 |
|
COMPETITION will be fierce as pupils from Broadland School race boats they have designed, on the glass ‘sea’, at Brunel’s ss Great Britain on Tuesday (November 11).
|
The boat race will mark the highpoint of the two-day ‘Engineers in Progress’ project, a collaboration between Rolls-Royce, the ss Great Britain Trust and Broadland School, where pupils will take part in inspiring practical science and engineering challenges. With guidance and support, teams of school pupils will design and build boats, complete with propulsion systems.
A total of 28 11 and 12 year-old students will take part in the project, which is being used by the ss Great Britain Trust as a pilot for the ‘Future Brunels’ education programme, due to be launched in 2010, and designed to encourage young people to choose careers in science and engineering.
Students will spend Monday at Rolls-Royce, in Filton, where they will be taken on a tour of the Defence Aerospace Assembly Facility and will have the chance to make and test their own wind turbine.
They will also experiment with ‘smart’ materials that, like chameleons, change their properties according to their environment .
The schoolchildren will end their day at Rolls-Royce by making small prototype boats out of aluminium as part of the ‘Salvaged’ workshop, a National Curriculum-linked activity usually run at Brunel’s ss Great Britain.
On Tuesday (November 11) students will be at Brunel’s ss Great Britain. They will start their day with an introduction from ‘Mr Brunel’ (actor Martin Williamson), and will then follow an engineering-focussed trail round the ship to discover the problems the great Victorian engineer encountered when designing the world’s first iron, propeller-driven, steam ship. When launched in 1843 the ss Great Britain was regarded as a marvel, and many believed she would sink on her maiden voyage.
The students’ next task will be to use the skills they have learnt to work in groups to design and make a boat that will pass a buoyancy and water resistance test. Each group will score points depending on how much weight the boat is able to carry and how well the boat moves through water.
The pupils will be able to use their points to buy a propulsion system, with the choice of sails, paddle wheels or propellers.
The day will finish with the boat race when the pupils will get the chance to test their designs and race their boats over the glass ‘sea’, which will be watched closely by judges from Rolls-Royce and the ss Great Britain Trust.
Judges will hand out prizes to the team whose boat completes the course in the quickest time and the group showing the best team-working skills. A third prize will be awarded to the student who, inspired by the role model of the great engineer, most successfully ‘channelled the spirit of Brunel’ by demonstrating vision and engineering ability.
Claire Champion, Assistant Education Officer of the ss Great Britain Trust, said: “It is a great opportunity to work with Rolls-Royce and Broadland School in such an interesting way. The ‘Engineers in Progress’ project will help enthuse students about science and engineering.
“We have also put together some questions for the students, which they will answer at the beginning and at the end of the project to find out if it has changed their perception of science and engineering. I am looking forward to seeing the results!”
Alison Parfitt of the Rolls-Royce team said “Organising this event in collaboration with the ss Great Britain has been a fantastic development opportunity, giving us the chance to inspire children to become engineers of the future”.
Rolls Royce actively seeks community-based opportunities for employees to make a difference. Rolls-Royce is particularly keen to encourage local children into the science and engineering disciplines to ensure the continuity of home-grown talent in for the British engineering industry.
For more information about school visits and education workshops please go to ssgreatbritain.org. To book a school visit or education workshop call 0117 926 0680.
Bookmark this page
What's this?