Sentinus

Sentinus is a educational charity based in Lisburn, Northern Ireland that provides educational programs for young people interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

History
Northern Ireland produces around 2,000 qualified IT workers each year; there are around 16,000 IT jobs in the Northern Ireland economy.

Function
It works with EngineeringUK and the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations & Assessment (CCEA). It works with primary and secondary schools in Northern Ireland.

It runs summer placements for IT workshops for those of sixth form age (16-18). It offers Robotics Roadshows for primary school children.

Sentinus Young Innovators
Sentinus hosts the annual Big Bang  Northern Ireland Fair which incorporates Sentinus Young Innovators. This is a one day science and engineering project exhibition for post-primary students. It is one of largest such events in the United Kingdom. In 2019 over 3,000 students participated from 130 schools across both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

The competition is affiliated with the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) and the Broadcom MASTERS program. The overall winner represents Northern Ireland at the following year's ISEF.