Year 9 students at Rye College are celebrating success in the 2026 Civil Service STEM Challenge, with one team finishing second in the country and every Rye College team receiving national recognition.
The challenge encourages young people to apply science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) skills to tackle real-world problems. Competing against schools nationwide, Rye College students impressed judges with their creativity, research and teamwork.
The college’s top-performing team made up of Betty, Juniper, Adara, Naina and Eileen achieved second place nationally for a project exploring how STEM could help protect marine ecosystems and reduce ocean pollution. After investigating issues including plastic waste, overfishing and sewage pollution, the team proposed turning sewage waste into useful materials as the most effective solution.
Three other Rye College teams also earned national awards. Ethan, Blake, Todd and Arthur received a Gold Award for their work on sustainable energy sources for future space travel, while Nina, Lydia, Matti and Wren also achieved Gold with innovative ideas to make rail travel greener and more affordable, including pedal-powered seating to generate electricity.
Claudia, Maggie, Noah and Jessica were awarded Silver for researching how space technology could improve life on Earth by 2050 through advances in medicine, clean energy and communications.
All participants received certificates signed by the Government chief scientific adviser, Dame Angela McLean, and took part in an online session with a senior Civil Service scientific leader.
Their success has also earned them an invitation to the “Race Team of the Future” STEM event at Brands Hatch in October, where students will explore how science and engineering are driving innovation in motorsport.
Fiona Willis, assistant headteacher, said, “We are incredibly proud of all our students who took part in this year’s Civil Service STEM Challenge. Their creativity, curiosity and determination to tackle real-world problems have been truly impressive. To achieve second place nationally alongside multiple Gold and Silver awards is a fantastic accomplishment and reflects the talent, ambition and teamwork of our students.”
Image Credits: Rye College .