STEMNET and Cisco are challenging 11-16 year olds to use their Maths and Science skills to
plan a major sporting event in their local area. The Challenge is to plan a major sporting event that would transform your local area and showcase local and national talent. Teams of 4-6 students must choose a sport and a venue or location, and work out what resources, facilities and equipment would be
needed for the event. As with all STEM Challenges, teams will present their project at a STEM Challenge
local judging event.
STEM Challenges are ten activities that have been inspired by London 2012. Each challenge focuses on a different aspect of the preparations for the Olympics.
The deadline to register for STEM challenge 9 is quickly approaching. The challenge, presented by STEMNET and the Paralympic Torch Relay Team, is challenging 11-14 year olds to create a spark to light the Paralympic Flame by the energy of human endeavour. Teams have the chance to win exclusive access to a Paralympic Torch Relay Challenge plus cash prizes to buy equipment for their STEM Club!
The Challenge is to design a spectacular human-powered invention for creating the spark which lights the Paralympic Flame. For the Challenge entries, pupils must produce a design for their device and present to a panel of judges. Pupils will need to provide enough evidence to convince the judges that their invention will work.
The deadline for team registration for STEM Challenge 9 is Monday 23rd January at 5pm, and local judging sessions will take place on the 20th to 28th February.
The final STEM challenge will be launched on the 27th February so keep your eyes peeled for that too!
For a fact sheet, videos and information on how to enter your school click here.
STEMNET and the Paralympic Torch Relay Team are challenging 11-14 year olds to create a spark to light the Paralympic Flame by the energy of human endeavour.
The Challenge is to design a spectacular human-powered invention for creating the spark which lights the Paralympic Flame. For the Challenge entries, pupils must produce a design for their device and present to a panel of judges. Pupils will need to provide enough evidence to convince the judges that their invention will work.
Chantry High School get Appy with BT at STEM Challenge 7 Final
BT and STEMNET invited STEM Challenge finalists to compete for big prizes at the Natural History Museum
Chantry High School, Suffolk has won the most recent STEM Challenge! The competition asked students from across the UK to work in teams to design a smartphone app which can be used by visitors at London 2012.
STEM Challenges are a series of competitions designed to encourage young people aged 11-14 to use the skills learnt in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths lessons to help prepare for the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games. STEMNET (The Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths Network) works in partnership with major organizations to nationally manage each Challenge for UK Secondary Schools.
STEM Challenge 7, supported by BT- the Official Communications Services partner of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games – asked students to help make London 2012 Everyone’s Games by designing an app that provides useful information, communicated and accessed in the best way possible in order to contribute to a great Games experience for all.
Following regional competitions, eight schools from across the UK reached the national final at the Natural History Museum on Thursday 20th October. Each team of students aged 11-14 competed in a Dragon’s Den style pitch before a panel of expert judges. Finalists included:
• Bushey Meads School, Herts & Luton
• Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College, Hereford & Worcester
• Broxburn Academy, East Scotland
• Chantry High School and Sixth Form Centre, Suffolk
• All Hallows Catholic High School, Lancashire
• Gosforth Central Middle School, Northumberland & Tyne & Wear • Kesgrave High School, Suffolk
• The Harvey Grammar School, Kent & Medway
The winning design, presented by Chantry High School, was commended for its professional finish and in-depth technical knowledge. The team won £1,000 worth of equipment for their STEM Club and an experience prize awarded by BT. Second place was awarded to Team Oxidise from Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College, Hereford who received £750, the third place team from Broxburn Academy, East Scotland were awarded £500. The judges were looking for a creative, innovative idea which also applied the Olympic and Paralympic Values to the project, as well as a display of excellent teamwork and the development of inspirational ideas.
The STEM Challenges have received the London 2012 Inspire Mark and are part of Get Set, the London 2012 education programme. The first STEM Challenge required students to consider some of the steps involved in designing a National Handball Centre for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the second was to design a glove suitable for rowing, canoeing or sailing. The third STEM Challenge invited students to explore approaches to anti-doping laboratory techniques. The fourth Challenge asked students to pitch their plans for sustainable travel from their schools to forthcoming Olympic and Paralympic Game venues. STEM Challenges 5 and 6 focused on designs for leading GB paratriathlete, Jimmy Goddard and paralympian Rachel Morris.
STEM Challenge 8, sponsored by Deloitte, is now underway and invites students to explore Paralympic sports available in their local areas and propose ways in which more people can get involved! Schools wishing to enter this challenge can visit www.stemchallenges.net for further details.
Free STEM Activity days in your school or college
– apply now to host an IET Faraday Challenge Day
The Faraday Challenge Days are one day activities, designed for six teams of six students aged 12-13 years, delivered in your school by the IET.
They give students the opportunity to research, design and build prototype solutions to genuinely tough engineering problems.
There will be 45 Challenge Days this season, starting in September 2011, with the winners
of each event winning prizes for themselves and their school. The top three teams from across the UK get an all expenses paid trip to the National Final in London in June 2012 to compete for a cash prize of up to £1000 for their school.
Two ways to take part
Each host school needs a school hall or large classroom for the day, and six teams of six students to take part (36 students in total).
Schools can either apply to:
enter all six teams from their own school, or
enter one team from their own school, and invite five teams from local schools to join them.
Completely FREE
The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) is one of the world’s leading professional societies for the engineering and technology community. It is through its charitable arm that
we are able to provide the IET Faraday Challenge Days at no charge to UK schools.
Take 12 students from Thornhill School (STEM Club members) add one STEM Ambassador as an expert (Dave Burton from Siemens) and give them a full day to face the Wetsuit Challenge. The outcome? A completely new wetsuit design for a paratriathlete Jimmy Goddard!
STEM Challenges (www.stemchallenges.net) are series of competitions that have been inspired by London 2012. Each Challenge will focus on a different aspect of the preparations or the event itself. The Challenge number 5 was to design a new wetsuit for Jimmy, a British paratriathlete who is paralysed from the chest down. He can’t move his legs, but still swims and takes part in triathlon!
Year 9 students from Thornhill started their work one week before the final took place. They met with their teacher Daniel Abraham every day after school to discuss the Challenge and even used own initiative to phone companies and got some samples of materials!
The real Challenge started on Monday 7th February at 9am. After few brainstorms and online research they came out with some brilliant ideas! Students had to finish their work and came up with the final design by 2pm when a judging session with 3 STEM Ambassadors began.
2 teams with 6 students each presented final outcomes in front of the judging panel and answered questions related to their projects. The judges were impressed with “incredible clear & well-rehearsed presentations” and the fact that both teams “knew exactly what they were talking about” plus had “great use of ICT”. The final scores for the teams were very high: first – 114 and second – 127 (out of 150 points). The judges said at the end: “All members were enthusiastic, worked really well as a team and seemed to respect each other. Well done!”
Students also entered Bronze CREST Award with their Wetsuit project. They finished the day at 3.30pm and everyone (students and judges) went home happy!
Here’s what Young Engineers have lined up for you in 2010/11:
Clubs – download our NEW Be Engineous activities (age 9-14)
A new activity programme, ‘Be ENGineous’, has been launched in time for the start of the Young Engineers Club year!
‘Be ENGineous’ has been designed to follow on from the ‘Get Them Going’ introductory programme and gives Young Engineers club leaders a ready-made programme to develop the engineering skills of club members that have already had an introduction to engineering. ‘Be ENGineous’ enables club members to progress further by working on more complex scenarios.
The programme provides an exciting mix of activities relating to different branches of engineering. Each activity has been split into 3 stages; the stages are indications of the difficulty levels of the activity:
* Stage 1 – Basic level; step by step instructions to complete the activity.
* Stage 2 – Intermediate level; follows on from stage 1 where students are required to build upon the completed stage 1 activity, not necessarily with instructions.
* Stage 3 – Higher level; students are required to research and develop the final stage of the activity, without instructions.
The activities included in the programme are:
• Hovercraft – General Engineering
• Bath Bombs – Chemical Engineering
• FM Radios – Electrical Engineering
• Water Purification – Civil Engineering
• Putt Putt Boats – Marine Engineering
• Cranes – Mechanical Engineering
• Rambling Robots – Robotic Engineering.
The whole booklet can be downloaded from our Complete Activity programme webpage. The individual activities are also available on the activity bank, and are suitable for using as standalone activities.
Young Engineers is grateful to Tomorrow’s Engineers for supporting the development of this programme.
D&T Show – club members needed! (age 12-14)
Following the success of last year, Young Engineers is again asking its club members (age 12 to14) to join us at the Design & Technology Show at the NEC in Birmingham for one of the days between 18th and 20th November. We are currently confirming the line up of activities we will be offering this year’s club members, but it will be along similar lines to last year’s event which included: trialling a brand new Rapid electronics project, making rocket cars on the Technology Enhancement Programme stand and showcasing their own club activities and taking part in one of our home grown engineering challenges on the Young Engineers stand. Register your interest stating which day you’d like to attend and we’ll send you the programme once its confirmed. Email us to reserve your place.
Showcase your club at national level! (age 12-18)
We are looking for 24 ‘STEM’ clubs who cater for secondary-school level to display their various projects and take part in The Big Bang: UK Young Scientists’ and Engineers’ Fair that is being held 10-12 March 2011 at ICC London ExCeL. This is an opportunity for Young Engineers Clubs who do purely engineering activities or a mix of STEM activities (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths).
Not only is this a great way to promote your club members’ talents but you will also have the opportunity to meet lots of celebrities, scientists and engineers. You will also be able to interact with some of the most cutting-edge companies in the UK and to showcase your projects to the UK media. There will also be plenty of opportunity for teacher CPD and networking amongst peers. The fair is a huge event, attracting 22,500 visitors last year. It will be a mass of displays, demonstrations, workshops and floor shows – a truly inspiring occasion for your club members to experience.
Apply by telling us about your club and the fantastic, interesting, unusual and creative projects that you have undertaken and explain why you feel your club will benefit from showcasing your efforts at the Big Bang. Closing date: 31st October 2010.
The 24 selected clubs will be invited to bring up to 4 students and 1 accompanying adult to exhibit for the full three days of The Big Bang and will receive significant subsidies for travel, accommodation and catering.
STEM Challenge Days (age 7-16)
“A great day was had by the students and teachers. It went very smoothly and we will recommend it to other schools.” Adrian Stannard, Kelmscott School. It has proved extremely popular in its first year, with over 4000 students experiencing one of our interactive challenge days. We have included some feedback from teachers to help you get a feel for what a STEM Challenge day is really about. 75% teachers gave their day an ‘excellent’ rating, with the other 25% considering it ‘above average’!
Our dedicated team have also included some new challenges for both primary and secondary school students. http://www.youngeng.org/index.asp?page=1260
Meet the Public
This project enables practising engineers to work alongside Young Engineers to engage the general public in inspiring bite-size engineering activities at local Science Festivals, County Shows and other public events across the UK.
Look out for Young Engineers at the next event in Manchester at Manchester Science Festival 19-20 October 2010.
Young Engineer for Britain (age 12-19)
Any student working on their own innovative, creative or novel inventions in either club time, part of the curriculum or as a hobby can gain important recognition for their project as they compete for some absolutely fantastic prizes and awards. http://www.youngeng.org/index.asp?page=66
National Science and Engineering Competition (12-19)
The National Science & Engineering Competition is open to 11-18 year olds in the UK who have completed a project or activity in any field of science, technology, engineering or maths. If you or your team have done an amazing project or invented something new then you should enter! http://www.thebigbangfair.co.uk/the_competition.cfm
The Lloyd’s Register Educational Trust Engineering Experience (age 16-19)
Selected students take part in a 3-4 day intensive engineering, social and cultural experience visiting international industrial facilities in October 2011. The selection process is simple and is good university/job application practice. The six finalists are selected by telephone/video interview. http://www.youngeng.org/index.asp?page=1178
The Lloyd’s Register Educational Trust Teacher’s Award
Details are still being finalised, but there will be a Teacher’s Award at the Big Bang Fair 2011. We will be informing all once we have details of the nomination process.
Other Competitions
For all other Young Engineers Competitions, please keep checking our website for updates when latest competitions will be available. http://www.youngeng.org/index.asp?page=54
Club Activities
Available to Club Network members : (Membership is free – sign up now)
Activity Bank – need inspiration for your next club project? Search this ever growing resource. 11 new activities were added over the Summer between them catering for ages 8 to 16 – thanks to club leaders Caroline Alliston from Blue Coat Technology Club for adding “Bottle Rockets” and “Catapult to Fire a Water Bomb”, Paul Thomas from New Hall School for adding “Nuclear Engineering” and Andrew Bennett from St. Andrew’s Science Club for adding “24hr Clock”.
Don’t forget – we need Club Leaders’ help to keep this amazing resource growing! If you have run an activity which really worked well in your club, please do add it to the Activity Bank so that other clubs can try it also!
Go to Activity Bank Submit an activity
Club Grant – £50 to £100 available each year
Exclusively available to Club Network members: (Membership is free – sign up now)
Don’t forget we’re keen to get our hands on information for our sponsors on what your club got up to last year. To help us, fill in our 10 minute Club Report – and collect your £50-£100 Club Grant to help you run the club this year! (New clubs can also apply for a Club Grant by telling us what they are planning for the coming year). http://www.youngeng.org/index.asp?page=1122
Local Support Group Grant – £50 to £500 available each year
Exclusively available to Club Network members: (Membership is free – sign up now)
Funding is available to assist clubs who want to work with each other locally – purchasing of shared club resources, local events involving several clubs and joint club industrial visits are all eligible for support. Tell us who you want to work with, or ask us to put you in touch with clubs in your area. http://www.youngeng.org/index.asp?page=1294
Club Leadership Awards
Exclusively available to Club Network members: Is there an adult helper, company contact, or even student mentor whom you’d like to thank for their club support? http://www.youngeng.org/index.asp?page=139
Club Registration for 2010/11
Club Network members take note: Our club member numbers have been zeroed ready for you to enter this year’s figures, so please update your Club Profile with the number of students attending your club this year. Maintaining up to date membership information is an important element of keeping our sponsors up to date! In the coming months we will running a series of lucky dips and will be handing out more club merchandise as prizes, so get your club member numbers updated early so you will be put into each and every draw this year! http://www.youngeng.org/index.asp?page=100 (Email us if you have problems)
The Big Bang Fair – date for your diary (age 9-18)
Taking place in Manchester on 10-12 March, this high profile and free event promises to: Wow students with experiments, explosions, simulators and shows. Give them the opportunity to quiz scientists and engineers about their jobs and discover a dream career. Meet students from around the country and find out about the amazing projects they have brought to display.See cutting edge technology from many leading companies and get some great teaching ideas. We are also helping to plan a series of STEM related Teacher CPD opportunities which will be publicised once we have the full details. http://www.thebigbangfair.co.uk
Regional Big Bang Fairs
A number of organisations are bidding to host regional Big Bang Fairs in June/July 2011 and once the selection process is complete, we will let you know who has the lead in your region so that you can start planning to attend.
Other News
Remember, get all our news first on www.youngeng.org! Other recent news items:
* Be Engineous is launched!
* We have won e-Legacy Awards
* Showcase your club at national level!
* SmartPlanet joins the Support Pages
* Square Eyed Engineering
*Calling for Entries in to the National Science & Engineering Competition
We hope you’ll find something amongst all of this lot to keep your gang amused. Club Network members remember there is loads more information on other competitions and sources of activity ideas and tips on how to get your club running smoothly in the members’ pages of our website. (Contact us if you have forgotten your log in details)
Part of the Official London 2012 Education Programme
STEM Challenges are a series of competitions which link the curriculum to the inspiring Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Each challenge incorporates a range of activities for schools and once in a lifetime prizes can be won!
“The STEM Challenge students feel privileged to be a part of the competition. This is the best extra-curricular activity I’ve ever been involved with!” ~ Pam Large, Sacred Heart High School.
The STEM Challenges are ten activities designed for KS3 (or equivalent) students and inspired by London 2012. Each Challenge is a competition focusing on a different aspect of either the preparations for London 2012, or the event itself. The Challenges provide a cross-curricular approach to the STEM subjects, which benefits students in their academic work, whilst allowing them to develop skills and values that are essential outside the classroom. The activities have been designed for use in a club environment (e.g. a STEM Club) or during lessons.
The STEM Challenges are managed by STEMNET (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Network) in association with the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), and are funded by the Department for Education.
New Challenges are introduced each term and last approximately 6 to 8 weeks. They provide an opportunity for students aged 11-14 to explore, experiment and innovate! Each team is set a task related to London 2010, which gives students the chance to experience a combination of hands-on testing and research.
STEM Ambassadors are a free resource available to support your students and clubs in the Challenges. STEM Ambassadors volunteer their time to help excite young people about Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. They have proven to be a vital resource for schools and colleges:
“The pupils valued the comments they received from STEM Ambassadors. It was great for them to have experts who really knew what they were talking about. Pupils were encouraged to discuss their ideas more as they were keen to improve their designs and complete the task to the best of their abilities.” ~ Lucy Rowe, St Mary’s Middle School, Puddletown, Dorset.
“STEMNET, you have solved my problem! We have no budget to pay Science speakers for our school and I’m so pleased to have made contact with you.” ~ Mrs Gaur, Shirley High School, Croydon, London.
STEM Challenges aim to support children and young people across the UK in the development of their leadership, personal, thinking and life skills. In each Challenge, a team of students work together to develop and achieve the seven core values of the Olympic and Paralympic games, these are: excellence, friendship, respect, courage, determination, inspiration and equality. Team work and enthusiasm are essential!
How to get involved in the STEM Challenges
It’s easy to get involved- simply register on the website www.stemchallenges.net The sign-up process is quick and simple- and you can go back to enter as many teams as you like from your school. What’s more, if your school is part of the STEM Clubs Network and you are a club leader- then it’s even easier. Just select your name from the list and you’re done!
We will send you a newsletter with regular updates on the Challenges, including information on forthcoming Challenge launch-dates and deadlines.
“Thank you so much for all your help! I have been really impressed by STEMNET’s advice and your organisation of our Scientists who were first rate and ideal for our purposes.” ~ Rebecca Jones, Science Co-ordinator, The Pointer School, London.
STEM Challenge 1
Challenge: Design an Eco-friendly National Handball Centre.
Winners: Appleton Academy from Wyke, West Yorkshire.
Prize: Trip to the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The first STEM Challenge required students to design a National Handball Arena for the 2012 Olympics. The STEM Club at Appleton Academy began the Challenge by testing out different surfaces for the floor of the Handball court. In groups, the members of the STEM Club completed experiments on types of laminate flooring they had constructed and analysed how recorded balls behaved on different surfaces around school.
The successful team, from year nine, then designed a stadium based on a segmented orange. They worked with STEM Ambassador Phil Spencer, a building surveyor and the technology department to prepare scale diagrams and models to show the layout of the main arena.
The winning features of the design include the segmental structure of the sphere-shaped dome, which would allow natural light and ventilation into the arena. The team incorporated the use of eco friendly solar panels to achieve the environmental objective of the challenge. At the presentation event, the judges commended the team for their work and leadership skills.
“Winning the STEM Challenge, a national competition, is the result of a great deal of hard work and commitment by our students, and their excitement and enjoyment of science created by their teachers and the STEM Club.” ~ Dwayne Saxton, Academy Principal.
“It is fantastic that the hard work and skills of our pupils has been recognized nationally. This project has been completed in our after-school club – the pupils’ enthusiasm and willingness to invest their own time reflects the interest they have developed in their lessons.” ~ Barbara Hey, Advanced Specialist Teacher in Science at the Academy and STEM club co-coordinator.
STEM Challenge 2
Challenge: adidas asked students to design a new glove for Olympic and Paralympic Canoeing, Rowing or Sailing.
Winners: Heolddu Comprehensive School, Bargoed.
Prizes: £3,000 worth of STEM Club equipment and the latest in adidas sports clothing.
The second STEM Challenge required students to design a new glove for adidas (Official Sportswear Partner to London 2012) to be used by top Olympic and Paralympic athletes in Canoeing, Rowing or Sailing events. The Challenge was launched by double Olympic Gold medalist James Cracknell.
Students at Heolddu Comprehensive School decided to design a new glove for rowers, who don’t tend to wear gloves as they can cause their hands to sweat, impeding the action of rowing. The pupils relished the opportunity to produce a specially designed glove, which, made with the right materials could allow breathability and make a major contribution to the sport.
Once the team had decided on the most important properties to include in the design of their glove, they used a range of tests, activities and factsheets provided by STEMNET in order to research their design.
Heolddu beat stiff competition from seven other teams from around the country that made it through to the final, where they faced a Dragon’s Den style interview and grilling from the judges, including Olympic gold medallist rower, Tom James.
The students’ design is so inventive it is now being commercially developed by adidas. According to the company, the design was so innovative that it could give our Olympians the winning edge!
“We were thrilled and honoured to win such a prestigious competition!” ~ Owen Griffiths, Science Teacher, Heolddu Comprehensive School.
Last chance to win £3000 in equipment and an exclusive visit to the Science Museum!
Would you like £3000 worth of STEM Club equipment? Would you like the opportunity to take a team of pupils on an exclusive visit to the Science Museum in London? You will have your very own curator-led tour of the museum, a private viewing of the “Who am I?” exhibition, a behind-the-scenes tour of the IMAX theatre and time in the Launchpad gallery.
What’s more, we’ll cover the expenses for up to six pupils and two adults, including transport, accommodation and meals.
This is the top prize of the Anti-Doping Challenge, brought to you by STEMNET as part of the STEM Challenges series.
We’re challenging pupils to prove to GlaxoSmithKline and King’s College London that they have the skills to perform some of the anti-doping laboratory techniques. From laboratory accreditation and quantitative analysis to security and ensuring the chain of custody of samples, this challenge really does give you an insight into what an anti-doping laboratory does.
The third STEM Challenge for schools, inspired by London 2012, is well underway. This fantastic series of competitions, managed by STEMNET, has already had students up and down the country designing a national handball arena and coming up with creative solutions for a canoeing, sailing or rowing glove.
The current challenge asks pupils to prove to GlaxoSmithKline and King’s College London that they have the skills to perform certain anti-doping laboratory techniques. From laboratory accreditation and quantitative analysis to security and ensuring the chain of custody of samples, this challenge really does give pupils an insight into what an anti-doping laboratory does.
Due to the popularity of the STEM Challenges, we are looking for more volunteers to help with the judging on 6th July. Judging will take place in schools and is done by STEM Ambassadors. It will involve meeting a team in a school, listening to their presentation, asking questions and then reporting back to STEMNET on the outcomes. Full written guidance will be provided to enable you to make informed decisions about the team(s) you visit.
This is a perfect opportunity to get involved in a project that has been inspired by London 2012. Several judges have told us that they’ve thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to meet enthusiastic teams and creative individuals.
If you are interested and would like to be considered for judging on 6th July, then please reply no later than Wednesday 16th June. The actual judging takes about 30 minutes per team and we will make every effort to minimise the distance that you have to travel.
Enter the anti-doping STEM Challenge and you could win up to £3000 worth of equipment for your STEM Club!
This is in addition to the expenses paid trip to the Science Museum, which includes a curator-led tour of the museum, a private viewing of the “Who am I?” exhibition, a behind-the-scenes tour of the IMAX theatre and time in the Launchpad gallery.
What’s more, we’ll cover the expenses for up to six pupils and two adults, including transport, accommodation and meals. Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity!
We’ve topped up the prize fund as we have been so impressed at the hard work pupils have shown so far in the STEM Challenges.
The deadline for team registration is Monday 14 June 2010. Team registration only takes a couple of minutes once you are logged in to the website! You then have time to prepare entries before the judging takes place in schools on Tuesday 6 July 2010.
More ways to win!!!
In addition to the main prizes, we are offering you opportunities to win STEM Club Boxes and a free tour of the London 2012 construction site. Visit the STEM Challenges website for more information.
