METHODIST College students have been recognised for their innovation in the fields of science and technology. The South Belfast pupils took home awards last week at the annual Sentinus Young Innovators Exhibition at the Odyssey Arena, where the designs of creative pupils from across the North were on show to over 2,000 visitors.
The team, who were mentored by staff from NI Electricity, collected the Bombardier Aerospace Award for Working with Industry for their design for a device that would enable NIE staff to safely check oil levels at electricity substations.
Their design also saw them named runners-up in the Crest Technology Award category. NIE engineer Andrew Cupples who mentored the pupils said: “This was a great project that put learning into practice in real business situations and has given NIE some potential solutions to develop and trial. There is a shortage of technical and scientific skills across a range of industries and we are pleased to be associated with schemes such as these that encourage and nurture interest in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects.”
Julie Copeland, teacher at Methodist College added: “The students are overjoyed that they have received two awards. They have really enjoyed working on this project and with help from their NIE mentor they have developed a good understanding of how an engineer apples science and technology for everyday work.”
