Engineering Challenge worth another million

The University of Newcastle's Science and Engineering Challenge will receive an additional $1 million in funding from the Department of Education, Science and Training.

The Challenge, developed by the University's Faculty of Science and Technology along with the Faculty of Engineering and Built environment, takes science and engineering problems to Year 10 students. The students compete in a range of challenges including building bridges, making catapults, navigating virtual mazes and decrypting codes.

Professor John O'Connor from the Faculty of Science and Information Technology says the funding over the next three years will allow the University to meet the rapidly growing demand for the Challenge, especially in the Northern Territory and Western Australia.

"Over the last two years we have taken the Challenge to Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, the ACT, Tasmania and New South Wales," Professor O'Connor said.

"This funding will help us reach our ultimate goal of making the Challenge available to high schools across Australia by the end of the decade."

The Challenge, which won the Engineers Australia National Engineering Excellence Award in 2003 for the best engineering project in Australia, is supported by local communities through Rotary International, Engineers Australia and the Department of Education, Science and Training.