Getting Inspired in Basingstoke
CoolLED recently attended EBP South’s Get Inspired Basingstoke event at The Apollo Hotel, where Marina, Alex and Andrew spent a busy day speaking with young people about careers in STEM and the many routes into engineering and science.
A brilliant day of questions, curiosity, and real-world careers
Get Inspired Basingstoke brought together more than 1,000 students aged 11–16 and over 20 regional employers, creating a hands-on environment where students could explore careers beyond the “usual ten” that many teenagers tend to limit themselves to.
Across the event, Marina, Alex and Andrew talked with students about:
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What it’s actually like to work in a STEM business day-to-day
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The different job roles behind the scenes (R&D, engineering, manufacturing, quality, customer support, and commercial roles)
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How skills learned at school translate into real roles and real projects
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The value of curiosity, problem-solving, teamwork, and asking good questions
Hands-on STEM: what we brought along
To make the conversations as practical (and memorable) as possible, the team packed the stand with activities that let students do science, not just hear about it.
Fluorescence microscopy (with real samples)
Students could look through a fluorescence microscope and see how biology changes when you add the right illumination and filters. We brought a set of prepared slides that sparked a lot of curiosity, including rat intestine and the famously attention-grabbing cockroach testicle slide. It’s safe to say the words “Wait… is that real?” were said more than once.
“Invisible art” with UV-fluorescent paint
We also ran an art activity using UV-reactive paint. Students created drawings that looked almost blank under normal lighting, then watched them burst into colour under UV. It was a simple, hands-on way to show fluorescence in action.
A fully working 3D-printed microscope (with Raspberry Pi)
Alongside the microscope, we showcased a fully functioning 3D-printed microscope, powered by a Raspberry Pi and some clever mechanical design. It was a great conversation-starter about engineering, prototyping, optics, and how accessible technology can be when you combine creativity with practical skills.
Live 3D printing (and a take-home souvenir)
We also brought a 3D printer to demonstrate how ideas become physical parts, and students could leave with a mini 3D-printed model of one of our light sources. It was a small takeaway, but it helped connect the dots between design, manufacturing, and real-world products you’ll find in labs and industry.
Why events like this matter
EBP South reports that over 90% of students surveyed said they discovered career paths they hadn’t heard of before which is exactly the kind of outcome that makes Get Inspired so valuable. The two-day event was sponsored by AWE and supported by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.
Thank you
A big thank you to EBP South for organising another fantastic event, and to every student who stopped by to chat (and kept us on our toes with some properly good questions).
If you’d like to learn more about CoolLED, what we do, and the people behind our technology, give us a call, or get in touch with the team via our contact form.
