Hydraulics & Pneumatics July/August 2022

KNOWLEDGE BASE 16 HYDRAULICS & PNEUMATICS July/August 2022 www.hpmag.co.uk Big Bang crowns the UK Young Engineer of the Year Avye Couloute, a year-nine student from Surbiton High School, has been crowned as the UK Young Engineer of the Year for her project she entered into The Big Bang Competition. She impressed the judges with her invention which seeks to improve indoor air quality by monitoring and reacting to CO 2 levels. The solution can benefit classrooms, collaborative working spaces, and seated eating areas in the hospitality sector. Couloute has been awarded £2000 to continue her STEM journey. More engineering prizes were awarded to some brilliant young people. They include: n Lily-Mai Spinks, a year-12 student from Sir Isaac Newton Sixth Form Free School in Norwich, has won the senior engineering category in the finals of The Competition, for her project titled ‘ISOPOD’. She made a tent with a concertina design, aiming to provide a user and eco-friendly festival camping alternative. n Om Patel, a year-11 student from Queen Elizabeth’s School in North London, has won the intermediate engineering category for his project titled ‘Supporting People with Dorsal Flexor Weakness (Drop Foot) and Normal Calf Weakness’. This aims to support people with some walking difficulties with a designed a prototype brace that supports the leg from the knee to the foot and ensures that the person can walk more naturally. n Ryan Stubbs and William Bradshaw, a year-eight student team from St Faith’s School in Cambridge, have won the junior engineering category for their project titled ‘ElectroPi’. They created a seed-planting robot, which is designed to plant and water seeds based on soil moisture levels. Recognition and reward The Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Competition aims to recognise and reward young people's achievements in all areas of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and provide them with the opportunity to build their skills and confidence in project-based work. It is open to 11- to 18-year-olds from across the UK who have completed a project or activity in any field of science, technology, engineering or maths. The winners of The Competition will be announced at The Big Bang Fair. The Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Fair is the largest celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) for young people in the UK. Taking place from 22 to 24 June at The NEC in Birmingham, The Big Bang Fair is an award-winning combination of inspirational talks, interactive workshops, hands-on exhibits and careers information from STEM professionals. The Big Bang Fair is made possible through the collaborative efforts of over 200 organisations. Inspiring tomorrow’s engineers EngineeringUK is a not-for-profit organisation that works in partnership with the engineering community to inspire tomorrow’s engineers. It leads the engagement programmes: The Big Bang, Robotics Challenge and Energy Quest and help schools bring STEM to life through real-world engineering via Neon. EngineeringUK brings engineering careers inspiration and resources together through Tomorrow’s Engineers and manage The Code, which drives change at scale to increase the number and diversity of young people choosing academic and vocational pathways into engineering. EngineeringUK states that it bases everything it does on evidence and shares its insight widely. www.thebigbang.org.uk www.engineeringuk.com