STEM Education

The 2024 Millennium Technology Prize has been awarded to Professor Jayant Baliga of North Carolina State University for his part in the invention and development of the IGBT. “Two thirds of the electricity in the world is used to run motors in consumer and industrial applications,” said chair of Millennium Technology committee Professor Päivi Törmä. “Professor Baliga’s innovation has allowed ...

The UK’s A level results were announced last week and showed an increase in STEM subject choices. Entries for maths broke through the 100,000 student entries for the first time this year, with 107,427 students sitting the A level exam. This was up 10.9% compared to 2023 entries. It was also the fastest growing A level subject in 2024 and ...

Over 200 school students have attended workshops to learn more about semiconductors and be inspired to follow a career in electronics. It was a joint effort from two industry organisations: the Compound Semiconductor Applications (CSA) Catapult and the UK Electronics Skills Foundation (UKESF). The students were from Wales and visited Welsh universities to learn about the many opportunities of studying ...

Employees of inkjet printer maker Xaar visited Alconbury CofE Primary School in Huntingdon for its recent STEM day, to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics. 27 Year 6 students built a ‘balloon cars’ assisted by the Xaar team and then raced them. This was the company’s second visit to Alconbury. “It was amazing to go back to Alconbury primary school ...

While the skills shortage is an international one and affects multiple industries in varied ways, Debbie Wade and John Vickers want the electronics industry to address the need for technicians. Labour is in short supply everywhere. Nestor, a skills platform provider, says that “unlike other trends in the world of work, the skills shortage is not just a buzzword but ...

A special session at the recent 2024 IEEE Electronic Components and Technology Conference (ECTC), highlighted workforce challenges and showcased potential solutions. These industries are being driven by demand in areas like AI, transportation electrification, automated manufacturing, data centre growth and complexity, and IoT devices, among others. This growth has prompted substantial global investments in fabs and packaging infrastructure in Asia, ...

Connector distributor Lane Motorsport has hosted Loughborough University student racing car development team (LUMotorsport) at its Sussex manufacturing facility. “We have been supporting LUMotorsport with their design efforts for a number of years, and it was gratifying to meet the 2024 team and show them where the magic happens,” said Lane director Nick Wheeler. “Lane Electronics is a family-run electrical ...

A bursary scheme for school students has been launched by EngineeringUK to introduce children to STEM through hands-on activities. The bursary fund will be available to schools “with high proportions of students from groups underrepresented in the engineering profession”. Eligible primary schools can apply for the bursary of £550.00, rising to £750 for secondary schools, to work with Neon, a ...

The UK Space Agency has announced funding for 15 projects across the UK designed to inspire younger people into STEM. The awards – totalling over a £1 million – will be made from the agency’s Space for All fund, which aims to attract new talent to the UK space sector. The projects – in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales ...

Children from Cambourne, near Cambridge, are set to represent the UK in the Asia Pacific FIRST LEGO Robotics Open Championship, which will be held in Sydney in July. To reach the grand final in Australia, teams from the Cambourne Educational Robotics Club (CERC) competed with 75 regional champions from schools across the UK and Ireland. At the IET-backed FIRST LEGO ...