February 2010
Halcrow, one of the country’s leading engineering and planning companies, has teamed up with Magnox North to encourage young people into science and engineering with a visit to Hunterston A site.
The visit was organised in conjunction with the Engineering Development Trust (EDT) Go4SET programme, which challenges S2 students to think about science and engineering by developing solutions to engineering problems. This year the project involves a waste audit of the schools and local council, bringing science and engineering alive to the students from across Scotland.
As part of the project, Halcrow and Magnox North staff gave two Glasgow schools – Bearsden Academy and Lenzie Academy – the opportunity to tour the site’s state-of-the-art, Halcrow-designed intermediate level waste store, where some of Scotland’s most radioactive waste will be stored.
Pupils were welcomed by Hunterston A’s waste manager, Kevin Davis, and presented to about the history of Hunterston A and radiation and the environment. Mark Blair, the site’s waste control engineer, gave the pupils an overview of how Hunterston A manages its waste, from paper in offices and old tea bags in kitchens to the intermediate radioactive waste.
The pupils will present the findings of their waste audit work, their site visit to Hunterston A and their visit to Halcrow’s Glasgow office at the Go4SET Celebration and Assessment Day (CAD) at Strathclyde University on 5 March.
Halcrow supports the STEMNET Science and Engineering Ambassador Programme which is a UK-wide scheme to encourage pupils to study science, engineering, technology and maths at later stages in education. Halcrow’s Go4SET mentors are all authorised ambassadors and contribute to the activities of over 19,000 ambassadors in the UK.