Year 9 are taking part in the ‘If you were an Engineer, what would you do?’ Leaders Award competition.
The competition challenges students from primary and secondary schools to identify a problem, design a creative solution to their problem and write a letter explaining why an engineer should choose to build their solution.
During the STEM Festival, Year 9 had a number of lessons to prepare them for the competition. In the first lesson, the students watched videos showing the different engineering jobs that are available, which also showed no matter who you are or what your background, you can do engineering.
The students also had to interview an engineer, a key requirement of the competition. Year 9 interviewed Vish Kalsapura from Network Rail. Mr Kalsapura gave an overview about engineering within the rail industry and gave a little insight into his role within cyber security.
In the final couple of lessons, the students had to identify a problem and then design their solution, taking inspiration from previous winners in the competition. All the teachers were impressed with the engagement of the students and the fantastic ideas being created.
All the students that enter the competition will have their design graded by an engineer and will receive a certificate. Shortlisted entries will then be put forward to a panel where the best ideas will be celebrated at an awards event and exhibited in a public exhibition in the summer term.
One extraordinary part of the competition is that every year, university teams choose an idea from the shortlisted entries to build!
Fingers crossed and good luck, Year 9!
Mrs Goodwill
Science Department