Boston Grammar School - Science & Technology National Winners

January 12th saw two year 10 students, Will Balsom and Christo Cherian, put Boston Grammar School and indeed Boston on the map for their commitment, achievement and drive by winning the National Schools Science and Technology final.

Mrs Winter, Head of Science at Boston Grammar School said “the boys are committed Science students who worked hard at the regional heat at Lincoln university to qualify for this final. The whole school is really proud of this achievement and it really demonstrates the school’s commitment to the STEM subjects and reflects the hard work, dedication and enthusiasm of the students in our school”

The North & North East National Schools Science & Technology final was held at Sheffield University, in the Diamond building – an £81 million investment at the heart of the university campus. The building reflects the fact that STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) is the future and with five Noble prize winners among its Alumni the university is justly proud of being an inspiration for future students. The awards were presented by the Lord Mayor of Sheffield who told the students “You are the future. The future will be about Science, Technology and Engineering; it will be working collaboratively with each discipline and you’ve shown you can do this”. The students were also given the opportunity to meet Walter, one of the department’s NAO robots, the next generation of robots and programming.

The boys were given a task that consisted of a practical applied-science / technology related challenge led by a team of under and post graduate students from the Faculty of Science and Engineering. The Robot Challenge involved using the latest Lego Mindstorm EV3 kit. Students were given the task of designing and building robots to be used for a specific challenge. They used Java to write a program which managed infrared light sensors, touch sensors and a sonic sensor on the robot to play battleships in an arena for four minutes. Teams were given marks for teamwork, building and points accrued in the arena.

Christo Said “It was a great experience and I learnt a lot about Java programming and the technology behind the robot. I am happy to have experienced the great facilities in the Diamond Building at Sheffield University, would love to take part in something like this again and would like to thank the school for giving me this opportunity”

The STEM challenge days are sponsored by MCS Projects Ltd who aim to raise the aspirations of young people through their involvement in events which enrich their knowledge of science, technology and languages.

Thanks to Boston Grammar School website for this article.