Welcome to the CSES Annual STEM Competition, TEXPO, a premier event that celebrates the ingenuity and creativity of students across Essex. This competition provides a unique platform for young minds to showcase their innovative projects in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Participating in the TEXPO offers numerous benefits:
Are you looking for a flexible, low-commitment way to get more involved? The role of CSES Treasurer could be for you. We are currently looking for an Assistant Treasurer who could move into the formal Treasurer role when ready.
You would be able to get involved in activities such as the Science Festival, TEXPO, Saturday Club and events in schools. This is an excellent opportunity for someone looking for flexibility, with options for career and profile development.
![Poster: Are you more into this [left half of an ancient human figurine] or this [right half of a Pikachu figurine]?](/images/news/CoF_Asset_5_Instagram_Pikachu.png)
SPARK! Young Cultural Changemakers are working with the Museum of Chelmsford to help shape the future of the Museum's collection, and are asking everyone one question to help shape its collections policy into the next 50 years:
"If the Museum of Chelmsford could collect just ONE object to show what your life in Chelmsford is like today, what would it be?"
Together, we are Collecting Our Future.
Share your story: https://forms.gle/inHHkEReU4VJNEhG8
*SPARK! is a youth movement of 13-25-year-olds, using art and creativity to make Chelmsford an even more fun and inspiring place to live. Find more about SPARK!’s inclusive Collecting Our Future, part of their Young Cultural Changemakers Programme, 2025-27.
CSES is proud to work with SPARK! on promoting Chelmsford's globally significant culture of science and innovation.
The Chelmsford Science Festival Family Weekend was once again a great success seeing several thousand members of the public coming to the CSES activity area. Many favourite demonstrations from previous years were present including Magnetics, 3D Printing, Centre of Gravity and Force and Moment. The ever-popular Egg Drop also saw a return with over 220 participants over the two days, including some coming back to try and beat last year’s attempts! We had some very innovative designs and some very good results! For those interested, the winning score was 1.1g (the lowest shock registered by our "digital egg") achieved by Violet, on the Sunday.
In December we played host, with ARU, to students and teachers from all over Essex at our third annual series of FREE Christmas Lectures for schools.
The lectures are proving to be more and more popular each year – so much so that this time we had to offer two different speakers to satisfy demand! On Wednesday 10 December 2025, Professor Neil Lawrence, Deepmind Professor of Machine Learning at the University of Cambridge, presented his lecture entitled “The Atomic Human”. Students were asked to think about what makes us human and Prof Lawrence explained why he thinks that Artificial Intelligence can never replace the human brain.
The following week we welcomed Grace Dickinson from Reptiles Etc. In a very different lecture, “Animal Encounters”, she spoke about relationships between humans and animals throughout time. From the earliest encounters with wolves, to rats used to locate landmines, Grace explained how animals work with humans to benefit us all. She went on to speak about her work as an “Animal Wrangler” in the film industry and the lecture ended with some thrilling demonstrations, including a Barn Owl flying just above the heads of the students!
Read more: AI and Animal Wrangling: The CSES/ARU Christmas Lectures 2025
In October 2025, we hosted 110 students from seven schools at an event, designed with young people for young people, to showcase the career opportunities available within the game design industry.
Organised by CSES in collaboration with Anglia Ruskin University and Culture Chelmsford (including Spark! Youth Forum), and supported by Essex County Council, Game On! was a half-day industry spotlight event held as part of the Chelmsford Science Festival.
In workshops, presented by industry professionals and academics expert in the field, students created an audio clip to accompany an action scene, thought about the development of games from the very first idea through to marketing the finished product, had a go at creating their own simple games, heard about a day in the life of a professional games developer and learned about the educational routes and skill-sets needed for success in the field.
