Member Article

TV maths legend helps region stay on the Ball

Maths and science TV legend, Johnny Ball, will be in the region today to help Newcastle Sixth Form College launch its new Tyne and Wear area Set Point. The role of the Set Point will be to ensure that all young people, teachers, schools and colleges in the Tyne and Wear area have easy access to a balanced range of high-quality Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) curriculum enhancement and enrichment opportunities.

Johnny Ball, who has dedicated much of his life to popularising Maths and Science through TV shows such as ‘Think of a Number,’ will be joined by academics from across the region, including representatives from the Centre for Life, which will be providing interactive Maths demonstrations.

Jackie Fisher, Principal and Chief Executive at Newcastle College, said: “Enhancing the student experience in STEM subjects is extremely important to Newcastle College and we are thrilled that the Sixth Form College has been awarded the Tyne and Wear area Set Point. We hope that through Set Point Tyne & Wear our work will see us collaborating with a number of partners and ambassadors to enthuse our young people. Most importantly, we want to ensure the future stability and prosperity of these valuable industries and help give an informed understanding of how these fascinating subjects can lead to employment opportunities and economic growth here in the North East.”

The launch will take place at Newcastle College’s Higher Education Centre “SPACE” today between 4pm and 7pm. On the ground floor there will be demonstrations of experiments by the Sixth Form College that can be taken into schools to promote STEM subjects. Johnny Ball will be on stage at approximately 5pm.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .