Entries open for Young Innovators challenge 2020
ENTRIES have now opened for this year’s 3M Young Innovators Challenge for pupils and students at primary and secondary schools and colleges throughout the Loughborough Echo circulation area.
It is also open to homeeducated children in the catchment.
Now in its eighth year, the annual competition has six stimulating challenges, including two new ones this year, all linked to the STEM curriculum of science, technology, engineering and maths.
The Challenge aims to inspire and enable future generations of innovators and is extremely popular. The 2019 competition attracted record numbers with 45 schools and 647 students from the region.
Winning schools will receive £750 to spend on science or design & technology equipment, plus there will be prizes for participating students.
3M also funds entry into the CREST Award scheme, from the British Science Association, enabling young people to gain a valuable, nationally-recognised external accreditation.
The 3M Young Innovators Challenge is sponsored by science-based technology company 3M and supported by the Loughborough Echo, the Loughborough Learning Alliance, Practical Action and the RNIB College, Loughborough.
The challenges have been designed around STEM learning, including forces, gravity, gradients, materials, properties and structures as well as problem-solving and teamwork skills.
There are three challenges for primary schools.
New this year is the AeroTech Challenge where pupils are tasked to design an aircraft and a launching device to propel it forward over the greatest distance. The challenge was developed with Jennifer Glover, a Loughborough University PhD student, with a Masters degree in Aeronautical Engineering. Jennifer also joins as a new judge.
The hugely popular challenges, Slo-Mo Marble and Mighty Monument Challenges feature this year too.
There are also three challenges for secondary school students.
New this year is the DizTech Challenge, which has been developed with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) College in Loughborough.
Students are tasked to design a product to enhance play, sport or a hobby, or make performing an everyday task easier, for a young person who has one or more physical disabilities.
Entrants will get the opportunity to visit the RNIB College to meet its staff and students at an interactive experience day.
There is also the Fragile Freight Challenge. Developed in conjunction with global charity, Practical Action, students are tasked to solve a problem faced by communities in Nepal who grow produce on high mountain terrain by designing a model to move the fragile cargo in a controlled way down a simulated ‘mountain’ without damage.
The final category is the Science Detectives Challenge. This year’s budding investigators have to solve the mysterious death of a University Geology student using a combination of forensic observation, analytical chemistry, social media analysis and suspect profiling. This is one of the most popular challenges in the competition and places for it are already full, with 24 teams competing from 11 schools.
The closing date for all challenges, except Science Detectives, is Wednesday, March 25.
Students around the region have been enjoying and benefitting from the new equipment their schools have bought with the prize money from last year’s winners
Bethany Davenport, science teacher at Roundhill Academy in Thurmaston, said: “With the prize money from winning the Science Detectives Challenge 2019, we purchased a selection of new physics teaching equipment, including an infrared camera and a Leslie Cube for recording and measuring thermal radiation plus a new ripple tank for investigating properties of waves such as diffraction, reflection and refraction.
“The new kit is enhancing practical lessons for many of our students.”
Woodbrook Vale School in Loughborough bought a 3D printer with the prize money from winning the VizTech Challenge.
Design teacher, Chris Worth said: “It’s been really useful. Our Year 8 students have been making components for their CAM (computer-aided manufacturing) toys, which wouldn’t have been possible without it.”
Rosalind Smith, reputation communications manager at 3M’s Loughborough site said: “It’s great to hear that the benefits of winning a challenge extend beyond the successful teams, as the new teaching equipment is benefitting many other students.
“In 2019 a record number of 181 teams from the Leicestershire and South Nottinghamshire region took part. We hope to attract even more this year to ensure the competition continues to inspire the creativity and ingenuity of the next generation of local scientists and engineers.”
Check out the website for details of how to enter the 3M Young Innovators Challenge. Judging will take place during April and May. www.3M.co.uk/ younginnovators