Second award for talented Science students

A talented group of Science students have scooped a second award for their work on an innovative EESW (STEM Cymru) project.

In 2014, Jamie Dougherty (as team leader), Anna Bevan, Jiaman Cheang, Alana Borthwick, Ruth Harvey, Joshua Cox and David Small worked with Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay on a project brief entitled: “find additional methods of sustainable, renewable energy generation for the Tidal Lagoon.”

Working with engineers, the Tidal Lagoon marketing team and University of Wales Trinity Saint David, they developed a prototype anaerobic digester to harvest macroalgae (seaweed) which could be used to produce energy to feed back into the lagoon.

That project earned them an Energy Efficiency Award (The Nation Grid Award for Best Energy Appreciation) at the EESW All Wales final held at the Celtic Manor.

Now they have another award - The Wales Quality and Innovation Award (Education Prize) – which was presented to them by Lucy Owen at a recent ceremony at the Vale Hotel.

“Many schools and colleges from across Wales took part in this initiative so this success is a massive endorsement of these students’ talent and hard work,” says lecturer Denise Thomas, who also worked as a consultant on this project. “Other winners on the night included thriving Welsh businesses such as Sony, Penderyn Whiskey and the NHS Shared Services partnership so the students were in very prestigious company.”