Somersfield Students Take Innovations to Canada Contest

Photo supplied by DCInnovators: Public Safety Minister Michael Dunkley, Mark Brown and the Somersfield Academy students.

December 06, 2013 — Somersfield Academy students will showcase their talents and innovation at a science competition in Canada tomorrow.

Eight students enrolled in the school’s Robotics Programme in classes ranging from P6 to M3 are competing in the first Lego League Challenge at Bishop Strachan School in Toronto.

They will be competing against 20 teams from the Ontario region.

This year’s competition, entitled Nature’s Fury, challenged students to find solutions to potential crises arising from natural events.

The Somersfield team focused on hurricanes and Bermuda’s food security/food supply. Their creations included a robotic mechanism which aids in the transfer of food supplies should Bermuda’s ports be cut off due to a hurricane, as well as an emergency non-perishable food source in the event that Bermuda’s food stocks ran low.

Their entry drew commendation from Public Safety Minister Michael Dunkley.

“Their creations are innovative and very forward thinking and I was extremely impressed with the attention to detail these students exhibited with this project,” he said.

“But what truly blew me away was their ability to articulate some very intricate scientific and logistical knowledge about what their creations were designed to do and how they would benefit the Island and our residents.

“As Chairman of the Emergency Measures Organisation, I shared with them our preparedness protocols and how the EMO considers every eventuality of Bermuda’s needs in advance of a hurricane. I explained to them that we sit down each year and take a look at what could happen and we try and assess any issue we might have on how a hurricane or other disaster could affect our sea ports or airport.

“I also pointed out that based on our evaluations, we believe that we have the right infrastructure in place to get our sea ports and airport up and running swiftly following any potential disaster. However, we can always look at ways to improve on our existing emergency protocols and I certainly appreciated the Somersfield Academy’s students’ contribution,” he added.

The group is due to leave today and will be accompanied by Mark Brown, the school’s Director of Innovations.

Originally published in The Royal Gazette