DUNDEE Science Centre and women scientists from Dundee University are teaming up to encourage girls and young women into STEM subjects – science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

As part of Dundee Women’s Festival this weekend, a range of activities will be held to promote the subjects to younger children.

The initiative was launched yesterday – International Women’s Day – and will see a range of activities available through the science centre’s online home learning programme for the rest of this month. Young people will learn how to extract DNA from strawberries and bananas, make invisible ink messages with milk and reveal them using Irn Bru.

Forensic science, telescopes and computing will all feature in the digital showcase, which also incorporates videos and profiles of women working across different subjects from today and in days gone by, from engineering and medicine to botany and art.

Carlene Cura, Dundee Science Centre’s development and fundraising adviser, said: “At Dundee Science Centre, we’re passionate about inspiring the younger generation in all things science, whether that’s exploring how their computer game works, how plants and food grow or how their bodies function.

“By hooking their interest at an early age through fun experiments and games which children can enjoy at home, we can spark that sense of curiosity and encourage questioning, key skills for any modern day scientist.”

Doctor Amy Cameron, public engagement and communications officer at Dundee University’s School of Life Sciences, added: “We hope everyone enjoys learning about the diverse range of STEM subjects, from forensic science to astrophysics and plant science to psychology, that these women work in. The one thing all these women have in common is their love of science, but their individual stories are unique to each of them.

“I hope that the activities and the career profiles inspire everyone to see that science can be for them and that there is not a specific type of person who becomes a scientist in any subject area.”