STUDENTS from Bishop Perowne CE College who devised an anti-theft bike app were named winners of a competition which asked them to design a piece of technology to rectify a social challenge.
The Powering Transformation workshop, held at the University of Gloucestershire, was organised by The Transformation Hub – which works with young people helping them to build confidence and develop employability skills.
Forty students took part and devised a wide range of ideas to help fight cyber bullying, racism, recycling and theft.
The winning team researched how technology could help combat bike theft by informing owners their bike was being moved. Their idea was to fit a tracker inside the saddle, which connected to an app on a mobile phone and could give real time updates as to the location of a bike.
All students taking part presented their ideas to their peers, a representative from Dell, The Transformation Hub and student ambassadors from the University of Gloucestershire.
With their bike theft technology idea being chosen as the overall winner, the winning team were presented with certificates from The Transformation Hub and goody bags from the university.
The students had a tour of the campus and received a presentation about university life. They also had the opportunity to experience a virtual reality headset which allowed them to explore the inside of the international space station without their feet leaving the ground.
Headteacher Mark Pollard, said: “These types of workshops are extremely important in helping to show what can be achieved when combining science, technology, engineering and maths.
“Not only did our students thoroughly enjoy the whole experience, but having the chance to explore the university has helped them focus on their futures once they leave Bishop Perowne.”
