Greenlight 4 Girls STEM Event at 3M Bracknell

On Thursday, three Year 9 pupils from Garth Hill College attended the Greenlight 4 Girls STEM event at 3M in Bracknell — an inspiring day designed to encourage girls to explore the exciting world of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

The event was built around the theme of STEM Skills, Talent, Enthusiasm, and Mindset, with students taking part in four hands-on sessions throughout the day.

In Session 1, the pupils learned about a variety of 3M products and the fascinating science behind how they work.

Session 2 saw the girls become scientists themselves as they carried out a DNA extraction, collecting cheek cells and successfully isolating their own DNA, even taking home a small vial as a souvenir of their experiment.

During Session 3, the focus shifted to sports technology, where the students used cutting-edge equipment from Loughborough University to measure golf ball speed and distance. Mary achieved an impressive 29 yards, the best in the group, earning a special prize, while Holly and Jessica also performed excellently with 24 yards each.

Finally, in Session 4, teamwork and engineering skills were put to the test in a straw rollercoaster challenge, where students designed and built structures using straws and paper plates to explore concepts such as momentum, mass, and velocity.

The pupils thoroughly enjoyed the day, gaining valuable insight into how creativity, problem-solving, and collaboration come together in STEM careers.