BUDDING scientists at Corbridge Middle School have been rewarded for their projects in sustainable development at the National Science Competition at the Big Bang Fair in Birmingham

In October, three teams of year eight pupils presented their CREST Award projects at the regional fair in Sunderland. Two teams were selected to go through to the national finals held last week between Tuesday, March 12 and Thursday, March 14 at the NEC, Birmingham, where over 200 projects competed for awards.

At the finals, the teams were interviewed in several rounds of judging and were nominated for various special awards based on the quality of their investigation reports.

The two Corbridge Middle School teams were represented by Jake Kenmir and Alex Kelley with a project on ‘Growing Halophytes’ (salt-loving plants) for the bioremediation soils containing high levels of salt and Scarlett Bell, Ella Gifford and Libby Ward with a project called ‘Dyeing to Save the Aquatic Environment’ on the use of activated carbon to remove excess dye from waste water from dyeing fabric.

Both projects had an environmental bias as the school science department encourages awareness of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In the award ceremony Scarlett, Ella and Libby were named as the winners of the Stantec ‘Developing Sustainable Communities Special Award’ for their project on ‘Dyeing to Save the Aquatic Environment’. The girls walked away with a prize of £500 and a visit to one of the Stantec community projects.

Dr Batchelder, subject leader for science, said: “It is a real achievement to win a prize in the National Science Competition. Project standards are exceptionally high and the contest is intense. I am incredibly proud of both teams as they were exemplary representatives of the school and demonstrated real talent to take their small projects which they started in our EcoSTEM Club all the way to the National Finals”.