The Faraday Challenge is an annual competition of STEM activity days with a real-world challenge for pupils aged 12-13 years. The theme partners for this year are the Rees Jeffreys Road Fund, and National Highways. The winning team from each event take home a voucher for themselves as well as gaining a place on the national league table. The top five teams at the end of the season will be treated to an all-expenses-paid trip to the final, as well as a chance of taking home £1,000 for their school to spend on STEM activities.
This year, 6 teams of 6 from Ysgol Dyffryn Ogwen, Ysgol Friars, Ysgol Tryfan, Ysgol Syr Hugh Owen and Ysgol Llangefni. Teams competed against each other for the glory of being crowned the Faraday Challenge Day Winners. At the event, teams were challenged to create a prototype for improved highway safety, either in rural communities, or on the motorways. They were required to present their prototypes, including an explanation of the design and functionality, discussion of the most difficult engineering problem encountered, an assessment of their team dynamics, and a demonstration of the prototype in action. At the end of the day, Ysgol Llangefni were crowned the winners with an excellent winning score. The event was a tremendous success and was well-received by both the participants and the hosts. The school will certainly be signing-up to host another IET Faraday Challenge Day in 2024.
Dr Daniel Roberts, senior lecturer in Electronic Engineering at the school, and the schools outreach officer, said
“Hosting the Faraday Challenge again this year was a great privilege as we can welcome aspiring Engineers and Scientists to our department and inspire them to pursue a career in STEM. These events provided a valuable chance to highlight the possibilities in Engineering and Computer Science as educational and professional paths for the students. Our school is dedicated to organizing similar occasions to motivate the future generation of Engineers and Computer Scientists.”
