Year 5 learn about app design and experience Virtual Reality in workshops with AstraZeneca

Our Year 5 girls had an exciting start to the week when they participated in a special STEM Activity led by a team from AstraZeneca, the global, science-led biopharmaceutical company based here in Cambridge.  The focus of the session was learning about the real-world process of designing a brand new app for a smartphone or tablet.  This was one of the many opportunities that are provided for all year groups at St. Mary's Junior School as part of our STEM Curriculum.

The girls took part in a series of practical activities which took them from discussions about their favourite apps and what makes them appealing, through generating original ideas, gaining feedback from user interviews and designing a paper-based prototype, to presenting their ideas to possible clients.

They also had the opportunity to experience the very latest in VR (Virtual Reality) Technology by exploring the new AstraZeneca Medical Research Centre that is currently under construction in the centre of the Cambridge Biomedical Campus near Addenbrooke's Hospital.  The girls were amazed at being able to 'walk' through a building that doesn't yet exist and visit the science labs, office areas and even the staff canteen!

The team from AstraZeneca were delighted with the high levels of interest, enthusiasm and teamwork shown by our girls, who demonstrated their creativity with a wide range of carefully thought-out and appealing app designs that really took the user feedback into account.  The girls were also extremely proud of what they had achieved during the session, and felt that they had learnt a lot about the process of app design in 'the real world', as well as about possible future careers in high-tech and science-based industries.

We would like to thank all of those involved for their hard work in making this event such a success.