The GSK UK Young Engineers and Scientist of the Year from Loughborough Schools Foundation in the East Midlands and from St Mary’s College in Northern Ireland will compete to become European young science champions at one of Europe’s most prestigious science competitions, EUCYS (EU Contest for Young Scientists) to be held in Sofia, Bulgaria from 13-18 September.  

Grace Lord, Brendan Miralles, and Aalia Sellar will be showcasing their engineering project called ‘Music Splash’, an app that uses machine learning to analyse music recitals and provide suggestions to improve performance. 

They say ‘Music Splash’ helps “guides you to instant perfection and is like a music teacher in an app.”

The 14-year-old students were awarded the GSK UK Young Engineers of the Year title at The Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Competition in March.

Alongside them will be Maeve Stillman, who won the title of GSK UK Young Scientist of the Year for a project that focused on how activated charcoal supplements affect the absorption of everyday or common medicines like paracetamol and ramipril (used for treating hypertension).

The Big Bang Competition received 1000 entries from across the country and the UK winners beat over 200 finalists who were selected to show their ideas at The Big Bang Fair. As part of the shortlisting process, they had to impress a VIP judging panel that included Andrew Smyth (Rolls-Royce aerospace engineer and former Great British Bake-Off contestant), Dr Ozak Esu, IET Young Woman Engineer of the Year 2017 and Roma Agrawal (structural engineer on The Shard, STEM promoter and TV presenter).

The projects each won £2,000 in prize money and have had the opportunity to complete work experience at GSK, and the GSK UK Young Engineers won a silver medal at the prestigious international STEM competition in July in China (China Adolescents Science & Technology Innovation Contest – CASTIC).

Commenting on how winning The Big Bang Competition has provided them opportunities to continue on their STEM journey, Maeve said: “I’m so lucky to have a chance to compete at EUCYS.”

The GSK UK Young Engineers added: “Our mission is to make the learning of playing an instrument available to everyone by opening the doors of musicality through our revolutionary app Music Splash.”

EUCYS was established in 1989 with the aim of fostering international collaboration and giving young scientists the opportunity to compete with the best contemporaries at a European level. The UK has been participating since the inaugural competition and has produced 48 medallists. 2019’s competition takes place in Sofia, Bulgaria and winners will be announced on 18 September.

Solent University’s new sports complex has been successfully connected to Southampton Geothermal Heating Company’s (SGHC) pioneering district energy scheme after signing a £2.8 million deal with energy and services specialist, ENGIE, over the next 20 years.

The SGHC is a working partnership between ENGIE and Southampton City Council, launching more than 30 years ago. The scheme supplies heat, chilled water and electricity to commercial and residential energy users across Southampton – currently serving a 2km radius of the energy centre.

Users already included TV studios, a hospital, shopping centre, student accommodation, residential buildings and hotels; with Solent University tasking ENGIE with the implementation of a new heating connection which would link up existing assets, as well as a new state-of-the-art sports centre. 

The SGHC currently saves around 10,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions per annum, using heat from a large-scale combined heat and power (CHP) plant, supplemented by geothermal energy and conventional boilers.

The University required a new District Heating connection with a substation, to provide heating and domestic hot water for the new facilities with predicted annual heating consumption of 620MWh/annum and a contractual peak load of 875 kW; which ENGIE is poised to deliver through the connection to SGHC.

Approximately 150 m of Pre-insulated District Heating Steel Pipework were installed, adjacent to the Southampton Solent University building on East Park Terrace, Southampton. 

Andrew Hart, Managing Director for ENGIE’s Urban Energy business, said: “Southampton is an exemplar of district energy solutions that stand the test of time.  We have successfully operated in the city for more than three decades – delivering low carbon and cost-effective energy – so the addition of Solent University to the scheme is a welcome one.

“We have adopted an incredibly flexible approach to our service delivery, to ensure we can continue making connections to the scheme and extend this unique solution.  We look forward to working with our partners in the council, as well as the University over the next 20 years to deliver a first-rate service for people and businesses in the region.”

Paul Colbran, Chief Info & Infrastructure Officer at Solent University, said: “Solent is undergoing a £100 million estate redevelopment programme to provide new and improve current campus facilities, and the new sports complex is just one element of that programme.

“With such a large infrastructure project and our desire to be cleaner, greener and more environmentally sustainable, the geothermal system helps us keep our emissions down and makes sense connecting with the current infrastructure already in place.”

ENGIE has confirmed the new system is now operational – delivering heating and cooling for the sports centre and beyond.

One of the UK’s leading manufacturers of desktop 3D printers, Kora 3D, has expanded its product range with the launch of two first-to-market innovations.

Kora 3D’s unique Formula 3D^® bed adhesive is a specially formulated multi-polymer mix which secures the first layer of a 3D print to the 3D printer’s build plate during the printing process and ensures it can be easily removed once the process is complete. It improves 3D print quality by ensuring the models don’t become loose and helps them cool evenly, preventing the bottom layer from warping and reducing filament wastage.

A non-flammable, water-based bed adhesive, Formula 3D is one of the safest bed adhesives available and boasts an alcohol content of less than 24%; alcohol-based bed adhesives typically have an alcohol content between 40% and 90%. Formula 3D is applied to the build plate using a foam head, rather than a spray, reducing the amount of adhesive required per print and preventing contamination of 3D printers’ mechanical parts and bearings. It also boasts an industry-leading shelf life of approximately two years.

Developed over three years as an alternative to spray-on adhesives which, due to existing legislation surrounding aerosols, cannot be shipped overseas, Formula 3D is available in 100ml and 500ml bottles and is suitable for use with the majority of build plates and 3D printing filaments. Because it is not an aerosol, Formula 3D can be posted anywhere in the world and can be applied to either heated or unheated plates. Its unique formula is designed to withstand build plate temperatures in excess of 80°C.

Also launching is the new Safety Cleaner-3D, an eco-friendly anti-static cleaning spray designed specifically for use with both safety cabinets and 3D printers. It prevents static build-up and removes and repels dust, small particles and residual emissions in and around 3D printers.

As a result, the cleaning spray also addresses the Health and Safety Executive’s recently released report Measuring and Controlling Emissions from Desktop 3D Printers.

As part of Kora 3D’s pledge to reduce plastic waste within the environment, both new products are available in refillable bottles, delivering a significant saving in both cost and materials, and reducing the number of single-use plastic bottles being manufactured.

Kora 3D also offers a ‘Refill Bottle Programme’ which enables customers who buy six or more bottles to return them to be refilled free of charge using an SAE which is supplied at the point of purchase. The bottles are then refilled and returned to the customer within a maximum of 48 hours. Customers using the refill service will also receive a 20% discount off the price of the refills.

Steve Burrows, Managing Director of Kora 3D, said: “Health and safety is our top priority so we’re proud to have developed an incredibly effective print bed adhesive that is safer to use than many of the alternatives currently on the market.

“Formula 3D is also more resource efficient because, unlike spray-based adhesives, it is easy to apply accurately, which also reduces the risk of any adhesive coming into contact with the 3D printer’s moving parts which, if left to accumulate, can cause serious damage over time.

“We’re delighted to add more options to our ever-increasing collection of products and firmly believe these new additions will become go-to solutions for users of 3D printers for many years to come.”

Teachers and pupils at Hook Lane Primary School in Bexley are welcoming the new school year with a celebration, having become the eighth member of the Maritime Academy Trust, an educational charity serving primary pupils across London and Kent. This exciting development will provide Hook Lane, a thriving mixed community school rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted, with outstanding opportunities to collaborate with other Maritime schools across the South East, sharing good practice in teaching as well as a unique and creative curriculum that inspires its pupils.

Headed up by Nick Osborne, CEO and National Leader in Education, Maritime Academy Trust (MAT) follows an innovative entrepreneurial curriculum, designed to cultivate creativity and encourage pupils to adapt and succeed in the modern world, whilst focussing on the importance of great behaviour in every school.

By joining forces with Maritime, Hook Lane will be able to offer its pupils this unique ‘big outcomes’ curriculum that has been rolled out across all schools in the Trust. At its core, Maritime challenges pupils to find solutions to real-world issues, allowing their creativity and confidence to flourish. Hook Lane shares Maritime’s vision to ensure that every child fulfils their learning potential whilst developing the key skills, knowledge and mindset to successfully navigate the future workplace.

Hook Lane will also benefit from being part of a wider group by being able to share good practice in teaching and provide direct access to peer support for Headteachers, underpinned by strong back office support and a cohesive HR and Finance strategy.

Commenting on the alliance, Nick Osborne, CEO said, “We are delighted that Maritime’s strengths are being recognised in the borough of Bexley, extending our reach beyond our founding boroughs of Greenwich and Medway. Hook Lane joins us with a range of strengths, including supporting children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder, as it has a dedicated unit for children with ASD. We are all very much looking forward to working with staff and pupils in Hook Lane.”

Hook Lane will continue to foster strong links with parents, keeping them informed primarily through pupils’ class teachers and senior leaders; in addition, parents will be kept updated on developments within Maritime through the termly newsletter.

Natalie Cummings, Headteacher at Hook Lane, is thrilled about the new partnership with Maritime: “After meeting Nick Osborne and members of staff at all levels across several of the Maritime Academy Trust schools, we believe the Maritime Academy Trust shares the same core values and ethos that we currently have here at Hook Lane – where our school motto is ‘Encouraging Fearless Learners’.

“Working in partnership with other schools will enable us to flourish and ensure our children receive a high quality learning experience as we learn from each other and share best practice. Having a dedicated lead for Teaching and Learning across the whole trust is a brilliant idea as they can create links between schools as well as guide them in finding the best support.”

A DISUSED football stadium has been redeveloped to create a new, modern educational facility that will help to meet future demand for secondary and sixth form school places in the London Borough of Barnet.

Pick Everard – the independent property, construction and infrastructure consultancy – delivered architectural services for the non-selective, non-denominational state-funded Ark Pioneer Academy, which welcomes its first cohort of 180 year seven pupils this month (September).

The £25m project will provide 900 secondary and 300 sixth form places when it reaches full capacity. The new school is based on the site of the former Underhill Stadium, which was used by Barnet Football Club from 1907 through to April 2013.

Steve Cummings, director at Pick Everard, said: “We are delighted to have delivered high-quality educational facilities to assist in meeting Barnet’s demand for secondary and sixth form school places.

“As well as 26 classrooms, the school features two dozen other spaces for specialist activities such as dedicated music rooms, ICT facilities, workshops and a hall for performances. An indoor sports hall and a new, hard surfaced multi-use games area – which can be used for netball, football and hockey – has also been constructed, with the potential for community use outside of school hours.

“The site is rich with history as it was used by Barnet FC for more than a century before the club moved to its current home at The Hive. Since 2013, the site has been mostly vacant and was purchased by the Education & Skills Funding Agency in 2015 to address Barnet’s urgent need for new school places.

“The original stadium was well known for having a football pitch that dropped 11 feet from one end to another and the new building makes use of this existing site topography by providing learning accommodation through a series of split levels. The building is also positioned on a north-south axis, ensuring that classrooms can acquire optimum levels of daylight for teaching, without over-lighting.”

In its latest report, the Greater London Assembly identified that the London Borough of Barnet would need the equivalent of between four and eight new secondary schools by 2025 to keep up with demand.

Ark, a network of 38 schools, has opened several other new schools in north London in the past 10 years, including King Solomon Academy, Ark Academy, Isaac Newton Academy and Ark John Keats Academy – all of which have been judged as ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted.

Aishling Ryan, principal of Ark Pioneer Academy, said: “At Ark Pioneer, we have high aspirations for every one of our pupils. We believe that every child has the ability to be knowledgeable, articulate and successful and we’ll ensure they understand the impact a great secondary education can have on their future lives. This is encapsulated in our vision – that every pupil joining us will leave with real options, to go onto further study in university or into the career of their choice. We look forward to welcoming our special founding pupils on 2nd September!”

The main contractor for the project was Bowmer + Kirkland – a construction and development group headquartered in Derbyshire, with offices in Reading and London.

Regional director Gary Bradley said: “We are delighted to have worked with Pick Everard on this project for Ark. It provides much-needed, high quality school places to an ever-growing community.”

Pick Everard employs more than 500 staff across its 13 UK offices, providing a range of project, cost and design consultancy services. For more information, please visit www.pickeverard.co.uk.