S.T.E.M. CHALLENGES

On Wednesday, the 7th of June, six Year 8 students from STEM club attended the Faraday challenge in Lancaster University.

It was a national challenge with a leader board, for which you had to get over 90 points to reach. Though we did not win, it was a great learning experience and we had tons of fun! It was a practical challenge and we had to work together to create a device that would help the future use of drones within a budget of 120 Faradays. Our team put together a plan to create a safe, accessible charging pad, and in a few hours we had a working circuit, with LEDs and buzzers. To get marks, we had to present our prototype to an audience of the opposing schools and the judges, and describe how we made it and any problems we faced. Although we didn’t walk out with the trophy, we left with a goodie bag and an unforgettable and fun experience. I would definitely do it again if I could, and we really can’t wait for any future competitions!

Kanmani Jayaprakash, Year 8

A few Year 7 students were chosen to go on an exciting trip to Lancaster University, Engineering Department. We were given a challenge to built a range of unique robots, in a small and exiting competition against local high schools. We even got a tour by students and staff, who specialise in this field. We all had a go at controlling robots and then used a website called ‘Spike’ to build our own. It was great fun and we also made a presentation about our robot, which we named Bob.

Throughout the day we all had tasks, like programmers, builders and presenters. We tested our robots, to see if they had met the success criteria, and luckily Lancaster Girls’ Grammar created one of the best, and we were also given an award for best communication. Overall, we all had an amazing day out, and learned so much and saw so much. Now all 6 of us have a clear vision of what it is like to be an engineer and all the fabulous things that they can do to change the world!

Aisha Anwar & Evie Cavanagh, Year 7