IMMENSE concentration was evident at the Science and Engineering Challenge, where 250 primary school children were thoroughly engaged in the “fun side” of the subjects at the Muswellbrook Indoor Sports Centre on Thursday.
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Students were able to build a Mars Buggy, wire a virtual city, construct a miniature catapult, build towers to bear weight or to construct a bridge, while others were challenged to send codes to each other by light pulses.
The Science and Engineering Challenge is a nation-wide Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) outreach program, founded by the University of Newcastle in 2000, and supported since 2001 by Yancoal, formerly Coal & Allied.
“I’m surprised how into it they are, they like to build,” Yancoal’s Travis Bates said as he helped students with their Mars Buggy.
The program aims to increase interest and participation in science and engineering subjects and its concept is to immediately engage students in the activities with minimum introduction and theory.
“We want them to be aware of what a scientist of engineer could do in the real world,” the Science and Engineering Challenge’s team leader, Chris Hendry, said.
“The aim with the Year 9 and 10 students, from Singleton to Scone, who attended yesterday is to hopefully influence them to choose science and engineering subjects in their senior years, we want them to have the right building blocks and the tools to enter those careers.”
The program is organised by Rotary and figures in 2016 showed it had grown to involve more than 100 Rotary clubs and 30 universities, and reached 35,000 people at over 1000 Australian schools.
The three-day event hosts about 700 local pupils.
And, Friday featured youngsters from Murrurundi Public, Merriwa Central, St James’ Primary, Singleton Public, Aberdeen Public, St Joseph’s Primary, Blandford Public, King Street Public and Muswellbrook South Public schools.
“Engaging younger students with fun that has practical real-world applications stimulates their interest,” Mr Hendry said.
“Most of the tests are designed to push past their limits, there’s always something to strive for.”
Muswellbrook Rotary members were on hand to coordinate the event, cook sausages and help the kids with the challenges along with Muswellbrook High School volunteers.