Frimley, 2012-May-14
KS4 Weydon School with their project 'Faster Plaster' (pictured here with Mayor Tim Dodds)
The challenge encourages Key Stage 4 and 5 students to find out more about the world of engineering and technology. It develops skills in idea development, planning and problem solving and exposes students to exciting career opportunities.
The school children presented their prototypes to the judges and the Mayor of Surrey Heath on Thursday, 10 May at the Siemens offices in Frimley.
The winners of the challenge were:
- Key Stage 4: Weydon School with their project 'Faster Plaster' - a special gel plaster to make your healing time faster. Runner up – Herschel High School, Baby Monitor.
- Key Stage 5: Surbiton High School with their project 'H2pOwer' - a process to convert sea water into clean water and energy. Runner up – Tomlinscote 6th Form College, Hydraband.
The Mayor of Surrey Heath, Councillor Tim Dodds and Surrey County Councilor Dennis Fuller attended to present the winners with a trophy, a special trip to a mystery site and a cheque for the school. Also present were Surrey Heath Councillors Paul Deach and Bob Paton, who is Chairman of Governors at Tomlinscote School.
Following the success of previous years, this is the fourth year Siemens has run the challenge with SATRO, It is designed to encourage, inspire and motivate students to make the active choice of a career in some aspect of Science, Technology, Engineering and/or Mathematics and is open to Key Stage 4 (14-16 years old) and 5 (16-18 years old) students.
Teams were provided with a brief to look into the following areas; Energy, Healthcare, Industry and Infrastructure and Cities, with an aim to develop ‘The Next Big Thing’ for any of these topic areas. The students were asked to produce a prototype or scale model to demonstrate the idea and provide evidence of market research and a basic understanding of their market needs. Siemens staff were allocated to each team to act as mentors and visited the schools to support and give direction to the students.
The challenge encourages students to find out more about the world of engineering and technology business. It develops skills in idea development, planning and problem solving and exposes students to exciting careers opportunities. These challenges are great subjects to include in University applications and interviews as they provide students with excellent project management skills.
Siemens has a long history of developing innovative technology and is pleased to be contributing to an activity, which demonstrates Siemens' commitment to enthuse young people in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)
Marcus Hall, Head of Siemens Governance Assurance for the UK and North West Europe, said: “Working with local organization SATRO, this programme enables us to operate a broad, inclusive and effective method for encouraging pupils to understand the link between Science, Technology and Maths (STEM) skills at work.”
SATRO is an education charity which inspires and involves young people aged 5 – 19 across the region about the world of work and business through a broad range of hands-on programmes and challenges delivered in schools and colleges. Last year saw 15,000 young people participate, and SATRO continues to respond to the demand.
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Siemens in the UK
Siemens was established in the United Kingdom 169 years ago and now employs 12,972 people in the UK. Last year’s revenues were £4.4 billion*. As a leading global engineering and technology services company, Siemens provides innovative solutions to help tackle the world’s major challenges, across the key sectors of energy, industry, infrastructure & cities and healthcare. Siemens has offices and factories throughout the UK, with its headquarters in Frimley, Surrey. The company’s global headquarters is in Munich, Germany. For more information, visit www.siemens.co.uk
* Data includes intercompany revenue. Data may not be comparable with revenue reported in annual or interim reports.
For more information, contact PR manager Laura Bennett on:
T: +44 (0)1276 696374
M: +44 (0)7808 823598
E: laura.bennett@siemens.com
SATRO
SATRO is an outstandingly effective educational charity which has been working with young people in Surrey and beyond for over 26 years, providing real-life experience of the working world including skills developed for Science, Technology and Maths (STEM) through a wide range of programmes.
We work with children from the very start of school through to their final years in education. We deliver exciting science workshops and young entrepreneurs challenges, run business games and mentoring schemes, train & support teachers, hold careers showcases, an much more besides!
For more information or opportunities to work with us to help young people please contact us on 01483 226 322 or see www.satro.org.uk
