Fernox recently welcomed a group of local primary school children to its R&D headquarters in Woking

for a STEM exploration day showcasing the fun and practical applications of chemistry, engineering and technology at its state-of-the-art facilities. The company has long been active in the local community, supporting environmental projects and Surrey based charities. The aim of this latest initiative is to inspire the next generation of scientists by sparking an early interest in science.

STEM education is designed to demonstrate the real-life applications of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics through hands-on learning, and teaches students critical thinking, problem solving and communication skills to prepare them for the careers of the future. In the labs where Fernox designs and tests its water treatment products, the children got to see chemistry, physics and engineering in action.

Upon arrival at Fernox HQ, the children put on their lab coats and started the day with an interactive chemistry session and an exciting egg competition based around engineering. The children then moved on to a lesson about magnets and forces, with members of the Fernox team demonstrating the principles of water filtration using magnets. Finally, they threw themselves into a robotics project using the lab’s 3D printer programme. Using this technology, the group created 3D robots, which they named and took back to school as a memento of their day.

Francine Wickham, Global Marketing Director at Fernox, said: “We were delighted to welcome our local community school into the labs for a fun, interactive day of discovery. We were thrilled to have such a lively and inquisitive group of children attend and we hope we encouraged them to think about science as something they would like to study more in the future and maybe even consider careers in STEM-related fields.”