredible speakers and ideas that can shape our future and spark our imagination”
A special thanks goes to Mr. Duffey and Mr. Street for assisting the girls with organising a great partnership conference.