@ Alpha Preparatory School
This year, the National Finals was held at The Light, one of London’s largest auditoriums, situated at Friends House in Fitzrovia in Central London.
There were 50 teams in the finals representing schools from across the country (some online and some live).
At the live event, 27 teams were finalists and amazingly, Alpha Prep Science Team took first place.
An amazing achievment for the team. Well done!
This year’s challenge was to create reusable packaging to reduce plastic waste.
The children had 4 tasks to complete during the competition.
Task 1:
Report writing: Competitors will use the Internet and other secondary sources to research, design and write a report on the ‘reusable packaging’ project.
Task 2:
Design: The design round is a paper-based entry, with competitors producing several concept images of their design and to use scientific testing methods to check if there designs would hold a hot liquid.
Task 3:
Presentation and Evaluation: Competitors, either individually or as part of their team, video a presentation summarising their project, including an evaluation about their project successes and challenges
Task 4:
Online Q&A round: Competitors with the highest marks will be notified whether they have been selected for the live Q&A round. This round will be a remote question and answer session, where the judges will ask the competitor’s questions about the project based on aspects of their report, design and video submissions.
The children found the tasks challenging and difficult but they kept persevering and worked hard to keeping going during this lockdown period.
Well done to this fantastic STEM team.
This years challenge was to create a robot to help keep dangerous areas clean of plastic pollution.
The children had 4 tasks to complete during the competition.
Task 1:
Report writing: Competitors will use the Internet and other secondary sources to research, design and write a report on the ‘Save our shores through STEM’ project, helping clean up plastic from remote mud banks and waterlines through innovative and creative specifications
Task 2:
Design: The design round is a paper-based entry, with competitors producing several concept images of their vehicle designs, including a cartoon-strip of the vehicle in action.
Task 3:
Presentation and Evaluation: Competitors, either individually or as part of their team, video a presentation summarising their project, including an evaluation about their project successes and challenges
Task 4:
Online Q&A round: Competitors with the highest marks will be notified whether they have been selected for the live Q&A round. This round will be a remote question and answer session, where the judges will ask the competitors questions about the project based on aspects of their report, design and video submissions.
The children found the tasks challenging and difficult but they kept persevering and worked hard to keeping going during this lockdown period.
During the announcements they won the Best Report Award and First Runner-Up award. Well done to the Keeping Mudbanks Clean Team.
This week 4 children took part in the national science quiz club championship and reached 3rd place. Altogether there were 442 teams (1768 children) from 308 schools taking part in the Science Championship during the last academic year and there were 51 teams (200 children – allowing for the teams with less than 4 players) from 44 schools in the finals so we are really proud of the team reaching the finals and getting such a high place.
Today we are celebrating Alpha Preparatory’s 125th Anniversary and World book day combined.
Some of the students dressed up as historical figures from the last 125 years and many were dressed as famous scientists.
Well done to all the future scientists who have learnt about famous historical figures that have helped shaped our modern lives today.
Judicium Education are big film fans and so they decided to create a short film competition open to all schools in England and Wales.
Year 6 decided to create a coding animation video to show their knowledge and questions about their Science topic “Light”.
The winners were picked by a four judge panel made up of one representative each from 20th Century Fox, Pulse Films, Lloyds Bank and Cineworld.
Please see the video link below to see the video creations.
https://www.judiciumeducation.co.uk/film
Well done year 6 for all of their hard work.
Year 5 were invited to York University to share their Mars rover project and attend a presentation by Tim Peake. Unfortunately, due to the Covid 19 outbreak the trip was postponed.
Tim Peake was able to answer a couple of questions sent in from students attending the conference which you can see below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dqIPNzYUZg&feature=youtu.be
We wish to thank Tim Peake and we hope everyone keeps safe and well during this outbreak.
The International STEM Youth Innovation Competition is an event for students under the age of 18, organised by the British International Education Association (BIEA). It aims to raise the level of technological enthusiasm among students from all over the world as well as to stimulate students’ passion for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The competition builds bridges between science, technological innovation, education, and young people across a variety of industries. 2019 will be the first international competition, with student teams from around the world taking part to design and develop drones in the battle of protecting wild and endangered animals.
Habitat Loss
Over the last hundred years we know of at least 96 species of animals that have gone extinct, that is, lost to this world forever. Humanity has proven itself unable to stem the tide of destruction that it has caused through its actions. Our abuse of the environment has come at a high price as more and more species are added to the critically endangered lists, but there is a weapon in our arsenal that we can use to try to change the future: Technology.
The competition theme in 2019 reflects two major concepts: Technological innovation and conservation of endangered animal species: “Fighting extinction”.
The STEM teams had to complete 4 challenges. They were”
Report writing: Competitors will use the Internet to research, design and write a report about a drone that can help conserve an endangered animal species.
Innovation and design: Using a budget from BIEA, competitors will buy, modify and fly small drones as proof of concept for their design. Teams are required to video flying according to requirements provided by BIEA.
Oral presentation: Competitors will video a presentation about their drone design.
Live International finals day including:
Mission execution: Flying new drones, competitors will tackle an obstacle course.
Evaluation: Competitors will deliver an evaluation about their project successes and challenges. They will also need to answer the questions raised by the judges.
Work display: Competitors will display their drone project to judges and peers.
Alpha Prep teams won 3 prizes for our age catergory including:
The winners
The winners from Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The £5000 prize was won by three 17 year olds from an international school in Mostar, Bosnia. Their country was ripped apart by war and the effects still linger on in their city, with Serbs and Croats, Christians and Muslims, refusing to work together – so much so that the lads’ attempts to involve Serb and Croat schools in their research were rejected. These young men are so hungry for science and technology, and so desperate to make a difference in their country. They struggled to get the parts delivered for their drone, then one of them had his visa delayed and only a cross-country drive with his dad to the Embassy enabled him to make his first flight and his first visit to England. Parts of Bosnia are still riddled with mines, and their drone project was designed to find a safer way to to monitor wildlife and nature in dangerous areas. Their passion for STEM and their refusal to be put off by all the obstacles in their way were so impressive to the judges – and their joy at winning was wonderful. This is why STEM matters.- Mrs Still.
A Video about the Competition from CGTN (Click the photo to see the video)
An article from First News that we have been featured in
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Please see some photos and video links from the event below
BIEA and TTS have kindly donated £500 of STEM equipment to Early Years and KS1. Thank you BIEA and TTS
A hard challenge of flying a drone through the artifical jungle, taking pictures of as many animals as you can, whilst flying the drone, and getting to the finish line in time.
Team Sea Bale talking to Dr Shaun Fitzgerald! What an honour this is! (The director of the The Royal Institution)
(https://www.rigb.org/about/news/spring-2018/director-announcement)
Teams even flew in from EAST CHINA! Well done for making such an effort for this competition.
This Drone looks like it could even float!
Team Entry from India! What an amazing effort to travel so far. Well done Team IMAGINATORS!
Some amazing fact file SCIENCE boards. Well done TEAM Macau from China.
Team ISLAPS explaining their drone to the judges.
They made this drone using hand made parts and their own 3d Printed designs. Wow! Well done this team all the way from the USA!
TV interview wiht team Nerdology
Great tips given from a real life Drone Pilot.
Dr. Shaun Fitzgerald explaining why STEM is so important.
Team ISLAPPS winning BEST DRONE FLYING awards.
Dr Claudio Sillero – https://www.zoo.ox.ac.uk/people/dr-claudio-sillero
Dr Sillero talking about why it is so imporant to help Wildlife. What an amazing honour to listen to such great Scientists from around the world.
Team Seabale sharing their strengths and weaknesses to the judges. After this introduction they had a Q & A session with the judges. Well done Team Seabale.
Thank you BIEA!
Thank you for all the team members from BIEA and are thoughts are with the teams from around the world that were not able to get VISA’s or have enough money to join us for this special event.
Video link is here – https://youtu.be/X7T7-663cgg
We have been featured in: (click the links below)
Text below copied from – http://www.discoveryeducation.co.uk/who-we-are/announcements/detail/item1158976#.WyjcQ-necQU.link
Five UK primary school pupils are reaching for the stars after winning a competition to design a spacecraft for NASA.
The young scientists, from London and Surrey, are the winners of this year’s Generation Beyond Challenge – organised by Lockheed Martin and Discovery Education.
The challenge – a UK first – was launched to schools last year as part of a new STEM education programme to inspire the next generation of astronauts. Children were asked to stretch their imagination by designing a habitation module for Orion, the NASA spacecraft which will take the first crew to Mars in the 2030s.
Pupils entered individually or as a team, presenting their ideas in a short video. Over 160 children took part, and a judging panel of space scientists, teachers and academics chose two winning entries.
The winning schools hosted special celebration assemblies for the pupils and their parents during which Patrick Wood, Director of International Business Development at Lockheed Martin Space, presented the prizes. The children received iPads and science magazine subscriptions, while their schools were awarded £5000 STEM grants.
Patrick Wood, Director International Business Development for Lockheed Martin Space said:
“Our children make up a generation that will change our universe forever. These young people are the generation that will walk on Mars, explore deep space and unlock mysteries that we can’t yet imagine. And that’s why it’s so important to us to help schools to encourage children to consider careers in STEM. I was so impressed by the creativity these pupils showed and the complexity of their designs and I’m excited about what this generation will bring to future space missions.”
Mr Gonsalves, Head of Science and Computing at Alpha Prep School, Harrow said:
“We are absolutely over the moon with the Generation Beyond win! I hope that Team Andromeda’s success will inspire all pupils at the school to see STEM as an integral part of their future studies.”
Eva Garcia Claramonte, Head of Science at Barrow Hills School said:
“We are naturally thrilled to learn of Jedd’s success in this national competition, a win which is well deserved! At Barrow Hills, we actively encourage our children to consider Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects. The £5,000 prize money will be put to good use to further develop our STEM activities.”
The Generation Beyond Programme continues to inspire the next generation of astronauts, by bringing the science of space into primary classrooms across the UK. Combining the expertise of Lockheed Martin and Discovery Education, the programme provides a complete space curriculum, bringing pupils ever closer to a new era of space exploration, and helping teachers to ignite interest in STEM subjects and careers.
Lockheed Martin has supported every NASA mission to Mars over the last four decades and is currently developing technologies to send humans to deep space in the 2030s. Discovery Education is one of the UK’s leading digital learning services, providing dynamic content which enriches the delivery of STEM education.
This year’s Science quiz club has entered a competition to design a Mars Habitation Module for the space craft Orion that will one day take astronauts to Mars.
You can view these below.
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