To celebrate the launch of the STEM Challenges, teenagers from Barking Abbey School’s STEM Club saw the Olympic Park big build first hand and met the team in charge of designing and building the handball arena on a tour of the construction site.

Alex Brooks, the Design & Technology teacher from Barking Abbey School who accompanied the pupils on their Olympic Park visit and runs the school’s after-school STEM Club, says: "If our students weren’t excited about taking part in the STEM Challenges before today they certainly are now! It’s been great for them to see the impressive amount of work going on at the Olympic Park and really beneficial for them to make the connection between what’s happening here and what they are learning about in class. Hopefully taking part in all this will make them realise that STEM careers are not only important but extremely exciting as well."

Matthew Tosh, STEMNET’s STEM Clubs Network Manager, said: "The STEM Challenges can be completed either in the classroom or as part of an after-school STEM Club. They will get students thinking about the real-life issues that the STEM professionals behind the scenes of the 2012 Games face on a daily basis and also give young people across the country a chance to connect with the Olympic and Paralympic Games between now and 2012.

"The aim is for students to experience STEM skills in practice and understand that science and technology doesn’t just happen in the classroom but is a hugely important and enthralling sector to be involved in. STEMNET hopes that initiatives like the STEM Challenges will help to inspire the next generation of great British STEM professionals."

The pupils will all be taking part in the STEM Challenges and found the visit to the Olympic Park to be a fascinating experience. As one girl said: "It's amazing to see the real Olympic Park being built. I can't believe we've actually been on site."

A site visit is just one of the prizes on offer to the top three winning teams in the first STEM Challenge.