Chigwell School is passionate about giving students new and exciting opportunities to engage in STEM subjects. A strong UK economy relies on great engineering output, and it is crucial to get the engineers of the future interested at an early age.
On 30th June, 2021, 36 Year 8 students took part in the Institution of Engineering and Technology’s (IET) Faraday Challenge Day as part of the programme of activities put on for them during Activities Week.
The IET Faraday Challenge Day gives the students the opportunity to research, design and make prototype solutions to genuinely tough engineering problems. This year’s challenge was in association with Network Rail and was based on railway engineering. Teams of six had to race against the clock to solve a real-life engineering problem. The students had to work as a team to research, design and build a working model of their prototype. They became electrical engineers for the day, managing a project from concept to design. The students were responsible for all aspects including research, costing, time management, health and safety, electrical engineering, development and testing. The students ended the day with a virtual pitch to the Faraday Challenge Leader from IET, who will choose the winning team for the day.
The winners of each Faraday Challenge Day will win prizes for themselves and a trophy for their school and gain a place on the national league table. The top teams from schools from across the UK will get to go through to the National Final, in July, to compete for a cash prize of up to £1,000 for their school to spend on STEM activities. Let’s wish our students luck and congratulate them on their achievements so far.
