Topcon supported Class of your Own helps school to win technology award

Capelle a/d IJssel, The Netherlands, 9th July 2013 – Winning contestants in a UK-organised schools technology competition converged recently at Buckingham Palace to receive their awards. With eleven competition categories available - ranging from healthcare to entertainment to construction - the UK’s inaugural TeenTech Awards (www.teentechevent.com) competition has been a keenly contested competition.

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Although this was the first nationwide TeenTech Awards, the organization, which was set up in 2008 by Maggie Philbin (from BBC TV’s Tomorrows World), has been hosting numerous events aimed at enabling school children to better understand the array of career possibilities available to  them to properly realise their potential.

The construction category, sponsored by world-leading design and engineering specialists Atkins Global was won by students from the Archbishop Sentamu School in Hull, UK. The entry was developed as part of the “Design, Engineer, Construct” project, a segment of the curriculum developed by the UK education specialists Class of Your Own® (COYO). Topcon is a strategic partner with COYO and the exclusive provider of precision surveying equipment to their programs.

The students’ submission, entitled “Future School,” was a sustainable school design for the future. Team member Miguel Beedle said, “We had to research the needs of the community, investigate sustainable building techniques and materials and learn about net-zero energy buildings. We went on to use technologically advanced software to conceptualize and develop designs using Building Information Modelling (BIM) techniques.”

As part of the rigorous judging process, the students presented their project at the Royal Society in London.  They met with celebrities and VIPs from Science and Technology sectors including UK TV personalities James May, Kate Russell and Dr Brian Cox. In addition, the Archbishop Sentamu pupils also won the student award, voted for by their peers at the Royal Society event.

“We are very proud to have been able to be involved in this fantastic event.” Alison Watson of COYO  said. “The TeenTech Awards show the level of awareness, ability and imagination demonstrated at this age range (Year 9) and how we can help these students to develop their ambitions and ideas, and with the help of our ‘industry friends,’ perhaps all the way through to implementation. The students at Sentamu Academy are outstanding ambassadors and role models for a generation of young people who generally may not appreciate the exciting careers in the built environment sector.

“We look forward to encouraging the growing number of educational establishments that are working with COYO, and helping students to work toward a formal qualification and then progress into the high-tech world of 21st Century positioning and mapping!”

At the awards ceremony, the students were presented with their prize by the Duke of York, who spent some time with the group, stating he was ““impressed” by their ideas and enthusiasm.

For further information about the opportunities presented by TeenTech CIC visit the website at www.teentechevent.com. Schools are now able to register for the 2014 Awards which will launch officially in September. Schools outside the UK can also enter or collaborate on projects.

The Class of Your Own team can be contacted by email: info@designengineerconstruct.com, by phone: +44 (0) 1282 680946, or visit the website at www.designengineerconstruct.com.