Kate Bellingham facts for kids

Katherine Bellingham (born in 1963) is a British engineer and television presenter. She is well-known for hosting the BBC1 science show Tomorrow's World from 1990 to 1994. After taking time off to raise her children and explore other interests, she started her broadcasting career again in 2010.

Early life and education

Katherine Bellingham was born in Buckrose, a place in East Riding of Yorkshire, England. She went to Mount School in York. Later, she studied at the Oxford University and earned a degree in Physics in 1984. In 2003, she received a Master's degree in Electronic Communications Systems Engineering from the University of Hertfordshire.

Career highlights

Television and radio work

In 1988, Katherine Bellingham was a BBC radio engineer working at the BBC Broadcasting House. She was chosen to co-host the yearly Faraday Lecture, which was a series of live shows for school students across the UK. A producer from BBC Schools saw her perform and offered her a job presenting a new show called Techno, which was about Design and Technology.

She went back to her engineering training for a bit. Then, she applied for Tomorrow's World and joined the team of presenters in 1990. She worked on the show for four years.

Here are some of the other programmes she has presented:

• Radio Five Live – The Acid Test (1994 to 1997) and Splitting the Difference (1996)
• BBC School Radio
• Radio 4 – Testing Times (a four-part series in November 1999)
• BBC2 – Working in Engineering (1999)
• The Open University
• Children's ITV – The Big Bang (1996 to 2004)

After about five years of regular television work, hosting many live events, and presenting videos for companies, Katherine decided to focus on her young family. She then went back to university to get her Master's degree in Electronics, following her main interest in engineering.

Promoting engineering and science

Katherine Bellingham trained and worked as a maths teacher until July 2007. Since then, she has returned to media work. She also works to promote STEM (which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths) to the public, especially to school students.

She is the STEM Careers Champion for the DCSF. She is also an Education Ambassador for the Bloodhound Engineering Adventure, which is a project about a very fast car. In March 2010, Katherine returned to TV as a regular co-presenter for Museum of Life. This was a documentary series for BBC2 about the Natural History Museum in London.

In March 2012, she was one of the special judges at the National Science + Engineering Competition at The Big Bang Fair. This competition celebrates students who have done excellent projects in science, technology, engineering, or maths. In 2015, she also gave out prizes for the Talent 2030 National Engineering Competition for Girls.

She was also involved with the British Engineering Excellence Awards (BEEAs) in October 2010. This event promotes the great engineering work done by British companies. At the awards, Katherine wore a special "e-dress" that could light up. She talked about how important Design Technology (DT) is in schools for the future of British Engineering.

Awards and recognition

Katherine Bellingham has received several special awards for her work:

• In 1997, she was given an honorary Doctor of Technology degree from the University of Staffordshire.
• In 2004, she received the Public Promotion of Engineering Medal from the Royal Academy of Engineering.
• In 2011, she won a Women of Outstanding Achievement Award. This was partly for her work as the National STEM Co-Ordinator for Sheffield Hallam University's Centre for Science Education.
• In 2012, she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree by the University of West of England.
• In 2013, she received an honorary Doctorate of Science from the University of Kent. This was to recognize her efforts in helping the public understand science and science education.
• In 2014, she was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Technology from De Montfort University. She also received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from the University of Hull.
• In 2015, she became a Fellow of the Women’s Engineering Society (FWES). She also received an Honorary Doctorate of Engineering from the University of Bradford.

She is the President of Young Engineers, which is a national group of engineering clubs in schools and colleges. She is also a Patron of WISE. WISE is a charity that encourages young women to choose careers in Science, Engineering, and Construction.

Personal life

Katherine Bellingham is married to Martin Young, who is a BBC maintenance engineer. They have two children and live in Hertfordshire.

See also

In Spanish: Kate Bellingham para niños