The Ocean Health Challenge arrives at a crucial moment. Coinciding with COP29, Green Careers Week and National Engineering Day, it invites students aged 11-18 to engineer a solution to prevent plastic pollution from entering the ocean.
Led by prominent UCL academics and broadcasters Dr. Helen Czerski (above), Dr. Zoe Laughlin and Dr. Fiona Truscott, the challenge is CREST-accredited and offers the flexibility to explore various aspects of the problem through subjects ranging from science, computing and maths, to geography, citizenship, design technology and art. Moreover, all of the lesson plans and learning resources are fully adaptable meaning the challenge is ideally suited to be run during lesson time, as well as in clubs and societies, or dropdown and whole-school activity days. By taking part in the challenge students are empowered to design any type of solution, whether it’s a physical device, a digital innovation, or a behaviour change initiative.
Running until the 30th November this year, there is plenty of time to participate via a very simple registration process. Part of UCL’s Festival of Engineering, the challenge aims to inspire thousands of students to take action and make meaningful change. Furthermore, there is a generous prize fund worth over £7,000, including a grand prize for the overall winning entry worth £2500, of which a cash prize of £2000 goes directly to the school and a £500 voucher to the student.
Cultivating change-makers
With marine scientists estimating over 170 trillion pieces of plastic currently floating in our oceans, a figure projected to triple by 2040 without intervention, the challenge could not be more timely. “Some clever thinking to change how we do things here on land could make a huge difference to the ocean’s future,” explains Dr. Czerski.
Dr. Lauglin, Director of the UCL Institute of Making, agrees: “I encourage students to unleash their creativity, whether that leads to physical solutions or campaigns for behavioural change, it’s urgent that we address these environmental issues. The health of our planet and the quality of human life depend on the creativity, pragmatism, and persistence of this generation.”
Through documentary-level videos, Dr. Helen Czerski encourages students to question the way society consumes materials and highlights the critical importance of protecting our oceans. Dr. Zoe Laughlin explores the science of materials and how we make things including cutting-edge alternatives to plastic. Whilst Dr. Fiona Truscott takes students through what it means to be a responsible engineer, guiding them through understanding the problem, designing solutions, and presenting a compelling pitch.
This approach is one that Dr. Truscott feels passionately about and remarks: “We are excited to engage young minds across the UK in tackling the critical issue of ocean plastic pollution through engineering innovation. This challenge not only celebrates our rich history of engineering education at UCL but also empowers the next generation to contribute to sustainable solutions for our planet.”
Connecting curriculum to careers
The challenge provides comprehensive, curriculum-linked resources developed by leading UCL academics and engineering professionals. These free materials help schools deliver on multiple Gatsby Benchmarks while bringing engineering careers to life through practical sustainability challenges.
Key features include:
- Free, comprehensive teaching resources and full lesson plans
- Flexible delivery options
- Real-world case studies from marine and environmental engineers
- Hands-on design challenges tackling ocean pollution
- Expert teaching from UCL engineering researchers
- Clear links between classroom learning and engineering careers
- Meets multiple Gatsby Benchmarks, CREST-accredited, and exciting prizes
As Green Careers Week approaches, the Ocean Health Challenge shows students that engineering when undertaken responsibly and thoughtfully, can help to solve the biggest challenges facing the planet.
Case study: Beaumont School, St. Albans
Since launching, over 600 teachers have already registered their schools for the challenge and many have started running activities with their students. One of the first to do so was Trudie Gorham, a science teacher and sustainability lead at Beaumont School in Hertfordshire.
As part of her school’s Sustainability Club, Trudie has been guiding Year 7 to Year 13 students through the challenge. “They are young people passionate about the environment and making positive change, and when I told them about the competition, they were immediately discussing ideas,” explains Trudie.
She continues, “so far it’s been great to see how UCL has incorporated engineering, science and product design into such an important global issue. The resources are excellent, and I like how we can edit them to fit our own situation. I hope it will inspire our young people to think more about STEAM careers, and I can’t wait to see their final designs!”
Getting involved
For further details, terms and conditions and to register for the challenge, please visit UCL Ocean Health Challenge.
Join the conversation and follow competition updates using #OceanHealthChallenge on social media.
Please note: the competitive aspect of the challenge and prizes are only available to state-maintained secondary schools and colleges. Schools that do not meet this criteria are still welcome to use the resources to inspire engineering within their own setting.
Featured image credit: Dr. Helen Czerski by Emma Gibson
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