The competition, which is called ‘The Science of Water’, is for year 7 and 8 pupils working in teams of four or five. The objective is to research a key feature of water and develop a plan of how they would demonstrate this in an exhibit at a science museum.
Members of the winning team will visit Michell’s Ely factory for a tour of the facility and to receive their certificates and a goody-bag of prizes. Their school will receive £1000 worth of science equipment. The competition is to be judged by a distinguished panel of scientists, including Dr Stephanie Bell (National Physical Laboratory), Dr Chris Smith (BBC Radio’s ‘The Naked Scientist’) and Dr Peter Wothers (teaching fellow in the Department of Chemistry, Cambridge University and presenter of the 2012 Christmas Lectures).
Mike Bannister, CEO of Michell Instruments, explains that inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers is one of the principles that underlies Michell’s 40-year history: ‘Michell Instruments invests in staff development and training. We have always taken on apprentices to train in various parts of the business, and most of these stay with us for many years of their career after qualifying. Working more closely with schools to help generate interest in the STEM subjects is a logical step.
‘Because we research, design and manufacture most of our products in the UK, it’s important to have a strong pool of talented engineers. Working to inspire an interest in science at an early age might help to encourage more children to consider engineering as a career. That would not just be good for Michell, but good for the UK as a whole,’ he adds.
Michell Instruments was established 40 years ago in Cambridge when its focus was on moisture sensing and calibration. The company were instrumental in establishing the UK humidity transfer standard for calibration, and became the world’s first accredited humidity calibration laboratory in 1986. After this, the company expanded rapidly, adding overseas offices as well as extending its production facilities in the UK and mainland Europe.
Today, the Michell Group has three manufacturing locations in the UK, the Netherlands and France, nine subsidiary offices across Europe, Asia and the Americas as well as a network of distributors covering the world.
Any school interested in entering groups into the competition should contact Sarah Lawrence, sarah.lawrence@michell.com.
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