British Science Association (BSA) are partnering with DeepMind, a leading artificial intelligence company/research lab, to increase AI literacy in young people, especially those from groups currently underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) via CREST Awards.
CREST Awards Discovery Day outreach scheme is BSA’s one-day STEM project encouraging 10-14 year-old students to explore student-led work. Funded by DeepMind, BSA are working with their employees to develop a tailored employee training programme to support the delivery of CREST Discovery Day AI-themed resource ‘Machines of the future’ which is about AI and machine learning.
This partnership will also offer training and support to deliver the ‘Machines of the future’ resources to BSA’s teacher network. Up to 150 schools across the UK will receive online CPD training and coaching, free CREST Discovery Awards for all participating students and physical resources such as kit boxes to support the delivery of the Discovery Day challenge.
Through this partnership, we hope to reach over 3000 students and teachers with a focus on state schools and students from underrepresented groups, helping support them in challenging circumstances.
'The BSA is a strong believer in partnership working as a route to achieving best reach and impact on young people. There is a strong synergy between our goals and DeepMind’s, that is for more young people, especially from groups currently underrepresented in STEM, to feel that science is relevant to their lives and a career in science can be achieved. Our partnership with DeepMind enables us to expand our CREST programme to reach more students from demographics underrepresented in STEM, help them access STEM resources and build confidence.' Says Maria Rossini, Head of Education at British Science Association.
'At DeepMind, we have a long-term vision to support the next generation of AI creators, ensuring they truly represent the wider world. This vision starts with education. By focusing on education at an early age and making science and AI feel relevant and accessible to all, there’s an opportunity to help break down the barriers that are leading to underrepresentation in this field. Our hope is that this education programme can help instil confidence in the next generation of students and eventually play a part in creating an inclusive and accessible global AI ecosystem.' Says Obum Ekeke OBE, Head of Education Partnerships at DeepMind.
Evaluations and research studies have shown that CREST Awards are excellently rated by teachers and students and promote teamwork and creativity skills. Through our partnership with DeepMind, we hope to improve young people’s attitudes to STEM education and open their mind to careers in AI; and help encourage and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers - especially those who never imagined it to even be a possibility.
About DeepMind
DeepMind is a scientific discovery company, committed to ‘solving intelligence to advance science and humanity.’ Solving intelligence requires a diverse and interdisciplinary team working closely together – from scientists and designers, to engineers and ethicists – to pioneer the development of advanced artificial intelligence.
The company’s breakthroughs include AlphaGo, AlphaFold, more than one thousand published research papers (including over a dozen in Nature and Science), partnerships with scientific organisations, and hundreds of contributions to Google’s products (in everything from Android battery efficiency to Assistant text-to-speech).