About

In addition to our Student Competition, we organize the High Schools project. With this project, we aim to motivate young talent for technology and encourage high school students to design their own biosensor. Each year, the project focuses on a corresponding theme of the Student Competition of SensUs. 

SensUs provides the high school students with an assignment, organizes a starting lecture that will take place at the TU/e, and provides the high school students with any relevant literature regarding the theme. Additionally, an excursion is organized to get a more practical insight into the subject. In the end, the high school students will have developed a concept biosensor that takes the user and clinical relevance into account. The winning team will get the opportunity to present their developments at the end of August during the SensUs Event with a pitch in the Atlas building of the TU/e.

The pilot of the High School project was in 2016. Together with the Eindhoven School of Education (ESoE), the concept for the SensUs High Schools project was made. There were three participating groups from one high school. One of these groups even won the OMO-prize, which is the prize for the best ‘profielwerkstuk’ of the Dutch province North-Brabant.

Influenza

Theme 2021

The theme of SensUs 2021 is acute respiratory viruses with a focus on influenza A. Just like the University Student Teams taking part in the main Competition, the high school teams will also design a conceptual biosensor that aims to rapidly diagnose patients suffering from influenza A.

Much like Covid-19, influenza A is a respiratory disease. Influenza spreads around the world in yearly outbreaks, resulting in about three to five million cases of severe illness and about 290,000 to 650,000 deaths every year. Vaccinations against the disease exist, however, every few years an unforeseen mutation of the virus occurs. These unforeseen mutations can cause a pandemic. If this occurs, it is important to have the availability of rapid detection methods, in order to help combat the virus.

 

The winners of 2021

Guidelines

To participate in the SensUs High Schools project, the following guidelines apply:

  • The level of the project is most suitable for 4/5VWO.
  • Advised are group sizes from 1-6, so individual participation is also possible.
  • Be available at the beginning of September to attend the SensUs Event.
  • Be willing to put effort into an extracurricular project, from February until July.
  • The project can be combined with “profielwerkstuk (pws)”.

Contact

SensUs attaches great importance to stimulating young students for technical projects such as the High Schools project and thereby creating awareness for biosensors. By participating, high school students can experience what a technical study entails.

For more information or registration, please send a mail to [email protected]