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My Sci-Tech Challenge experience - Team Belgium
On 21 March, the national finalists from the 7 participating countries competed and presented their best innovative solutions to a complex challenge put forward by ExxonMobil on how to reduce road CO2 emissions during an online jury session.
Congratulations to students from Belgium who have been selected as one of the three best teams.
They will represent their country at the Sci-Tech European Grand Finale in Brussels on 10 May.
Tell us more about your solution to reduce CO2 emissions on roads
“We want to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide by implementing a car free zone in the city centre while ensuring the use of public transport in the city centre. Around the city centre, we want to construct places where hybrid cars can be hired because these cars pollute less than other cars. To travel between two big cities and around the city centre, you can still use your private car but we have also developed an app which will tell you how to drive and at which speed to avoid traffic jams and also when it will be less expensive for you to transfer to any means of public transport”.
Would you like to work in the STEM field later? (science, engineering, mathematics, technology)
“I think I’d like to work with science or mathematics. These two fields have always incited my interest. I think it would be fun to be a mathematics teacher or a laboratory technician or something like that. Nevertheless, my dream is to become a dentist. I hope someday I can fulfill this dream”.
What did you learn from the Sci-Tech experience?
“That’s not really a difficult question because I learned a lot from the Sci-Tech challenge. To begin with, I learned to work together with people I didn’t know at first. That’s quite an experience. I also learned to think outside of the box because that’s what we really had to do during the challenge. Furthermore, I learned to speak in front of a jury and in front of a lot of people. Before the challenge, I really hated giving a presentation at school. But after the Sci-Tech challenge, I am more relaxed when I’m in front of the classroom. But I think one of the most important things I learned is that together you can achieve anything if you just work hard and believe”.
“I think one of the most important things I learned is that together you can achieve anything if you just work hard and believe”. |
What was your main challenge? How did you overcome it?
“My main challenges were to speak in front of so many people and also to work with people whom I didn’t even know at first. That was kind of difficult because I’m actually a really shy person. I overcame these fears because of the team. They’re really amazing people. With them, I felt comfortable and I wasn’t shy when talking to them. They also made me feel comfortable when I stressed because I had to present our idea in front of many people. They supported me and I’m really thankful for that”.
What will you be working on until the Grand Finale in Brussels? What will you be trying to improve? What excites you about the finale?
“I want to improve my English a little bit and I want to try to control my nerves. What really excites me about the Grand Finale is that there are going to be a lot of people and also the fact that we have the privilege to stand there, that’s really amazing. What’s more special, I think, is to stand there with the team, who have become my friends now”.
“I would really recommend this experience to everyone because it’s such a big opportunity and you can learn so much from it. It’s an experience you’ll never forget, a very special experience. And what’s best is the team atmosphere.The Sci-Tech challenge is really worth it!" |
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