The £5m centre, officially named The Buchannan Building after the first woman member of the Institution of Civil Engineers Dorothy Donaldson Buchanan (1895 – 1957), was built as part of the Group’s strategic development plan which includes the Zoological Education Centre in Shuttleworth for Animal Science and a redeveloped campus in Wellingborough which will increase the engineering and science offer in the town from 2020.
Bedford College Group Director of STEM Jo Baxter hosted the open evening:
“Our visitors were able to tour the state-of-the-art facilities here at Bedford College, with demonstrations of the latest equipment by some of our current students. Plus they had the chance to meet representatives from Lockheed Martin who specialise in aerospace and advanced technology and work closely with us at the college.”
Recent media coverage has highlighted the lack of girls choosing to pursue STEM careers. The Bedford College Group is working to change that trend, headed by a strong team of female staff within their computing and engineering departments. Lecturers within the Group are recognised as leaders in their field, having worked in industry and maintained valuable commercial contacts.
