• Event has been set up to mark the 13th anniversary of Ada Lovelace Day and is the largest-of-its-kind in the Midlands
  • Students will meet leading women scientists to learn about education and career courses in science, technology, engineering and mathematics
  • Women remain underrepresented in STEM careers, making up just 28 percent of the STEM workforce .

Pioneer Group, the UK’s largest developer and operator of lab space, is to welcome 75 young women from local schools to its BioCity Nottingham development to mark Ada Lovelace Day, an international celebration of the achievements of women in science, technology, engineering and maths.

In partnership with Ignite, the event will look to celebrate women and girls in science with a series of workshops where local pupils, aged 11-13, will have the chance to meet some of the country’s most renowned scientists. Five different schools are taking part in the day’s events, including South Notts Academy, Derby Cathedral School and Toot Hill School.

Pioneer Group and Ignite will be joined by the University of Nottingham, NuVision Biotherapies, Locate Bio, Porterhouse Medical Oncimmune, and Agility Life Sciences. To mark the 13th anniversary of Ada Lovelace Day, leading women scientists at the university and attending companies will host a number of workshops and shared activities to teach pupils about a career in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

Pupils will have the opportunity to get hands-on with the work scientists do in the lab, pipetting, creating chemical solutions and using machines to produce tablets, as well as exploring other aspects of working in STEM, including communications, marketing and teambuilding.

For years women have been underrepresented in STEM university courses and occupations, making up just 28 percent of the workforce. Recent UCAS findings found that women make up just 35 percent of STEM students in higher education. However, the number of women in STEM subjects has grown from 22,0200 in 2015 to 24,705 in 2019.

Founded in 2009 by Suw Charman-Anderson in response to a lack of female visibility within STEM, Ada Lovelace Day is now recognised internationally. Every second Tuesday in October, events are held across the globe, which are designed to increase the visibility of women in STEM and create new role models for those considering their career options.

Ada Lovelace Day will take place at BioCity Nottingham which is situated within the Boots headquarters and is one of BioCity’s five UK locations. From the campus where Boots’ pharmaceuticals and cosmetics were originally formulated, BioCity will host a day of events which showcases the plethora of modern STEM careers choices open to women; giving students hands-on not hypothetical experience.

Toby Reid, executive director at Pioneer Group, said:

“The Government has bold ambitions of transforming the UK into a scientific superpower, but this will be impossible unless more women are represented in STEM fields. With STEM, students are equipped with the ability to take an integrative approach to identify, apply and integrate different concepts, to come up with innovative solutions to real-world problems. Only with a sufficiently diverse pool of ideas from students, even at an early learning stage, can truly informed outcomes be expected.”

Although celebrated internationally, Ada Lovelace Day has particular significance for the East Midlands. Nottingham-born Lovelace, who was shortlisted as the potential face of the new £50 note earlier this year, is recognised as the first computer programmer due to her work on the analytical engine. BioCity’s Ada Lovelace Day is simultaneously a celebration of pioneering women in STEM and the heritage of Nottinghamshire as a leading area from scientific and technological discovery.