Students invited to take part in secret engineering challenge day

Faraday Challenge Days

Schools across the UK can now apply to host an exciting engineering challenge day, organised free-of-charge by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).

Forty-five schools will be chosen to host this year’s IET Faraday Challenge Days, where six teams of students, aged 12-13, can compete against one another to find the best solution to an engineering-related challenge. The events will be free of charge and set up by IET staff and volunteers.

However, to avoid unfair preparation, the challenge itself will not be revealed until the day of the event. In previous years, students have been tasked with designing and building a device for remote surgery and a drinks dispenser for competitive race walkers.

Holly Margerison, Faraday Education Manager at the IET, said: “Last year’s Faraday Challenge Days were such a great success that we’re really looking forward to running the competition again this year.

“These days are a fantastic opportunity to get school-age young people turned onto engineering and technology, at a time when they will be deciding what they want to pursue as a career in the future.”

As well as 45 school-hosted challenge days, there will be 12 extra dates held at IET Academic Partner universities across the UK.

The winners of each event will win prizes for themselves and a trophy for their school. The top three teams from across the UK will get an all-expenses paid trip to the National Final in June 2014 to compete for a cash prize of up to £1,000 for their school.

In the summer term of each year the IET launches the application round for UK schools to host a Faraday Challenge Day in the following academic year. The application round is now open. Download the application form from the IET Faraday website and send it to faraday@theiet.org 

The deadline for e-mailing applications is Friday 12 July 2013.