BY DANIELLE RIES.

Today the annual Science and Engineering Challenge gets underway at the University of Newcastle with over 1200 students going head to head in the competition.

Year 9 and 10 students from across 42 Hunter high schools will be competing in a series of events including designing bridges and building their own water turbines.

The students will be competing to win the right to compete in the state final in later August and then have a shot at the national final.

Team Leader for the Science and Engineering Challenge Chris Hendry says the challenge is a good way to get students involved.

“The local science and engineering challenge is on right now. It started this morning at 9:30am with 6 local schools coming together and competing against each other in a whole bunch of design and build activities, crticial thinking activities to produce a winner that will show the rest of us what they have been doing today and hopeully theyll be able to come through to the state finals.”

He also says this challenge gives students an opportunity to expand their learning.

“It’s an opportunity for them to show off their skills in both of the two disciplines, but in the most important way, what they do is get to have a hands on experience with something that might be a little bit outside of what they gain access to on your general school day in the classroom.”



Credit- University of Newcastle Website.