Alan Mountain
Alan Mountain, a Senior Electrical Engineer, describes helping children to make batteries out of potatoes at the Barbican, London.
Why did you decide to become an Ambassador?
I wanted to use my skills in order to promote engineering and help inspire young people to take up science and engineering related subjects.
On average, how much time do you commit to STEM Ambassador activities?
1-2 events per year (2007/2008), but with my current role as E-mentor I commit to at least 1 hour per week.
Describe the latest activity you were involved in:
I was involved with setting up and running a workshop at the Barbican, which involved helping kids to make a battery from a potato to power an LED light.
What was your role in this activity? What were you responsible for?
- support role to Workshop leader
- hands on work to build the potato battery
- ensure that there were adequate materials
- ensure that basic Health and Safety requirements were met
What do you feel were the positive outcomes for the pupils and teaching staff?
Many of the kids and their parents were fascinated by the workshop, and it definitely sparked enthusiasm in the kids. Some of them said they were going to do some further research based on workshop.
What do you feel were the positive outcomes for yourself?
- satisfaction at seeing that the kids were inspired by science
- learnt something new
- I gained a little more confidence with dealing with members of the public
Do you have any tips for future STEM Ambassadors?
- You should get involved…it’s fun
- The more you put in the more you get out
- Don’t be afraid to say that you don’t know the answer if a kid asks you a question you are unsure of; give them some hints as to where they might find an answer
