We have had to cancel this year’s Annual Rotary Club of Canterbury Innovation Competition due to the current coronavirus crisis. In the meantime, however, we’re delighted to bring forward something that we had planned for next year – The Chowdhury Popup STEM* Competition – in memory of the late Dr S R Chowdhury, a local doctor and the father of one of our Rotarians (read more about him below).
*STEM = Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics.
What’s the challenge?
We are all now aware that there are some new challenges to the way we live with the current problems created by Lockdown.
We challenge you to think of a novel, simple and robust way of making life more enjoyable or solving a problem that you have experienced during Lockdown and the subsequent easing of restrictions.
We are looking for solutions in the form of an idea, device or product (not an app).
Who can enter?
All entries must be from individuals and all entrants must have been students at a secondary school, academy, college or similar in Kent during the 2019/2020 academic year. Winning entries will be verified by the organizers before prizes are awarded.
How do youngsters make an entry?
For full details of the rules, click here (PDF).
For an official entry form, click here (PDF) or here (MSWord).
[Update: if you’re unable to download the official entry form, please send your entry together with your name, age and details of your school, guardian’s name and full contact details including telephone number to rotarycantinf@rotarycanterbury.org.uk and a covering message with the subject line “Chowdhury Pop Up STEM Competition” by 24 July 2020.]
For the competition flyer, click here.
There is no fee for entering. The entry must NOT be a computer/phone app.
All entries must be received by 24 July 2020.
How will the competition be judged?
Entries will be scrutinised by a panel of judges drawn from local business and other professionals.
The winner will be the entry which, in the opinion of the judges, best meets the challenge. Each entry will also be judged on the following criteria:
- Originality
- Clarity
- Presentation
What is the prize?
- First prize: £100
- Second prize: £50
- Third prize: £25
- Fourth prize (£10) – there will be five of these
Each entrant will also be provided with a certificate of entry.
About the Chowdhury Pop Up STEM Competition
The prizes for this competition have been donated by the family of Dr Shawkatur Reza Chowdhury to commemorate his personal wish to help wellbeing and healthcare, particularly in developing countries.
On behalf of the family, Dr Chowdhury’s daughter, Rotarian Dr Julie N Reza said: “My father spent most of his medical career working as a doctor in hospitals in the UK, particularly in Kent. However, his dream had been to provide free treatment to poor families in Bangladesh on retirement. Sadly, his own poor health made that impossible. Hopefully, this prize will help young people in Kent engage with health & wellbeing-related issues.”
Dr Chowdhury studied medicine in India and Bangladesh (East Pakistan, as it then was). He came to the UK on receiving a Commonwealth Scholarship for postgraduate studies, and thereafter was persuaded to stay in the UK and work for the NHS which then (as now) was calling out for qualified doctors from the Commonwealth. He was a strong supporter of the NHS and practised as an ENT surgeon for most of his life in local hospitals, including in Canterbury, Folkestone, Dover, Deal, Margate, Ashford and Ramsgate.
