Bright Sparks’ science showcase

Students from Ashford and Tenterten will showcase their science projects in front of a panel of industry experts. The KM Bright Spark Awards, which aim to increase the cool factor of science, technology, engineering and maths was launched this week at the Kent innovation hub, Discovery Park. The event was attended by judges of the awards from Pfizer, ITL, Benenden Hospital Trust and Prendon Panels. Entries are open for student teams with exciting projects that feature cross-curricular collaborations in STEM subjects. Finalists will be filmed in advance in school to show the detail of the project. A career may well be on the cards for successful Bright Sparks, as Ashford-based ITL’s Carl Lincoln said: “When we started sponsoring the Bright Spark Awards, we used it to find ourselves an apprentice. We were struggling to find someone and we thought ‘what better way to do it than try before you buy by seeing people’s engineering skills in practice’. We ended up taking someone on and he’s already doing a fantastic job!” The awards are open to primary and secondary school teams of all ages. Event dragons include representatives from Pfizer, Integrated Technologies, Benenden Hospital Trust, Prendon Panels, Hectic Lifestlyes, Golding Homes and BAE Systems. To submit a nomination, complete the simple online form at www. kmcharityteam.co.uk. The best entries will be invited to the competition final at Discovery Park, Sandwich on the first Friday in July where the champions will be presented with a cheque of £500.