Mentors, gender equality and meteorology Kirsty Pendlebury, Meteorologist and Love Tech mentor. We’ve ‘marched’ through February, snowdrops and daffodils are breaking through…
Kirsty Pendlebury, Meteorologist and Love Tech mentor.
We’ve ‘marched’ through February, snowdrops and daffodils are breaking through and, at Love Tech, our upcoming events are also waiting to bloom!
In case you’ve missed it, the very first of these will take place on Tuesday, March 21st, 12:30-1.30pm, at Eagle Labs in conjunction with The Chamber of Commerce.
This fabulous opportunity came about in response to our status as Chamber’s Charity of Choice 22/23. An invite was sent, head scratching ensued and, on the back of this, Love Tech committee member, Lisa Karran, has created a fabulous, practical workshop on gender equality.
Love Tech is a charity that aims to empower girls and women and, right now, gender equality is a hugely hot topic – and for good reason. Lisa therefore wants to stress that whatever your gender, if you want to educate yourself about why gender equality remains an issue, and learn how to navigate it successfully as professionals, this important workshop is for you.
In addition to this, if you’ve any budding meteorologists in the family, check out our fascinating Cloud Coding event.
A repeat of last year’s successful visit, this is due to take place Thursday, April 13th, giving children in years 5 to 9 a unique opportunity to spend an hour hanging out in Ronaldsway Meteorological Office. Here, they’ll learn all about the weather and the instruments and equipment used to measure it.
This is always a popular event, and one that has been made possible thanks to Love Tech mentor and meteorologist, Kirsty Pendlebury. A self-confessed ‘weather geek,’ Kirsty has worked at Ronaldsway Met Office since 2013. Her role is incredibly important as it requires her to give forecasts to a wide variety of customers including the aviators and mariners who operate in and around the Isle of Man.
Anyway, the event is free but tickets quickly ‘evaporate.’ To book your child’s and to find out more, we therefore recommend you click here.
And, finally, whilst we’re discussing gender equality and the importance of mentors, here’s an insightful quote from Microsoft research on the subject:
“Girls who know a woman in STEM are more likely to feel empowered when they engage in STEM activities (61%), than those who don’t know a woman in a STEM profession (41%).
The research goes on to explain how the average European girl loses interest in STEM by the age of 15.
Its conclusion, therefore, is that “The results provide an opportunity to leverage role models and increase their exposure, to ensure that classroom passion blossoms into careers.”
The full research paper forms the basis of why Love Tech are so passionate about using mentors. You can also read more about it here.
Ultimately though, the question must be why is it so important to inspire women to explore STEM careers? And of course, the obvious answers revolve around diversity, inclusivity and equality.
In addition to this, however, in an ever-changing world, it pays to be mindful that technology is coming on in leaps and bounds. In fact, the US Bureau of Labor statistics predict that tech professionals will experience the highest growth in job numbers between now and 2030. This means that for gender equality to become a reality, we really can’t afford to see our girls left behind!
Love Tech’s mentorship and role-modelling programme therefore continues to be at the heart of our work in our mission to inspire and empower girls and women in the Isle of Man to explore opportunities in STEM.
If you’re a woman working in STEM in the Isle of Man, we’d therefore love to hear from you. From simply having an inspirational presence on our website, to facilitating events or advising on career paths, the more mentors we have, the more impact we can make. You can also give as much or as little as you want.
And lastly, thank you as always to Chamber for everything they do, and to everyone for reading our February news – we hope it’s put a much-needed Spring in your step! See you in March.
Love Tech Ltd is an Isle of Man registered charity no. 1293. Check out our website www.lovetech.im for more information.
Love Tech committee members and mentors, January 2023.
As impossible as it is to believe, we’re a whole month into 2023! It’s been cold, it’s been dark (get outside at night and check out our amazing Manx Winter skies!). It’s therefore been the perfect time to batten down the hatches and…
Get planning!
This means Love Tech have spent the month busy behind the scenes. Committees and sub-committees have met and we’re delighted to say plans are coming together.
Confirmed 2023 events so far therefore include two April dates – Love Tech x Met Office on the 13th and attendance at the Graduate Fair on April 12th.
In addition to this, following on from last year’s popularity, we’re looking forward to another Mat Sat space event! A cyber security panel discussion is in the pipeline too alongside a biosphere event. Our ‘STEM books in schools’ project is also on-going and we’ve still more plans to announce.
As well as the above, mentors and mentor access sessions continue to play an important role in our mission to ‘Inspire and empower girls and young women to explore opportunities in STEM through events and mentorship in the Isle of Man.’
This month therefore saw us host our annual STEM mentor strategy session! Here’s what committee member, Lisa Karran had to say about it.
“The Love Tech committee met with our mentors this month to discuss our strategy for the year and do some events planning. We see our mentors as having a key role in Love Tech’s success through showing young people the types of STEM opportunities available in the Isle of Man right now. It was therefore wonderful to reconnect with them to discuss new ideas and new ways of going about things and we now have lots of ideas to go away and work on.”
In other news, we’ve been making some important adjustments to our website. More information on this project coming soon, but the overall idea is to consolidate the site as an informative and valuable STEM resource.
As part of this we’re looking to build on our video library and will soon be looking for a sponsor to support this important initiative. If you feel your organisation would love to help here, please get in touch by emailing us at support@lovetech.im
In addition to this, as well as sponsors, if you’re looking for a cause to support, Love Tech are always on the lookout for volunteers and mentors who also want to live in a world where women and men have truly equal opportunities, representation and recognition in STEM.
Areas where you might like to get involved therefore include the following:
Becoming a STEM mentor, ambassador and role model in our Island’s unique UNESCO biosphere community.
Educating and inspiring girls about STEM study and career opportunities.
Encouraging others to kindle and develop love for lifelong learning.
Helping us build a female-friendly tech community.
Lastly, thank you to everyone who follows our social pages. We’ve been working hard to maintain a strong social media presence and every like, share and comment really helps us maintain visibility. This is very much appreciated.
And of course, THANK YOU as always to Chamber of Commerce for all your support and for making us your 22/23 Charity of Choice!
Love Tech Ltd is an Isle of Man registered charity no. 1293. Check out our website www.lovetech.im for more information.
Lady Lorimer and the Love Tech team at a special Government House reception that took place in June to mark Lady Lorimer’s acceptance of her position as Love Tech patron and mentor.
Thanks to everyone for your support throughout 2022, it’s been a busy year so let us proudly present, (drum roll!)…
#lovetechlowdown2022!
Here goes…
#february brought our first #techmums club to a close! An amazing group of ladies participated and had a whole load of fun increasing their tech knowledge – the feedback was fantastic!
In #april we then headed to the Isle of Man Graduate Fair at the Comis Golf Club for a fun-packed ‘meet the mentors’ afternoon.
Next stop was #June – a particularly busy month!
First, we teamed up with Beach Buddies for ‘Love Tech X Beach Buddies – Ballaugh Family Beach Clean.’ Families and supporters were invited to hang out with the Love Tech team, find out about our work and events, all whilst having an enjoyable afternoon helping to keep our beaches clean.
In the same month, our team and mentors went back to school at QEII and Ramsey Grammar!
‘That was actually quite good.’ Student feedback from our Secondary School Mentor talks (we’ll take that!).
Here our mentors, such as zoological scientist, Rachel Jarvis, actuary, Heather Beck, and software developer, Martyna Wilk, shared their fabulous journeys with students. So, here’s to some future Manx STEM stars!
Finally for June, our committee, mentors and supporters were invited to a reception at Government House to mark Lady Lorimer MBE’s gracious acceptance of the position of Love Tech patron.
Lady Lorimer’s career background is in science and technology. This is therefore a great scoop for us. Her support and expertise undoubtably make her an excellent role model for our cause.
‘I am delighted to have been invited to serve as patron of Love Tech, a local charity that recognises the importance of bringing diverse perspectives to the fields of science, technology, engineering and maths.’ Lady Lorimer.
In #July we then embarked on Cloud Coding – Love Tech X Met Office. This event took place at Ronaldsway Meteorological Office giving our budding Meteorologists the chance to learn all about Manx weather (a common topic of local debate!).
Meteorological equipment and instruments were discussed and demonstrated and, as you can imagine, the event went down a storm!
At the end of July, we also kicked off our Love Tech STEM Summer Roadshow. This took place over the summer holidays across 3 locations on 3 different dates. It also saw us joining forces with our friends from Code Club and Young Engineers, offering children a range of STEM activities to learn from all whilst having a great time!
#august then featured our four ‘Gadgeteers Summer Reading Challenges’ at The Henry Bloom Noble Library. Our mentors got busy here, setting the kids problem-solving tasks and teaching them all about energy!
Next, #september brought us Sea Watch at the Sound – Manx Whale and Dolphin Watch X Love Tech. The Sound is known as a cetacean and seal hotspot, so this event was all about inviting members of the public to grab a pair of binoculars and get hot-spotting!
As if this wasn’t enough, ManSat x Love Tech – Reach for the stars was another popular event in September. Here, members of the public were given the chance to learn more about the diverse career opportunities available in the Space industry. As an extra bonus, they got to hear from a panel of industry professionals about ManSat’s bursary scheme.
In fact, Autumn saw us busy all round and it was a huge pleasure to be involved in STEM FEST 2022 and to participate in Chamber’s Digital Forum at Eagle Labs.
As well as this, Love Tech continued to roll out our STEM books in schools’ initiative across the Island’s primary schools, with eight assemblies conducted too.
This on-going event has been sponsored by PwC, enabling us to leave behind a number of Bridge Bookshop sourced STEM books for each school library. There was also much excitement when Lady Lormier chipped in here, giving Sulby school children insight into her own STEM expertise!
Finishing off the year, #november and #december saw us run our 2nd #techmums digital training club. This time our free, 6 week course was run in partnership with Jo Cutsforth Training and Coaching, helping local mums gain the digital skills necessary for 2022 and beyond.
‘Fantastic course, informative and helpful. It was great meeting others in the same situation and I really enjoyed all the sessions.” #techmum feedback!
All in all, it was a busy 2022!
More thanks are due to all our mentors and volunteers – watch this space because we’ve plans for you to hear everything about them.
Also, we couldn’t have done any of our work without our incredible sponsors and supporters – with a MASSIVE thank you to the Chamber of Commerce.
From all of us here at Love Tech, here’s to a stemtastic 2023!
Love Tech Ltd is an Isle of Man registered charity no. 1293. We inspire and empower girls and young women to explore opportunities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in the Isle of Man. We are also proud to be the Chamber of Commerce’s nominated charity 2022/23.
If you’d love to get involved – either as a volunteer or a sponsor, head over to our website www.lovetech.im to find out more, or get in contact at lovetechiom@gmail.com.
It’s been a busy month for Love Tech. As well as TechMums – our digital training club in collaboration with Jo Cutsforth of Jo Cutsforth Training and Coaching, we’ve continued to run our STEM books for primary schools’ project.
PwC Isle of Man have been a fantastic partner here. Their sponsorship has enabled us to donate Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) books to each primary school as we roll out our scheme across the Island.
We’re also using the opportunity to deliver assemblies that detail the amazing jobs being done here on the Island using examples from Love Tech’s many mentors. Our patron, Lady Lorimer, has been getting involved too and visited Sulby School with us to give a talk to the children about her own experience of working in STEM.
As well as this, Love Tech are incredibly grateful to Bridge Bookshop for helping us source appropriate titles for the children. Many of our primary school libraries now contain a diverse selection of age-appropriate STEM books such as How Cities Work, Shark Bytes, Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World and Build you own Website for Beginners.
In other news, Love Tech have also been supporting www.mathsweekengland.co.uk via our social media – sharing information and resources from #mathsweekengland (Nov 14th-18th) on our social media and highlighting our own ‘Mentor of the Month,’ Maths Mentor and Actuary, Heather Beck.
Heather is a Maths whizz whose job involves calculating future risk in the insurance industry, using high level probability, statistics and models! Our you tube video exploring Heather’s role, plus more details about all our initiatives can be found on our social media pages with the handle @lovetechiom.
Last, but certainly not least! Love Tech Ltd are hugely honoured to have been awarded Isle of Man UNESCO biosphere partner status. This is an important step for us in terms of loving our Island and helping its economy develop in a sustainable way, especially through our community orientated education and mentoring programmes.
To find out more about us, please visit our website, lovetech.im. Also, if you would love to join our active team of volunteers, or women in STEM mentors, please drop us an email at lovetechiom@gmail.com.
Love Tech Ltd is an Isle of Man registered charity no. 1293. We inspire and empower girls and young women to explore opportunities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in the Isle of Man. We are also proud to be the Chamber of Commerce’s ‘Charity of Choice’ 2022/23.
Introducing our fabulous patron, Lady Lorimer MBE!
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Jayne Hartley (PDMS), Lady Lorimer, Angela Van Der Berg (chair, Love Tech). Photo thanks to Dave Kneale/ Isle of Man Newspapers.
On Thursday, June 23rd (way back when it was still sunny!), Love Tech happily welcomed on board our fabulous patron, Lady Lorimer, MBE.
“I am delighted to have been invited to serve as patron of Love Tech, a local charity that recognises the importance to bring diverse perspectives to the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics in order to advance scientific progress and reverse skills shortages.” Lady Lorimer.
With a background in science and technology, Lady Lorimer is ideal for the position. Since her appointment she has also been a fantastic source of support in our mission. This is to inspire and empower girls and women to explore STEM opportunities on the Isle of Man.
In particular, Lady Lorimer recently attended Sulby School as part of our STEM books in primary schools’ initiative. We’re presently rolling this PwC Isle of Man sponsored project out to all 33 of the Island’s primary schools. Its goal is to give the children insight into local STEM careers, as well as to provide STEM related books for their libraries. (Thank you so much Bridge Bookshop for helping us source appropriate titles!).
It was therefore great to have Lady Lorimer talk about her own experiences in the STEM industries. Needless to say, the children were suitably enthralled!
At a time of global skills’ shortages and when women are still hugely under-represented in these industries, Love Tech are delighted to have Lady Lorimer on our side. She’s an excellent role model and her expertise will undoubtably strengthen our work alerting young people to the exciting career opportunities these fields can offer.
As well as this, Lady Lorimer is now also one of our mentors! You can therefore find out all about her and her exciting career background by clicking here.
Initially operating as a not-for-profit, Love Tech is now an Isle of Man registered charity (no. 1293). We have a brilliant team of 20+ local female business leaders and technologists. These are all volunteering their time to support and mentor young people to explore career opportunities in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). As well as this, we’re Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce Charity of Choice 22/23. To find out more about us, please visit our website, www.lovetech.im
The team is delighted to announce a full and exciting Spring and Summer event line-up for 2022.
Following 18 months of uncertainty due to Covid restrictions, the committee and mentors are incredibly excited to share our first full programme of events for two years.
From Dolphin Watching, to TikTok workshops, STEM Summer Roadshows and Graduate Fairs for varying age groups, not forgetting the amazing #TechMums Club returning for a second year, there’s lots to look forward to.
To read more about our fun and educational events or to book your tickets, visit: www.lovetech.im/whats-on
We look forward to seeing you all again very soon!
As we set out on our first Love Tech Primary School initiative in February of this year, we didn’t know quite what to expect.
Turning up at assemblies to talk about Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) and some of the incredible women (our mentors) working in these fields, we weren’t sure if the content would be inspiring enough for the children we visited!
We needn’t have worried however, as after visiting ten primary schools, meeting approximately 1800 children and donating 112 STEM related books, we have had some wonderful feedback from teachers and children alike. We have been sung to, applauded, hugged and have been asked some really challenging questions!
“It was brilliant, the kids were firing me with questions all day. The books are amazing and the kids will love them.”
“I have been sharing the box around the classes to give each class a chance to see them before they go in the library. The class I went to today was Year 5 and the girls were so excited to see that a lot were about women in STEM!”
“Many thanks for your assembly. The children were chatting about it afterwards and loved the books you left.”
“The books went to our reading corridor this morning and have caused quite a stir!”
We are pleased to say that we met our goals, which included engaging with primary school children and schools, sparking interest in STEM and encouraging diversity, however we are far from the end.
At Love Tech we are passionate about playing a part in helping to address the global and local skills shortage and to redress the balance, where women are hugely underrepresented in STEM. We are now planning our next steps in terms of how we support children in education and you can expect to see us in schools once again, later this year.
This well received initiative could not have been achieved without the generous donation received from PWC Isle of Man and the support of Bridge Bookshop.
List of book titles donated:
How to be a Maths Whizz by Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon The DNA book: Discover what makes you you by Professor Alison Woollard & Dr Sophie Gilbert Build your own website for beginners by Laura Cowan Fantastically great Women who saved the planet by Kate Pankhurst Counting on Katherine : How Katherine Johnson Put Astronauts on the Moon by Helaine Becker The everyday workings of machines by Steve Martin Ask a scientist by Robert Winston Agent Asha: Mission Shark Bytes by Sophie Dean Kay’s Anatomy: A Complete (and Completely Disgusting) Guide to the Human Body by Adam Kay How cities work by James Gullivar Hancock Fantastically great Women who change the world by Kate Pankhurst Wonder women by Sam Maggs Marie Curie Power of Persistance by Karla Velenti 50 fearless pioneers who Changed the World by Rachel Ignotofsky
Love Tech was featured in G3 Magazine’s June 2021 edition to discuss our mission, and how inspire and empower girls and young women to explore career opportunities in STEM.
Press Release: Love Tech Postpones Events Schedule
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It is with regret that we need to inform you that we have taken the difficult decision to postpone all forthcoming Love Tech events, due to the unprecedented times we’re facing with regards the Covid-19 outbreak across the World.
The health and safety of everyone who supports Love Tech, whether it is a child, parent or volunteer, is of paramount importance to us and we believe that this is the right and most conscientious course of action for all concerned.
We have therefore placed all events, board and committee meetings on hold for the short term and we will continue to share updates and STEM related content via our social media channels (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram).
The committee is looking forward to delivering more exciting events in the near future.
Love Tech Press Release for Game Development Workshops
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PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – 14 TH OCTOBER 2019
Love Tech invites award winning game development studio to the Island, to run free workshops for the next generation of developers
Love Tech is delighted to announce a new event in their November calendar: two FREE Game Development Workshops run by award – winning Game Doctor Ltd.
Game Doctor Ltd is a game development studio in the UK that builds educational games for children, primarily around healthcare. They aim to transfer STEM and health education through the production of digital media. Founded by microbiologist Dr Carla Brown, the company develops mobile games, software and media to educate communities about complex topics in science and healthcare.
The two workshops will be run by Dr Brown and her senior developer, who are traveling to the Island for this purpose, at Love Tech’s invitation. Dr Brown is a Forbes 30 Under 30 recipient and TedX speaker, and Game Doc tor Ltd has won multiple awards for their approach to learning. The two workshops take place on 23 and 24 November, with the Saturday event designed for a younger audience of 12 to 15 – year olds, and the Sunday event for 15 to 18 – year olds. Workshop attendees will learn about developing “tech for good”, with a focus on skill sets and career options in game development and technology, how to differentiate a good idea from a poor one and how to design a game to solve a problem. At the end of each workshop, attendees will pitch their ideas to a small set of judges and their peers for critique and feedback.
Dr Brown, CEO of Game Dr Ltd, said : “This is our first visit to the Isle of Man, and we are excited to learn more about the Island and meet the students involved in the workshops. ”
Lydia Barbara, Love Tech committee member and Chair of Digital Isle of Man, said : “Game development has consistently been the most popular aspirational career choice for the students Love Tech has engaged with so far, and we couldn’t be more pleased to host Dr Brown and her colleague.”
Whilst on the Island, Dr Brown will also speak at the Google Developer Group’s first ‘ DevFest ’, which takes place on 22 and 23 November in the Hubb, located above the Eagle Lab. More information can be found on www.devfest.im.
Love Tech has also just announced their second Book Club event, now running until the 2nd November. For information about these and future events, please visit the Love Tech website www.lovetech.im/events
