Encouraging the engineers and scientists of the future

The young engineers and scientists of the future will showcase and celebrate their achievements at a special event tomorrow, Tuesday 28 April, at the University of Plymouth, where organisations attending will range from Babcock Marine to South West Water Ltd. The University, which has a strong record in technology and science teaching and research, is hosting the Celebration and Assessment Day for the Engineering Education Scheme in England (EESE) run by the Education Development Trust (EDT). The scheme links teams of four Year 12 students and their teacher with local companies, to work on real scientific, engineering and technological problems with exciting outcomes. During the six-month project phase, students are encouraged to show industrial enterprise, creativity and innovation while gaining extensive experience of problem-solving, team-working and project management. The event will see teams from 10 Plymouth schools on the University's campus and is an opportunity for all involved to hear about the students' projects, which are set by local companies. The celebration is the culmination of six months' hard work by the teams, who will be assessed by a panel drawn from industry, education and business and have the opportunity to showcase their projects to guests. The Plymouth High School for Girls team worked on a renewable energy project with Babcock Marine. The company is actively seeking ways to reduce energy consumption throughout Devonport Dockyard and set the students a project to explore ways this could be enhanced by use of renewable energy sources so that cost savings could be focused on supporting the Royal Navy.