STEM Next receives over 200 registrations to date

Ruth Cameron, Director at Energy Resourcing, UK is pictured with TechFest’s Dr Yashka Smith, and Gabija Blažytė at last year’s STEM Next final.

 A TechFest competition which challenges senior pupils and students to research and write an essay has attracted more than 200 sign ups to date. The closing date for registrations for STEM Next has now been extended to Sunday, 2 July to allow even more young people to get involved.

Bridging the gap between school education and higher education/working environments, STEM Next has strong links with industry and is sponsored by Energy Resourcing, Ocean Winds, Salamander Floating Wind, Stromar Offshore Wind and CNOOC International.

STEM Next is a solo project which requires the young people to undertake independent research, including an interview with an external industry professional, prior to writing an in-depth response to their chosen essay question.

Three interdisciplinary categories form the basis of this year’s STEM Next essay submissions. Those taking part will choose from a selection of essay questions broadly themed around ‘Energy in Action’, ‘Life Sciences and Medicine’ and ‘Chemistry and Biological Sciences’.

Dr Yashka Smith, STEM lead at STEM charity TechFest, said:
“We are delighted to have had such a positive response to STEM Next. Over 200 pupils have already signed up to take part in this exciting initiative. So far life sciences and medicine has proved to be the most popular category, but it will be interesting to see if this changes over the next couple of weeks.

“The diverse range of essay questions should mean there is something that will appeal to all potential essay writers. And the registration deadline has been extended so young people now have until July 2nd to sign up. I'd encourage anyone thinking about getting involved to do so.”

Nicholas Ritchie, Project Director, Stromar Offshore Wind, said:
“We’re delighted to sponsor this opportunity for young people to get excited by STEM and research the areas that most intrigue them. A skilled workforce is key to the success of our transition to renewable energy and we need to establish the best talent pipeline. Today’s students are the employees of the future, so they need to know that working in renewables in general and offshore wind in particular are great options for them.”

The international essay competition, which last year attracted entries from countries including the UK, Vietnam, India, Iran and the USA, delivers a supported programme for 16-18-year-olds.

Young people are provided with a variety of support throughout the process. This includes a host of video resources covering topics including referencing and interview techniques. TechFest will also host question and answer sessions to provide additional, personalised, support to the young people.

Mark Baxter, Caledonia Project Director, part of the Ocean Winds portfolio in Scotland said,
“At Ocean Winds we recognise the importance of encouraging students to develop an interest in STEM subjects for career choices to support the rapid growth in the green economy and offshore wind in particular.  Our experience of supporting ‘STEM Next’ last year was really positive and we hope that this year even more students undertake the research to underpin a winning application.”

Yashka added: “We’re incredibly grateful to have continued support from returning sponsors Energy Resourcing and Ocean Winds and to welcome our new sponsors and supporters, Salamander Floating Wind, Stromar Offshore Wind and CNOOC International. Their support enables us to offer this valuable development opportunity to young people across Scotland and beyond.

“The programmes and workshops offered by TechFest, including STEM Next, show young people that renewable energy can be a viable career path. It is so important for our industry to nurture curiosity in what our energy future looks like. We are proud to be sponsoring this year’s competition and can’t wait to see the entries.” said Huw Bell, of sponsor Salamander Offshore Wind Farm, an innovative floating offshore wind farm to be located off the coast of Peterhead in Scotland.

Participants now have until July 2 to register for the competition, the essay deadline is August 31, with the winners announced in November.

While the essay competition gives the entrants a chance to delve deeper into a subject of their choosing, and to learn more about something that really interests them, it can also benefit them on a broader level.

The essay writing process, combined with a competition, is a fantastic opportunity for students to learn transferable skills that they will be able to use in their future studies and career. These include research, critical analysis and communication.

The students writing essays for STEM Next are required to research a topic and write an essay of up to 3,000 words. As part of the process, they must interview at least one external industry professional on their chosen question.

TechFest is also calling on industry professionals to sign up to support the initiative.

Energy Resourcing’s managing director UK, Ruth Cameron, said: “Energy Resourcing are proud to sponsor STEM Next for another year. This competition is a fantastic opportunity for young people to get involved in the world of STEM and learn new skills that will benefit them and the industry for years to come. We are looking forward to seeing the amazing work everyone produces!”

Anyone interested in volunteering to be interviewed by the young people as part of STEM Next should register here: Student Sign - Up Sheet (google.com).”

The winning essays will be published on www.techfest.org.uk and the top three submissions in each category will receive between £50 and £200 of Amazon vouchers.

The essays which are produced for STEM Next also enable the students to apply for CREST Awards. CREST (techfest.org.uk)