Education & Outreach at M3P3
IOM3 Head of Education and Professional Development, Dr Diane Aston FIMMM, recounts the Education & Outreach activity at Materials, Minerals & Mining for People, Places, Planet.
Amidst the hustle and bustle of the main conference, the Education & Outreach team ran two events for school pupils and their teachers.
On Monday, 10 November, about 20 Year 12 learners and their teachers joined us for Materials, Minerals & Mining Matter. This series is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2025, and it was a pleasure to welcome Discover Materials Ambassadors and the Future Is Mine to help us run this event ahead of M3P3.
Attendees started by exploring the Material World through an interactive lecture delivered by Dr Diane Aston FIMMM, Head of Education & Professional Development at IOM3. Practical sessions followed, with the delegates first investigating atomic packing, biomimetics and 3D printing with Discover Materials. After lunch, Jess Roberts and Loren Crisp from Future is Mine led a session in which the young people explored the importance of minerals and mining to a wide range of technologies, and the day concluded with signposting next steps and the range of routes available to get into a materials cycle career.
On Wednesday, 12 November, 11 secondary school science and Design & Technology teachers joined us to find out more about Materials, Minerals & Mining for the Energy Transition. The teachers took part in an activity where they found out more about seven different energy technologies and how they rely on materials, minerals and mining. The presentations were led by volunteers from the IOM3 Energy Transition and Energy Materials Groups, who also played a vital role in creating posters and notes for the teachers to take away after the event. It was a very thought-provoking day where many detailed discussions were had, and the teachers all went away buzzing with their newfound knowledge.
IOM3 has been committed to supporting teachers, raising awareness of the importance of the materials cycle, and promoting careers in materials, minerals and mining for over 26 years. Over that time, it has become harder for teachers and their students to attend in-person events, mainly due to the financial constraints on schools. We would like to thank the IOM3 Education & Outreach Trust for providing grants for both of these events to make it easier for teachers and pupils to attend. We would also like to thank the Worshipful Company of Armourers and Brasiers for their sponsorship.
Find out more about IOM3 Education and Outreach activities:
