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What
is CREST?
CREST is a national awards programme
which provides a framework to support and enhance the quality of
students' educational experience in science and technology within New
Zealand. It encourages creativity and problem-solving. Undertaking a
CREST Award gives students authentic experience in scientific
investigation or technological practice of their own choice, working
with an outside consultant/expert to investigate issues of real
significance in their lives.
CREST offers a
range of awards, from First CREST to Gold CREST for Years 6 -13
students:
First CREST and
Team First CREST
projects are usually undertaken at the Year 7-8
level. An individual project can earn a First CREST award, and team
projects Team First CREST Awards.
CREST Bronze
and Team CREST
Bronze are often done at the Year 9-10 level; an individual
project can earn a CREST Bronze Award, and team projects can earn Team
CREST Bronze Awards.
CREST Silver
and Team CREST Silver are
more challenging awards usually undertaken at the Year 11-12 level.
CREST Gold
awards are for advanced projects for students at the Year 12-13 level.
Thus the programme has four progressive project stages, providing for
small entry level projects through to large research projects that can
take up to 18 months, providing the potential for major new discoveries
and publications. The awards are non-competitive, standards-based and
are applicable to students of all abilities. Student achievement is
assessed on creativity, perseverance and the application of knowledge.
All students are encouraged to work with people in the community other
than their teacher, but for Silver and Gold CREST awards, consultants
and assessors from outside the school community are required and have
clearly defined roles. History: CREST is an international
programme which originated in the UK where it is currently supported by
two Research Councils and SETNET (the Science, Engineering and
Technology Network). It was introduced to New Zealand in 1988 with a
trial at Wanganui Girls’ College and Auckland Grammar supported
initially by the Royal Society. Massey University sponsored CREST-NZ
from 1989 until the end of 1998 by providing office space and salaries
of a director and part-time administrative assistant. In 1999 it was
hosted by HortResearch with salaries being paid from accumulated
reserves. In 2000, the New Zealand Association of Science Educators
hosted and administered it on a caretaker basis as CREST funds were
exhausted, and in 2001 The Royal Society adopted CREST. Following its
successful introduction into New Zealand, it was introduced to
Australia where it continues to be supported by the CSIRO.
Why
CREST for my Students?
The Creativity in Science and Technology (CREST)
scheme encourages and rewards creative and innovative thinking;
application of existing and the seeking of new knowledge; risk-taking,
tolerance of failure and perseverance in the face of adversity; and
develops communication skills in school students. It develops students’
tacit knowledge, and can grow entrepreneurial skills. By providing a
framework to access the expertise of people outside the school, it can
help bridge the gap between academic learning and the problems and
opportunities of the real world, and exposes the students to role
models from knowledge-based, wealth-creating industries. It has a
longstanding reputation of success and experience demonstrates it
encourages those who are the most enthusiastic to continue to develop
their interest in science and technology. An important foundation stone
of the Growth and Innovation Framework, it encourages
excellence in science and technology in young New Zealanders, who may
well become the innovative entrepreneurs of the next decades.
Students can showcase their work at regional
science and technology fairs and national S&T competitions, and
individual CREST projects have been publicised in newspapers,
periodicals and television. Winners of these competitions have gone on
to participate in international S&T competitions, showing that New
Zealand youth are competitive with the best in other countries. These
young people have invariably then become practising scientists and
technologists in New Zealand, for instance Suzy McGregor - Silver
Awardee in 1992 - is a project manager in the Innovation and Marketing
division of Fonterra. Haydn Luckman, Gold CREST awardee in 2002 and
winner of the Genesis Energy National Science and Technology Fair,
spent two years developing a heat exchange unit to extract waste heat
from shower effluent, and is now in his second year at the University
of Auckland Engineering School.
The CREST scheme sits within the New Zealand
Curriculum Framework as a curriculum support activity and offers both
the improvement of literacy in science and technology at the lower
levels, and an extension of extremely able students in science and
technology at the higher levels. CREST can be built into the class
curriculum where features such as the incentive of an award, working
with outside consultants/experts, student-centred responsibility for
their own learning, and the opportunity for multiple assessment (eg
against NCEA Achievement Standards, Bright Sparks, as well as CREST
etc) prove to have great appeal for students. Graeme Fielder (Manurewa
High School) investigated cancer fighting properties found in New
Zealand marine fungi. He collected it from the woody tissue of dead
mangroves in the Mangere Inlet, isolated enzymes from the fungi and
tested them with four bacteria.He attended and exhibited his project at
2001 Genesis Energy National Science and Technology Fair, was awarded
the James Duncan Science Award in 2001, and was then awarded Gold CREST
by the Hon Peter Hodgson at the Genesis Energy National Science and
Technology Fair in 2002.
CREST
is administered by the Royal Society of New Zealand.
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