DRAX’S RECYCLED ROBOTS CHALLENGE

Pupils in Key Stage 2 have built their own robots from recycled materials as part of an initiative developed by Drax to boost STEM education and skills.

Students aged between seven and eleven, were provided with individual activity boxes containing a range of learning materials, games and resources they will need to build their robots, the focus of which is on recycling and
forms part of their school curriculum.

The robots are made from recyclable materials that can be found around the house such as bottles, tin cans and cardboard and have been designed to carry out recycling tasks such as having magnetic hands to pick up metal, or built-in compartments to store paper.

To launch the project, students received a presentation from the Drax Community and Education team on recycling and the role everyone plays ensuring the correct waste items enter recycling schemes.

The Drax team then returned a few weeks later to see the results and judge the best robots. The four pupils with the best robots were given lego sets and the school was awarded £250 to purchase STEM resources.

Drax Community and Education Manager, Jane Breach, said: “By providing schools with these resources we hope to further students’ understanding of the importance of recycling and hopefully fire up their imaginations and inspire them to study STEM subjects by showing them the wide range of career options that are available.”

Miss Wynn said: “Creating their amazing robots really sparked the children’s enthusiasm for STEM and drew their focus to the importance of recycling. Activities like these are so important as it brings the subject to life and encourages students to start thinking about careers they might enjoy in the future.”

Drax has a long tradition of supporting our education and helping to inspire the next generation of engineers by encouraging interest in STEM subjects. The renewable energy company offers a number of other initiatives to support STEM education and skills including offering power station tours, interactive workshops and work experience opportunities. We are so lucki