Energy filled the National Sports Hall as teams from 12 secondary schools across Guyana competed for first place at the 3rd Guyana-Monaco Car Grand Prix competition, the largest ever since its inception.
An SBM Offshore Guyana-supported initiative, the event fosters Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) development and innovation. Guyana’s Ministry of Education and Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport are also collaborators.
The objective is for students to build race cars using mousetraps and a touch of physics. For the first time, the competition drew participants from Guyana’s hinterland – the Paramakatoi Secondary School.
Six schools feature in SBM Offshore’s first Guyana-Monaco Mousetrap Car Grand Prix | OilNOW
“Through the competition, we aspire to amplify the presence of STEM principles in schools, with the aim of making it fun and exciting,” SBM Offshore Guyana’s General Manager Martin Cheong said. “At SBM Offshore Guyana, our commitment to quality education goes beyond the mere hosting of a competition. We aim to leave a tangible impact on you, the participants, and further underscore the value of STEM.”
Prizes aside, the winners will get the opportunity to travel to Monaco – the competition’s origin country – to represent Guyana on the international stage. Moreover, the skills the students acquire, support the development of careers needed to propel Guyana forward, especially in the oil and gas sector.
“STEM has been instrumental to the country’s development and its oil and gas industry, seeing skillful individuals carving out career paths that previously did not exist. The field of STEM is vast and inviting, so explore it! While winning this competition is at the forefront of your minds the long-term benefit of this competition is what is important,” Cheong shared.
This point was also emphasized by SBM Offshore Guyana’s Local Content Lead, Garri Fraser. “Whether they choose careers in STEM or otherwise, it is also our intent to provide them with the opportunities to practice their analytical skills, which is vital for any discipline.”
Allex Harte, a local winner from 2024 charged the students to continue to challenge themselves beyond the competition. “You have already gained something invaluable so keep the experience, the learning and the motivation and keep pushing forward.”
The Monaco Mousetrap Car Grand Prix is held annually in the Principality of Monaco. Created under the High Patronage of His Serene Highness, Prince Albert II of Monaco, the competition aims to promote Science and Engineering engagingly and entertainingly.
