On Tuesday 4th July, a group of ten pupils from Years 8 and 9 at Risedale School participated in a Science and Technology Challenge Day at Teesside University. The pupils engaged in three out of four activities designed to provide them with a practical understanding of how STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths) is applied in real-life situations.

• Police forensic insight - Pupils were able to see how observations help the police, and were given access to e-photofit software to allow them to produce photofit images.
• Robot programming - Allowing a Lego car to work its way around a series of obstacles using its colour sensors and proximity sensors after being programmed.
• Car design - Using mechanisms and motion to build the fastest vehicle along a short course.
• Medical diagnosis - Being shown by medical students how to ask the right questions, and look at medical history to be able to diagnose a patient.

During the day, the pupils collaborated with students from another school to form small teams and compete for a chance to advance to a nationwide final.

Senior Teacher and Head of STEM, Mr Kirkbride, expressed pride in the pupils' ability to work as a team and use their knowledge to successfully complete the activities. One specific team, led by Ollie Brend (8Shephard), won the robotics activity. Well done to them!