We were very fortunate that two teams of students (Year 10 and Year 11) successfully made it to the finals of the Big Bang Competition held at the NEC in Birmingham.  The groups showcased projects that they have been working on as part of their STEM lessons this year.

The Year 10 project, a magnetic hydrodynamic drive for marine vessels, made use of the movement of ions in salt water between two charged aluminium plates as a propulsion system for boats.  The Year 11 project, glasses for the visually impaired, focussed on creating a pair of glasses that utilise proximity sensors to give haptic feedback to someone with a visual impairment.  As part of this work, the team were involved in writing a Python program to be run on a Raspberry Pi and then 3D printing a working prototype model. 

Both fantastic projects were recognised by the judges for the innovation and creativity of their ideas.

The 'Magnetic hydrodynamic drive in marine vessels' won a special award sponsored by Network Rail for innovation in transport.

The 'Glasses for visually impaired' were runners up of the whole competition within the engineering category.

A fantastic achievement for all students involved.