Whitby Youngsters Impress Once Again in the SyntheSys’ Sponsored STEM Challenge

We believe that inspiring young talent to engage with Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines is vital in ensuring that high-growth markets secure the right skills and competencies to drive future innovation.  These fields are the key building blocks to securing Britain’s future thriving economy and place in vital global markets.

Once again, SyntheSys is thrilled to have sponsored the annual STEM Challenge, which aims to give talented youngsters from Caedmon College the opportunity to impress by putting contemporary challenges and themes in the spotlight.  The challenge tasks students with researching their chosen subject to produce an informative paper on key findings, which they then deliver as a presentation to a panel of internal and external judges.

Our congratulations go out to all students who participated in the challenge, including winners as follows:

Key Stage 4:

• Rebecca Morgan:  Humans Need Not Apply - The Future of Automation
• Alexander Harrison Gaze:  Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Automation

Key Stage 3:

• Conner Betts, Josh Harland, Alex Young:  Marine Energy
• Josh Trowsdale, Liam Hutchinson, Jake Stephenson:  Black Holes
• Neve Barnard:  Dark Matter
• Charlotte Crossland:  Cryptography

Winners received Amazon vouchers which were presented to Key Stage 3 winners at a ‘celebration of learning’ assembly. Alexander and Rebecca visited the SyntheSys head office at St Hilda's Business Centre to deliver their presentations to SyntheSys HQ staff.

SyntheSys’ Managing Director and STEM Challenge judge, Dr John Hartas, said: ‘‘This challenge is no mean feat, which is why I have been blown away by the standard of submissions.  Students with ages from 13-15 deal with complex subjects that can be difficult for even adults to comprehend.   Whilst this challenge was originally designed to inspire students, it’s had the unforeseen impact of inspiring and educating myself, my team and teachers also.’’

Mrs Kirsty Brown, Head of Business Studies at the college added ‘'The challenge has proven to be a great way to inspire students to take responsibility for their learning. It ignited a passion within the students that diverted them from academic pressures, and resulted in some excellent pieces of work from all entries’’

For more information contact info@synthesys.co.uk

SyntheSys’ Flying the ‘STEM’ Flag by Sponsoring the ‘S Prize’

It’s no secret that Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects provide the foundations of future innovation.  Engaging young people to become inspired by these subjects and developing the talents that are needed, are a key to ensuring a thriving knowledge-based economy as part of our country’s place in future, global markets.

SyntheSys has been playing its part in contributing to STEM initiatives with the Whitby-based firms’ Managing Director, John Hartas, recently getting involved in a dynamic initiative at a local school.

John, who is a STEM Ambassador (www.stem.org.uk), was thrilled to initiate Caedmon College’s ‘S Prize’.  Youngsters from the college battled for the prize, amazing everyone with their extensive knowledge of subjects ranging from how plastic in the ocean affects marine life, to mysterious Dark Matter.

John said: “The submissions we received were as documents, PowerPoint presentations, a model of a volcano (that actually erupted), and a computer game.  All the submissions were of a really high standard and the judges were greatly impressed.”

The winner of the Key Stage 3 prize was a joint team formed by Joshua Harland and Connor Betts. Their submission was on the Life Cycle of a Star and included a computer game they invented.

The Key Stage 4 prize went to Rebecca Morgan for her submission in the style of a scientific paper on Dark Matter.  Rebecca said her project overall was based on the questions and confusion about Dark Matter which, in her opinion, is one of the biggest mysteries in any modern day scientific field.  She said: “I was inspired to write about this topic as no one truly knows what Dark Matter is yet, so I decided that since it is going to be one of the most talked about topics in science for many decades to come, I would want to be informed of potentially one of the biggest scientific breakthroughs of the century.”  

The prize for Key Stage 5 was won by Emma Sharpe for her submission on the effects of plastic pollution on our oceans.  Emma said that taking part in this project had inspired her to be more conscientious about recycling, and in future, she hopes to take part in activities such as beach cleans in order to help keep our oceans free of plastic.

It is now hoped that the awards will become an annual event. 

SyntheSys Commended whilst Supporting the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) United Kingdom (UK) Interoperability (IO) Trials Programme

Our clients come to us because we enable them to solve common testing challenges in a cost effective way.  The UK MoD is the latest customer to benefit from our unrivalled IO test facility.  The F-35 Lightning II JSF recently participated in the UK IO Trials Programme Event 6, part of an ongoing series of IO test events, designed to test the F-35 mission system tactical data IO with other UK platforms.  The UK IO Trials Programme uses a realistic simulation environment to connect UK Operational Facilities (OPFAC) over a secure wide area network.

In a simulated amphibious operations scenario, UK and US Navy pilots operated the F-35 mission system using Lockheed-built desktop simulators at BAE Systems’ UK Samlesbury site.

This event benefited from upgraded briefing/debriefing facilities at Samlesbury, which made for a more interactive and engaging test event, as evidenced by the comments and feedback received from the MoD customers and stakeholders:

“We very much appreciated the insight to the conduct of the experimentation and we were very impressed at the expansion and enhancements to your facility.”

“Through the event we are starting to see the advantages of digital control (C2)…….. We now need to grip Link 16 capability and push digital control forward.”

“The UK IO Trials Programme is delivering tangible and significant results…….. The Phase 1 Findings report has been well received in MoD and is extremely valuable.”

“The RNAS Culdrose Station Commander was mightily impressed with what he saw (from the Sea King lab) and …………plans to attend the next event.”

The scenario saw the F-35 successfully connected with the Sea King Airborne Surveillance and Control (SKASaC) helicopter OPFAC at Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) Culdrose and the Type 45 Daring-class destroyer OPFAC at Portsdown Technology Park (PTP).  SyntheSys was responsible for establishing and maintaining the data exchange mechanism used in support of the SKASaC and Type 45 participation.

A total of three UK sites were networked together with exchange of Tactical Data between the participating platforms achieved by emulating Tactical Data exchange equipment and mechanisms.  The SKASaC and Type 45 OPFACs used the UK Multi-Link Test Facility (MLTF) equipment that enables tactical data exchange between real platform equipment, including Link 16 and radar scenario data, and the other platform desktop simulators.

SyntheSys provides the MLTF capability to the UK MoD, operating and supporting it for all Tactical Data Interoperability testing needs.  Use of the MLTF equipment in this event supports the UK MoD’s verification programme for ensuring the F-35 is interoperable with the existing and future UK inventory.

Connecting the F-35 facility at BAES Samlesbury to other UK platforms using real Tactical Data exchange equipment and MLTF, for example the UK Sentry E-3D and Sentinel aircraft, allows validation of the F-35 IO capability.  In addition, it could also support the reverse principle of confirming the IO of other coalition partner platforms, potentially from all over the world, with the F-35.

For more information about our Testing Services, download the information sheet [here].