4 minute read
He's been tracking how many people he and his colleagues have inspired. We are very happy to announce that over the years the team has reached one million people. They hit the milestone at an event in Sandwich, Kent, today, with Andrew and his outreach colleague Louise Gibbons doing demos for schoolchildren.
That's 19 years in the making, averaging more than 50,000 people a year. On the way to that total, Andrew and the team have delivered well over 4,000 events and in 2019 he was awarded an MBE for services to STEM. What better place to celebrate the achievements than at the two-day STEM jamboree in Kent? Set up by the Canterbury-based STEM Hub, Andrew and Louise are getting to do their eye-opening science thing for kids from more than 50 schools.
The team mixes things up with attendance at schools far and wide, conferences, local events and festivals. If you are lucky enough to be going to the Green Man or Latitude festivals this summer you may spot them in the Einstein’s Garden or Cosmic Shambles fields, respectively. Closer to NPL’s home in Teddington, the Outreach team delivers perennially popular outdoor events including the Water Rocket Challenge, spawning activities such as the world’s largest water rocket and the water rocket-powered car, which featured on The Gadget Show.
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Other highlights over the years include an online talk to an audience of 20,000, which included answering 700 questions, shows for audiences of all ages at the Royal Institution (the place to be for science demonstrations), large events to celebrate 125 years of NPL in 2025, and stands at multiple Royal Society summer science exhibitions, featuring a cast of up to 70 NPL staff.
Talking of which, one of the most satisfying things for the team is seeing quiet apprentices and graduates flourish when ‘persuaded’ to help out, with many going on to win awards for raising NPL’s profile.
Here’s to the team sharing the excitement of science and NPL’s story with another million people in the years to come.
11 Jun 2026