New research from broad energy company Equinor, as it opens its ‘Young Imagineers’ competition in partnership with the Science Museum, has revealed some remarkable insights into the minds of the Generation Z’ young people: with results demonstrating their reassuringly conscientious sense of responsibility towards the planet, as well as their attitudes towards science, technology, invention and the world around them.
– Almost half (42%) of UK children aged 7-14 years polled said they want to solve the global problem of plastic pollution when they grow up, while more than a third (37%) said they wanted to fix global warming and a further third (35%) want to put an end to animal extinction.
– When asked who they believed could make the world a better place, those in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) led careers were deemed to have the most power with almost half (40%) of children saying scientists, more than a third (34%) saying inventors and over a quarter (27%), engineers. It’s encouraging that over a quarter (26%) also believe ‘people my own age’ have the power to make a key impact on the future.
– Considering inventions for our future world, over half (52 per cent) of 7-14 year olds polled said they wanted to see a cure for cancer becoming reality, followed by almost a third (30%) hoping for the removal of all plastics, while over a quarter (29%) are wishing for time travel!
Make tomorrow’s world a better place
Konnie Huq, TV/radio presenter and author, as well as self-confessed STEM-fanatic, who is on the panel of judges for the 2019 competition said: “Equinor Young Imagineers is designed to celebrate the UK’s most creative young minds in STEM by asking them what invention they would create, to make tomorrow’s world a better place. I’m delighted to be involved in this year’s competition, because inspiring the next generation of STEM-experts is vital for the future progression of our society.
“Looking at the results of this latest poll – in which almost half (40%) chose maths as their favourite subject and over a quarter (26%) chose sciences – I’m reassured that the enthusiasm is there for STEM amongst our children. Competitions like Young Imagineers, combined with the great work done by teachers in the classroom, parents at home and other sources of inspiration like the Science Museum, will continue to fuel that enthusiasm in kids.”
Fresh and original new ideas for 2019
Lopa Patel, a returning panellist for Equinor Young Imagineers, who sits on the board of trustees for the Science Museum, commented saying: “It is so important for future generations to be excited by the possibilities that STEM has to offer, so when I see results like those in this new poll telling me that an encouraging third (33%) of children prefer STEM-subjects to non-STEM subjects and more than a quarter (29%) claim to like both equally, I’m encouraged that as a nation, we are really heading in the right direction.
“It’s a pleasure to see the inventions each year from those entering Equinor and the Science Museum’s Young Imagineers competition and as they continue to push their imaginations to the limit, I’m sure 2019 will bring us some fresh and original new ideas”
Ignite curiosity, fuel imagination and inspire children
Representing Equinor, Sophie Banham, Wind Farm Developer, said: “Equinor and the Science Museum have a long-standing partnership. As title sponsor of the Science Museum’s interactive gallery Wonderlab: The Equinor Gallery we want to ignite curiosity, fuel imagination and inspire children to see the world around them in new and exciting ways.
“Equinor Young Imagineers is a brilliant extension of this partnership and our two previous winners – who have come up with such wonderful inventions as the ‘Hover Wheelchair’ and ‘Solar Powered Pollution Sucking Robot Pigeon’ – prove that the curious and creative minds of children have the power to create the truly remarkable.”
Offering some advice to future ‘Imagineers’, another returning panellist, the superhero scientist and researcher Barry Fitzgerald, said: “I’ll offer a tip to anyone thinking of entering Equinor’s Young Imagineers competition: think about how through science and technology, mixed with crazy-levels of creativity, your invention could bring super-outcomes to people and the planet!”
What would you like to have invented?
Further findings of the poll revealed that over a third (37%) of children aged 7-14 years said they would have liked to have invented the Internet; almost a third said computers (29%); over a quarter said YouTube (28%); and a further quarter (28%) said mobile phones. Considering who from the fields of science, technology, engineering and maths were deemed to be the most inspiring icons they most admired, it was found that for boys astronaut Neil Armstrong ranked highest, while for girls the Nobel Prize winning physicist/chemist Marie Curie endures.
The Prize
The winning prize consists of:
– The winning invention idea will be created as a 3D model and exhibited inside the Science Museum in early 2020
– One bespoke-designed experience day at the Science Museum in London
– An annual family pass to Wonderlab: The Equinor Gallery at the Science Museum
– 50 copies of the book ‘This Book Thinks You’re A Scientist’ for the winner’s school
Equinor Young Imagineers competition, in partnership with the Science Museum, opens online on 3rd September and the deadline for entries is 27th October 2019. Further information, terms and conditions and the entry form, can be found at: www.youngimagineers.equinor.com.
About Wonderlab: The Equinor Gallery
Equinor’s sponsorship of Wonderlab: The Equinor Gallery is intended to build on children’s natural curiosity in STEM to ensure long lasting engagement. Equinor believes innovation is the key to unlocking the door of future value creation.
The solutions of tomorrow need the heroes of tomorrow. Equinor’s long-established Heroes of Tomorrow sponsorship programme aims to inspire young people to engage in fun, relevant and rewarding science experiences and the Wonderlab partnership is the most recent iterations of this programme.
Wonderlab: The Equinor Gallery is an experience unlike any other.
With over 50 mind-blowing exhibits, explosive demonstrations and immersive experiences, the Science Museum’s interactive gallery invites visitors to think like scientists. Equinor’s sponsorship of Wonderlab aims to inspire young people to engage in fun, relevant and rewarding science experiences.
Revealing the beauty of the science and maths that shape our everyday lives, Wonderlab will ignite your curiosity, fuel your imagination and inspire you to see the world around you in new and exciting ways. You can order live experiments at the Chemistry Bar, see lightning strike before your eyes, play with forces on giant slides, travel through space under a canopy of stars or take part in explosive science demonstrations, led by their talented team of Explainers.
To plan your visit, head to sciencemuseum.org.uk/Wonderlab