{"id":868,"date":"2026-06-25T17:07:57","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T16:07:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/research-sites.cardiff.ac.uk\/reducing-gender-disparity-in-higher-education\/?p=868"},"modified":"2026-08-14T07:36:32","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T06:36:32","slug":"stem-stories-inspire-future-scientists-at-primary-school-graduations-in-cardiff-uk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/research-sites.cardiff.ac.uk\/reducing-gender-disparity-in-higher-education\/stem-stories-inspire-future-scientists-at-primary-school-graduations-in-cardiff-uk\/","title":{"rendered":"STEM Stories Inspire Future Scientists at Primary School Graduations in Cardiff, UK"},"content":{"rendered":"

Authors: Zhaniya Sagyndykova and Diana Contreras.<\/strong><\/p>\n

As part of the engagement activities of the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, the team from the British Council-funded project “Reducing Gender Disparity in STEM from Kindergarten to Professional Life” composed of Ms Zhaniya Sagyndykova, Research Assistant of the project and Master Student of in Water, Climate Change and Sustainability and Dr (PhD) Diana Contreras, Project Lead and Lecturer of Geospatial Science joined the Primary School Graduation, a three-day interactive engagement event that took place from the 22nd<\/sup> to the 24th<\/sup> June 2026 at the Centre for Student Life of Cardiff University. The Project Team is presented in Figure 1.<\/p>\n

\"Figure
Figure 1. The project lead, Dr (PhD) Diana Contreras, and the Research Assistant, Ms. Zhaniya Sagyndykova, displaying STEM books promoting gender equality in STEM.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This event, organised in partnership with Cardiff Council’s Passport to the City team, hosted eight interactive stands that welcomed approximately 300 primary school pupils, their teachers, parents, guardians and other relatives from eight primary schools across Cardiff. Children had the opportunity to explore a variety of activities, including electronic devices, stuffed and realistic wildlife models, clay modelling, arts and crafts, real-life science experiments and sport challenges. Together, these activities transformed the Centre for Student Life into an interactive space where children could celebrate their graduation while experiencing university life.<\/p>\n

This British Council-funded project stand featured two posters: Women in Geology and Women in Environmental Sciences, the two main STEM subjects taught in the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Cardiff University. Those posters celebrated women who have made significant contributions to these STEM subjects. Team members wore fieldwork equipment, including helmets and high-visibility vests, encouraging children to do the same and to imagine themselves as future scientists in the field while proudly wearing their own graduation caps and gowns, as shown in Figure 2.<\/p>\n

\"Figure
Figure 2. Boy colouring a book after his graduation. Photo: Dr (PhD)Diana Contreras.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

The project also presented its growing collection of children’s STEM books, designed to introduce readers to science, technology, engineering, mathematics, Earth sciences, and space exploration. Interactive books included ‘Lift-the-Flap Questions and Answers About Science’ [1], ‘Lift-the-Flap Questions and Answers About Space’ [2], and ‘Thinking Like A Scientist: The Guide To Scientific Thinking Through The Adventure of Sofia’ [3]. These books promoted scientific curiosity and introduced concepts such as questioning, hypothesising, and experimentation.Project staff also introduced books based on children’s interests. For example, children interested in computers were shown ‘A Coder Like Me’ [4], while those interested in building and design were introduced to ‘An Engineer Like Me’ [5], as seen in the girl posing in Figure 3.<\/p>\n

\"Figure
Figure 3. Girl interested in becoming a Civil Engineer, wearing personal protective equipment, posing with the book “Engineer Like Me”. Photo: Dr (PhD) Diana Contreras.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Earth and environmental sciences were represented through books including ‘The ABC of Geology for Toddlers – The Earth for Toddlers’ [6], ‘The Climate Comic’ [7], and ‘The Life of Marie Curie’ [8], all of which included colouring activities. Children particularly enjoyed colouring female scientists, volcanoes, microscopes, earth globes and climate-related illustrations, creating opportunities for conversations between the Project Team and children and their parents. The talks included broadening horizons and demonstrating the diverse educational pathways available within STEM disciplines. Parents actively participated in discussions with project staff and frequently photographed books they wished to purchase and continue reading at home. Every conversation with a child is an opportunity to broaden their horizons. By connecting their interests to STEM, project staff helped youth imagine exciting futures they might not have considered before.<\/p>\n

\"Figure
Figure 4. Earth globe and microscope coloured by children on their graduation day from Primary School. Photo: Dr (PhD) Diana Contreras.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On the second day of the event, the stand expanded to include a virtual reality experience featuring an erupting volcano, allowing children to immerse themselves in an Earth science phenomenon, as depicted in Figure 5. Dr (PhD) Joel Gill, Lecturer in Sustainable Geosciences and Lead of Engagement Activities at the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, also joined the team with rock samples, a microscope, and educational resources explaining tectonic plates and seismic activity around the world. These additions provided further opportunities for children and their families to engage with Earth sciences in an interactive way.<\/p>\n

\"Figure
Figure 5. Girl viewing a volcanic eruption through VR glasses. Photo: Dr (PhD) Diana Contreras.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Throughout the three-day event, the project team observed which resources generated the greatest engagement. The colouring activity based on ‘The Life of Marie Curie’ [8] proved particularly popular. Meanwhile, for reading, children showed strong interest in interactive books featuring lift-the-flap question panels, including \u2018Lift-the-Flap Questions and Answers About Science\u2019 [1] and \u2018Lift-the-Flap Questions and Answers About Space\u2019 [2].<\/p>\n

Parents actively participated in discussions and activities, as portrayed in Figure 6, often photographing books they wished to purchase and explore further with their children at home. These observations provide valuable insight into the resources that most effectively stimulate conversations about STEM careers and help challenge gender stereotypes from an early age.<\/p>\n

\"Figure
Figure 6. Mother selects colours for her daughter, who is colouring a scientist in lab attire.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

These interactions demonstrated the value of combining books, hands-on activities, and conversations to introduce children to STEM at an early age. By presenting diverse role models and encouraging curiosity, the project continues to help reduce gender stereotypes and increase the visibility of women in STEM.<\/p>\n

Based on this experience, we consider it necessary to purchase lab coats and glasses in children’s sizes, droppers, Erlenmeyer flasks, test tubes, tempera, and additional books that ignite children’s interest, especially girls’, in STEM in the future. Insights gained from this engagement activity will help shape future public outreach events, ensuring children and their families continue to discover the diverse educational pathways and career opportunities available across STEM disciplines.<\/p>\n

References <\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Daynes, K. 2017. Lift-the-flap Questions and Answers About Science. London, UK, Usborne Publishing Limited.<\/li>\n
  2. Daynes, K. 2016. Lift-the-flap Questions and Answers About Space. London, UK, Usborne Publishing Limited.<\/li>\n
  3. Noah Press. 2023. Thinking Like A Scientist: The Guide To Scientific Thinking For Kids Through The Adventure Of Sofia. Dunstable, UK.<\/li>\n
  4. Somara, S. and C. Coe. 2021. A Coder Like Me. London, UK, Wren & Rook.<\/li>\n
  5. Somara, S. and C. Coe. 2021. An Engineer Like Me. London, UK, Wren & Rook.<\/li>\n
  6. Dor, Y. B. and G. Yasur. 2022. The ABC of Geology of Geology for toddlers, Independently published.<\/li>\n
  7. Thomas, M., et al. 2023. The Climate Comic: Tales Between Generations\/Comic Yr Hinsawdd: Cenedlaethau’n rhannu straeon. Swansea, UK, Swansea University.<\/li>\n
  8. Cubo-Rial, P. (2024). The Life Of Marie Curie. Kindle Direct Publishing<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Authors: Zhaniya Sagyndykova and Diana Contreras. As part of the engagement activities of the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, the team from the British Council-funded project \"Reducing Gender Disparity […]","protected":false},"author":104,"featured_media":878,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[88],"tags":[129,72,99,74,123],"cu_profile":[],"class_list":["post-868","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-children","tag-genderdisparity","tag-genderequality","tag-stem","tag-stemlearning"],"meta_box":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/research-sites.cardiff.ac.uk\/reducing-gender-disparity-in-higher-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/868","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/research-sites.cardiff.ac.uk\/reducing-gender-disparity-in-higher-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/research-sites.cardiff.ac.uk\/reducing-gender-disparity-in-higher-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research-sites.cardiff.ac.uk\/reducing-gender-disparity-in-higher-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/104"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research-sites.cardiff.ac.uk\/reducing-gender-disparity-in-higher-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=868"}],"version-history":[{"count":27,"href":"https:\/\/research-sites.cardiff.ac.uk\/reducing-gender-disparity-in-higher-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/868\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":903,"href":"https:\/\/research-sites.cardiff.ac.uk\/reducing-gender-disparity-in-higher-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/868\/revisions\/903"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research-sites.cardiff.ac.uk\/reducing-gender-disparity-in-higher-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/878"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/research-sites.cardiff.ac.uk\/reducing-gender-disparity-in-higher-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=868"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research-sites.cardiff.ac.uk\/reducing-gender-disparity-in-higher-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=868"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research-sites.cardiff.ac.uk\/reducing-gender-disparity-in-higher-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=868"},{"taxonomy":"cu_profile","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research-sites.cardiff.ac.uk\/reducing-gender-disparity-in-higher-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_profile?post=868"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}