Dozens of pupils from schools across Northamptonshire have been given an exclusive insight into how rapidly emerging digital technology is creating new ways of working across multiple industries.
The ‘Exploring Emerging Technologies’ session was held at Northampton College’s Booth Lane campus and gave students the opportunity to learn how industries such as health, business, and the arts have been changed by new technology, while trying their hand at some of the latest techniques themselves.
Students from Sir Christopher Hatton Academy in Wellingborough, Campion School in Bugbrooke, Northampton School for Girls and The Duston School took part in the event, which saw presentations on the emergence of AI technology delivered by keynote speakers Eric Bye of Erictron AI and Jordan Legg from Takara.AI.
Jason Lancaster, principal at Northampton College, said: “Digital technologies are irreversibly changing every industry and this event goes a long way to igniting the spark in a new intake of students who have the passion and skills to embrace the opportunities presented by emerging technologies and make a difference for generations to come.”
The event saw students take part in four interactive workshops throughout the day.
A session entitled ‘Transforming Healthcare with Technology’ enabled students to discover how cutting-edge technology is changing healthcare training. Using the College’s state-of-the-art mock health ward, pupils checked blood pressure and learned how to set baseline assessments for oxygen, pulse rate, respiration and temperature, using an interactive manikin.
Pupils experimented with Augmented Reality technology and discovered how art students at the College are utilising Virtual Reality to create innovative architectural designs, with technology increasingly being used by artists to bring static artwork to life and create new, immersive storytelling experiences.
The fast-growing logistics industry is being transformed by AI, robotics, and autonomous tech and students were able to look at real-world challenges, ethical dilemmas, and future innovations. Working as a group, students experimented with AI, VR and robotics, and debated why human roles in logistics will still matter in a tech-driven future.
Pupils also had the opportunity to create their own movie poster while learning how media industry tools are starting to include AI features, and the impact of these changes.
