Students compete in Faraday Challenge final

The teams from Lomond School, Ellesmere College, and Church Stretton School will design and manufacture a “re-hydration station” for athletes competing in long distance events. The devices will be tested and a panel of judges will crown the winners at the end of the day.

The teams, which are made up of 12 to 13-year-olds studying science, design technology and maths, have beaten off competition from 160 schools to make it to the final. The challenge is part of the Faraday education programme, developed by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), which aims to encourage more young people to study and consider exciting and rewarding careers in science, technology, engineering and maths. Fifty-five Faraday Challenge Days have taken place across the UK.

Olympic race walker, Chris Maddocks, will join the judges on the day. Maddocks is the only male athlete to ever have competed in five consecutive Olympics.  He will also give a short presentation on his experience of competing in five consecutive Olympics and the importance of adequate hydration and nutrients in the performance of athletes.

IET education manager Dee Halil said: “Over 1,900 students have taken part in this year’s challenge, so the students have done amazingly well to make it to the final.  The engineering solutions they have presented have been fantastically creative.

“Students have been given a peek into the life of a real engineer, the variety of engineering out there and the central role it plays in our everyday lives.”

The winning team would receive a cash prize of £1,000 for their school.  The second and third-placed teams will receive £500 and £250.