Teen students make STEM history
Two female students have made history at the 2022 Big Bang UK Young Scientists and Engineers Competition, after they won the top two awards. It’s the first time both top prizes have been won by girls. The two winners were Connie Gray and Avye Couloute, who are both 14 years old.
Gray won the UK’s Young Scientist award for her research comparing the structures of birds’ feathers from different environments and climates. Her aim was to help with conservation efforts in areas around the world that are most affected by climate change.
Couloute won the UK’s Young Engineer award for inventing a device to measure the levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in a building, in an attempt to improve air quality. Reducing CO2 levels could benefit classrooms and offices.
Both winners received prizes of £2,000 to continue their journeys in science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM).
The competition was hosted at the Big Bang Fair in Birmingham, which ran from 22 to 24 June, and is a free celebration of STEM for 11 to 14-year-olds. More than 40,000 young people enjoyed activities such as slime-making, drone-flying and using virtual reality (VR) to look at how the oceans can be saved. The organisers aimed to inspire young people to consider careers in STEM.
A survey was carried out before the event to find out how many young people are interested in STEM subjects and careers. It found that 40% of 11 to 16-year-olds said a career in STEM would allow them to make positive change in the world.
Dr Hilary Leevers, who was involved in organising the fair, said, “It’s really encouraging that people are embracing STEM at an early age. We need more young people from all backgrounds to understand the role that STEM careers play, and for more of them to go on to work in science, engineering and technology.”