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As part of its strategic commitment to inspiring youngsters to consider careers in engineering, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers recently enabled the students at a whole school to become engineers for the day.
The Our World in 2050 event at Alton Convent in Hampshire was facilitated by Anna Davis, a young member of the IMechE from the Greater London region. The aim was to encourage students to consider how climate change may affect transport, energy and the built environment.
The pupils were asked to design solutions to the problems that are posed by climate change in each sector, thinking about methods of adaptation and mitigation. To make it more of a competition and help promote teamwork, it was decided that the houses at Alton Convent would compete against each other.
Davis commented on what the students enjoyed about this part of the challenge: “I think the girls most enjoyed the design aspect of the activity,” she said. “For many of them it was their first exposure to engineering. Before the day started I think few of them had any idea what an engineer does and they were pleasantly surprised to find that we design solutions to problems.”
Once pupils had completed their initial designs, winners from each house were chosen, before progressing to a round where they would be measured against the best from the rest of the houses. Parent volunteer Andy Taylor described the ideas that arose from the design process: “There were lots of creative ideas and a few that were extremely well thought out, including the cable-car from Alton to London (which had several changeover points along the way), designed to avoid rising flood waters. The younger ones are already looking forward to next year’s event.”
After the inter-house heats the winners waited anxiously to hear the results of the judges’ deliberations to decide the overall winner. Group 16, St Peter’s were announced as the winners of the competition. Their ingenious Silent Speaker concept would see recycled loudspeakers being used to convert sound into energy in places such as theme parks and sports stadiums, with the idea being that there will be a greater noise output come 2050.
Jill Kerr from Alton Convent said: “This event gave pupils the chance to take a fresh look at environmental issues. Most years touch on it somewhere in the curriculum, so the pupils had some knowledge, which meant that they could engage with the presenters and the tasks more readily. It also gave them a chance to work with other year groups, and other members of their own year.
“The day opened the door for lots of thought and discussion about engineering as a career, since it showed that there are so many different facets to the one profession and so many areas where an engineer can work.”
Anna Davis summed up how she felt the day had gone: “Taking on a whole school was a challenge. However, with willing volunteers, to whom I am truly indebted, anything can be achieved – it just takes a bit of engineering judgement!
“I think the most important step we can take as engineers is communicating the importance of STEM subjects and putting them within a context. Making these subjects less abstract will convince people that maths and science are cool. Making young women understand why mathematics and science are important before they choose their GCSEs and A-levels is our limiting factor.
“I hope as a young female engineer I have been a good role model and they’ve related to me and what my interests and passions are. But most importantly I hope that they take maths and science at A-level and consider its use.”