Year 9 STEM club students today competed in an Inter-School Disaster Response Challenge, with the possibility of winning up to £100 for their STEM club activities.
The event, held at The University of Hull, included competition from other schools in Hull, East Riding and Lincolnshire and lasted half a day.
Students had just over two hours to complete four challenges that, together, form a strategic response to the occurrence of a natural disaster.
Ten Malet Lambert students were split into two teams - one had to respond to an earthquake, and one to a volcanic eruption.
Both teams had to complete four challenges, formulated with the assistance of the Royal Academy of Engineering - organising a short term base camp for survivors with toilets and tents, designing an effective shelter and working out which covering would hold the most heat in a cold climate, storing and carrying water to provide a medium term supply of water for survivors, and the most efficient way to purify pond water using solar disinfection (SODIS).
Year 9 student Ben found it harder than he expected.
He said, "I thought some of the tasks may be a bit challenging but they’ve actually been quite hard, especially the maths activities.
"When designing the layout of the camp we had to think about lots of different factors like where to put paths and toilets, which meant it wasn't that straightforward.
"We've tried out some new things today too, like purifying water with UV beads which has been lots of fun.
"Hopefully our teams will have a good chance of winning, but even if we don't, it's been a great activity."
Science teacher Mrs Myers knows the students will have gained some key practical experience during today’s visit.
She said, “As a STEM subject teacher, I feel this activity has enabled our students to use and develop vital life skills such as problem solving, time management, working under pressure, resilience and collaboration.
“Pupils have seen many practical applications of this subject in the real world and this will hopefully inspire them to take on these invaluable subjects in the future.”
Students will find out later in the week how well they have done in the competition and if they are one of the top three winners.