Young, aspiring naval engineers are being challenged to design a disaster relief ship.
The Royal Navy has teamed up with the UK Naval Engineering Science and Technology (UKNest) to encourage schoolchildren to use their imagination and get inventive.
The National Engineering Competition is calling on youngsters to design a ship that could quickly get to the site of a natural disaster and provide adequate assistance.
Entries should think about problems that arise in a natural disaster and the key features a vessel might need to help – with ingenuity and creativity encouraged.
Captain Matt Bolton Royal Navy said: “In providing a global presence, the Royal Navy is frequently called upon to help people and their communities in the face of natural disasters by providing humanitarian aid and assistance.
“Our ships and sailors are always well prepared and trained for any such unexpected eventuality, but our ships are not necessarily designed for this specific role.
"The task we have set our young naval engineers this year is to design such a vessel, taking into account the dangers they may face and the help they need to provide.
“It is a difficult, real-world problem and I am sure we will see a breadth of imaginative, innovative and creative ideas.”
The competition, which is part of the continuing commitment to the government’s Engineering: Take a Closer Look campaign, is for pupils in Years 1 to 11.
Its aim is to encourage an interest in engineering and demonstrate how engineering shapes everyday life and its importance to the naval service.
Youngsters should submit their design on an A3 PDF poster, highlighting the key design features of their ship, with a short report (maximum two A4 pages) explaining the development and reasoning for their ideas.
Each entry will be judged by a panel of experts with the best three in each age category, Years 1 to 6 and Years 7 to 11, winning an iPad for their school or youth group.
The deadline for entries is December 1, 2019. Visit uknest.org to enter.
