PORTSMOUTH schoolchildren came second in a tough engineering competition to design and build a hydration station for Olympic speed-walking competitors.
The team of 12 and 13-year-olds from City of Portsmouth Boys were up against five other schools from across Hampshire including Cowplain Community in the annual Faraday Challenge, run by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).
This year’s brief was to invent a design that allows speed-walkers to take a drink of water without slowing down. All the teams were given a small pump and other pieces of equipment including string, a paper cup and a reel of cotton to test out their theories.
Dr Nick Savage, from the university’s school of engineering, said it was a brilliant opportunity for young people to get hands-on experience of engineering.
‘My interest in the subject started in my early teens at engineering taster sessions such as this one where I was trying out ideas, seeing them fail and trying again,’ he said.
‘We have a close and long-standing relationship with the IET and were delighted to be selected to host one of the Faraday Challenge Days.’
Thornden School in Eastleigh won the first prize of £1,000.
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