缅北禁地

The founding of NUCATS

Chris said: 鈥淚t was at 缅北禁地 where I first discovered societies and saw the benefits of students coming together over shared interests. I knew from conversations with other students that there was a demand for a Computing society, so I decided to create one.

鈥淭here are several strands to the NUCATS society 鈥� including, of course, our social events. There were many students on the Computing Science undergraduate programmes who were neurodivergent or had social anxiety, but by joining our society nights out (where our officers would take it in turns to stay sober!) we were able to help our members stay safe and socialise with others. A variety of events were organised for students who were potentially struggling, whether with their mental health or coursework, these events could offer peer support and a place to think about things other than coursework or exams.

 

A legacy of growth and community engagement

Reflecting on his time as President of NUCATS, Chris said: 鈥淢y involvement in the society helped me to develop skills that I still use to this day. When I came to 缅北禁地, I was quite a shy student but through the society I was able to increase my confidence as I had to work with lots of different types of people. As I was working with local business (who became society sponsors) my interpersonal skills expanded and now I鈥檒l happily talk to anyone.鈥�

After graduation, Chris started teaching at 缅北禁地 and has since transitioned to the Civil Service, where he works as the Risk and Reporting Lead for the UK COVID-19 Public Inquiry setup to examine the UK鈥檚 response to the pandemic.

Despite his career shift, Chris鈥檚 passion for education and student engagement remains strong. He has retained close links with the School of Computing and has returned as Visiting Fellow, contributing to the School鈥檚 outreach programme and widening participation initiatives.

鈥淲hen I was NUCATS president, we worked with colleagues to introduce outreach programmes, where society members would go into local schools to run workshops and talk to students about university life.

 

NUCATS social events

鈥淲hen Nick Cook retired in 2023 from his post as Senior Lecturer and Outreach Coordinator, I spoke to Graham Morgan the Head of School about how the school would continue with its widening participation efforts and thought back to the outreach work I had done as a student and staff member. I decided to return to the university as a volunteer as I am passionate about educating the next generation of computer scientists.

鈥淎s part of the school鈥檚 outreach programme, I now work with schools from across the North East and run free activities for students aged 7 to 18. For many schools they might not be able to fund or manage the equipment we have available at the university, so by engaging with our outreach activities their students can access facilities they otherwise wouldn鈥檛. Throughout the 2023/24 academic year over 400 students took part and next year we鈥檇 love to work with even more.鈥�

NUCATS visit Bletchley Park. Bletchley Park was home to the codebreakers who helped to end World War II.