Over the last few months, Lancaster University Engineering Department has been working with Ripley St Thomas Church of England Academy (Lancaster), Queen Elizabeth School (Kirkby Lonsdale), Lancaster Royal Grammar School (Lancaster) and Lancaster Girls Grammar School (Lancaster) and set some of their sixth form students a challenge. Within each school, groups of students worked together to design a structure capable of protecting an egg when it was dropped from a walkway in the new Engineering Department building at Lancaster University. The structure had to be capable of being manufactured using additive manufacturing (or 3D printing) technology.

A winning team from each school was picked to come to the University in a final event to test their structure, based on how well they presented their idea to visitors from the University at their school. At the final event teams from the four schools presented their ideas to each other and judges in the form of conference style presentations and posters and had a chance to test out their manufactured designs. All of the teams should be commended on the high level of their ideas. There were quite a few smashed eggs along the way, but fun was had by all. A big congratulations goes to the team from Queen Elizabeth School who presented their idea very clearly and were awarded first place.