Hello everyone, I’m Tammi and I’m the new learning producer at the museum. I’ve been brought aboard mainly to lead on our Sophia’s Story Programme (which I’ll tell you a bit more about in a second) but also to make sure young people are thought about throughout the museum. I look at interpretation in our exhibitions, our offers for schools and resources we have available for children and young people. I also think about how this can be made better and if we are providing the best possible service to these people.
Sophia’s story is a programme that works in the legacy of Sophia Brunel, Isambard’s sister, who was an equally talented engineer but as a woman in Victorian England, did not have the opportunity to study. However, she was referred to as Brunel in petticoats! As a result of this we would like to use our programme to inspire a new generation of womxn to learn about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) and ultimately become engineers like Sophia would’ve liked to but never could. The first step in this was our after-school club, which we ran over the last couple of months and the next step is a new exciting programme which will take place in the new year.
On a personal note, it is very important to me to make sure the local is embedded in the museum and that the learning programme brings a sense of community. It is my intention to make sure we have as many local people and partners involved in the programme, so if you’re a local engineer please do reach out!