Congratulations to Silas Jackson, student from St Anselm’s School in Derbyshire, for achieving a GOLD Global STEM Award. Silas’ project on Aquaculture is a fantastic and highly detailed piece of work where he has researched a variety of aspects of aquaculture farming with a focus on Scotland. Silas has previously completed his bronze and silver award and now that he has achieved gold, his sights are already set on the platinum award!
This is what Silas has to say about the Global STEM Awards:
“I have already started my STEM Platinum project which demonstrates what a fantastic inspiration UK STEM is. As I approached the end of my Bronze, Silver and Gold awards I was already thinking about where I was going to focus next.
In 1973, Jacques Cousteau, the world renowned ocean explorer, wrote: “With earth’s burgeoning populations to feed, we must turn to the seas with new understanding and new technology”. Cousteau was right and this is why my Gold UK STEM project featured in this photograph focused on Scottish Aquaculture.
Aquaculture could make a significant contribution to global food security. However, ocean farming must be done sustainably. Whilst sustainable finfish aquaculture has improved enormously in the last twenty years, the real future is in farming entire ocean ecosystems which require minimal assistance to develop and actually improve water quality and biodiversity during the farming process.
This future needs young people like us to be inspired to join the scientific community and make these critical changes happen. Aquacultural Engineers will design, build and install Aquaculture facilities. Marine Materials Scientists will help us develop sustainable alternatives to traditional materials, like the Algal Wall ski product I studied and Marine Conservationists/Activists
Together we can make Cousteau’s vision a reality and UK STEM will have played an important role in inspiring us to do this.”
