School students to engineer solutions to marine plastic pollution

More than 170 trillion pieces of plastic are estimated to be floating in the world’s oceans, which could nearly triple by 2040 if no action is taken.

The UCL Ocean Health Challenge, developed by UCL Faculty of Engineering, will help pupils to design innovative solutions to prevent plastic pollution from getting into the ocean in the first place.

The competition will run from 7 October to 30 November 2024. There is a prize fund worth over £7,000, including a grand prize for the overall winning entry worth £2500, of which a prize worth £500 goes directly to the student in the form of a love2shop voucher. The winners will be selected and announced in March 2025.

Almost 600 schools have registered, which is around one in seven secondary schools in the UK.

The challenge will be led by UCL academics Dr Fiona Truscott, Dr Helen Czerski, and Dr Zoe Laughlin, who will guide students through the engineering design process, introducing them to the issue of marine plastic pollution and the science of materials along the way. Their combined expertise will help participants to develop creative, effective solutions to one of the most pressing environmental issues of our time.

Dr Czerski, Associate Professor in UCL Mechanical Engineering, said: “The ocean is the beating heart of planet Earth. Even though many of us don’t see it on a daily basis, the ocean directly affects all our lives, and our society is certainly affecting the ocean, mostly negatively. We must do better, and the good news is that there’s loads we can do. Some clever thinking to change how we do things here on land could make a huge difference to the ocean’s future.”

The Challenge will take a student up to ten hours to complete and UCL has developed high-quality learning resources and lesson plans to help schools take part. The challenge offers the flexibility to explore various aspects of the problem through subjects such as science, geography, citizenship or art. Students are then empowered to design any type of solution, whether it's a physical invention, a digital innovation, or a behaviour change initiative.

Dr Lauglin, Director of the UCL Institute of Making, said: “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."

Schools and students, aged 11 to 18, interested in participating can find more information and register their interest on the Ocean Health Challenge website.

Dr Truscott, Associate Professor in UCL Engineering, said: "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."

Links

• Dr Zoe Laughlin profile
• Dr Fiona Truscott's academic profile
• Dr Helen Czerski's academic profile
• UCL Mechanical Engineering
• UCL Institute of Making
• UCL Faculty of Engineering

Image

• . Dr Zoe Laughlin. Credit: UCL. 

Media contact 

Dr Matt Midgley

E: m.midgley [at] ucl.ac.uk