Secondary project briefs (ages 11+)


Bronze Awards are typically completed by students aged 11+. They complete a ten-hour project which is a perfect introduction to STEM project work. Over the course of the project, teams of students design their own investigation, record their findings, and reflect on their learnings. This process gives students a taste of what it is like to be a scientist or engineer in the real-world.


Silver Awards are typically completed by students aged 14+ over thirty hours. Project work at Silver level is designed to stretch your students and enrich their STEM studies. Students direct the project, determining the project’s aim and how they will achieve it. They carry out the project, record and analyse their results and reflect on the project and their learnings. All Silver projects are assessed by CREST assessors via our online platform.


Gold Awards are typically completed by students aged 16+ over seventy hours. Students’ projects are self-directed, longer term and immerse them in real research. At this level, we recommend students work with a mentor from their chosen STEM field of study. All Gold projects are assessed by CREST assessors via our online platform. There are more CREST approved resources that have been developed by our partners and providers specific to your region.


There are more CREST approved resources that have been developed by our partners and providers specific to your region.


Find out how to build practical CREST projects into secondary science lessons using our free teacher guidance pack. Supporting this guidance are easy-to-use, free-to-download mapping workbooks, which match individual Bronze, Silver and Gold CREST Award projects with each area of the secondary science curricula for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. You can download and save your own copy of the relevant mapping workbook via the following links:


England

Northern Ireland

Scotland

Wales


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Machine learning Silver

  • Text
  • Communication
  • Mentor
  • Encourage
  • Detection
  • Vehicles
  • Healthcare
  • Tasks
  • Assistants
  • Virtual
  • Crest
This resource is published under an Attribution - non-commercial - no derivatives 4.0 International creative commons licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Teacher guide A world

Teacher guide A world without driving In recent years, developments in self-driving car technology has progressed significantly. Current models use a variety of sensors to perceive their surroundings, and have advanced control systems to interpret sensory information in order to identify safe routes, avoid obstacles and respond to relevant signage. Many countries already have vehicles on the road with ‘self-driving features’, and although there is a lot of debate about when, it seems inevitable that we will see increasing numbers of self-driving vehicles in the future. In this project, students will research the predicted potential implications of a world with predominantly driverless cars, such as safety (traffic collisions), driver welfare, time-saving, mobility for the elderly, car interior design, traffic management, speed limits, vehicle insurance, environmental impacts (fuel usage), parking spaces, employment (driving jobs) and so on. Prompts • Can you find data about existing fleets that are using self-driving features? What impact has this had? • As well as thinking about the implications for the lorry company, you should also consider the wider impacts of switching to self-driving. • What would need to change about the way we organise driving and vehicle regulation if self-driving vehicles were widely used? 8

Student brief A world without driving Many countries already have vehicles on the road with ‘self-driving features’, and although there is a lot of debate about when, it seems likely that we will see increasing numbers of self-driving vehicles on the road in the future. Imagine you work for a company that provides long distance lorries to transport goods across Europe. You have heard a lot about self-driving lorries, and think that in order to stay competitive you might need to switch in the future. Your initial research found that many people predict a change to self-driving vehicles would have huge implications in terms of safety (traffic collisions), timesaving, mobility for the elderly, car interior design, traffic management, speed limits, vehicle insurance, environmental impacts (fuel usage), parking spaces, and employment (driving jobs). You now want to do some more in-depth research into the issues that would most affect your business. Getting started Start by reading up about the different predicted implications of self-driving lorry fleets. Find out about the potential benefits and challenges. Based on your research choose two or three areas to focus on, and conduct some in-depth research using the links below as a starting point. Use data to support your arguments. Useful resources • Impact of self-driving trucks https://www.dfds.com/en/about/insights/ newsletters/self-driving-trucks • 50 implications of self-driving cars http://www.rapidshift.net/50-mindblowing-implications-of-self-driving-carsand-trucks/ • Impact on professional drivers https://www.theguardian.com/technology /2016/jun/17/self-driving-trucks-impacton-drivers-jobs-us Health and safety To avoid any accidents, make sure you stick to the following health and safety guidelines before getting started: • Find out if any of the materials, equipment or methods are hazardous using http://science.cleapss.org.uk/Resources /Student-Safety-Sheets/ to assess the risks (think about what could go wrong and how serious it might be). • Decide what you need to do to reduce any risks (such as wearing personal protective equipment, knowing how to deal with emergencies and so on). • Make sure there is plenty of space to work. • Clear up slip or trip hazards promptly. • Make sure your teacher agrees with your plan and risk assessment. 9

Bronze level

Ten hour projects recommended for ages 11+. Find out more about this level and how to gain a CREST Award on the Bronze Awards page.


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Bronze

Silver level

Thirty hour projects recommended for ages 14+. Find out more about this level and how to gain a CREST Award on the Silver Award page.


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Silver

Gold level

Seventy hour projects recommended for ages 16+. Find out more about this level and how to gain a CREST Award on the Gold Awards page


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Gold

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