Rolls-Royce Science Camp 2022 held in hybrid format for the first time

Rolls-Royce Japan held the Rolls-Royce Science Camp 2022* from 18-19 August. Under the banner of “Challenging Pioneers of Power“, 46 teams 258 students from 40 high schools across Japan participated in Rolls-Royce’s fifth science camp which saw students taking part in an online qualifying stage before the final competition.

In the pre-qualifying stage consultation, held in April, high school teams were able to connect online with Rolls-Royce engineers to receive technical advice on developing a fast and energy efficient hovercraft design. In the qualifying stage in May, the high school teams presented videos of their hovercrafts, while learning from the unique designs of each team, and judges then selected the top five schools to take part in the final competition which was held on August 18-19.

The final competition, held at venture incubator Center of Garage in Tokyo, saw students work on their hovercraft designs further with the help of engineers from Rolls-Royce, All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines (JAL). Finally, teams presented their final designs, including a flying demonstration of their hovercrafts, to a judging panel including judges also from ANA and JAL, after which the winning team was decided. On the second day, high school teams visited JAL’s Sky Museum and hangar in Haneda International Airport and had the chance to see actual engines. Thanks to the significant support from ANA and JAL, we were able to make this year’s programme even more meaningful.

This Science Camp was implemented as part of Rolls-Royce’s efforts into STEM education to nurture the next generation of scientists and engineers. The company is conducting STEM outreach activities at its locations around the world to inspire up to 25 million young people to take an interest in science and technology by 2030. In Japan, Rolls-Royce has been holding Science Camps for junior high and high school students since 2017.

“After successfully holding the first ever completely online Science Camp last year, we realized that we could reach many more talented students around Japan by utilizing the internet,” said Susumu Kaminaga, President and Representative Director of Rolls-Royce Japan. “This year we held the camp in a hybrid format, allowing us to welcome the most participants in the history of the initiative, thanks also in part to collaboration from ANA and JAL, our valued partners. Rolls-Royce is committed to achieving Net-Zero by 2050. A big part our efforts is using current leading-edge Rolls-Royce technology to reduce emissions but of equal importance is fostering the next generation of STEM professionals who will surely go on to innovate in ways that we cannot even imagine now and create a Net-Zero future.” 

*”Rolls-Royce Science Camp 2022″ is a science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education program for middle and high school students. The camp was run by Leave a Nest Ltd., a company with an excellent track record in running educational programs and was supported by Rolls-Royce employees.

Source (Japanese): https://www.rolls-royce.com/country-sites/japan/discover/2022/rr-science-camp-2022.aspx