The Darling Downs Science and Engineering Challenge is held at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) each year allowing Year 9 and 10 students to engage in fun and competitive activities involving principles of science, engineering and technology. 

Ventia and our Rig and Well Services business sponsored the event again this year to help inspire students to consider a future career in science and engineering by choosing to study the enabling sciences and mathematics in Years 11 and 12.

Rig and Well Services' General Manager Kyle Koziol and Rig and Well Services' Engineering Manager Stewart Mason attended the event to speak with students about career opportunities and judge the bridge building competition.

Rig and Well Services' Engineering Manager Stewart Mason is a USQ alumni and was pleased to be invited back for the event.

I enjoyed seeing the students get involved in the bridge building activity and was impressed with their ingenuity as they tackled challenges during the build process.

"I have built new rigs with Rig and Well Services for the past fourteen years and being involved in an event like this reminds me why I love engineering and gives me a chance to share that with the students."

More than 30 schools from Toowoomba, Crow's Nest, Nanango, Laidley, Gatton, Ipswich, Goondiwindi, Miles, Nanango, Dalby, Warwick, Chinchilla, Pittsworth and Clifton participated in the event. 

The overall winning team was Toowoomba's Centenary Heights State High School with a total score of 1446.

By hosting the event at USQ, students and teachers experience the university campus first-hand and gain greater exposure to the university community.

National Science Week is Australia's annual celebration of science and technology, and runs in August. 

During the week, we'll be proudly profiling some of our talented team and how we support STEM careers. 

Read our story on Sandra Hogan, Ventia's General Manager - Data & Analytics

Watch our video with Emily Leow, a Principal Process Engineer at ICD