SEVEN teams from Manx high schools have progressed to the semi-finals of a US-based science, technology, engineering and maths (the ‘STEM’ skills) innovation competition for students worldwide.
As semi-finalists, each team has developed a graphical representation, business and technical plan for a commercial product or innovation designed to solve real-world problems centred around either aerospace exploration, clean energy or health and nutrition.
The Spirit of Innovation Challenge is the brainchild of The Conrad Foundation, founded by educational activist Nancy Conrad, wife of the late Apollo 12 astronaut Charles ‘Pete’ Conrad. It is dedicated to promoting STEM and entrepreneurial studies in schools and providing mentoring, just as the guidance Pete Conrad received helped him become the third man to walk on the Moon.
Isle of Man based aerospace company ManSat first invited the Conrad Foundation to the island in 2010 to present the Spirit of Innovation Challenge to its schools. With three teams travelling to California to present at the 2011 Innovation Summit, the company was so impressed that it sponsored a trip for competition director Jennifer Fotherby to travel to the island to generate participation in this year’s Challenge among students and teachers. The effort paid off, with a total of 60 teams registering for the 2011-2012 competition.
Abilities
‘We are working to grow this competition beyond US borders and unite students from around the world,’ said Jennifer. ‘Of the 81 semi-finalist teams we named, nearly 10 per cent hail from the Isle of Man. Having such an outstanding turnout from the Isle of Man in our second year of collaboration speaks volumes about the students’ abilities.’
The seven Isle of Man high school teams selected as semi-finalists are: Phoenix Group (Ballakermeen High School), Re:ACTION and Omega (both from Queen Elizabeth II High School), and FOOGLE, Energy Wave, Hydro Systems Technology and SyMo (all four from St. Ninian’s High School).
They are vying for one of the top 15 finalist positions, which would mean attending the Innovation Summit at the NASA-Ames Research Center in California in March, where they would present their idea and compete for awards and commercialisation opportunities. Finalists will be named by February 16.
‘Increasing student interest in STEM is critical to our future ability to support real-world issues, such as preserving the planet, discovering cures for diseases and exploring the universe,’ said Chris Stott, chairman and CEO of ManSat, a corporate partner in this year’s Spirit of Innovation Challenge.
‘We are thrilled our students took an interest in the competition and performed so well,’ Mr Stott added. ‘A few of our teams advanced to the finals last year. We’re confident this year’s group will prove even more competitive.’
{http://www.conradawards.org|www.conradawards.org}