Ultimate subsea STEM challenge set for secondary pupils

The regional competitions kicked off this week at Falmouth Marine School with further events at the universities of Strathclyde (27^th February), Southampton (6^th March), and Newcastle (28^th March).

Schools will compete to design and build an ROV using Lego Mindstorms, a platform produced by Lego to develop programmable robots based on Lego building blocks. Each version of the system includes an intelligent brick computer that controls the system, a set of modular sensors and motors, and Lego parts from the Technic line to create the mechanical systems.

The winning team from each regional event will receive a Think Kit from The Smallpeice Trust, with all the tools needed to run an in-school challenge and build a floating wind turbine. They will travel to Aberdeen, the Global Centre of Excellence for Subsea, for a morning of company visits before the Subsea UK STEM Challenge concludes with the final competition

Each team will have the opportunity to prove their model in a test tank and deliver a short presentation to a judging panel before the overall winner is announced.

Trish Banks, operations manager of Subsea UK said: “The aim of this event is to inspire the young to be part of our industry. The competition is a way of igniting a passion for engineering and it’s great to have schools involved all across the country.

“The students will be given an overview of how STEM impacts everyday life and have the opportunity to hear directly from young representatives from the subsea industry. We want to build engagement from right across the sector so I’d encourage companies to get involved and help us inspire the next generation.”

Kevin Stenson, chief executive of The Smallpeice Trust and Arkwright Engineering Scholarships, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Subsea UK to offer students an exciting taster into the world of subsea engineering. During this Year of Engineering 2018 there’s never been a more important time to offer young people a positive experience of the profession so hopefully these days will do just that.”