Pupils from Portlethen Academy have won first prize for their submission on the energy transition at the final of TechFest’s STEM in the Pipeline - Energising the Transition competition.

The popular industry challenge, sponsored by OGA, Harbour Energy and bp, returned with a focus on renewable energy and carbon neutral solutions, reflecting changes in the sector. 

Designed in collaboration with industry professionals to replicate a real-life scenario, teams of S5 and S6 pupils from Aberdeen Grammar School, Banchory Academy, Cults Academy and Portlethen Academy all took part in the project. 

The teams gathered online for the final with the panel of judges choosing the team from Portlethen – made up of S6 pupils Ford Cadman, Peter Collinson, Euan Russell and Cameron Cowell – as the overall winners.

Pupils were tasked to work together to decide how to extract oil and gas from the freshly discovered STEM Oil Field while considering how to reduce GHG emissions from their facility.

They identified how to make a profit while bearing the environment in mind as they developed their solutions. 

Working closely with industry mentors, each team delivered two outcomes as part of the project, a written report detailing research, plans and a solution followed by presenting their findings to a panel of judges, using visual aids to demonstrate their work. 

Portlethen Academy pupil, Cameron Cowell said: 
“Taking part in the project has given us a detailed picture of the energy industry across employment opportunities, innovation, developments and an overview of the transition to work towards net zero. 

“Although we faced challenges throughout the project, we worked as a team to delegate tasks and develop a timely schedule that gave us plenty time to produce and write up a field development plan for the judges to assess. 

“Through this, we were really able to develop our teamwork and problem-solving skills and I’d strongly advise other students to take part in this project in upcoming years if given the opportunity. 

“It’s been a great experience for us and we’re so happy to have won the competition! We would all like to thank the TechFest team and our team mentor for all their hard work and support during the project.” 

Digital resources were available on YouTube for teams to refer to and ranged from a competition briefing to various topical videos educating students on industry techniques such as geoscience, process engineering, reservoir engineering and finance. 

Dr Martha Gavan, education manager at TechFest said: 
“The quality of submissions at this years final were extremely impressive and it was great to see such good communication and teamwork skills from all involved. 

“School pupils have a real talent for identifying new ways of doing things or coming up with alternative solutions that really gets the judges thinking. 

“This challenge is an extracurricular aid to inspire pupils into the field of STEM but it also educates industry professionals and encourages them to think of other ways of working. 

“We can learn so much from students and projects like STEM in the Pipeline- Energising the Transition provides them with a platform to share ideas, get creative and boost their confidence all while opening more doors for them as they investigate higher education or employment opportunities. 

“Congratulations to Portlethen Academy for the winning submission, and a huge well done to everyone who took part in the challenge.” 

Each member of the winning team received a £30 Amazon voucher. 
 
The competition raised awareness of future careers in the sector, bridging the knowledge gap between education and the world of work and worked to inspire the next generation to lead the energy industry and pave the way to Net Zero. 

TechFest is an Aberdeen-based charity which aims to engage young people in the four main STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and encourage them to go on to follow a career which utilises these skills by demonstrating that they are both fun and relevant in day to day life.

KeyFacts Energy: Oil & Gas Authority