On Tuesday, the 16th of August, a group of Year 10 students travelled down the road to Federation University to attend The University of Newcastle Science and Engineering Challenge.

There, they competed against students from 6 other schools in various science and engineering activities, designed to challenge concepts being learned within classes at school. Some of these half-day activities included constructing earthquake-proof houses, coding, designing and building a Mars Rover, providing electricity to buildings within an electrical grid, designing an effective water turbine and building a bionic hand. One group participated in a whole-day challenge where they had to design and construct a bridge to withstand a weighted trolley.

A day full of challenges, learning experiences and fun was enjoyed by all who attended. Paris Govan said “We did some coding, and it was very fun with my team winning this challenge. My team also competed in the back to Mars challenge where we had to build a rover that could carry different weights across bumpy surfaces.” Harrison Kennett said that “It was an enjoyable time where I could learn lots about science and engineering. It was rewarding to see how well our bridge withstood the weight whilst presenting in front of the other teams.” Campbell White and Thomas Hall both agreed that “the bridge activity was engaging and mentally challenging.”

Towards the end of the day, the schools gathered to watch the testing of bridges that had been created. The bridge designed by the Damascus team was successful through all but the last weight, leaving them in 2nd place for this challenge. After all the challenges had been completed, the points were tallied, and Damascus College ended the day in 4th place. Well done to all those involved in the competition.