Big Bang London reveals STEM winners

Twelve schools were recognised for their outstanding achievements in the London regional heat of the Young Engineers, National Science and Engineering Competition and CREST Awards.

Visitors to the Big Bang London Fair on 13th July experienced an action packed event including electrifying, fun-filled demonstrations and experiments from around 100 STEM Ambassadors from the worlds of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The London Big Bang Fair was coordinated by STEMNET (the science, technology, engineering and maths network), the UK organisation that ensures all young people have access to inspirational and interactive science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programmes. The event was also supported by a range of organisations with an interest in seeing the capital and the UK develop its own world beating scientists, technologists, engineers and financial whizzes. Sponsors included BP, Mott Macdonald, MW Kellogg, The Wellcome Trust and SEPnet.

Yvonne Baker, STEMNET Chief Executive said: “Young people who pursue their studies in maths, technology and the sciences find a wealth of different opportunities open to them when they leave school, through University, Apprenticeships, or work-based routes. Events and activities like these aim to support teachers and schools in encouraging their students in STEM, illuminating careers and exciting students with the possibilities open to them. ”
 

1,300 young people from over 100 London schools joined the London Big Bang Fair at Westminster Kingsway College. The event was designed to get young people excited about studying science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM subjects). Children from across the capital demonstrated 74 different STEM projects at the event, the best of which will now go forward for national awards.

Stephen Leonard, Chief Executive, IBM UK and Ireland, who attended the event, said: "Today's world is extremely complex with tough challenges to overcome. These range from how our cities function and deliver services for their citizens to how we collaborate to address issues such as climate change. Scientific, technological, engineering and maths knowledge is fundamental to how business and society together solve these far-reaching problems to make the world work smarter. STEM plays a vital role in engaging and inspiring young people to embrace skills in these key subjects".
 

The following awards were presented:

CREST Awards

Best CREST Silver – La Sainte Union Catholic School, Save Our Seeds:
Researchers at the Millennium Seed Bank are working to safeguard plants from extinction. This involves collecting seeds from all around the world and storing them at temperatures of -20ºC.s. La Sainte Union Catholic School has helped in this vital conservation work by conducting experiments to see the effects of accelerated aging on seed germination. Prize Won: £100 + certificate + a unique all expenses paid trip to a SEPnet research sites

Best CREST Bronze in Science & Maths – Archbishop School, Liquefaction: comparing different building designs to see which would be more stable in the event of an earthquake. Prize Won: £100 + certificate + a unique all expenses paid trip to a SEPnet research sites

Best CREST Bronze in Engineering & Technology – Maidstone Girls Grammar, Metallic Jewellery: this project has involved investigation into ways of working metals: cutting, filing, bending, drilling, and stamping and how metals join with other materials. It required an understanding of the structures and properties of different metals, their characteristics in order to come up with a jewellery creation. Prize Won: £100 + certificate + a unique all expenses paid trip to a SEPnet research site

Best CREST Bronze Most Creative Award – The Green School, Plant Survival: the project is based around testing five different plant species to see which one survives best in desert conditions. The plants were subjected to either stressed or control conditions (different temperature conditions) to see which one survives best. Prize Won: £75 + certificate + a unique all expenses paid trip to a SEPnet research site

Young Engineer for Britain Awards

Young Engineer’s Overall winner – 15-16 year old Group – Dulwich College, The Ladder Attachment: this unique design attaches to any ladder and has an area to store tools whilst working up a ladder. It also provides a safer working environment. Prize Won: £200 + Certificate

Young Engineer Overall winner – 17-18 year old Group – Westminster School, The Sunlight Project: Sunlight is an RGB LED desk lamp. Mixing red, green and blue light allows you to make any colour of light. The lamp is unique in that it gradually fades going through the colours of a natural sun rise, allowing you to wake up feeling completely rejuvenated. The body clock is more sensitive to blue light and so by having the red, green and blue elements of varying intensity it allows the user to adjust the affect of the light on the body's internal clock. Prize Won: £200 + Certificate

Young Engineer Award for Product Development and Marketability – South Hampstead School, Child’s multi-purpose storage unit: an innovative design for a table/desk with storage for toys and other items. Prize Won: £25 + Certificate

BP Innovation in Engineering Award – The Sholing Technology College, The World’s Smallest Water Museum: this project aims to engage and make sure students understand, change and embrace water conservation. The World’s Smallest Water Museum was created to be Interactive, playful, fun and informative, leaving a lasting impression on all who visit. It is designed to encourage people to make the small difference leading to the big change. Prize Won: £1,000

National Science & Engineering Competition Commendations

The following projects have won a nomination to the national final of the National Science & Engineering Competition and will receive cover for travel, hotel and catering for up to four members and their accompanying adults. They will be invited to present their project at The Big Bang UK Young Scientists’ and Engineers’ Fair in March 2011, where there will be over £250,000 of prizes available including cash awards and trips abroad.

Dulwich College, The Ladder Attachment: this unique design attaches to any ladder and has an area to store tools whilst working up a ladder. It also provides a safer working environment.

Westminster School, The Sunlight Project: Sunlight is an RGB LED desk lamp. Mixing red, green and blue light allows you to make any colour of light. The lamp is unique in that it gradually fades going through the colours of a natural sun rise, allowing you to wake up feeling completely rejuvenated. The body clock is more sensitive to blue light and so by having the red, green and blue elements of varying intensity it allows the user to adjust the affect of the light on the body's internal clock.

South Hampstead School, Child’s Multiple Storage Unit: an innovative design for a table/desk with storage for toys and other items. 

Burntwood School, Hydroponics Garden: With the ever increasing global population in mind, Burntwood students have been looking at alternative ways of producing crops in challenging climates and conditions. Burntwood's 'Hydroponic Garden' addresses the issue of poor or inadequate soil and its space-saving design uses recycled materials. The project's key themes are sustainability, adaptability, cost effectiveness and consideration of the environment.

Trinity Roman Catholic, Energy and Your School: Energy is running out, and it’s becoming a very serious issue. We need to do something to help our world. It’s the small things that make a big difference, so we need to make energy improvements in our school and play our part. We can do so much more, together.

The Archbishop’s School, The Calming Chilli: Calming Chilli was a series of experiments to find out the best antidote to the heat of a chilli. It involved testing different chillis with different antidotes including tic-tacs, sugar solution, bread and Haribo.

Harrow High, How to stop bacteria from becoming antibiotic resistant: This project studied how bacteria develops antibiotic resistance, the implications of antibiotic resistance in hospitals and the applications to try to stop cross contamination between wards. The pupils developed a colour code map of a hospital with visitor passes that are restricted to coloured areas. They also developed a hand-gel dispenser to put in hospital doors that will release gel to every person entering the wards.

Archbishop School, Liquefaction: comparing different building designs to see which would be more stable in the event of an earthquake.

Congratulations to all schools who exhibited at the fair and worked towards making it such an enjoyable and memorable experience!

Image archives from the event can be downloaded from here

For further information, please contact STEMNET on info@stemnet.org.uk or call 020 3206 0450.

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