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Nearly every student in Years 1 through to Year 10 have participated in a nationwide competition set up by the ‘Young Engineers’ charity.
The Young Engineers have supported us many times over the past few years, providing STEM-based activities for most of the students currently in our Senior School.
This year, the Young Engineers have set up the Primary and Secondary ‘Leaders Awards in STEM’ competition. The rules were simple – ‘invent something, but nothing magical’. The idea was based upon the role of engineers, people who identify a problem, then devise a solution to ‘fix’ the problem. The basis for the idea is that whatever the invention is, it will be small and seemingly insignificant, but, from that, ripples can and will spread out locally, then nationally and then subsequently, internationally, so potentially changing many people’s lives. Think of Sir Tim Berners-Lees idea about how computers could ‘speak’ to each other across a ‘world wide web’ – the internet would not work without it! Think how Edison felt when he first designed the light bulb – how many BILLION people have benefited from that simple invention? How many lives have been saved thanks to the ‘cats eyes’ that mark the lanes along a road.
Students had to complete a simple application form, draw out a labelled solution to their identified problem, then write a formal letter to the charity, explain the need for their invention, how it would work, and how/what it could be made from.
All of our 551 entries have now been sent off to be judged – two winners from each Key Stage will go on to represent our School in the national finals, with the overall winner having their invention actually made, regardless of how ‘wacky’ it is!
Watch this space for further news about our entries to this exciting competition.
