St Matthews Academy pupils win design award

Mar 8 2013 by Ross Dunn, Irvine Herald

St Matthew’s Academy are celebrating their success after winning North Ayrshire’s Engineering Design Challenge Final, which was held at James Watt College last Friday.

Forty-two budding young engineers from schools across North Ayrshire took part in the final challenge, which tested their research, design and practical skills in a task to design and make a prototype device that could be operated remotely to simulate a heart and kidney transplant.

The winning team was Caitlin Fallon, Elizabeth Teaz, Hailie Pendleton, Connor Owens, Dylan Lynch and Aidan Hughes from St Matthew’s Academy.

They were selected as the winners due to their team-working skills and innovative design idea, which was put to the test as part of the challenge.

Kilwinning Academy’s team was selected as the runner-up.

The final follows a series of events which have taken place over the last six months, designed to encourage more young people to study and consider careers in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).

Seven school heats took place involving 400 pupils from North Ayrshire’s schools, before the final 42 were selected.

The Design Challenge days began in 2009 with assistance from the Institute of Engineering and Technology.

North Ayrshire’s Cabinet Member for Education, Attainment and Achievement, Councillor Tony Gurney said: “All of the pupils who have taken part should be commended for their efforts over the last six months and I would like to congratulate St Matthew’s Academy for battling against 400 pupils from across North Ayrshire’s schools to win the coveted title.”