SmartSTEMs and Digital Dairy Chain: driving innovation in dairy
From Ayrshire to Cumbria, young people across the United Kingdom (UK) had the chance to put their creativity to work, thanks to our long-standing partnership with Digital Dairy Chain. SmartSTEMs ran two amazing competitions, “Design a piece of Agri-Tech” and “Design a Dairy product”. These competitions formed part of our interactive workshops, designed to ignite and spark curiosity within the dairy sector and were delivered in schools across the UK. Giving young people the opportunity to put their thinking hats on, get creative and design like future innovators.
Design a Piece of Agri-Tech
The “Design a Piece of Agri-Tech” competition got young people to step into the shoes of an Engineer and design a piece of Agri-Tech directed at helping a farmer. Young people used a combination of critical thinking, creativity and design skills to come up with some amazing creations. The winner, Olivia-Jane from Ayrshire, designed “Howard the Herder”, a robot that helps move cows to parts of the field with the best food. As a prize for her amazing design SmartSTEMs 3D printed Olivia-Jane her very own model of Howard and delivered it to her during her school assembly along with some other goodies. We couldn’t just commend Olivia-Jane as there were to many amazing entries. Runners up Juliet (Renfrewshire), Elise (North Lanarkshire) and Magnus and his classmate (South Lanarkshire) were all presented with a goodie bag and certificate to recognise their wonderful achievements.
Design a Dairy Product
The “Design a Dairy Product” competition challenged young people to get creative and think outside of the box and invent unique dairy products. Winners included Findlay from Ayrshire with Pawghurts, yoghurt shaped paw bites, Alice from Cumbria with a rosemary soft cheese, and Lucy from Dumfries & Galloway with Dubai Delight pistachio ice-cream. Each winner got to bring their creation to life at the various Maker Space locations across the UK, showcasing creativity, and a real flair for innovation.
At the various Maker Space locations, winners had the opportunity to make their product and got to witness their ideas move from concept to a real product. During each visit, the winner got to tour the facilities, explore the equipment, and learned more about the science behind their product and how innovation happens within the dairy sector. This experience also gave the young people a great insight into the industry and the future career prospects.
Giving young people a platform to be creative, explore, and think like a future STEM innovator is vital to the future of the dairy and Agri-Tech sectors. Through our continued partnership with Digital Dairy Chain, we are proud to play a continuous role in inspiring the next generation to explore the exciting opportunities within these sectors. By encouraging creativity, curiosity and innovation, we hope to spark ideas today that could shape the future of the dairy industry tomorrow.
To find out more about Digital Dairy Chain and their work, click here.
A decade of impact, equity and opportunity in STEM
Ten years ago, a corporate social responsibility initiative by a Glasgow-based cybersecurity firm sparked what would become a movement for change. That initiative, led by Stuart Macdonald of SERIC, brought 500 young people to Glasgow Caledonian University for a single-day event to explore opportunities in STEM. On Friday 13 June 2025, SmartSTEMs returns to where it all began, Glasgow Caledonian University, once again welcoming 500 young people through the doors, not just to learn about science, technology, engineering and maths, but to see themselves in it.
SmartSTEMs has grown into a national charity with a mission to ensure that every young person, no matter their gender, background, ethnicity, location or belief system, has equal and fair access to STEM education and career opportunities. Over the past decade, SmartSTEMs has reached more than 70,000 young people and engaged with over 5,500 schools across the UK.
Reflecting on the journey, Stuart Macdonald, SmartSTEMs founder, said
“What began as a one-off idea to support young people into STEM careers quickly revealed a gap far wider than we expected. We didn’t set out to start a charity, but the response from schools, young people and industry partners made it clear, this work was needed. We know that great things happen when great people get involved; ten years later, we and our partners have had the privilege of working with tens of thousands of young people, and we’re only just getting started.”
SmartSTEMs enduring relationship with schools like Hillhead Primary, who attended the very first event and continue to take part ten years on, is a testament to its lasting impact. A teacher from Hillhead Primary said
“Our pupils… enjoyed everything from bridge building and code breaking to plumbing and wheel fitting. These events open up the world of STEM as a place where anything is possible for young learners, and STEM as a way we can shape the world we want. This is why we love SmartSTEMs and hope it continues and grows for many years to come.”
In the early days, the charity’s core focus was on tackling gender imbalance in STEM. That remains important, but as the STEM skills gap deepened, so too did our purpose. Today, SmartSTEMs plays a pivotal role in creating equity of opportunity by reaching pupils aged 10-14 at a crucial point in their lives. This work is delivered not just through large scale events, but increasingly through in-classroom experiences, targeted projects, and deep collaboration with both academia and industry.
This milestone event, supported by global digital transformation leader Atos, represents the kind of partnership that defines SmartSTEMs success. Atos shares our commitment to embedding STEM skills where they are needed most and understands the role of early intervention in building resilient, future-ready communities.
SmartSTEMs work isn’t just about the future of the STEM sectors, it’s about the future of young people. It’s about building confidence, raising aspirations, and breaking down barriers. It’s about showing young people that STEM is not only for someone else, it’s for them.
As we mark ten years of impact, we’re proud to return to where the journey began, and even prouder of where it’s heading next. One day. 500 young people. Countless futures changed.
Translating Complexity Into Curiosity
At SmartSTEMs, we believe that the best ideas don’t sit in silos, they move, adapt, and spark change when shared across boundaries. That’s why collaboration is at the heart of everything we do. One of the clearest demonstrations of this was our role in the GEMINOA project, where we partnered with the University of Strathclyde and Glasgow City Council to engage schools across the city in the science of air quality and environmental health.
This wasn’t a one-way relationship where academics “delivered down” into schools. It was a conversation, an active exchange of knowledge. And that’s where SmartSTEMs sits: in the space between cutting-edge research and classroom curiosity, helping to bridge the gap between what experts know and what young people need to understand.
Working with university researchers, we took complex ideas like air transport modelling, particulate pollution, and IoT-enabled urban sensors and found ways to make them tangible, playful and memorable for pupils aged 10 to 14. That often meant swapping specialist language for storytelling, or reimagining data science as a game. Instead of talking about gas dispersion algorithms, we asked pupils: “What happens when someone farts in a room?” It’s silly, it’s fun, but it works. Suddenly, abstract science becomes personal and relevant.
Prof Craig Michie, Head of the Centre for Intelligent Dynamic Communications within the department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Strathclyde put it plainly:
We explained the concepts, and SmartSTEMs ran with it.” And that’s what we do best. We listen, we learn, and we translate.
By working closely with the research team, we built a programme that stayed true to the science while making it accessible to a younger audience. As Prof Michie said:
“SmartSTEMs were well versed in simplifying messages. Their enthusiasm was infectious – and this is a key element to communicating with the general public.”
What made this partnership so effective wasn’t just our shared ambition; it was a mutual respect for what each organisation brought to the table. The university team had world-class expertise. We had years of experience in education, engagement and inclusion. Together, we reached over 2,300 pupils across 28 schools, many of whom wouldn’t normally have access to such opportunities.
Crucially, the collaboration built trust, not just between project partners, but with the communities we serve. Teachers saw the benefit of hands-on, engaging STEM content linked to curriculum outcomes. Pupils left sessions more confident and curious. And researchers saw their work come to life in classrooms and halls across Glasgow.
Craig described the experience as:
“exemplary… fun, easy to work with, infectiously positive”
And the feeling is mutual. We’re proud to be a trusted partner for universities and research institutions who want their work to have real-world impact.
At SmartSTEMs, we don’t just believe in knowledge exchange, we live it. If your department is looking for a way to bring research to life, connect with diverse communities, and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers, we’d love to hear from you.
Because when collaboration clicks, complexity becomes curiosity and that’s where the magic starts.
