The University recently donated 45 Chromebooks to school-age Ukrainian refugees, who would be in Years 7-13, to aid with their educational work. The laptops are set-up with all the tools and platforms used by English or Ukrainian schools.
Some of those who received laptops from Sheffield Hallam were invited to attend the recent university open day to have a look round the campus and the facilities.
The children, and their families, were given a tour of city campus including the library and lecture halls, as well as the engineering, biosciences and chemistry facilities.
One of the families, Slava and Olga Burets, said: “We really enjoyed our day at Hallam. It was informative and engaging especially for our kids who loved visiting the robotics and engineering department. Hopefully we’ll be able to visit again, but we’ve been inspired to try and find a group or school back home who can help educate our son in robotics.”
Tanya Klymenko, senior lecturer in biochemistry at Sheffield Hallam, said: “It was a very special day for me as I felt very privileged to be able to show our fantastic facilities to our guests. They were very impressed with the University and with how kind and enthusiastic everyone was. Within the group we had six families that came with their teenage children who are sitting their GCSEs at school in 2023.
“The group was particularly keen to understand how the admission system works in the UK and what they need to do after GCSEs to get a place at university. It was a very informative day for them while at the same time younger kids had a ball exploring engineering and biomedical sciences labs.
“Our group was diverse in age with several younger siblings making it even more exciting when they were asking their questions or asking to touch, feel and try everything. There were several funny moments including a situation when one of the little boys wanted to check that there was no human hiding inside the robotic arm.”
After visiting the biosciences and chemistry department, Mother of two boys Anna Kovalenko said: “I am very grateful that the invitation was extended to younger siblings. This gave my 7-year-old son Filip a chance to realise his dream to touch and use a real microscope.”
Nadiia Trubachenko said that her daughter Anastasiia has always been interested in biology. She is now studying for her GCSEs and after she had a chance to speak to Jody Smith at the department of Biosciences, she is convinced she wants to become a microbiologist. Anastasiia was very surprised to see what sort of bacteria grew on the plate seed from her mobile phone.
Another parent, Hanna Sviedik, said: “It has been a great day, and we were impressed by the robots and 3D printers. My son Aleks even had a certificate made which was printed by a robot. It has been a great opportunity for us to visit Hallam, to create something and see the students’ work.”
The provision of laptops to support young Ukrainian learners that have arrived in Sheffield is just one of the many initiatives currently underway in support of Ukraine. The university is also twinned with Kyiv University of Technologies and Design and is providing online learning opportunities for their students.
Read the Vice-Chancellors statement on Ukraine here
