A day of competition at the YESC North East STEM Celebration
Young people from schools across the North East gathered at BP’s North Sea headquarters in Aberdeen today to take part in the Young Engineers and Science Clubs (YESC) annual North East Celebration of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths).
The day featured three competitions and a mix of nine primary and secondary schools showcased their projects and battled it out for prizes.
The event is sponsored by BP and Shell U.K. Limited and included a primary and secondary STEM competition, with the two sponsors and other YESC partners – Wood, Chevron, Lloyd’s Register, the Royal Navy, Skills Development Scotland (SDS) Vattenfall and the Royal Society of Chemistry – each providing a three-minute, hands-on challenge. The challenge doubles up as an opportunity to provide the young people with an insight into the different career paths available in the STEM industry.
The primary school STEM Challenge winner was Hanover Street. The secondary school STEM Challenge winner was Alford Academy.
As part of ‘Don’t Waste a Drop’, YESC’s national STEM Challenge for 2018, participating North East primary and secondary clubs also presented their model pump and pipeline and put it to the test to transfer water without wasting a drop!
The Don’t Waste a Drop primary school winner was Clerkhill. The Don’t Waste a Drop secondary winner was Robert Gordon’s College.
The coveted primary and secondary North East Club of the Year titles were announced at the end of the day, with winning schools scooping prizes of £200 for STEM resources.
The 2017/2018 North East Primary Club of the Year is Clerkhill. The 2017/2018 North East Secondary Club of the Year is Portlethan.
Peter Miller, interim regional president, BP North Sea said: “BP is delighted to once again support the SCDI’s Young Engineers and Science Clubs initiative and to host this year’s North East Celebration. Developing future capability and talent in STEM is key for the success of our industry and, as always, this year’s event delivered a range of fun activities designed to stimulate an interest in these vital subjects. I was hugely impressed by the creativity and quality of the projects and would like to congratulate the winners and all the pupils for putting in so much effort and showing such enthusiasm.”
Shannon Ouellette, onshore asset manager, Shell U.K. Limited, added: “Today’s event highlighted not only the enormous amount of talented young engineers and scientists in the area, but the enthusiasm and excitement they have for the subjects.
“Shell’s work in partnership with the SCDI Young Engineers and Science Clubs plays a critical role in providing resources to schools across Scotland that will ensure a new generation will continue Scotland’s legacy of innovation in science and engineering industries. Congratulations are due to the participating pupils and teachers for their obvious hard work on these great projects.”
Rebecca MacLennan, YESC programme director, said: “We’re delighted that the celebration is sponsored by BP and Shell U.K. Limited; their commitment to highlighting the diverse STEM industry and career paths that exist in the North East is inspiring.”