Our budding Year 9 and 10 scientists recently put problem-solving and teamwork capabilities to the test, bending their brains around creating structurally sound bridges, wind turbines and ecologically friendly housing.

Kicking off in Term 1 each year, the Science and Engineering Challenge is a nationwide STEM outreach program coordinated by the University of Newcastle.  

This year, 30 students from Years 9 and 10 represented Newington at the Metropolitan Regional Competition in Homebush. Our science whizzes spent the day rotating through eight hands-on STEM (science, technology engineering and mathematics) activities that encourage creative problem-solving, teamwork and practical design skills. These ranged from wind turbine construction and flight design to fibre optic communication, electricity network planning, fish trap, and engineering the construction of mechanical grabbers that can lift and move things. Newington also participated in longer-form events like EcoHabitech and Bridge Building, which required sustained collaboration and iterative testing. 

The Challenge runs over 10 days and is point-based, with 200 being the maximum number of points each team can accumulate. To win, teams must place first not just on the day they compete but also have the highest score of all the teams in their region. Top scorers then go through to the NSW State Final. 

According to Miss Smriti Mediratta, Head of Science, Newington performed consistently across the entire program this year. 

 ‘We are very pleased that our team placed first in the EcoHabitech division, designing a sustainable model home that met a set of environmental and cost-based requirements,’ she says.  

‘Our Bridge Building team also achieved a strong result, finishing second with a lightweight, high strength bridge that withstood a series of load tests.’ 

Across all activities, the students’ collective efforts resulted in Newington finishing the day 66 points ahead – up 10 points from last year’s final score. Indeed, our 2025 team, who won their first session at the Challenge and placed first overall in NSW, managed to secure a spot in the NSW championships last year. Paying it forward, some of these now Year 11 students have volunteered their time to coach the 2026 cohort during training sessions. 

‘We are hopeful that this year’s score may be enough to secure a place in the State Final again in August, though this is yet to be confirmed,’ says Miss Mediratta.  

‘Regardless, we are very proud of our students; they have done an amazing job. Competitions like these foster a love of science and impart skills that our students will use for the rest of their lives.  

‘We are also grateful to our Year 11 students who volunteered their time to help train the team. Having competed in the 2025 Challenge during Year 10, they provided some truly valuable guidance and encouragement in the lead-up to the event.’ 

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