Pupils from the Royal Grammar School in Newcastle have triumphed in the first-ever national sub-sea STEM Challenge final, which involved building a floating wind turbine.
Organised by Subsea UK (
www.subseauk.com) and supported by the Smallpeice Trust (
www.smallpeicetrust.org.uk), the competition saw teams of students take part in regional heats across the country, before the finalists — from Helston Community College (Cornwall), St Andrew’s RC Secondary (Glasgow), Portsmouth Grammar School, Sutton Grammar School and Newcastle — went head-to-head in Aberdeen earlier this month.
Each team was given a Think Kit before the final, with all the tools needed to build a floating offshore wind turbine.
Their models were installed in a test tank at Aberdeen Science Centre, and their presentations were judged by a panel of experts from Oceaneering, SMD and Saab.
The models were graded on the amount of electricity produced and how well they kept afloat. The pupils also got the opportunity to visit BP’s facility in Dyce, where pipeline technical authority Paul Benstead gave them a detailed insight into his role.
Trish Banks, operations manager at Subsea UK, said: “We’ve been overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of the students who took part. The aim of this event is to inspire young people to be part of our sector, and we’re hopeful that the pupils embraced the opportunity to work directly with industry figures.”