This is Derbyshire --More than 1,500 budding young scientists and engineers visited The Roundhouse to take part in the city's first-ever Big Bang East Midlands event. Zena Hawley reports.
TESTING the purity of paracetamol and turning plastic into ethanol are just a couple of the projects being tackled by science pupils from city schools.
Dozens of them took their prototypes and experiments to the Big Bang East Midlands festival, hoping to catch the eye of the judges.
While they were at The Roundhouse, along with dozens more youngsters, they had the chance to meet a large array of organisations and businesses for whom having qualifications in science, technology, engineering and maths are a must.
The four subjects are known as STEM subjects and there is currently a big drive to make 11-to-14-year-olds more aware of the benefits of careers available, which Big Bang East Midlands promotes.
David Ault, event director, said he was delighted by the numbers and the enthusiasm of young people at the festival.
He said: "Schools came from across the East Midlands and dozens of companies have taken time out to set up their stands to encourage them that science and technology is the way to go.
"This is our first time in Derby. Last year the festival was in Nottingham and so I am hoping that we will be here in the city again next year."
Echoing that sentiment was Catherine Williams, economic regeneration officer with Derby City Council, which is supporting the festival.
She said: "It's a fantastic event and I'm very impressed with the way everyone is working together to bring science and technology to the fore.
"We have a wealth of great companies in the Derby area, such as Rolls-Royce, and a series of small-to-medium-sized businesses which act as their supply chain. This is a massive chance for young people to see the breadth of careers that are available, which they might not hear about in the classroom."
Judges had their work cut out assessing the vast array of project work presented by more than 30 schools.
Gabbi Parker, 15, was one of several pupils from Lees Brook Community School, Chaddesden, testing the purity of pain-killer paracetamol.
She said: "By testing the melting point, it is possible to see how pure the paracetamol is and if we were capable of making something that matches the level of purity found in shop-bought products.
"We actually found that we could almost replicate the melting point of a proprietary brand but actually that the shop product was not as pure as it should have been either.
"We have been doing our work during an after-school science club, which means we can do experiments we would never do in class."
Science teacher Adam Rayson, from William Allitt School, Newhall, took along 18 projects to the competition.
Last year, two pupils from the school won through the regional competition and took part in the national final in London.
Although they did not win, one was invited to take part in another competition and the other to a tour of Shell in the Netherlands.
Mr Rayson said: "I am hoping that at least one of our projects will make it to the national final again.
"We all met up at school to go to the festival at 7am and everyone was very enthusiastic, which is brilliant.
"Our projects include hairspray studies, a wind tunnel, materials, sunscreen, enzymes and honey."
William Allitt pupil Abigail Carter, 14, said: "Mr Rayson is very enthusiastic about science and so it's easy to be enthusiastic in return.
"It's quite hard work after school but very interesting."
About 72% of all UK businesses rely on people with STEM skills and 58% of all new jobs will be STEM-related.
Employers in the chemicals, pharmaceuticals and energy industries have identified a shortfall of 40,000 technicians and operators by 2022.
This means that the number of people studying for degrees in science, technology and engineering must increase by more than 40% on current levels if demand is to be met.
Well on their way to proving they have what it takes to become involved in the technological world are five pupils in a team from Landau Forte College, Derby, who have been busy recycling plastic to produce ethanol for use as a motor fuel. Landau pupil Philip Hutchinson, 14, said: "This is an original idea and we were able to travel to Paris last week to try to fine-tune it thanks to an award we had won previously.
"This is an idea that could be used by homeowners, schools or hospitals to utilise any kind of waste plastic and create a viable alternative.
"We have developed a machine that is washing machine-size so it would not be out of place anywhere.
"Now we are trying to find an investor, who is willing to back the project to take it to the commercial level."
In the main Roundhouse building, a series of workshops took place, including a CSI forensic science crime investigation session.
More than 40 pupils from Murray Park School, Mickleover were at the festival and three of them watched the forensic display.
Sophie Buxton and Holly Sandall, both aged 13, and Laura Hurst, 12, were impressed by the fingerprinting techniques that were being used.
Holly said: "It was just like watching forensic programmes on television.
"We all had our fingerprints taken and it was great."
The top performing Derbyshire school was William Allitt School, which took the prize for enthusiasm with its project on honey, while Burton and South Derbyshire College received the best newcomer award.
Other winning schools were: John Cleveland College, Uppingham Community College, Stamford School, Nottingham High School and Nottingham Community College. Reported by This is 2 hours ago.