Holbeach students win Lincolnshire Institute of Technology challenge

Year 9 students from University Academy Holbeach have won first place in the Lincolnshire Institute of Technology (LIoT) STEM Challenge.

Schools from across Lincolnshire competed in the challenge, which tasked them with building machines for robotic production lines that could transport and sort cylinders of different sizes.

The machines were marked for functionality, accuracy, speed, aesthetics, build quality and sustainability, with penalties for the number of human interventions required for the machines to complete their task.

All of the students impressed judges with their ingenuity and engineering skills, but University Academy Holbeach came out on top, beating teams from Bourne Grammar School and Lincoln Castle Academy who came second and third.

Head judge and Principal of Lincoln University Technical College (UTC), John Morrison, said:

“There’s a massive variety in the approaches that they’ve taken by the teams, with some very ingenious, high-tech solutions and lots of terrific, low-tech solutions. What’s very clear is that they’ve all had a good time and learned a lot in the process.

“This is an event we run annually to educate younger students about the opportunities offered by LIoT – a partnership of STEM education providers in Lincolnshire.

“Our ultimate goal is to encourage more young people to consider – and take up – careers in engineering and STEM-related subjects. The students here are in Year 9, so we’re very much investing in the future of technological education here in Lincolnshire.”

The contest was the second STEM Challenge set by LIoT which, this time, had a particular focus on automation and recycling.

The initiative focuses on raising aspirations and encouraging young people to consider higher education and career opportunities within the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) industries.

The challenge was delivered in partnership with Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Careers Hub, the STEM Ambassador Network, Quickline, Nuclear Waste Services and the Lincolnshire County Council SEND team.

Schools were also supported with their projects by STEM ambassadors from high-tech companies based in Lincolnshire.

Matt Monaghan, Engineering Maintenance Manager at Bakkavor Salads in Bourne, worked with the students at Bourne Academy. He said:

“We do find it hard to recruit young engineers and it’s becoming more and more difficult. This is a perfect opportunity to get young people engaged in STEM activities and hopefully on course for a bright future in engineering – maybe even going straight into apprenticeships when they finish school.

“I came on board after the students had designed their machine and I’ve helped facilitate their ideas. I’m fortunate to have access to extensive engineering stores of obsolete equipment that they used to build their contraption. They made a dual conveyor, including an incline conveyor with a sorting system at the end, all powered by DC motors with variable speeds.”

Lucas Glenn, Ross Newstead, Thomas Annible, Jacob Clark, Aaron Martin, Kiene Quinn from University Academy Holbeach won first place, with their machine being the most accurate, with 97% of cylinders correctly sorted.

The school’s Head of Science, Dawn Clarke said:

“I am overjoyed for them. The project was very challenging and although I’ve supported them with ideas, it really has been their own work. They’ve put a lot of hours into it with a lot of lunchtimes given up, perfecting what was going to be a prototype, but eventually became their finished piece.

“They gave things a go and when it didn’t work, they worked as a team to readjust it, which is what engineering is all about really. They arrived not being at all confident of success, but they continued to work hard at perfecting it before it was judged and they’ve done a really great job. I’m very proud of them and what they’ve managed to achieve.”

LIoT is a partnership between local STEM employers and education providers including the University of Lincoln, University Centre Grimsby, University Campus North Lincolnshire, Lincoln College, Grantham College & University Centre, Boston College, Riseholme College and Lincoln UTC.

LIoT has a focus on higher-level skills, with students studying subjects such as manufacturing, engineering, construction, digital, agritech and more. The organisation also works with over 3000 employers across Lincolnshire, particularly supported by Bakkavor, Siemens and OAL.

For further information about LIoT, please visit www.liot.ac.uk or contact the education department at your local LIoT partner.