Young Innovators rise to challenge...

Ship-building and music-making skills are latest put to the test

YOUNGSTERS from across the area put their ship-building and music-making skills to the test as part of the 3M Young Innovators Challenge.

The competition – held annually by science-based technology company 3M – aims to foster technical and creative innovation among the next generation through six challenges, each aligned to a different area of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) curriculum.

Judging has recently been completed for the Cargo Carrier Challenge and the Eco Tech Primary Challenge, with scores of primary school teams vying for top prizes.

Some 41 teams from 15 schools entered the Cargo Carrier Challenge, which tasked entrants with designing and building a floating vessel capable of carrying up to 5kg while itself remaining as lightweight as possible.

The judges, who have had an extremely difficult decision to make, are Chris Bishop, a principal project engineer at 3M, and John Fisher, technical director at Lacerta Technology Ltd.

As well as assessing each vessel’s load carrying capacity to weight ratio, they were looking for experimentation with materials, and evidence of STEM learning through research into boat design, buoyancy and stability.

Chris, who devised the challenge, said: “This is the first time we have run the Cargo Carrier Challenge, so we were particularly looking forward to seeing the entries in this category.

“The teams certainly didn’t disappoint. Their designs were really impressive.”

Meanwhile, 32 teams of Year 4 to 6 pupils from across 14 schools entered the Eco Tech Primary Challenge. Each had to design and build a functioning musical instrument using only recycled materials.

Entries ranged from a ‘hocktar’ – a four-stringed guitar fashioned from a hockey stick – to a glass orchestra made using bottles suspended from a broom handle and coat hangers.

Entrants also received extra points for playing a recognisable tune on their instruments. Song choices included nursery rhymes and rock classics such as Queen’s We Will Rock You and Deep Purple’s Smoke on the Water.

The judges for this challenge, who spent many hours deliberating, are Tabby Shaikh, at 3M, and Judy Nicol, a well-known local band and orchestra leader, and music teacher.

Tabby said: “The diverse range of instruments they created this year was wonderful. They had all clearly learned a lot about the science of sound and the environmental benefits of recycling, which was music to our ears!”

Here is a member of Ravenstone’s Woodstone school team taking part in the Cargo Carrier contest for this year’s 3M Young Innovators Challenge, being tested by judge John Fisher.

Here is the team from St Bartholomew’s school taking part in the Cargo Carrier contest for this year’s 3M Young Innovators Challenge.

Here is the team from Rendell school taking part in the Cargo Carrier contest for this year’s 3M Young Innovators Challenge.

Here is the team from Loughborough C of E primary school taking part in the Cargo Carrier contest for this year’s 3M Young Innovators Challenge.

Here is the team from Hathern school taking part in the Eco Tech Primary Challenge for this year’s 3M Young Innovators Challenge.

Here is the team from St Paul’s school taking part in the Eco Tech Primary Challenge for this year’s 3M Young Innovators Challenge.

Here is a pupil from Sutton Bonington school taking part in the Eco Tech Primary Challenge.