Blackrock observatory active participants in adopt a school programme will launch the first ever annual Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) for Space competition in Cork at CIT Blackrock Castle Observatory in association with Audi Cork. This competition is open to students in Cork City and County to display their scientific skills and imagination to demonstrate that ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’ [advancement through technology] is a powerful force.
The competition theme is engineering for Space and its aim is to enable pre and post junior certificate student teams to display their skills and imagination as they create new technological pieces/methodologies/concepts that will create a solution to a problem and aid the understanding and exploration of our Universe.
The competition categories are Science, Engineering and Technology, as these are key areas for future discoveries and careers.
Competition entrants will be supported through a comprehensive network of mentors both online (via ScienceSpace.ie to answer questions quickly and foster discussion) and face to face in regular group “training camps”. Students will be able to partake in workshops and meet with academic and industry mentor professionals in these areas (such as CIT Blackrock Castle Observatory, Audi Cork, NIMBUS and it@cork) and role models such as Leena Gade, Audi Sports Engineer, who will inspire their future subject and career choices.
The SET for Space competition is designed to encourage interest in science, mathematics, engineering and technology, inspire students to choose and achieve excellence in science and Space-related subjects and careers.
The competition aims to provide a unique educational experience by enabling students to take part in real scientific research. This will foster many skills required for tomorrow’s innovators, providing the opportunity to experience and understand the processes of scientific inquiry, technological design, collaboration and the multidisciplinary nature of discoveries. Students will be empowered to take initiative in developing their ideas and to consider each stage of their design development. The competition requires that project development is in a systematic, scientific manner: this will teach students to identify, analyse and solve practical scientific, Space-related problems. Working in teams will afford the students the opportunity of operating in academic collaboration with others on scientific problems in a synergetic way, learning to communicate with both peers and scientists to present ideas and solve problems.
Students will be supported in gaining an insight into scientific career paths. Face to face interactions with professional STEMists from many disciplines during the mentoring sessions and workshops will advise the teams in overcoming obstacles and encourage them in their research and design. They will also be able to interact and debate with scientists on ScienceSpace.ie and during open nights and events such as the Cork Science Café, First Fridays at the Castle World Space Week, Science Week, and Maths Week held at CIT Blackrock Castle Observatory and in venues across Cork.
The competition will also feed into BCO’s Continuous Professional Development programme for teachers so that teachers will also be inspired to view Space as a career route for their students as well as an engagement subject.
A final objective of the competition is to enable students to stand behind their designs and explain them to both the public and judges at the SET for Space Exhibition. This will give the student teams public recognition for the work they have completed and give them the confidence to pursue education and careers in these areas.
Completed projects will be submitted by mid-January. A shortlist will be released for 15 teams to exhibit their projects to the public, invited guests, schools and the expert judging panel at the SET for Space Competition Exhibition at CIT Blackrock Castle Observatory during CEIA Engineer’s Week 2014.
Partnering with Cork Institute of Technology (CIT), Discover Science & Engineering (DSE) it@cork and Cork Electronics Industry Association (CEIA), - the foremost experts in promotion & education of STEM in Cork and Ireland – ensure the competition is associated with excellence.
