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Big STEM Challenge - A chance to win a trip to discovery park and meet STEM industry giants such as Pfizer!

The BIG STEM Challenge is a curriculum based STEM competition for children or all ages - primary, secondary and 16 plus.

The BIG STEM Challenge is an initiative organized and administered by the KM Charity Team and it's main aim is to engage children and young people across Kent and Medway in STEM subjects.

The Big STEM Challenge is proudly supported by industry experts such as Pfizer, ITL, BAE Systems, Global Associates, Kent Renewable Energy Ltd and the finals are hosted by Discovery Park.

The Big STEM Challenge is an inter-schools, curriculum based competition to engage children and young people in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM). There are three age categories:

Primary

Pupils are asked to enter a project in one of the categories below. Entries can be from individuals, groups or whole classes:

  • Challenge One - Design a natural pest deterrent which could be used to protect crops from a particular pest e.g. slugs, birds, blackfly.
  • Challenge Two - Research and make an effective packaging material which could be used as an alternative to plastic.
  • Challenge Three - Design and create a mode of transport that uses air or water resistance or levers or pulleys and gears.
  • Challenge Four - Open challenge - pupils get to choose a topic of their choice.

Finalists in this category will be invited to a science fair at Discovery park where they will display their projects and one will become the Primary BIG STEM Champion 2022.

Secondary

Pupils are asked to enter a project in one of the categories below. Entries can be from individuals, groups or whole classes:

  • Challenge One - Design a physical or virtual solution based on an animal ecosystem which solves a problem in the
    human world e.g. Bee hives equals modular storage device.
  • Challenge Two - Design your own renewable energy generating device. Describe the source and how it would be
    harnessed or conserved and distributed efficiently.
  • Challenge Three - Develop your own skincare product with a specific aim & benefit (e.g. to soothe eczema, reduce
    scarring, anti-aging, anti-bacterial etc.)
  • Challenge Four - Open challenge - pupils get to choose a topic of their choice.

Finalists are invited to Discovery Park to present their projects to a “Dragon’s Den” panel of experts for the chance to be named Secondary BIG STEM Challenge winner 2022.

16 plus

Pupils are asked to enter a project into either of the categories below. Entries can be from individuals, groups or whole classes:

  • Challenge One - Design and develop an invention, device, mechanism or piece of code that solves a problem or
    improves an individual’s or communities or environmental situation or challenge.
    Challenge Two - Open challenge - this could be any STEM based project but MUST have a clear and identified goal
    and outcome.

Finalists are invited to Discovery Park to present their projects to a “Dragon’s Den” panel of experts for the chance to be named 16+ BIG STEM Challenge winner 2022.

Mike Ward, CEO of the Kent and Medway Charity Team said “we have run a similar event in the past called Bright Sparks but we wanted to do something that was designed to get children and young people thinking and engaged in STEM subjects in a fun and creative way. If we have learnt nothing else over the past two years we have learnt that science is the only thing that will ensure
all of our futures and so we need to develop our future scientist, engineers, mathematicians and technology whizzes today! We have specifically designed the categories to fit with the current curriculum so that teachers and whole classes can get involved and so it doesn’t detract from school work but can be incorporated into it.”

The BIG STEM Challenge is also an opportunity for budding STEM prodigies to get their work, ideas and enthusiasm in front of the people who could really make a difference to their futures so well worth getting involved!

For more information and to submit an entry visit the Big STEM Challenge website

The BIG STEM Challenge is open for entries now and will close on Friday 6 May 2022.