STUDENTS from a Solihull school took part in a European Space Agency competition in Spain after receiving a £1,000 donation from the Amazon receive centre in Coventry.
The donation was made to WMG Academy for Young Engineers a University Technical College for students aged 14-19 with an interest in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).
The donation helped to fund six students on a trip to the European finals of the CanSat Competition.
Run by the European Space Agency, the UK Space Agency and LaunchUK, the CanSat competition challenges students across Europe to build and launch a mini satellite, no larger than a soft drink can.
The WMG Academy team secured the Honorary Prize, joint with Poland, recognising their excellent performance in all areas of the judging criteria.
The judges were particularly impressed with the team’s vacuum system, which is able to collect dust from the environment and inject it with a chemical solution to analyse for signs of organic materials.
Dan Thomson from WMG Academy said: “We are incredibly proud of our students for this achievement and glad they were able to make memories they will carry for life.
“They really did the school, and the whole country, proud.
“We are very grateful for Amazon’s donation that made this trip possible. I do hope we can collaborate on future projects.”
Paul Roberts, general manager at Amazon in Coventry said: “The students at WMG Academy have achieved great success with their CanSat project not only here in the UK, but at the European finals of the competition.
“This has been an exciting opportunity for the students and one that I am sure they will remember for many years to come.
“We are pleased to have been able to support the team and to have developed such a great relationship with the college.”
