Invent!

Students from four East Midlands schools have been challenged to Invent!  Entering its third year, Invent! is designed to encourage students’ ingenuity, resourcefulness and sense of fun. Taking inspiration from the world of Wallace and Gromit, the students will present their own Cracking Ideas on Monday 12 July at Snibston Discovery Park in Leicestershire. Students will showcase their inventions and attend workshops managed by some of the UK’s leading scientists and inventors.

A celebrity panel of judges led by Gareth Jones, the former presenter of children’s TV programme ‘How2’, will judge wacky contraptions from chain reaction machines and space age vehicles, to life-changing inventions.  Over 100 students, aged 5-14 years, are poised and ready to pitch their ideas to the panel. The prize winning entrants will attend an inspiring science and engineering themed ‘grand day out’ in London. 

Judge, Gareth Jones, commented: "Young people are full of original, great ideas and Invent! is a fantastic way of harnessing and channelling those ideas.  In the past I've seen the event spur children on to focus their ideas, and acting as a judge I can't help but find this inspirational."

Gareth Jones is now managing director of WhizzBang TV Ltd, and supporting him in determining the winners will be fellow judges Emily Cummins, (inventor and Ignite! Creative Spark, Technology Woman of the Future and British Female Innovator of the Year award 2007), and Nicola Jenkins, (education and enterprise co-ordinator from the UK Intellectual Property Office)

On the day students will be treated to a fabulous array of invention workshops including building a brain with scientist and artist Dr Lizzie Burns, creating plants and flowers of the future, and taking a tour with Dr Matthew McFall to meet a mysterious black box and a cabinet of curiosities.  Students will also be challenged to construct bridges against the clock and turn a science experiment into a short film, whilst delving into the world of video production with TV producer Jonathan Sanderson.

Invent! is part of Ignition* (a four year programme promoting creativity in the teaching and learning of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects) delivered by Ignite! in collaboration with The Mighty Creatives and funded by East Midlands Development Agency (emda). Rick Hall, Director of Ignite! said: “Young people are our future and their talents are the greatest natural resource in England.  The Invent! competition has been designed to allow ingenuity to flourish, and we are confident that the inventions will be wild, wacky and in some cases, practical.”

For more information contact Alison Harrold at The Marketing Division on 0115 984 7021 or e-mail alison.harrold@themarketingdivision.co.uk

Photo Opportunity:

Join us at Invent! on Monday 12 July to see the students inventions

Venue: Snibston Discovery Park, Ashby Road, Coalville, Leicestershire LE67 3LN

Please contact Alison Harrold for a Press Pass on 0115 984 7021 or 07917 848904

 

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