MK:Smart’s Patrick Wang and Annika Wolff recently visited students at Stantonbury Campus, to talk about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).
On Monday 27th March, Year 6 and 7 students from 16 local schools attended the Griffin School Trust’s inaugural Science Symposium at Stantonbury Campus, where MK:Smart and other guests helped with a series of experiments, workshops and tutorials.
Patrick Wang introduced the students to the world of Artificial Intelligence and demonstrated some of the work he has been doing on the Garden Monitor application as part of MK:Smart.
Garden Monitor uses a machine learning engine to forecast the conditions of a domestic garden over the following 10 days, helping users to optimise their use of water. Patrick used this example to show how machines can both perform intelligently, and also to teach the children about sustainable watering behaviour.
Annika Wolff taught the students about renewable energy using the accurate map created of solar energy potential in the city, following the aerial survey carried out in Milton Keynes.
As part of her session, Annika also introduced the students to LiDAR surveying; a method that bounces a laser light off a target to measure distance. LiDAR makes it possible to measure both the size of a roof as well as its orientation, to assess its potential for solar panels.
With the help of some cute plasticine houses and paper roofs, the students were able to use the technology to make their own measurements too.
Engaging with local schools and education, is a key element of MK:Smart.
For more information visit: www.mksmart.org/education