BRIGHT young minds from South Farnham School were given the chance to enjoy the latest in technology and science recently at an engineering event in Farnborough.

Year six girls from the school were invited along to QinetiQ to celebrate International Women in Engineering Day last month.

The event, which offered the opportunity to discover what a career in engineering could look like, allowed the children to make full use of QinetiQ’s 2000 square metre training innovation facility.

Girls tried their hands at flight simulators, virtual reality devices, and other cutting-edge technology before putting their engineering skills to the test by making a tower from spaghetti and marshmallows.

Other engaging activities from the day included investigating the effect of a vacuum, exploring sound waves and finding out about a current project planning to travel to Mercury.

All of these activities involved some form of science, technology, engineering or maths (STEM), which are fields that have a low percentage of women working in them.

The girls also had an opportunity to hear from women engineers from within QinetiQ to understand the benefits of having a career in this field, inspiring them to find out more about how it could shape their futures.

South Farnham pupil Phoebe Hornett said: “I really enjoyed having a go at the simulators as you could actually have a real go at flying and not worry about crashing a plane.

“It was a great opportunity to see what engineers do for a job and experience what they do every day. I definitely feel more interested in engineering after going to QinetiQ.”

Dr Sam Healy, group corporate responsibility director at QinetiQ, explained that it is “vital” to encourage girls into engineering.

“QinetiQ is delighted to support International Women in Engineering Day 2017,” she said.

“Encouraging more girls and women into engineering is vital if we are to meet skills needs in the UK and ensures more people have the opportunity to enjoy rewarding careers.”