Competitions and clubs
Do your students have a great science, technology, engineering or mathematics project? Are they aged between 11-18? If so, help them enter the National Science & Engineering Competition. They could be rewarded with a cash prize or an ‘experience of a lifetime’ trip - plus your school will get kudos for entering this high profile competition.
The competition is open to all 11-18 year olds across the UK who have completed a project or activity in any field of science, technology, engineering or maths. Entries can come from teams or individuals.
Finalists are invited to present their project at The Big Bang: UK Young Scientists’ and Engineers’ Fair – being held 10-12 March 2011 at ICC London ExCeL. Here they'll have their own exhibition stand amongst the big household names to show-off all their hard work to journalists, prospective employers and universities – as well as the school groups and VIPs attending The Fair. It’s a great opportunity to display their talents in front of loads of interested and influential people – in fact the last event attracted over 22,500 visitors.
As well as the great prizes for both teams and individuals, winners of the seniors individual category are crowned the UK Young Scientist of the Year or the UK Young Engineer of the Year at the glitzy award winners ceremony.
It’s a great opportunity for your students to shine and get rewarded for all their hardwork. So enter today at the National Science & Engineering Competition website and check out the projects previously entered and see how theirs compares.
Competition entries can be submitted between 1st August and 31st October 2010.
The CREST Awards and Young Engineer for Britain Competition
The Big Bang is also hosting the finals of the CREST Awards – managed by the British Science Association, and the Young Engineer for Britain Competition – managed by Young Engineers.
Having successfully taken part in their regional Big Bang Fair, the finalists of both the CREST Awards and the Young Engineer for Britain Competition are also showcasing some excellent projects -and are in the running for some great prizes too. What's more, all eligible finalists from these great schemes automatically qualify for the finals of the National Science & Engineering Competition.
STEM Clubs
STEM clubs allow participants to explore, investigate and discover STEM subjects in an open-ended format, free from the constraints of a prescribed curriculum or school timetable. STEM clubs are not about writing, tests or exams, but about experiments, investigation, discussion and reflection. Being part of a STEM club motivates and builds the confidence of all participants, and can provide a creative outlet for students whose interests and aptitudes lie in the STEM subjects.
STEM clubs undertake all sorts of projects and activities. There are many organisations that provide club schemes and activity ideas for club leaders, although club members themselves can be a great source of inspiration. No two STEM clubs are identical; each one is influenced by a unique combination of the members’ and leaders’ interests. As well as being great fun for club participants, a STEM club can also bring benefits to the whole school and wider community.
The STEM Clubs Network offers support and guidance for club leaders wishing to set up and run a STEM club. The STEM Clubs Network is an affiliation network and is completely free to join for all secondary schools in the UK. Affiliation grants full access to the STEM Clubs Network website, which provides a platform for clubs to showcase their work and network with other clubs. Professional support from dedicated clubs advisors is also on offer through affiliation to the Network.
For more information about STEM clubs and the STEM Clubs Network, visit www.stemclubs.net.
Date Published: July 30, 2010
