The British International Education Association (BIEA) welcomed a royal visit from the Duchess of Cornwall on 19th February at its head office at the Granville Centre in London. Despite the heavy rain, Camila, 72 appeared in high spirit as she toured the Centre speaking to staff working on a number of community and education projects.

Nikki Collins, CEO of BIEA gave an introduction to the Duchess about the BIEA’s International STEM Youth Innovation Competition, whose 2020 theme encompasses the plastic pollution problem. The competition officially launched at the Royal Institution last month, it engages young STEM students (aged 9 – 21） in technological innovation and how it can be used to clear detrimental plastic waste from our rivers and oceans. Teams from 47 countries and regions are taking part, including UK, USA, Australia, China, Finland, Mexico, Pakistan, UAE, India, Malaysia, Nigeria, Poland and others. The grand international final will take place in London on 1st & 2nd of July with spontaneous litter clean up along the Thames riverbanks.

The Duchess was very impressed by the international reach of the competition. She also congratulated the BIEA team’s artistical efforts. A giant marine sculpture created from recycled plastic bottles was the centrepiece in the gallery providing a visual reminder of the issues of plastic waste. The Duchess revealed that both she and Prince Charles support the fight against plastic pollution, it’s a cause close to their hearts. Her visit also coincided with the day when Prince Charles made an impassioned speech on plastic waste 50 years ago.

The Duchess accepted a gift of metal straws from Christy Ho (aged 9), a pupil from Twyford School, Winchester who is taking part in the 2020 competition with an all-girls team.

It’s estimated that the UK fast food industry alone used nearly billion plastic straws a year and they’re one of the top five most common forms of rubbish picked up from coastlines. Due to their small size, plastic straws are not recycled and end up in landfill and often in the ocean.

15 Jan 2020 (London, UK) – The British International Education Association (BIEA) brought together experts in plastic recycling, coastal marine science and waterway conservation to discuss the issue of plastic pollution at a half-day conference at London’s Royal Institution.  

An international audience made up of STEM experts, industry professionals, representatives from the Chinese and Polish embassies in London and numerous educators from the UK, China, Venezuela and Nigeria listened to presentations and a discussion about the issue of plastic pollution, and how a STEM education can help young scientists become part of the solution.

A giant marine animal made out of clear plastic bottles provided a visual reminder of the issue of plastic waste, and was the centrepiece for the launching of the BIEA’s international STEM Youth Innovation Competition [hyperlink: https://bieacompetition.org.uk.]  Student teams are invited to research, write a report and design a solution to ‘Save our shores from plastic waste through STEM,’ with finalists moving on final rounds in June/July 2020. Open to anyone between the ages of 9 and 21 years old, the winning teams from 9-17 age group will take cash prizes to contribute to their school STEM labs, and the 18-21 age group from universities will take part in the ‘University Challenge’ and become youth STEM ambassadors. 

Last year’s competition asked young people aged between 9 and 17 to think about how drones could help conserve an endangered animal species. The competition reached schools in 34 countries and teams from 18 different countries make it to the final in theUK to present their ideas. This year the BIEA anticipate even larger participation as they have extended the age range to include college and university entries.   

Anna and Daisy, now Y11s from team ‘Burnkool’ at Kent College in the UK explained how the competition helped them ‘develop our ability to work as a team, as well as raise our awareness of current global issues. We learned new skills and how to overcome challenges with our design. We got to experience new innovative technology and were able to apply it to real-life scenarios. The fact that what we were doing could really help in the future was a strong motivation to give our all to the project, which really helped us to progress as a group.’ Their teacher Head of Design & Technology Mike Cloke says,‘it was fantastic to have so many students from different subject areas pooling thoughts. The two teams that made it through to the finals in London had an amazing day; they were pushed out of their comfort zones, had their efforts celebrated, rode a boat along the Thames and slept for the entire journey back to Canterbury – perfect!’

BIEA’s STEM Chairman David Hanson, who made his own radio as a youngster says the competition aims to capture the imagination and interest of young people, highlighting STEM as a force for good. Young scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians can think outside the box and invent extraordinary solutions to the global problem of plastic pollution.

Mechanical Engineer Manu Mulakkal from Imperial College, London talked about the challenges of recycling multi-layered packaging. The production of PET (Polyethylene terephthalate)has almost doubled since 2014 and despite improvements in mechanical and chemical recycling methods much more needs to be done to create plastics or packaging that can be more easily recycled as well as increase demand for recycled materials. Since the 5p plastic bag charge was introduced in England in 2015 their use has gone down by 80%, but the average English household still holds 54 ‘bags for life’, made of much stronger plastic which is more difficult to process. Mulakkal says technology alone cannot solve the problem of plastic pollution; ‘technology, industry, policy and increasing public awareness about recycling and the lifespan of plastic – all play an important role.’

Coastal Marine Scientist Heidi Burdett from Heriot-Watt University introduced us to Maerl, the red seaweed that provides vital shelter for marine creatures in the coastal beds around the UK. Most people are aware of the degradation of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, but largely unaware of the slow-growing reefs threatened by temperature rises in the seas around the British Isles.  A striking graphic created by Ed Hawkins shows how temperatures have increased in the years since 1848 and Burdett explained how the sensitive Maerl reefs are already showing signs of being overtaken by opportunistic species which can survive in warmer waters. She’s already striving to reduce her carbon footprint, and on the topic of plastic pollution points out that, ‘even if we took away all the plastic straws ever made we’d still have climate change’. 

Conference speakers and panelists all emphasised the importance of collaboration if plastic pollution is to be tackled. Waterway charity Thames 21 mobilises volunteers to clean up areas of the London riverbanks. Deputy CEO Chris Coode explained how the disposal of domestic wet wipes is actually changing the shape of the river bed as they get caught up with twigs and branches in the Thames. In one clear-up, locals counted 220 wet wipes in a single square metre of river bed! ‘Clear-up volunteers go on to be ambassadors for the charity, collecting data on smartphones and feeding it back to our organisation. Putting tech in the hands of people is how we can help solve the problem of pollution. After an energetic clear-up, many of our volunteers vowed they’d never use a wet wipe again!’.

In a lively discussion about whether STEM education can save the planet, Imperial College mathematician Lynda White and British Council Science Adviser Adrian Fenton talked about how to engage young people in STEM, promote best practiceand attract the best graduates to teaching STEM subjects. Rick Chandler, who has over thirty years’ board experience in technology in global companies and organisations talked about what employers want in a STEM education and Kelly Smith of the Royal Society stressed the importance of a broad, balanced and connected education system to promote excellence in science. Educator and founder of coding4kids NagashilpaSeethamraju compared the STEM environments in the US and India, and shared her top tips for teams wanting to take part in the BIEA’s international STEM Youth Innovation Competition. She coached two successful teams in last year’s competition and is intending to help over ten teams come up with solutions to this year’s challenge.

The BIEA is delighted to announce that the University of Northampton is on board as a partner for our 2020 STEM conference and competition: STEM (Stop) the Tide of Plastic Pollution. We are proud to join forces with them in our endeavour to quell the growing plastic problem that our oceans face, and to provide a better education to children across the globe.

The university has very generously offered our cause financial, technical, and training support that we believe will help raise our STEM-based ventures to the next level next year and beyond, and will aid the company as a whole to promote ecological values to schools worldwide, as well as a stimulating and streamline education system. We hope to represent a modern concern for the pressing environmental issues our planet faces by incorporating them into our respective learning spheres. We hope to build a close relationship with the university over the coming years, and believe that our work will encourage other universities to follow in this vein; the resources that universities can provide – and the collective knowledge and experience of their teaching staff – will be crucial in inspiring the next generation at our competitions and providing stimulating panel discussion and debates at our conferences.

The university will also assist our competition by offering the teams greater incentives to perform: the members of the winning team, particularly that of the 15-17 age group, will be recognised in some way for their achievement if they were to apply. They will also be in attendance at the international final in July, where they will be watching and supporting the teams, as well as providing career guidance for those members wishing to speak to the representatives present.

This will be a great opportunity for the students to engage with a university adopting a fresh approach to learning; the University of Northampton is a young, ambitious, and prestigious university based in a fast-growing town 60 miles north of London. It has been recognised for its commitment to innovation and social enterprise by being names the UK’s first Changemaker Campus in 2012, an enormous achievement considering the university’s age, and a clear sign of its intentions going forward. We are proud to be partnered with such a committed and ambitious institution, and anticipate a constructive relationship that will help us create a future we want to visit!

The 2019 China International Plastics Recycling Exhibition and the 22nd China Plastics Recycling Conference (ChinaReplas2019) was held this week in Suzhou International Expo Centre on 7th – 8th November. The conference, which brought together over 130 exhibitors, was supported by the China Synthetic Resin Association, China Scrap Plastic Association, and the European Association of Plastics Recycling and Recovery Organisation. Alex Zhang, International Development Director of the British International Education Association (BIEA) was invited to attend and deliver a keynote speech entitled “STEM (Stop) the Tide of Plastic Pollution”, alerting the audience to the theme of BIEA 2020 International STEM Youth Innovation Competition and BIEA 2020 STEM Conference.

In his speech, Alex referred to the technological revolution over a hundred years ago that resulted from the invention of synthetic plastics but he also highlighted how the revolution that was intended to benefit people has triggered today’s environmental disaster. BIEA is committed to encouraging youth to use technology to find solutions to tackle contemporary social and environmental issues and recently announced the theme of the 2020 International STEM Youth Innovation Competition “STEM (Stop) the Tide of Plastic Pollution”. The competition challenges young people to use science and technology to solve the problem of plastic waste in our oceans, in line with the rationale and ethos of “ChinaReplas2019”.

The annual BIEA International STEM Youth Innovation Competition targets young people aged 9-21. Each year the competition has a different theme, which addresses a worldwide environmental or social issue. Competitors are required to use STEM to find solutions, integrating humanity with science and technology. The competition comprehensively trains and enhances STEM skills in young people through technical report writing, oral presentation, technical development, mission execution, evaluation and teamwork.

BIEA and China Synthetic Resin Association, the organiser of ChinaReplas2019 have recently begun a strategic partnership which aims to encourage young people to address the problem of plastic pollution via STEM. The two organisations will work together to promote the BIEA 2020 International STEM Youth Innovation Competition, jointly organising youth activities on the theme of plastics and establishing education exchange platforms and training in the field of plastics for young people, both in China and globally.

China Soong Ching Ling Science and Culture Centre for Young People Joins BIEA in Developing STEM Education across China

British International Education Association (BIEA) is pleased to announce a partnership with Soong Ching Ling Science and Culture Centre for Young People (SCLSCC) on the BIEA 2020 International STEM Youth Innovation Competition.

The competition aims to inspire young people globally to study STEM subjects and consider a career in STEM, engaging them in a global enterprise, which is rooted in equal opportunities and educational development. The theme of the 2020 competition, “STEM the Tide of Plastic Pollution” addresses one of the most urgent environmental issues the world faces today. Challenging young people to utilise science and technology to tackle this problem encourages them to consider ambitious yet realistic approaches to the care and conservation of the planet and empowers them to have a meaningful impact, working towards creating a better future for the world, together.

As BIEA’s strategic competition partner in Mainland China, SCLSCC will deliver a regional model of the international competition across the country, engaging the largest education system in the world, which encompasses around 250 million students in well over 500,000 schools. This means that potentially millions more young people aged 9-21 will have the opportunity to develop their STEM learning and many more transferable skills, while the competition and programme itself expands even further internationally. Competitors in the Mainland China Regional Competition will also have the opportunity to win places in the international competition final, held in the UK in July 2020 and involving teams from around the globe.

At the signing ceremony on Monday, David Hanson, BIEA STEM Chairman shared the vision for the competition with the audience; he is confident that “our chosen topic will not only illustrate the importance of technological innovation when it comes to environmental protection, but also inspire the next generation of STEM graduates to put their minds to solving these pressing world issues.”

BIEA’s mission is to promote British education to emerging international education markets in China, UAE and beyond, working to meet the needs and challenges in international education. BIEA is proud to be working with SCLSCC, an established and esteemed philanthropic organisation that aims to continue the work of Soong Ching Ling, an influential leader and political figure who had, among many other humanitarian pursuits, a life-long and active commitment to the development of education for youth and children.

The competition registration is open to schools across the world!

25 October, Beijing, China. British International Education Association (BIEA) & China Plastics Reuse and Recycling Association (CPRRA) announced joint strategic partnership in the effort of encouraging young people to develop solutions tackling plastic pollution through STEM. An MoU for the partnership was signed by David Hanson, STEM Chairman of BIEA and Ms Nanqing Jiang, Secretary-General of CPRRA.

he BIEA International STEM Youth Innovation Competition is BIEA’s flagship programme designed to encourage students between the age of 9 -21 to pursue study and careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). It presents a unique opportunity to motivate the next generation of leaders who will change the way we explore and connect in the world. One theme is chosen and announced each year (in January) to reflect the pressing issues and challenges in today’s world and how technology could be used in solving these challenges. There are five main components to the competition: report writing, innovation, presentation, Dragon’s Den style pitching and mission execution. With teamwork as the heart of the competition, students are developing critical skills that are essential for the future no matter what career paths they chose to take.

The 2020 competition theme is on the most challenging problem our planet faces today: STEM the Tide of Plastic Pollution.

China Plastics Reuse and Recycling Association (CPRRA) is the largest professional association for the plastic recycling industry in China, representing manufacturers, research institutions and trading companies in the sector. It has made a significant and continuing impact on plastic recycling programmes in China.

China Plastics Reuse and Recycling Association (CPRRA) is the largest professional association for the plastic recycling industry in China, representing manufacturers, research institutions and trading companies in the sector. It has made a significant and continuing impact on plastic recycling programmes in China.

Through the unique BIEA International STEM Competition format, both BIEA and CPRRA will reach more young people to actively participate in solving the global plastic crisis. Joint efforts will be focusing on three initial areas in China:

1. BIEA 2020 competition theme technical support
2. Nationwide events for young people raising awareness and participation in plastics recycling
3. Developing a national information platform and associated educational resources on plastics

On the joint partnership, David said, this is an important milestone in BIEA’s International STEM Competition, with CPRRA, we are bringing STEM education for young people to the forefront of China’s plastic recycling industry. Nanqing who was United Nation’s Environmental Programme National Officer in China for ten years also agreed that the fight against plastic pollution has to be led by the future generation and with BIEA’s expertise in international STEM education, CPRRA is well on track in its mission to inform and educate young people about plastic waste.

The 2020 competition is now open for registration.

Details of competition guideline will be emailed to registered schools on 15th January 2020.

We are delighted to announce the 2020 BIEA competition theme “SOS – Stem (Stop) The Tide of Plastic Pollution.”

As plastic pollution along water- and shorelines is one of the most pressing environmental problems that the world is currently facing, the 2020 BIEA competition will ask teams of school students to come up with innovative solutions. Work in teams and develop your skills in this brand-new challenge which will get you thinking, researching and creating an engineering solution that can be applied to a real-world problem.

Pre-registration is open now and details of the first round (report writing) will be announced in January 2020. Teams who qualify for the finals will be invited to the UK Finals Event to be held in July 2020.

Register here and be kept updated about the 2020 competition.

On 3 September 2019, the British International Education Association was delighted to present the ‘Best Participation Award’ to Team Eagles from CEDEC International Secondary School Nigeria for their impressive effort at the annual BIEA International STEM Youth Innovation Competition. The team missed the grand final due to a string of passport and visa issues, but was determined to make it to London.

In the hour-long session at the historical Royal Air Force (RAF) Museum, 11th Grader Phebe Joshua, Ekene Umegakwe and Abraham Aniekwe gave a presentation of their research project on Conservation of African Wild Dogs in front of BIEA’s STEM Chairman David Hanson, Sarah Castle and Vernon Creek from the RAF Museum and Nigerian High Commissioner His Excellency Ambassador George Adesola Oguntade.

The audience learnt about the conservation challenges facing Africa wild dogs and how the team propose to deal with the issue. Only an estimated 6600 Africa wild dog, including 1400 mature specimens, still exist in the wild in countries like South Africa, Tanzania, Botswana, Chad, Benin, Central Africa Republic and Namibia. The species has already gone extinct in Cameroon, Egypt, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Mauritania, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, and Burundi.

David commented on the young students performance as ‘showing a level of great maturity and consideration to the current ecological issue facing the world’. The High Commissioner was equally impressed and congratulated the team on their achievement, ‘At these young ages, you’ve already mapped a niche for yourself, I have no doubt that you will become celebrities in no distance time.’

The registration is now open for the BIEA 2020 International STEM Youth Innovation Competition. Please sign up on https://bieacompetition.org.uk/register-your-interest/

The BIEA 2019 International STEM Youth Innovation Competition ended at the RAF museum with the finals being held on the 4th of July. Twenty-eight finalists from the UK, USA, India, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Poland and others competed. Embassy officials, STEM experts, educational and industrial representatives witnessed the judging and participated in the awards ceremony.

Professor Claudio Sillero, Chief Scientist of The Born Free Foundation said “This STEM competition with the theme “Fighting Extinction via Drone Technology” has not only won the praise of the guests, teachers and students, but we are even more pleased that the competition has also brought a very positive impact on the global animal protection initiative, encouraging society to use advanced science and technology to protect animals and the earth.”

 Wei Lai from Central St Martins College, who participated in the design of the flying venue at the finals, said “I have participated in many design projects but never in a project like this. It’s fascinating. The biggest difficulty was simulating reality and abiding by the strict material requirements. With the theme being animal protection all material used had to be environmentally friendly. Forest, ocean and desert had to be simulated. Much of the material used was from recycled everyday objects. We also managed to get The National Theatre to rent us life-sized animal models to keep costs down.

It took a year from the competition initiation to the finals in July. All the effort and hard work made the BIEA Youth Innovation Competition a great success in practice and in significance. Whilst emphasising the importance of animal preservation the theme of the competition also signified the potential of technological innovation in helping to achieve such a goal. Schools and children from around the world entered with enthusiasm for utilising STEM and drone technology to save animal species.

Winner of The National Science Teaching Award and chief designer of the competition Dr Alex Holmes said “In this competition the number of rare animals studied is exciting. Many animals selected are related to the regions where the school teams come from which enables us to understand a lot about the animals while also learning about STEM. For example, Coleraine Grammar School has studied the Basking Shark which visits Irish waters but is rarely seen. A team from Sheffield Park Academy chose to help protect the Tasmanian Devil, other teams chose the scorpion, the Red Wolf, Markhors or wild goats, Snow leopards and Red Pandas. The enthusiasm with which the creative animal research and subsequent drone design was carried out deeply touched the hearts of the judges. Species preservation has never been as important as it is at present and it is gratifying that younger generations are confronting this now. All who participated in the competition have made a contribution to working towards confronting this crisis.”

The International STEM Youth Innovation Competition successfully stimulated an interest and enthusiasm amongst the young in using modern technology to help in animal and environmental preservation.

The STEM consultant of the British Council, Adrian Fenton, said of the competition, “This competition brings together teenagers from all over the world to provide them with opportunities to learn STEM skills and exchange ideas, providing them with a platform to benefit humanity and protect animals using technology. I am full of expectations for next year’s competition, which will be more and more exciting!”

On the 4th of July, the six-month long BIEA 2019 International STEM Youth Innovation Competition, held at the London Royal Air Force Museum, came to a close. The intense competition included display demonstration, evaluation and flying. The winners of the grand prize and the champion of the 15-17-year age group were the UWCIM team from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Members of the UWCIM team explained that due to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s previous conflicts, the country is neither developed or rich in educational resources, however, this failed to affect the children’s curiosity and pursuit of knowledge in science and innovation.  The UWCIM team comes from the United World College in Mostar, that like other UWC schools around the world, aims to promote world peace and sustainable development by uniting different countries, people and culture through education. The students of the champion team UWCIM are technological innovation enthusiasts, who not only focus of pursuing STEM subjects, but also word hard to find ways to put their creative ideas into practice.

The STEM education in schools’ help develop students’ passion for science and innovation, and the traumatizing history of Bosnia and Herzegovina has further helped develop this devout respect nature and life. While most of the teams focused their “fighting extinction via drone technology” project on counter-hunting, the UWCIM team added a novel focus on how to solve the problem of Egyptian vultures that feed on animal carcasses, as this poses a threat to ecosystems as well as spreading diseases. In the report and video presentations, the team not only showed a solid technical ability, but also outlined how they would use drones to solve this big issue. In particular, the group explained how the war in Bosnia and Herzegonia had left 80,000 bombs in the mountains that in turn threatening the Egyptian vultures home. It poses great challenges to experts and scholars who protect and study them, and it was easy to see that the UWCIM team truly understands the essence of science and innovation as well as the spirit of humanism.

Despite their captivating performance in the preliminary round, their hardest challenge was yet to come. Because the school had limited funds, it was next to impossible to provide financial help to the UWCIM team in order to participate in the London finals. The cost of the trip to London soon became their biggest problem. The team began writing letters to the school outlining their hard work through reports and videos. Eventually they contacted the sponsors of the school and finally the problem of boarding and lodging in the UK was solved and the school decided to provide transportation subsidy to the team. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the team’s final hurdle. The visa application of the team member Israa Draz was rejected, and the visas of the other three members were delayed. Two weeks before departure, just when everyone thought they would miss the final, two members received their visa. The team was overjoyed and the two students carried the team’s enthusiasm to London.

The UWCIM team was just one of the 28 finalists at the Royal Air Force Museum. The team responded well in all aspects of the competition. Under the precise command of pilot Aris Karamustafic, alongside two members of David Christian Busley, David successfully captured 11 valuable animal photos using superb flying skills, achieving zero collision, zero runaway and not to mention a safe landing. In the end, the UWCIM won the championship of the 15-17 age group and won the crown of the highest award in the competition, thus winning the overall prize of 5,000 pounds in one fell swoop!

Team member Aris Karamustafic had a brief conversation with BIEA STEM Chairman David Hanson after the awards ceremony. He excitedly said to David: “I am from a small country, you may not be able to imagine, before coming to London, I have never been to the plane, have not been to a cruise ship, or even seen the subway. I have never expected to win the game with my teammates, because it is not easy for us to compete with other teams. The fact is that we won the championship. This feeling is really amazing and wonderful! Thank you very much for the BIEA STEM Competition. Thank you for giving us such great encouragement and courage. It is BIEA that makes us believe that science and education have no national boundaries. Today is definitely the best day of my life!”

David also told the media after the competition that this year’s BIEA International STEM Youth Innovation Competition was not only a creative transformation competition for drones to save endangered animals, but also a brilliant showcase of the students’ performance in the field of science and technology. BIEA appreciates the sheer enthusiasm of the students in these projects, and is eager to push the competition to an even further international level. BIEA not only promotes the exchange of international science and education, but also provides students with a chance to realise their dreams!

Let us cheer for this champion team, and for this unique international youth science and technology event, and look forward to next year’s competition!