FEATURE
Intrigued – Students from Outwood Academy Bydales were shown around Absolute Antibodies by Dr Mark Bowmaker .
INSPIRED BY SCIENCE
Wilton Centre shares Ada and Stacey ’ s stories to inspire young students
The Wilton Centre has opened the door to careers in science for teenage girls who can take inspiration from two remarkable stories almost 200 years apart .
Nearly 30 year seven and year eight students from the Outwood Academy Bydales in Marske and Our Lady & St Bede School in Stockton were invited to the centre to mark Ada Lovelace Day , an international celebration of the achievements of women in science , technology , engineering and maths ( STEM ).
Ada is credited with writing the first computer programme in the 1840s and her contribution to science and learning has been marked on one special day every year since 2009 .
Even though ill health plagued her childhood – and she died when she was only 36 – Ada developed a fascination for mathematics and logic and was the first person to recognise that computers could be used for more than just calculation .
This year , the Wilton Centre owner , Pioneer Group , staged events for local schools across all 10 of its sites in the UK and Ireland to celebrate Ada Lovelace Day .
In the North-East , the girls heard how female scientists from occupiers CPI , Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies and Absolute Antibodies carved out their careers .
As well as the traditional routes of studying science at school and university , the students were also told about the unconventional path taken by 34-year-old
Stacey Walker , who is a senior scientist with Absolute Antibody .
Stacey worked as a cleaner for 10 years for a company that had a contract at the Wilton Centre and used to empty the bin of Dr Catherine Bladen , Absolute Antibody ’ s chief operating officer .
Even though Stacey had no background in science , the more she visited the company , the more interested she became .
Eventually , she plucked up the courage to ask if there were any jobs . “ It was a spur-of-the-moment thing ,” said Stacey . “ I didn ’ t really have any idea what I was walking into . I thought , ‘ I ’ m just going to ask Catherine ’ and thankfully she gave me the chance .”
After a successful interview , Stacey was recruited as a laboratory technician in 2016 and she has never looked back . She has been promoted several times and is now a senior scientist and team leader .
Stacey said she only studied science at GCSE because she needed the qualification to go to college . There , she took a course in computer studies but , by now a young mum , decided a career in IT was not for her .
“ I didn ’ t know what to do . You ’ re trying to find yourself , as well as be a parent , and earn money because you ’ ve got a house to run and children to look after ,” said Stacey .
That is why she took up cleaning , a job she loved , until her growing and unexpected interest in science opened a new door .
Colleagues – Stacey Walker , left , and Dr Catherine Bladen .
Dr Catherine said : “ What Stacey ’ s proven beyond reasonable doubt is that given the chance , people can flourish to levels they probably thought they could never achieve . She ’ s not afraid to ask questions and that ’ s how you learn .”
She added : “ There was no ego involved in the training . Stacey was willing to learn everything from scratch and I think that ’ s one of the reasons she ’ s done so well so quickly .”
Claire Morton , the centre ’ s leasing and assistant asset manager , said : “ We ’ ve all been inspired by Stacey ’ s story and I ’ m sure the young students who visited us will never forget .
“ For too long , science and engineering was seen as an unsuitable career for females . Thankfully that ’ s changing and in the corridors of the Wilton Centre , you see a great mix of men and women .”
She added : “ There are more than 50 companies at the Wilton Centre and there are so many exciting opportunities , whether you ’ re leaving school , finishing university or , like Stacey , looking for a complete change of direction .”
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