Science on the Move 2021

Launched in 2011, Science on the Move is a biannual, nationwide science competition for upper secondary school classes in Switzerland. The programme promotes scientific curiosity, enthusiasm and teamwork. The competition is open to schools in all regions of Switzerland. Nearly 3,200 students have participated in the tournament since its launch.

The first phase of the competition is dedicated to research and experimental work and documentation of the results. Only the ten best classes proceed then to the second phase where they prepare a creative stage performance presenting their results and experiences.

The winning class is then selected by a jury of experts from science, education and industry.

This year's competition takes a different path. Instead of performing experiments on a specified subject, student teams are asked to design an innovative project that improves our society. It may apply for example to sustainability, social life, management of resources ... The project may lead to a scientific result, a technical invention or an innovation in terms of interactions in society. It may encompass a product, a procedure or a whole system and can originate from the fields of chemistry, biology, electronics, informatics ... or a combination thereof. There may also be an interdisciplinary collaboration with a second teacher of subjects like economy or history.

The project can be implemented if it is feasible on a classroom scale. But a "visionary" project is also possible. The class will present its concept in detail and think about the feasibility.

Detailed information will be given at registration.

Smart systems, in an engineering context, are largely self-regulating installations with inbuilt control mechanisms and feedback loops. Nature, of course, has known such intelligent systems for a long time: every organism is in constant interaction with its environment, and the concentrations of molecules and ions within a cell are kept in a steady state equilibrium.

We want to address this topic in a broader sense. Problems from various disciplines can be approached by designing systems with “smart” properties: Think not only of smart homes or circular economy, but also of aquaponics, upcycling, or apps that facilitate resource allocation or bring volunteers together. A more detailed description of relevant examples will be coming soon.