Kao Data has started a project which will bring data center education into schools, in association with educational charity The Cambridge Science Centre. The project will explore data centers, their importance and their uses with those aged seven to 11 in UK Key Stage 2 (Years 3-6), and the data center company says it hopes projects like this will boost the number of students choosing to take the STEM education pathway.
STEM is a growing area of interest for students, and since 2011, those entering the field has skyrocketed. Likewise, between 2017 and 2029, the number of STEM jobs is set to grow by 8%, a rate outperforming all other non-STEM jobs.
The education charity has helped Kao with the project by designing a Kao Academy website, which includes short videos, a downloadable paper model of Kao's London data center, a word search, a crossword, and a sudoku puzzle. One of the videos on the site is a time-lapse film of KLON-1 being built, namely Building a Data Centre in 2.5 Minutes.
Alongside these offerings, children at these schools will be given the opportunity to design their own data center with a prize of £150 worth of Lego for the winners of the competition. Winners will also be awarded the prize of a visit to Kao in Harlow.
Speaking about the project, Adam Nethersole, Vice President, said: "General understanding and appreciation of data centers is surprisingly low. Starting with children, and through the Kao Academy, our mission is to drive greater awareness of data centers, their crucial role, and showcase the people who design, build, and operate them."
