Engineering department inspires future talent through STEM work experience

The UHI Perth Engineering Department recently welcomed a promising young student from Perth High School for a unique STEM work experience placement, designed to nurture early talent and promote hands-on learning.

Dougal Stewart, an S4 pupil with a strong background in robotics through the Lego League competition, was selected for a three-day placement that combined technical learning with community engagement. 

In a collaborative effort with Goodlyburn Primary School, the department created an opportunity for Dougal to design and deliver a Lego-based STEM activity for the school’s P5–P7 combined Gaelic medium class. 

Drawing on his experience with Lego robotics in competitive settings, Dougal crafted an engaging and interactive session that introduced younger pupils to the excitement of STEM through creativity and play. 

“This placement was a fantastic way to bridge secondary and primary education through STEM,” said Calum Aird, Subject Leader, Science, Engineering and Aviation. “Dougal showed great initiative and leadership, and the pupils responded with enthusiasm and curiosity.” 
 
One P6 pupil shared, “It was excellent and helped me with STEM and problem solving. The cool thing was that I got to create a code to work the robot and try new challenges. It was really fun—and with help from an expert, you can do a lot more and get a boost up to the next level.”   

Another pupil from P5 added: “I liked doing the coding. I wasn’t very good at the start but I got better. I liked how we moved the robot about the path.”   

The enthusiasm was clear, with pupils describing the experience as “marvellous” and “really fun,” especially enjoying the chance to work with the robodog and see their code come to life.   

Teacher Christina McGregor, who helped coordinate the session, added: “The session was very well organised with all of the resources ready and working for us. All of the pupils were able to code the robots to follow a course by the end of the session. There was some real determination among the pupils to get their codes right—with tweaks involving good problem solving and co-operation in the pairs. It was excellent having experts on-hand to support and guide pupils and it was fun to see what the robodog was able to do!”