Primary Schools' Engineering Challenge 2010
On Tuesday, 16th March, seventeen primary schools from Aberdeen & Aberdeenshire sent teams to the Primary Engineering Challenge held at the University of Aberdeen. The event was sponsored by RDS, the engineering division of KCADeutag. RDS has been a leader in the design of drilling facilities for offshore platforms worldwide for over 30 years.
The pupils prepared for the event by researching renewable energy and, as evidence of their work, they produced posters of a very high quality for display on the day.
The background for the challenge was that a new secondary school had built directly under the flight path for Aberdeen airport. There was a concern that the seagulls, venturing further and further from the seafront to scavenge for food, would become a safety hazard for the pupils and the aircraft overhead.
The teams were asked to plan, design and build a structure that would scare the seagulls away during the day and generate enough power to activate lights to stop the birds roosting at night.
The task was certainly challenging but the response from the P7 pupils was excellent and, supported and guided by engineers from local companies, they produced some stunning models.
The winning team was from Newtonhill school, with Scotstown school as runner-up. The prize for best team work went to Clerkhill school and the RDS prize for planning went to Mile End School.
Picture shows pupils from Newtonhill school with Jeremy Goodyear (RDS) far left & Chris Munro (PGDE Director, Schools of Education at University of Aberdeen) far right.
24th Mar 2010
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