Written by Aniqa Matin-13B & Ayush Amin-13Z

Sustainability has been the topic of much discussion over the last few years and is the current goal of many governmental and international organisations. Aniqa, Siyuan, Owin and I (Ayush) entered the Homerton Design Programme which aimed at providing a potential solution to improve global sustainability. This competition, run by the University of Cambridge, was filled with weekly talks and a mentoring session to aid teams in developing their ideas. Our final design revolved around reducing e-waste. This was achieved by using old lithium ion cells and recycling them to create a functioning battery pack with 230V outlets and removable 12V sockets.

This design was among a very small percentage of Highly Commended projects; therefore, we were invited to the ‘Cambridge experience’. Owin and I (Aniqa) attended the full residential. This consisted of a formal dinner, project presenting and much conversation with like-minded students on our great aspirations. For the conference, we partook in a series of climate-based discussions, lectures and workshops. The most interesting of these was presented by Dr Craig Bennett on the need for global systematic change to tackle climate change. 

The prize giving was definitely the most exciting aspect of the week. The colleges' auditorium was filled with the invited applicants and a camera man stood at the back, live streaming the event to those who weren’t there. The runners up were called out first and we sat in nervous anticipation; to our immense surprise when the winning team (of originality and innovation) was announced, our names filled the auditorium.

This was an unforgettable experience which proved the importance of teamwork as well as ambition and one we will forever remember!