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Rural schools cop SRC’s inaugural STEM Olympiad

Published:Friday | November 17, 2023 | 12:08 AM
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The Grove Town Primary and Infant School team poses with the winning trophy in the Scientific Research Council’s (SRC) inaugural Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics STEM Olympiad. Members of the SRC visited the institution in Manchester re
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The Grove Town Primary and Infant School team poses with the winning trophy in the Scientific Research Council’s (SRC) inaugural Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics STEM Olympiad. Members of the SRC visited the institution in Manchester recently to make the presentation.
Acting principal of the Manning’s School in Westmoreland, Sharon Thorpe (left), and Vice-principal Feona Vassell-Kerr (second left) are presented with a cheque for $50,000 by Information Services Division Manager of the Scientific Research Council (SRC)
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Acting principal of the Manning’s School in Westmoreland, Sharon Thorpe (left), and Vice-principal Feona Vassell-Kerr (second left) are presented with a cheque for $50,000 by Information Services Division Manager of the Scientific Research Council (SRC) Elijah Green, and Marketing and Corporate Communication Manager Carolyn Rose-Miller. The presentation was made at the school recently.
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MANNING’S SCHOOL in Westmoreland and Grove Town Primary and Infant in Manchester are the inaugural winners of the Scientific Research Council’s (SRC) Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Olympiad.

The schools copped the top awards for designing solutions focused on mitigating an effect of climate change.

For their innovations, the teams and their teachers received gold medals, a cash prize of $50,000 each towards the development of science and technology at their institutions, gadgets from RadioShack and other items.

Manning’s School developed a framework for the implementation of sustainable soil management practices in agriculture. The design features an environment that promotes soil fertility or sustainable soil management.

Grove Town’s innovation was a heat-combating classroom, which includes high ceilings, and employs the use of LED lights, solar energy and gardening practices. Together, these elements help to reduce non-renewable energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions.

Under the theme ‘STEM Unlocked: Opening doors to limitless possibilities’, the SRC Olympiad is part of the council’s efforts to arouse and heighten students’ interest in STEM subjects and practices.

For this year’s inaugural competition, focus was placed on climate change, with teams required to respond to the challenge ‘Climate change is one of the biggest challenges of our times. Climate change is already happening: temperatures are rising, drought and wildfires are starting to occur more frequently, rainfall patterns are shifting, glaciers and snow are melting and the global mean sea level is rising’.

They were required to develop proposals promoting solutions that mitigate an effect of climate change as well as prototypes of their inventions.

“We are trying our best to see how we can get students to be aware of this information and find solutions to solve this problem,” Manager of the Information Services Division of the SRC, Elijah Green said.

The STEM Olympiad forms part of the SRC’s efforts to promote science and technology among students.