Since joining the Techniquest team in 2023, Ana-Mah Din has spearheaded the Science Discovery Centre’s outreach department and delivered STEAM [science, technology, engineering, arts and maths] education to communities across south Wales.
The goal of the outreach is to take Techniquest on the road to communities who can’t readily pay a visit to the centre itself.
During a visit to Oasis — a refugee centre in Splott — in February, Ana-Mah expanded on the role that she plays at Techniquest and the importance of connecting with the local area.
She said: “Outreach is important because it allows you to reach the community that can’t get to Techniquest. Whether they’re too far away, whether there are financial barriers or mobility barriers, it allows them to get a taste of what we do even if they can’t physically get to us.
“What Techniquest values is enthusing STEAM. It’s important for those disadvantaged communities to learn as much as possible about the industry and be confident that they can get into a career in STEAM.
“Showing children in these areas that there is a pathway for them in STEAM is really important.
“Also, feeling as though we’re able to make a difference, even if it’s just one person in the room, is a great feeling.”
At Oasis, Ana-Mah, a Techniquest front-of-house team member and volunteers from the refugee centre delivered mobile planetarium showings of We Are Guardians to more than 30 children and parents across four sessions in the morning.
Pre-visit preparation is vital to the success of Ana-Mah’s outreach programmes, and she shared more about some of the things she considers when planning her outreach.
She said: “I try to start my preparation for different programmes really early, to account for things like delivery time for props. The day before, I’ll plan my route and make sure I’ll be there earlier than the group that are receiving outreach so I can get everything prepped before their arrival.
“I also need to plan parking and how I’m going to get there.
“On the day, I normally wake up quite early to make sure I’m ready, and then I meet the community contact at the location to make sure we’re on the same page — then I know I’m ready to start!”
After the morning was over, Ana-Mah said her goodbyes to the families and her contacts at Oasis and packed the mobile planetarium away.
When asked what project she’s been most proud of since joining the Science Discovery Centre, she said: “The CREST workshops. We were able to complete a variety of experiments — eight in total over four weeks — and they get an accredited CREST certificate at the end which denotes their hard work.
“By the end of the four weeks, I know all their names and we build a relationship — once it’s over it can get quite emotional. You get them up on stage, give them a round of applause and hand them their well-earned certificates.
“And you’ll have people from those workshops come to Techniquest and it’s always great meeting them at the Centre, too.”