One of our Year 13 pupils, Bill, has been awarded the STEM CREST Gold Award in recognition of his outstanding independent research project on the design of high-speed boats.
Gold CREST Awards are scientific projects that immerse pupils in real research. These are a serious undertaking for any pupil to complete, with over 70 hours of independent work required of them. By undertaking the research, pupils hone their investigative skills and employ the scientific method to conduct their own piece of research.
Bill had this to say about his CREST award entry:
My STEM CREST project explored how to design a high-speed boat by analysing the trade-off between power and efficiency. I focused on propeller theory, studying how blade shape, diameter, pitch angle, and blade count affect thrust and performance. I also researched how hull design, hydrofoil lift, materials, and mass distribution reduce drag and improve stability. I concluded that the most efficient design would use hydrofoils to lift the hull and a jet engine for propulsion, combining marine and aerospace principles.
By completing the CREST award, I developed skills in technical research, data analysis, and evaluating engineering trade-offs. I learned to interpret scientific sources, apply physics concepts like fluid dynamics, and structure findings clearly. This improved both my analytical thinking and scientific communication.
The project gave me a solid foundation for my internship at a STEM research institute, where I now build on these skills in a real-world setting. It showed me that while undertaking the STEM CREST award takes time and effort, it’s all worth it in the long run for the experience, skills, and confidence it gives you.
To see Bill go on to achieve a Gold CREST award is testament to the industry and personal engagement he has undertaken in his first formal piece of independent research. Through the award, Bill has further developed the academic curiosity that a Science education at Charterhouse instils in our pupils.
David Dickinson, Head of Science
Bill has an offer to read Engineering at Oxford University. This award marks just the beginning of what promises to be an inspiring scientific journey ahead.
