Four outstanding students from Comet Bay College Gifted and Talented Pathway have again wowed the judges at the National Final for the Subs in Schools Competition. Team Alia Astra, consisting of Team Manager and Construction Engineer Mari Conradie, Design Engineer Lachlan Stephen, Graphics and Media Manager Connor Siekman and Marketing Manager Aidan Blanchard have succeeded in placing second in the Australian finals.
The competition, organised by Re-engineering Australia and supported by the School Pathways Program, provides school teams with the opportunity to learn engineering skills, utilise CAD design programs and collaborate with industry partners to design and build an original, fully operational underwater ROV.
The School Pathway Program has successfully supported student STEM pathways to careers in Defence Industries since 2010. This program is funded through a national partnership between the Department of Defence and WA Education Department and has supported the involvement of teams in Australia’s Subs In Schools Technology Challenge.
Students entering the challenge were required to work as a team to create a team image and market their product and ideas. Collaboration with members of the engineering community was essential for the completion of the task and students were judged on their engineering skills, ability to create innovative ideas and problem solve, branding and marketing of their product, presentation skills and operation of the ROV in sea trials.
Along with second place, these students were successful in winning the Best Managed Enterprise and Best Team Portfolio. This is a fantastic achievement for Comet Bay College’s first time competing. The four students are already planning for next year’s event.