Powering Up Schools Science Outreach

Powering Up, our innovative science engagement programme focussing on renewable energy, worked with partner museums in communities across Scotland to engage young people in STEM learning. We worked with our partners National Mining Museum Scotland, Scottish Maritime Museum, New Lanark World Heritage Site and Historic Environment Scotland at Stanley Mills, Perth, who hosted renewable energy workshops for local primary schools. Between 2017 and 2020, 152 workshops and 108 science shows were delivered to 9,684 pupils from 79 schools across 5 local authority areas.

In May 2018 we held the first Powering Up Science Weekend; a free festival held at The Scottish Maritime Museum – Denny Tank where 400 visitors from the local Dumbarton area investigated wind turbines, constructed LEGO® dams, used cycle power to move water, built a battery using cola, and made and raced their own hovercraft.

This initial success allowed us to repeat the festival in 2019, which included interactive activities from the National Museum of Scotland, National Museum of Flight, Scottish Maritime Museum, Historic Environment Scotland, Peachy Keen Human Energy, Aerospace Kinross, Industrial Museums Scotland, National Mining Museum Scotland, and the University of the West of Scotland. There were also regular free guided tours of the 150-year-old historic Denny Tank building.

Denny Science Weekend 2019.

Powering Up was made possible by the generous support of the ScottishPower Foundation.