Update – 14 July 2021
The national final for the Shell Bright Ideas Challenge took place via Microsoft Teams on Monday 12 July. We were absolutely delighted to learn that the boys placed in the top 5 in the whole country!
This means that out of 700 schools that entered the competition initially, the boys’ design was one of the 5 best. An astounding achievement! Our congratulations to the boys, who have won an additional £2,000 to support STEM education in school.
Learn more about the competition by reading the original article below.
Original article –
Five students from Isleworth & Syon School have been voted the best team in London in the Shell Bright Ideas Challenge. They beat out 130 other schools to win the prize, which earns the school £2,500 to support STEM education.
The competition was run by Lee Elliston (Deputy Curriculum Leader – Design Technology) for Year 9 students. The Bright Ideas Challenge is a schools’ competition where students imagine creative ideas for how cities of the future might be powered to be lively, healthy and clean places to live. It is run by Shell to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers.
Isleworth & Syon’s entry was submitted by Hafidh Abdalla, Kaname Asaki, Nishant Brahmbhatt, Gursharan Singh and Raphael Wreford. Their idea was to redesign the London Bus from scratch by making a new, modular system of small, spherical-shaped buses that can be joined together depending on the demand. They substituted traditional metal body panels for sustainable 3D-printed materials and also used a hydrogen fuel cell as a power source.
This means that they qualify for the national final, taking place virtually on Monday 12 July. Students also received a facilitated STEM workshop in school, to help the boys prepare a presentation for the national finals.
Lee Elliston commented, “This competition has been a fantastic way to get the students engaged in real-world issues that actually affect them, all seen through the prism of STEM. Our boys did a fantastic job of expressing their ideas in a way that showcases their creativity and ingenuity.”
Headteacher Euan Ferguson said, “I am very proud of the students that entered this challenge. They are creative thinkers, they have worked hard and deserve to win this prize. It also shows why after-school clubs are so important for us in school. The breadth of extra-curricular opportunities that we offer is unsurpassed in the local area and these opportunities enhance the education provision for our boys.”
Tags: 2020-21, Design & Technology, News