Cool for School competition

The Institute of Refrigeration (IoR) is running a competition for school students, to promote the contributions that refrigeration science and principles make to society.

The Cool for School initiative encourages students to explore the science, technology, engineering and mathematical principles behind refrigeration processes.

IoR Chief Executive Miriam Rodway says refrigeration science and principles make a massive contribution to our world today – but most people never notice it!

The IoR has compiled basic information aimed at school pupils at a range of ages and stages, showing the ways refrigeration science and technology underpin modern life, the principles of the science, and the great career opportunities on offer.

The IoR is running the competition to encourage schools to engage with its website, and to experiment with heating and cooling principles themselves.

Groups of students aged 11–14 are invited to come up with a simple experiment or presentation to demonstrate one of these.

“We want [students] to use a combination of their skills, such as team working, research, science and IT, to find out more about how cooling science works,” says Rodway.

“By taking part in the competition and producing their own explanation film they will be learning about our industry and how valuable and interesting it is.”

The prizes include:

• First prize (valued at £2,000) – value School Science/STEM Club kit packed full of tools and materials to create great experiments and investigations for the whole class including thermometers, data loggers and books.
• Two runners-up prizes (valued at £1,000) – School Science/STEM kit
• A “Most innovative video” category winner (valued at £1,000) – School Science kit
• All entries who meet the criteria will receive a Certificate of Merit from the Institute of Refrigeration, to recognise their work in taking part in the competition.

The competition is open until December 1, 2019, and international entries are welcomed.

Rodway says there has been a lot of interest in the competition, but the field is still wide open for more schools or science clubs to take part.

“Who knows, some of [the students] may grow up to be leading refrigeration or air conditioning engineers of the future.”

More information about the Cool for School competition is available here.