LIMESTONE Coast students put on their thinking caps last week while building bridges and constructing towers in the 2019 Science and Engineering Challenge.
More than 200 Year 9 and 10 students from across the South East gathered at the Tenison Woods College gym on Friday for a day of hands-on, group learning activities to fight for first place.
Now in its 20th year, the event is designed to address skills shortage in science and engineering by inspiring young people to study mathematics, physics and chemistry through Year 11 and 12.
University of Newcastle team leader Helen Beckitt said the event aims to demystify students to different aspects of learning.
“It is about taking the scariness out of it all and showing them everyone can do it,” she said.
“You would like to see the hands-on learning at all schools but sometimes that is just not a reality.
“This is why we are here, to provide opportunity when equipment is not available and create limitless options for our future generation.”
The event covers all Australian states and territories, spending 11 days in South Australia – including one day in Mount Gambier – with the 2019 event also including Fiji.
Ms Beckitt said the challenge would not happen without collaborations with major universities in each region, along with support from Rotary clubs across Australia.
“Rotary is a huge help in each place we visit and we can not thank them enough,” Ms Beckitt said.
Ms Beckitt said the latest research shows in 20 years time, 90pc of jobs will be based around science, technology, engineering and maths in some form.
“This event shows them engineers do not just build bridges and make up a huge part of life,” she said.
“They come here, work as a team, compete against each other and have a bit of fun while learning new skills along the way.
“It gives students the idea that if they want to go to university they can.”
Ms Beckitt shares a personal connection with rural communities, growing up in a small town herself.
“I know how hard it is to have larger workshops visit the rural towns so I really try and push visiting as many regional areas as we can,” she said.
“I believe students in cities have access to more facilities which rural students may never actually see.”
With a Year 5 and 6 discovery format day also running alongside the challenge in other parts of Australia, Ms Beckitt said she was always open to expanding the event in Mount Gambier to a two or three day workshop.
“We are certainly not against the idea and you definitely need to engage their interest at an earlier age for information to stick,” she said.
“We would love to keep pushing it through all school year levels and have impact on all ages.
“We have had a brilliant response from the past 13 years we have visited Mount Gambier and we will be certainly coming back.”
Tenison Woods College claimed first place at the event and will now go on to compete at the state finals.
The state final will be held on August 29 in Adelaide, followed by the national final on October 25 in Bunbury.
