Inspiring the Next Generation of Innovators: Rae Harbird Day 2025

Building on the success of last year, Rae Harbird Day 2025 was a fantastic celebration full of exciting activities, inspiring talks and vibrant discussions.

We were proud to welcome over 200 students to this flagship outreach event, held in honour of the life Dr. Rae Harbird, a much-loved member of the UCL Computer Science community and former Academic Outreach Lead.

This year’s event once again ran two parallel sessions across our campuses at UCL Bloomsbury and UCL East, each offering students a unique window into the creativity, impact, and innovation of computer science.

Two Campuses, One Mission

At UCL Bloomsbury

We welcomed over 100 Year 10 and Year 12 students for a full day of inspiring talks, hands-on workshops, and cutting-edge tech demos.

The day began with a keynote from Professor Lourdes Agapito, Professor of 3D Computer Vision and co-founder of Synthesia, who shared fascinating insights into how machines perceive the world in 3D.

Students then rotated through four interactive sessions:

• Data Visualisation & Behaviour Tracking with Dr. Amid Ayobi Lecturer/ Assistant Professor at UCL and part of the UCL Interaction Centre.
• 3D Printing & Design with Andreas Polydorides PhD Researcher in Assistive Technology
• Tech & Museums: A Research Project with the V&A with Dr. Martin Dechant Lecturer/Assistant Professor in Digital Mental Health
• A Mini-Hackathon on Tackling Antimicrobial Resistance with David Guzman Research Software Engineer and Vaish Sundaresan health communications professional from the Digital Health Hub for Antimicrobial Resistance and London Centre for Nanotechnology

The day also featured exciting demos in VR, mid-air haptics, digital fabrics, human activity sensors, and more, showing just how wide-reaching and creative the world of computing can be. The UCL School of Pharmacy also showcased pioneering research at the intersection of tech, education, and pharmaceutical sciences.

Reflecting on the demos, one student commented: "I was fascinated to learn about the different real-world applications of VR beyond gaming - like training pharmacy students to use expensive equipment. It really opened my eyes to how powerful and versatile this technology can be, and it made me even more excited about the future of VR!".

A huge thank you to our facilitators Dr. David Swapp, Mae Taylor, Mireia Benito Montaner, Dr. Minna Nygren, Jing Xue and Xijia Wei.

At UCL East

We had the pleasure of welcoming four brilliant groups of Year 8 students for a day of hands-on Computer Science exploration.

Students teamed up to take on an escape room challenge, where they were tasked with shutting down a rogue AI that had taken over the school's security system. To succeed, they had to solve a series of computer science puzzles designed by Prof. Steve Hailes, Dr. Igor Gaponov, and Dr. Elaine Pimentel.

The activity put their problem-solving and logical thinking skills to the test. From cryptography to algorithms, they cracked codes and unlocked the final challenge - proving that learning computer science can be both fun and immersive.

One student commented: “I really enjoyed the escape room. I loved solving the riddles and using logic to work through the challenges. It was exciting to see how computer science concepts could be applied in real-life scenarios. I learned a lot, and I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to be part of this experience - it made me even more interested in learning about tech!”.

In addition to the escape room, students received a guided tour of UCL’s cutting-edge facilities, including the AI and Robotics Lab. Seeing real-world applications of computer science and the exciting research underway at UCL left many feeling inspired about the future of technology.

Dr. Pimentel said: “Rae Harbird was deeply passionate about making CS accessible to all, and this event was a true reflection of that spirit”.

Celebrating Rae Harbird

At UCL Bloomsbury, the day concluded with a moving video from Professor Catherine Holloway, Director of the Global Disability Innovation Hub, who reflected on Dr. Rae Harbird’s incredible legacy. Prof. Holloway spoke about their outreach work together, most notably co-running a summer school where students redesigned the wheelchair, highlighting Rae’s deep commitment to inclusive education, innovation, and supporting underrepresented voices in computer science.

Meanwhile, at UCL East, students heard from Prof. Hailes, Rae’s close colleague and friend and former Head of the Department of Computer Science, who shared personal memories and spoke about Rae’s transformative impact on the department, her students, and the broader community.

Thank You to Our Schools

We were proud to welcome students from:

• Strood Academy
• Haggerston School
• Saint Paul’s Way Trust
• Westminster City School
• Mossbourne Community Academy
• Brampton Manor Academy Sixth Form
• Lea Valley School
• Eastlea Community School
• The Green School

Looking ahead

Rae Harbird Day continues to grow in impact, reach, and ambition - bringing students from all backgrounds into the world of computer science and showing them that innovation, creativity, and discovery are for everyone.

A heartfelt thank you to all the students, staff, researchers, and teachers who made this year’s event unforgettable. We can’t wait to welcome even more future innovators next year.