Davidson Inventors Challenge

A team of Lower Sixth students are one of four shortlisted teams in a national scientific invention challenge run by the University of Cambridge.

The competition, organised by the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, required participating teams to design an innovative solution to tackle a specific problem, with their research, ideas and methodology presented in the form of a 2500-word evidence-based report.

Samantha, Christina, Emma, Esme and Maisie (SCEEM) designed a pulse oximeter which aims to eliminate racial bias in its usage. As standard pulse oximeters often do not measure the oxygen saturation of some ethnic minorities correctly, due to issues with light passing through higher concentrations of melanin, their innovation aims to prevent fatal misreadings of oxygen levels by recalibrating the oximeter so that it can be used accurately on patients with darker skin tones.

Christina commented: “My favourite part was our weekly team meetings where we would each share ideas, discuss and research parts of the project that we were interested in. We were able to work closely together and also learn about the engaging aspects of pulse oximetry, from the socioeconomic implications of its unconscious bias to the biological mechanisms behind its function.”

The girls are currently preparing a presentation about their project to be delivered to a panel of judges on Friday 28th May, when they will attend an awards ceremony with guests of honour MP Nadhim Zahawi (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for COVID-19 Vaccine Deployment), Professor Stephen Richardson (President of the Institution of Chemical Engineers), and Cambridge alumna and Chemical Engineer, Dr Rachel Cooke. This year’s competition attracted entries from more than 150 students from 45 schools, with only 4 teams making the shortlist.

All the students have ambitions to pursue careers in areas of STEM. Christina intends on working in either Medicine or Biology, Esme would like to study Computer Science or Chemistry, Emma is aiming to become a vet, Maisie intends to study Chemistry, and Samantha is aspiring to study Mathematics.

Photo and story by Tasneem, in the Sixth Form Media & PR Team.