Martlesham Green Tech Fest and Bury St Edmunds West Suffolk College competition inspires students

A campaign aimed at encouraging more females to consider careers in green technology has been hailed a success.

Following two Green Tech Fest events at Adastral Park, in Martlesham, the final stage saw an event involving more than 100 secondary school students, mainly female, taking part in a competition.

It was held at the University Professional Development Centre, part of West Suffolk College, in Western Way, Bury St Edmunds.

The programme of events was set up thanks to a link between BT, Eastern Education Group, Babergh and Mid Suffolk district councils, STEM learning and IT company n2s.

The final challenge asked students to come up with solutions to ‘real life problems’ relating to green technology in either an urban development or the agricultural sector.

Some of their ideas included automated delivery drones powered by hydrogen, an ‘electropad’ for pavements that generates electricity as people walk, and an automated robot to clean streets.

Vouchers totalling £1,000 to support technology clubs in schools were then distributed to all the schools which participated.

n2s, a Bury-based IT waste lifecycle management company, also donated three recycled copper bottles to students for innovation and teamwork.

All competitors received a CREST discovery award certificate from the British Science Association.

The idea of the campaign was to shine a light on the opportunities technology roles offer in relation to sustainability, while encouraging more girls to consider careers in the field.

Nina Hart, sustainability lead for Eastern Education Group, said: “This series of events and this project will hopefully create a legacy that increases female participation in this sector.

“Feedback suggests it has been a huge success.”