Well Done The Water Boys - On Board for Future Competitions

SERC’s The Water Boys, Johnny McQuillan (Glenavy), Paul French (Lisburn) and Martin McKeown (Moira), a group of young scientists and innovators recently competed in Invent 2020 where they showcased their water purification filter. The team reached the semi-finals in the prestigious competition - an amazing achievement for which they are to be congratulated.  Well done to the trio for everything they’ve accomplished at Invent 2020. 

Speaking about the experience of taking part in Invent 2020, the team said, “We enjoyed taking part. Every aspect of the competition was very competitive, and it was a very good experience where we had the chance to meet a lot of interesting people from a variety of backgrounds including industry-experts and CEO’s from different companies.” 

The group offered their advice to anyone considering entering a competition in the future. “If you put the work in and believe your idea has potential, we would highly recommend that you apply. We would also advise seeking feedback on your pitch before presenting and taking any comments on board. We got some great feedback from Catalyst, Terence Brannigan, SERC’s Entrepreneur in Residence, and the Enterprise team, this really helped us make the strongest pitch possible.” 

The group plan on sticking together and developing their invention. “We are going to keep progressing and try to make our prototype better. We are definitely going to make submission for other competitions coming up next year.” One of the team members, Paul French, has begun a 4-week student research placement with the Nuffield Foundation, which will see him studying pollination habits. The Water Boys will be returning to SERC next year for the second year of their Level 3 National Foundation Diploma in Applied Science. 

The Water Boys concluded, “There are some people would like to thank, Michael Holmes, Natasha Lloyd, Lizzie Buick, Aurla McLoughlin and Terence Brannigan. We would like to say thank you for all the support provided to us during our time in the competition.” 

Apply now for courses commencing September 2020. Visit www.serc.ac.uk to find out how you could be #BetterOffAtSERC