Youngsters set to take over Met Office

Youngsters are set to camp out at the Met Office this weekend to learn about the science behind weather.

Met Office Science Camps provide a unique opportunity for 11-13 year old students to take part in demonstrations and hands-on activities led by Met Office staff, while camping overnight at Met Office headquarters in Exeter.

The activities cover a wide range of topics which explain how we understand, measure and forecast the weather and climate.

The Met Office Science Camps take place over a number of weekends throughout the spring and summer terms. They are part of the Met Office STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math's) Outreach programme which aims to improve understanding of how weather and climate are measured and forecast. The programme has been awarded the European Meteorological Society Outreach and Communication Award in recognition of our outstanding efforts to engage young people.

As one of the UK's top science and engineering organisations, the Met Office is continually looking at ways to engage people, young and old, in the fascinating worlds of weather and climate science.

Director of Science at the Met Office, Andy Brown said: "As well as being fun, Met Office Science Camps engage, challenge and enthuse students, encouraging them to develop scientific skills and hopefully inspire the scientists of the future."

Over the last decade or so, predicting the weather and climate has become one of the most important areas of scientific research. Work at the Met Office is incredibly varied, and this is reflected in the variety of career opportunities available, including everything from Science and Forecasting to Engineering and Business Development.

You can hear from a whole range of different people who are employed at the Met Office, from IT specialists to Climate Change scientists, in a series of podcasts.