From space-age technology aiding natural disasters to ending pollution through vacuum-driven, carbon-free transport – finalists in the TeenTech Awards are show casing some of the truly exciting and inspirational talent of young people in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.
Hundreds of enthusiastic teams across the UK registered for the competition.
Richard Lander School – Could their idea transform life for surfers?
Pupils from over thirty schools have now been shortlisted for the finals and will battle it out for prizes at a special award ceremony at The Royal Society attended by top science and technology celebrities in London in June.
“I am exasperated at young people being portrayed as directionless hoodies when in reality there’s a huge amount of talent in classrooms all over the UK”, says Maggie Philbin.
“Teenagers are not always clear about the skills they need to succeed and don’t always stand out because of our exam system. We have been bowled over by entries demonstrating not only imagination but real commitment to projects, which some students have clearly worked on for months. Their work has been an absolute delight to judge.”
Park House School brainstom ideas for ‘Future of Food’. They collaborated with a school in Australia
A special award will be presented for outstanding levels of global inquiry and collaboration. Students have shown how far their international research has stretched – with experts consulted from NASA in the United States to young scientists in Australia and Airbus in Germany. Pupils even quizzed the designer of the high speed “Bullet Train” in Japan!
The Hayfield School team working on their model
At least two teams have already set up their own youth enterprises as a result of their involvement in the Awards.
The TeenTech Awards are all about celebrating that talent and enabling young people to make real-life contact with experts in the world of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).
Thousands of pounds in cash prizes are on offer for schools, and the winning team will be invited to tea with His Royal Highness, The Duke of York.
Award sponsors include leading international corporations Airbus, Atkins Global, world-wide diesel engine designer and manufacturer Cummins, CPC (distributors of Raspberry Pi), Cranfield University, Google, HP, Heinz, The Institute for Food, Science and Technology, JVC , and Shire Healthcare. Network Rail are sponsoring the winners travel costs to Buckingham Palace on July 1st.
Students between the ages of 11 and 16 were challenged to put forward compelling ideas showing high levels of global collaboration with business, industry and the education sector.
Tomlinscote School team review their prototype
Other ideas include using medical armbands to solve the problems of diabetes and high-tech shopping glasses to calculate your food bill and help maintain a healthy diet plan while you browse the supermarkets. The challenges of disabilities and learning difficulties were also tackled by the youngsters – from sensory books for people with autism to mechanised exoskeletons to rehabilitate patients.
What the young scientists thought:
“The experience of working as a team to produce high quality work has changed our way of thinking to a more advanced level seeing the true science behind diabetes.” Richard Lander School
“We had no idea that an expert would be prepared to come in and help us bring our idea to life. We have been inspired in so many ways.” Luckley Oakfield School
“We think it was good to gain feedback from as far as Australia. Collaboration played a large role in our specific project.” Park House School
“For us, the TeenTech Awards project process has been both incredibly interesting and eye-opening. Collaboration with an expert was really valuable and gave us confidence whilst making our project credible.” Parkside School
“We gained a great understanding of how complex technology is and how advanced it has become. We’ve been inspired to have a career in business when we are older.” Marple Hall School
Full details of the schools in the finals and categories are listed below. There is still time for schools to take part in the Journalism Category which is open until May 20th.
List of Finalists
Future of Food – Sponsor: Heinz and The Institute of Food, Science & Technology
The King Edward VI School, Morpeth, Northumberland. NE61 1DN – “Floodbox”
Luckley Oakfield School, Wokingham, Berkshire. RG40 3EU “A Fridge with Attitude”
Park House School, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 6NQ – “Shopping Glasses”
Environment & Sustainability- Sponsor Cummins Power
Howard of Effingham School, Effingham, Surrey. KT24 5JR – “ipod Charging Kettle”
Richard Lander School, Truro, Cornwall. TR3 6LT –“Sewage Detecting Surf Wax”
Sandwich Technology School, Sandwich, Kent. CT13 0FA – “Sustainable and Renewable Energy from Water’
Entertainment – Sponsored by: JVC
Birkdale School, Sheffield, South Yorkshire. S10 3DH – “Deep Focus”
Marple Hall School, Stockport, Manchester SK6 6LB – “OLED Tablet”
Notre Dame High School, Greenock, Scotland. PA16 9BJ – “Touch Screen Guitar”
Wearable Technology – Sponsor: CPC
Marple Hall School, Stockport, Manchester. SK6 6LB – “Trio Watch”
South Shields Community School,South Shields, Tyne & Wear. NE34 8BT – “Diabetic Armband”
The Hayfield School, Doncaster, South Yorkshire. DN9 3HG – “Smart Watch”
Welland Park Community School, Market Harborough. Leicestershire, LE16 9DR – “Pressure Boots”
Transport – Sponsor: Airbus
King Edward VI School, Morpeth, Northumberland. NE61 1DN – “Vacuum Train”
Kingsmead School, Enfield, Middlesex. EN1 1YQ – “Night Cycle”
Luckley Oakfield School, Wokingham, Berkshire. RG40 3EU – “Truly You”
Education- Sponsor: Google
Devonport High School, Plymouth, Devon. PL1 5QP –“Thinkspace”
Hackney UTC, London. N1 6HQ – “Future U”
Loughborough Grammar School, Loughborough, Leicestershire. LE11 2DU “Project F.L.E.A”
Sandbach High School, Sandbach, Cheshire. CW11 3NT –“Sensory Books”
Healthcare- Sponsor: Shire Healthcare
Dalraida, Ballymoney, Northern Ireland. BT53 6BL – “Pill Dispenser”
Loreto Grammar, Altrincham, Cheshire. WA14 4AH – “Silicon Bracelet”
Parkside Federation Academies, Cambridge, East Anglia. CB1 1EH – “Mind Controlled Mechanised Exoskeltons”
Roedean Brighton, East Sussex. BN2 5RQ – “The Ultra rays for UV Detector”
Richard Lander School, Truro, Cornwall. TR3 6LT – “Insu Patch”
Construction – Sponsor :Atkins Global
Archbishop Sentamu Academy, Hull, East Yorkshire. HU9 5YB – “Future School”
Birkdale School, Sheffield, South Yorkshire. S10 3DH – “iamDESIGN”
Notre Dame High School, Greenock, Scotland. PA16 9BJ – “National Sports Centre”
Wolfreton School, Kirkella, East Yorkshire. HU10 7LU – “Eco School”
Sport – Sponsor: Cranfield University
Beverley Grammar School, Beverley, East Yorks HU17 8NF – “Football Goal Buzzer “
Notre Dame High School, Greenock, Scotland. PA16 9BJ – “Skater Aid”
Wirral Grammar School, Bebington, Wirral. CH63 3AF – “Sporting Commandos”
Communication – Sponsor HP
Howard of Effingham School, Effingham, Surrey. KT24 5JR – “password storing device”
The Hayfield School, Doncaster, South Yorkshire. DN9 3HG – “Dimension”
Tomlinscote School, Frimley, Surrey. GU16 8PY – “i-halo”
The Sandwich team with mentors from Cummins
Press Contact: Karen Thomas – TeenTech – 07967 320944 [email protected]