AT THE University of Strathclyde in Glasgow city centre, a new generation of space engineers is being encouraged to aim for the stars.
Despite the name, however, the Scottish Space School is about much more than interplanetary missions and galactic exploration.
“Space is the hook, but it’s about all the exciting STEM courses and careers on offer in the city and beyond,” says Marianne Ballantyne, engineering and electrical engineering department manager, smiling.
“It gives young people an overview of the different disciplines in engineering, and the opportunities those can provide.”
Some of the Scottish Space School students (Image: Scottish Space School)
The hugely successful space school programme was initially funded by Careers Scotland when it started in 2004.
Now, the university runs the residential summer school, which brings 80 S5 pupils from across Scotland on campus for a week of workshops, activities, lectures and sessions with real live astronauts. Eight of the pupils then go on a trip to Houston in Texas to visit the NASA Johnson Space Centre.
Interest in the programme has hit an all-time high, with more than 700 young people applying in 2024.
“Since we took ownership of the programme in 2011, we have seen a huge rise in the numbers of pupils interested in STEM-related degree programmes at the University of Strathclyde,” adds Marianne.
“It’s also interesting and rewarding to see how pupils’ self-confidence really grows over the course of the week.”
One of the summer school highlights is a visit to Glasgow Green to launch home-made rockets.
“That’s always a popular activity,” says Marianne.
“It’s really exciting to run the Scottish Space School and it’s great that Glasgow is at the heart of Scotland’s growing space industry.”