Students, teachers and parents sitting in a lecture hall at a CSES event at ARU

Seeking volunteers to help with CSES/ARU Christmas Lecture 2024

Your Life is Manufactured! Wednesday 11 December 2024, ARU Chelmsford

We are looking for volunteers who can help with the delivery of the annual CSES/ARU Christmas Lecture at ARU in Chelmsford, this year to be given by Prof Tim Minshall from the University of Cambridge.

The talk will be given to two large groups from multiple schools across Essex, morning and afternoon, each of up to around 400 audience members. Responsibilities would include stewarding the event, helping students find their seats etc, being on-hand to discuss STEM careers with students during the breaks, and of course there is a free CPD opportunity to hear the talk!

Further details about the talk can be found here.

If you would like to be involved or find out more, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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Chris Neale and Ed Bye representing CSES at the Braintree Careers Fair

CSES at the Braintree Careers Fair 2024

On Wednesday 25th September at Chelmsford City Racecourse, CSES members Chris Neale and Ed Bye promoted the Society and in general STEM career paths at the Braintree Careers Fair.

The event was for students in their GCSE year (age 15/16) to help them decide on options for college or 6th Form as well as provide information on future career choices and paths such as apprenticeship or university route.

Eight schools in the Braintree area attended for an hour throughout the day, with a total student count of around 1500!

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CSES volunteers at the first Chelmsford Science Festival

Seeking volunteers for Chelmsford Science Festival 2024

We are looking for members / volunteers who could help with the Chelmsford Science Festival Family Weekend on 26/27 October at ARU. The campus will be alive with fun, hands-on activities for all the family! Could you spare a few hours on Saturday or Sunday to help us out? Everything is prepared and a full briefing will be provided, you just need to turn up! Please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you're interested.

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Students at the Saturday Club using microscopes

CSES Imagine! Saturday Club completes a second year

CSES@ARU Science and Engineering Saturday Club

CSES Imagine! LogoHaving just completed its second year, our Science and Engineering Saturday Club focuses on exploring the science and engineering behind real-life activities and problems that affect our health and wellbeing. As well as professionals and academics, the Club was supported by our medicine, science, engineering and business students, giving our members a unique opportunity to talk to current ARU students studying a range of STEM related courses they may be interested in. The programme enabled students to use state-of-the-art equipment in our unique Super Lab facilities and the workshop and computer laboratories at ARU's Chelmsford Campus. In addition to sessions on campus, the students visited external STEM related centres.

ARU LogoOverall, the students learnt a range of science and engineering skills including: Laboratory health and safety, microbiology, medical diagnostics, statistics, 3DCAD design and printing, pump engineering, clock construction and even bush craft!

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Felsted Students and others at the Billericay Soap Box Derby

Felsted Pupils Shine at Billericay Soapbox Derby 2024

In a wonderful display of creativity and collaboration, Felsted School pupils, parents, and staff teamed up with REMAP engineers at the Billericay Soapbox Derby. The annual extravaganza drew in thousands of spectators eager to witness the spectacle of soapbox chariots hurtling down a perilous route towards the finishing line. This year, Felsted pupils have partnered with REMAP, working collaboratively to create a computerised memory game aimed at assisting people with dementia. Weekly sessions with REMAP engineers have provided Felsted students with invaluable opportunities to hone their scientific, engineering and design skills, all while contributing to a meaningful cause.

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Image of Guglielmo Marconi overlaid on an open window, with some of his equipment in the foreground

150th anniversary of Guglielmo Marconi

25 April 2024 was the 150th anniversary of the birth of Guglielmo Marconi, inventor of radio and to whom the city of Chelmsford owes much of its industrial heritage.

Marconi set up the first factory for his Wireless Telegraph & Signal Company in Hall Street, Chelmsford in 1898. The work that took place there (and other sites subsequently) changed the world, completely revolutionising how we communicate with each other, entertain the population and sense the world around us. Find out more by reading this BBC article by CSES member Tim Wander.

The history of CSES, which had its centenary in 2020, is closely linked to the history of the Marconi Company. In its earliest days, the society was a meeting of engineers from the major companies based in Chelmsford, including Marconi's. You can read more about our history here.

We mark this occasion in collaboration with the Museo Marconi, Bologna, Italy, who are holding a special celebration event, further details of which can be found here.

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Composite image of various events taking place throughout the coming year

Welcome to CSES 2024-2025

We are delighted to announce our new season of events, including the Chelmsford Science Festival, social meet-ups and FREE evening lectures at Anglia Ruskin University in Chelmsford!

We have searched near and far for speakers and once again we have a varied and fascinating mix of topics so there is bound to be something of interest for everyone. We would say, though, don't just come to the talks that appeal to you, often the most interesting topics are those you may think are "not my thing".

So, what's in store?

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The CSES stand at the Skills Festival, empty and with students talking to the CSES volunteers

CSES at the Chelmsford Skills Festival 2024

The 2024 Chelmsford Skills Festival was held on Thursday 27 June at ARU Writtle. CSES attended the event, alongside Teledyne e2v, BAE Systems and other businesses in the region.

A whole school day event for Year 8s, to help them choose their exam options, eight local schools attended, with an estimated footfall of 1,200 students in total at the event. There were around 75 companies and organisations represented, accommodated in seven large marquees.

On the CSES stand, we had an autonomous line-following robot (bit:bot) and a hand-strength gauge which proved quite popular with students seeing who of their group had the strongest and weakest hand grip. There was also a small box of "electronic poo", i.e. dead batteries, which stimulated much discussion about the necessity, science and engineering of correctly disposing of waste materials to protect the environment and ecology. This was accompanied by a range of leaflets and booklets explaining what engineering is and some of the different types of engineering that takes place.

Overall, this was a very good and enjoyable day. The society's thanks to Chris Neale and Ed Bye for supporting.

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Some students exhibiting their work at last year's TEXPO

TEXPO 2024 now open for entries

CSES Schools' TEXPO: Fri 21 June 2024, ARU Chelmsford (9am for 10am start, latest 3pm finish)

For Y5-13 | Show your project to scientists and engineers | Cash prizes | Free lunch!

Are you in a STEM club at primary or secondary school? Have you made or investigated something fantastic in technology or science lessons? Have you been doing interesting technical projects at home?

Are you a teacher who'd like to showcase your pupils' / students' work? Or are you a parent, guardian or tutor whose child has been working on an exciting project?

If your answer to any of these questions is YES, then exhibit at the annual CSES TEXPO. There is prize money to be won and we even provide lunch!

We welcome projects from all areas of science and technology. This could be something you've made, software, experiments, reports, posters, videos etc. Entrants to the competition are encouraged to submit projects that they have been working on already in class or at home, including those for coursework, meaning that no extra work is necessary. There is no need to have a 'finished product', and your project can be originally from another competition or scheme.

Show your work to our judges, who include professional scientists and engineers, and you'll be in with a chance of winning a prize!

Click here to find out more | Click here to enter your project(s)

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