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Carhill Integrated Primary School pupil wins innovation challenge
The Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council was guest of honour at a school prize-giving to meet a future, local entrepreneur.
Abigail Scott, a Primary 7 pupil at Carhill Integrated Primary School in Garvagh, took the top prize in a schools’ competition delivered as part of Northern Ireland Apprenticeship Week 2021 for her Supersorter Recyclobot idea.
The Green Energy Innovation Competition was organised by Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, in partnership with the Royal Academy of Engineering, Antrim and Newtownabbey and Mid and East Antrim Councils, Manufacturing Northern Ireland and Matrix NI as part of a wider programme of events across Northern Ireland.
Congratulating Abigail on her success, the Mayor, Councillor Richard Holmes, said: “The effort and enthusiasm of the young people participating in the Innovation Challenge is inspiring. I commend the school for embracing this important opportunity in what was a very challenging year. Abigail has excelled in this competition, and she should be very proud of her achievement which I hope inspires her for the future.”
Gillian Gregg from Royal Academy of Engineering was also present for the special presentation. Speaking afterwards, she commented: “Judging the competition was difficult due to the range of creative and innovative entries, but for those very same reasons, it was also very enjoyable.
“I particularly liked Abigail’s prototype model which involved a living roof and a fungi base. This was definitely an idea that the judges felt could be quite practical and developed further - exactly what we are looking for when we talk about engineering solutions for everyday problems. We look forward to Abigail and her fellow budding engineers approaching the Academy’s Enterprise Hub for start-up support in a few years’ time!”
The competition encouraged pupils to become entrepreneurs and engineers by exploring and developing ideas for products to improve our lives.
Lead judge, Dr Robert Hoye, (a former RAEng Engineers Trust Young Engineer of the Year), has expressed his pleasure at reviewing such a varied and exciting range of entries from Carhill Integrated Primary School as they tackled some of the greatest challenges identified in the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Along with the overall prize of a 3D printer, the school also received an Academy certificate of achievement while all entrants will receive the Academy’s digital STEM badge.