BUDDING scientists took part in the national final of a digital technology competition that could help farmers across the world.
Students from Garth Hill College impressed expert judges in the Farm Tech Challenge finals, a competition run by local agricultural company Syngenta.
The competition encourages young, budding scientists and engineers to develop a digital technology that could help farmers across the world.
Jill Heales, STEM leader at Garth Hill, said: “Experiences like this are invaluable for raising awareness of the importance of STEM subjects but more importantly they help pupils to thrive and develop their communication, teamwork and creative skills.
"All the pupils from Garth Hill College involved in this challenge have been so enthusiastic and now want to be involved in further projects supporting other students. Thank you to local companies like Syngenta who take the time to engage students like this.”
Team Strider Inc. from Garth Hill College came up with a renewable energy powered autonomous robot that can improve soil.
The Year Eight pupils were chosen as finalists and invited along to a finals experience day, along with their fellow pupils at Jealott’s Hill International Research Centre, Syngenta’s largest global R&D site.
The students were given an interactive tour of the site with demonstrations from scientists of some of the world-leading technology that Syngenta uses which included 3D printing and digital image analysis.
The day aimed to inspire students into STEM and see the extensive use of technology within farming.
Following the tour the team pitched their idea with a working prototype made of Lego, impressing the audience and wowing technology experts. A prize giving ceremony saw the students win individual Raspberry-Pi tech kits to allow them to build upon their current project.
Jim Morton, Visits and Outreach Manager at Syngenta, said: “It was great to see how the students had taken some large global challenges and used their skills to come up with inventions that could help solve them. The quality of their presentations and their confidence was very impressive.”
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