A free, fun-packed new lecture entitled ‘Energy, Technology and the Environment’ will be delivered to hundreds of school pupils, in remote or rural locations across the Highlands.

Co-presented by Dr Ken Skeldon (Public Engagement with Science Unit, University of Aberdeen) and Dr Claire Thorne (dot.rural), this year’s TechFest Highland Schools Tour takes place from Monday 23rd to Friday 27th August 2010. Please visit our highland interactive page for all the fun stuff.

The interactive lecture will highlight innovative developments in renewable energy and digital technology which are helping tackle the energy challenges we face now and in the future.

During the Tour, five schools will be visited in five days:
- Monday 23rd August - Kinlochbervie High School
- Tuesday 24th August - Ullapool High School
- Wednesday 25th August - Gairloch High School
- Thursday 26th August - Plockton High School
- Friday 27th August - Portree High School

Secondary school pupils will investigate energy, technology and the environment through a range of fun, hands-on activities.

Pupils will get the chance to become a human power station and get their own back on teachers using the pedal-powered teacher trap.

For a truly interactive experience, you can follow Ken and Claire’s progress on the route map and read their blog posts online. In addition, they will be tweeting en-route.

The schools will also be invited to enter a competition, where they will be challenged to calculate the carbon footprint of the Highland Tour, to be in with the chance to win £250 of vouchers for eco-friendly prizes of their choice.

The Tour takes place takes place as part of Techfest in September 2010; an annual festival of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). The festival runs from 10th September to 27th September at various locations across the city and shire.

The TechFest Highland Schools Tour is organised by TechFest-SetPoint and is funded by the Department of Energy and Climate Change and the University of Aberdeen.