12/11/2018
Lottie Doll sparks stem interest at ACS Cobham
In support of ‘Tomorrow’s Engineers Week’ (5 – 9 November 2018), lower and high school students and teachers at ACS Cobham International School have recently been taking part in ‘Women’s Engineering Society takes Lottie on an Engineering Tour’.
The project uses a STEM-inspired ‘Barbie-like’ doll, Lottie, to engage primary school students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. The goal of the project, run by the Women’s Engineering Society, is to foster a lifelong love of STEM subjects in children from a young age to help increase the number of women taking up careers in the engineering and scientific sectors.
Students at ACS Cobham invited Lottie into their classrooms, taking photos of her participating in everyday STEM activities such as science experiments, computer programming and the building of Lego bridges. These photos have since been shared on social media with the hashtag #LottieTour, raising the profile of the project and the work of the Women’s Engineering Society.
Dr Karolina Hammer, teacher of maths at ACS Cobham, commented:
At ACS Cobham we’re passionate about getting all students excited about STEM subjects, so much so that they continue it on into their adult lives. Projects such as ‘Lottie on an Engineering Tour’ engage our youngest students in STEM and allow them to develop a passion for these subjects in a playful and creative way.
This is the third year of ‘Women’s Engineering Society takes Lottie on an Engineering Tour’ project. Large corporations have since become involved, including Airbus and Scottish Power, and in 2016, Stargazer Lottie travelled to the International Space Station with British astronaut, Tim Peake.