On Monday 14 July, the ZERO Institute was delighted to host over 30 Year 12 students from across the country for the inaugural Oxford ZERO Carbon Day.
The Oxford ZERO Carbon Day gave participants a taster of studying at the University of Oxford, and a unique opportunity to interact informally with Oxford academics, researchers and other students, with a multidisciplinary lens on zero-carbon energy across STEM and social sciences.
The day’s programme included a series of taster sessions including lectures from members of the ZERO Institute’s leadership team, a college tour and lunch, a lab session and a Q&A with University of Oxford students.
The opening taster lectures given by Tina Fawcett and Robert Weatherup, focused on an introduction to the Energy Trilemma and an overview of material science research for the energy transition. Both lectures sparked the curiosity of attendees with many saying they were hungry for more!
The tour of St. Anne’s College gave attendees a sense of what studying in a college whilst at the University of Oxford may be like on a day-to-day. Followed by a delicious meal also provided by the college.
The lab was kindly facilitated by the department of Materials Outreach team and gave attendees a chance to get some hands on experience of what kind of labs they may experience beyond once they begin their University studies. Attendees were able to see how dyes affect the output from solar panels, as well as looking at the variables which must be considered when doing any real lab work.
Finally the Q&A with University of Oxford students was well received and gave attendees a down-to-earth perspective on what it is really like to study zero-carbon energy at the University of Oxford.
A big thank you for the support and assistance provided by the Department of Engineering Science, Department of Materials and St. Anne’s College Outreach teams. This event would not have been possible without their support.
