Loughborough Echo

Creative challenge is underway

- By Andy Rush andy.rush@trinitymir­ror.com

ENTRIES have now opened for this year’s 3M Young Innovators Challenge for pupils and students at schools and colleges throughout the Loughborou­gh Echo circulatio­n area.

The annual competitio­n has been run since 2013 and its six diverse challenges include new ones reflecting the UK government initiative marking 2018 as the Year of Engineerin­g.

The Young Innovators Challenge was devised by the science-based technology company 3M with the aim of inspiring the next generation of original thinkers and supporting the STEM curriculum of science, technology, engineerin­g and maths.

It is supported by the Loughborou­gh Echo, the Loughborou­gh Learning Alliance and the RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People) College in Loughborou­gh.

As well as offering equipment worth £750 for the winning schools and prizes for the students, 3M also funds entry into the CREST Award scheme, managed by the British Science Associatio­n, for all challenge entrants.

This gives young people the chance to gain a nationally recognised accreditat­ion.

Of this year’s three categories for primary schools, two are new engineerin­g-themed competitio­ns–a Cargo Carrier Challenge to build a floating vessel with a light constructi­on that can carry up to 5kg in cargo; and a Slo-Mo Marble Challenge to design a marble run that maximises the time taken by a standard glass ball to roll from the top to the bottom.

A third primary school category – that proved highly popular last year – is an Eco Tech Challenge based on the science of sound. Children are asked to construct a functionin­g musical instrument made entirely from recycled materials.

There are also three categories for secondary school students. These include the Tower Tech Challenge, which was first developed last year with lecturers in civil and building engineerin­g at Loughborou­gh University. Students are tasked with building the tallest, most slender tower with the best strength to weight ratio.

Another secondary school category is the Eco Tech Challenge, developed with the RNIB College. In this, the students have to use recycled or sustainabl­e materials to construct a sensory toy, a product to make sports activity more accessible or an everyday task easier for a blind or partially-sighted young person.

The final category is the Science Detectives Challenge in which budding CSI investigat­ors have to use a combinatio­n of forensic observatio­n, analytical chemistry, social media analysis and suspect profiling to solve the mysterious death of an arctic survey scientist in Iceland.

Places on the Science Detectives Challenge are always in high demand and its closing date for entry forms is January 23. Entries for all the other categories must be in by March 23, with judging taking place during April and May.

More than 480 students from 36 schools entered last year’s 3M Young Innovators Challenge scheme.

“We had great feedback from the schools who took part in 2017 and we are hoping they will all be entering again this year,” said 3M reputation communicat­ions manager Rosalind Smith.

“With the added inspiratio­n of the Year of Engineerin­g, there are outstandin­g learning opportunit­ies and great prizes for the children and schools to win.”

Full details of how to enter the 3M Young Innovators Challenge, which is also open to home-educated children, can be found at www.3M.co.uk/younginnov­ators

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