Cyber Girls First Day

School holds inspirational event to show female pupils that STEM subjects are not just for boys

The School of Computer Science and Informatics has welcomed a group of pupils from schools around Cardiff to Cyber Girls First Day, a workshop designed to encourage more girls to take up careers in coding and cyber, and challenge the stereotype that STEM subjects are not for girls.

Over the course of the day, the pupils – who visited from schools including; Whitchurch High, Radyr Comprehensive, Howells, Willows High, Brynteg Comprehensive, Mary Immaculate, Llandaff Cathedral and Cynffig Comprehensive - got a taste for a career in STEM by tackling their very own coding problems. They also had the opportunity to meet a diverse range of women working in IT positions from 10 Downing Street, CISCO Academy, Raytheon and more.

At the end of the day, each pupil went away with a certificate and goody bag, as well as valuable insight into STEM industries and inspirational careers advice from senior women in the STEM fields.

Lecturer at the School of Computer Science and Informatics, Helen Phillips, said: “These Cyber Girls First days are an opportunity for girls to visit the University and undertake a coding workshop helped by our current undergraduate student ambassadors. This workshop, combined with a couple of short talks for outside speakers, provide the girls with an insight into a variety of jobs available in computing.

“I’d like to thank all the speakers and companies who contributed items for the goody bags. Each girl went away with a Raspberry Pi thanks to RS, and over the next few months we are hoping to visit the schools that attended to provide workshops on using the Raspberry Pi’s.”