Water saving eco-challenge launches in Aberdeen Schools

School teams from Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire attended the University Aberdeen on the 19th November to take part in the new round of the Go4SET eco-challenge, Water in your School.

The teams of six S2 pupils (12-14 year old) have been tasked to find ways of reducing how much tap water is used in their school and/or finding water from other sources. They will be supported by their teacher and a company mentor throughout the project and visit their mentor organisations, Apache North Sea, Balfour Beatty, BP, Centrica Energy, ConocoPhillips, Chevron Upstream Europe and Langstane Housing Association.

The school teams from Aberdeen Grammar, Aboyne Academy, Banchory Academy, Fraserburgh Academy, Harlaw Academy, Kemnay Academy, Northfield Academy, St Machar Academy and Torry Academy will work on the same project brief over a period of 10 weeks.  The programme culminates with a Celebration & Assessment Day on 25^th February 2014 at the University of Aberdeen and provides an opportunity for pupils to display and demonstrate their individual projects to a group of assessors and guests attending the event.

Professor Albert Rodger, Vice-Principal for External Affairs opened the launch day and welcomed the pupils to the University of Aberdeen – Professor Rodger commented, “"The University is delighted to support Go4SET and the Engineering Development Trust in this exciting project, which presents school pupils with a real scenario and one which illustrates a topic of great concern for our global community. Working like this with schools and with industry to engage and inspire young people to get involved in finding solutions to the challenges facing the world they are inheriting is very much a key role for the University of Aberdeen."

Go4SET is a national programme, which is part of the EDT’s continuum of programmes aimed at stimulating the interest of young people in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) at a key stage in their education.

Duncan McSporran EDT Scotland Director said: “Go4SET encourages young pupils of today to be the engineers and scientists of tomorrow”.