Youngsters from five Colchester secondary schools will be at the University of Essex today building solar powered ovens.

The children, all year 8 students, will hear a talk on renewable energy from Dr John Woods, from the School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, before competing to see whose solar oven reaches the highest temperature.

The event has been organised to give the school children an insight into what it is like to study at a university with a focus on learning about science.

Almost 20 school children from St Helena, Sir Charles Lucas, The Gilberd, and Alderman Blaxhill schools will be attending.

The event is being funded by Aimhigher Essex, part of the national Aimhigher initiative to raise levels of participation in higher education.

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Notes to editos
You are invited to send a photographer/crew/reporter along to the event at the Colchester Campus. The solar oven competition takes place between 12.30pm and 2.15pm. To arrange when to attend, please contact the Communications office, telephone: 01206 873529 or e-mail: comms@essex.ac.uk.