The Davidson Inventors Challenge

Calling all STEM students - collabrative super-curricular competiton!

The Davidson Inventors Challenge (DIC) is a collaborative school outreach initiative between the University of Cambridge Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology and the Association of Science Technology and Innovation (ASTI) in Malaysia, and supported by the Institution of Chemical Engineers.

This school competition is aimed at Year 11 and 12 students in UK schools interested in STEM.

The theme is sustainability and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) developed by the United Nations to address global challenges. The teams are required to first select a challenge/problem area they’d like to work on from a list of sustainable development goals and come up with a potential sustainable and innovative solution.

Participating students will have a go at problem-solving using critical-thinking skills to evaluate the best innovative solution to a current problem or global challenge. These are key skills chemical engineers learn, develop, and put into practice day-in, day-out. In this way, they will not only get first-hand experience and become familiar with the diverse applications of chemical engineering and biotechnology, but they will also learn about the important role chemical engineers and biotechnologists play in tackling the toughest global challenges.

Entry criteria:  Students in Years 11 and 12 based in the UK. They will enter as a team (3 to 5 students max). We especially welcome entries from UK state schools and those from disadvantaged and underrepresented backgrounds.

Each competing student team will be required to:

• Register interest by submitting the online registration form noted above by 8 January 2023
• Submit a project outline by 27 February 2023
• Submit a short paper addressing the problem and evaluating the potential solution/s by 8 May 2023.

The winners will receive a cash prize and will be treated to a stay in a Cambridge College, the Cambridge 'experience' and a day in our department in the West Cambridge Campus!

See the Davidson Inventors Challenge webpage for full details and to register your interest by 8 January 2023.