First place for Wenona’s team of Years 9 and 10 students at the competitive Science and Engineering Challenge.
Nail-biting excitement characterised the 2022 Science and Engineering Challenge on Wednesday, as around 256 students from eight high-performing north shore schools, pitted their wits against a series of brain-building activities designed by the University of Newcastle.
The tasks included building a bridge, devising an earthquake-proof tower, supplying electricity to a city, and designing a buggy for use on Mars.
Each activity was designed for maximum creativity, collaboration and problem-solving fun, taking the students out of the classroom and opening their minds to the exciting and varied appeal of a science and engineering career.
Perhaps the highlight of the event was the bridge-building task. The students used their engineering and architectural nous to construct a bridge that could bear up to 200 times its weight from cardboard, balsa, twine and tape. The strength of each bridge was then tested in an edge-of-your-seat competition in front of the crowd.
The Wenona team won both the bridge competition and the regional challenge overall, based on a calculation of points scored across each activity.
They are now waiting to hear if they have qualified for the State Final in Newcastle.
