Pupils embrace the NCR STEM challenge

Earlier this week, pupils in F3 were at the V&A Dundee for a pilot STEM challenge based around creating tech-design activities for Dundee school pupils.

A collaboration between the museum, NCR and Dundee City Council, the event saw pupils from HSD, Baldragon Academy, Morgan Academy and St Paul’s Academy, take on the task of devising a prototype for a sustainable solution for the next Tay Crossing project.

Rising to the challenge, the HSD teams came up with a trio of tunnels (T3), a turbine-powered pedestrian escalator and a solar powered hover craft/gondola (‘Dundola’) for tourists.

The attendees also got an insight into the solutions and products NCR is developing for ‘tomorrow’s customer’, as well as the V and A’s role in promoting design-educational opportunities for local schools. 

With their minds buzzing with inspiration, the pupils were then set a STEM-based challenge for next term – designing a future product that NCR might make to help customers bank, shop or play.

The participating teams have been allocated graduate mentors from NCR who they can ask for technical help, and the pupils will also have the chance to visit NCR and shadow the graduates for a day (or up to a week) for work experience, either next term or after summer.

HSD Head of Chemistry and STEM Co-ordinator, Nicola Kiernan, said, “The NCR STEM Challenge provided HSD pupils with the sort of cross-disciplinary creative thinking experience that is rarely afforded to school pupils throughout their examinable studies; yet these crucial STEM learning opportunities can provide some of the most inspiring and formative memories that pupils will retain from their school years.

"Finding these opportunities is one of the key STEM-learning objectives that we are committed to fulfilling at HSD.”