Two students from Blundell’s School (near Tiverton in East Devon) have won the BP Ultimate STEM Challenge (www.bpes.bp.com) at an event held at the Science Museum in London.

Sophia Rochfort and Freya Gillard were praised by the judges for their innovative scientific thinking, excellent presentation skills and passion for technology and engineering.

STEM education integrates science, technology, engineering and mathematics and helps students gain a better understanding of how important these subjects are for industry — and for their futures.

Now in its fifth year, the competition invites students aged 11-14 to put their skills to the test by developing a solution to a real-world problem.

As a long-term supporter of STEM, BP encourages the vision that all young people in the UK should receive a world-leading STEM education that allows them to show their creativity through experiments and engineering.

This year’s competition theme was to create an innovative design solution for an everyday problem.

On the day, the 11 finalist teams from 10 secondary schools presented their work to an expert judging panel at a BP Ultimate Stem Challenge Science Fair.

The panel consisted of leading scientists and engineers, including Bill Hedges (chief engineer at BP) and Roger Highfield (director of science at the Science Museum).

The winning project was a measuring device for coffee machines that measures cups before pouring, making it suitable for any cup and reducing plastic pollution.

The team won £1,000 to spend on science equipment or field trips, as well as Science Museum mememtos.