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In these times of financial austerity, it’s easy to look at projects that attempt to push forward the boundaries of science and engineering and dismiss them as nice to do rather than need to do. But that, in my opinion, is flawed thinking. Now is the perfect time to embark on a bit of adventure – people are crying out for something that inspires them, something that cheers them up, something that makes them proud to be British. And that’s exactly what the Bloodhound supersonic land speed record project will attempt to do.
Let’s be honest, the financial services side of our economy has been a disaster of late, and it’s impacted on all of us. There has been an all-pervading sense of doom and gloom, and companies in all sectors have become conservative and risk averse. Subsequently no one is encouraged to take up a challenge. That is such a shame, because Britain has a rich heritage of entrepreneurism and record-breaking and is still home to a terrific cadre of talented people – many of whom work within engineering.
Bloodhound intends to reconnect such individuals and their companies with their spirit of adventure. We will be building a car that will be capable of travelling at speeds in excess of 1,000mph/Mach 1.4, and in so doing we will be confronting and overcoming the seemingly impossible using science,technology, engineering and mathematics capabilities. It promises to be a truly wonderful challenge and is already attracting headlines around the world. The Bloodhound website is being followed in 203 countries and it is even being avidly followed by a group of Russian cosmonauts.
Bloodhound has certainly managed to create a stir within schools and colleges across the country. The education outreach part of the project means that all technical data on the research, design, build and operation of the car is available for teachers and students. So far 4,030 schools and colleges have signed up to the programme and the numbers keep on rising. Grow this building fast as the project progresses into car build.
The National Foundation for Educational Research provided a very positive audit report on the first year’s progress of the education activities, proving that our partners have helped to deliver some really inspirational learning programmes. We are now building up that momentum, rapidly growing our curriculum resources and recruiting more schools and colleges to the project. Blood hound offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers – that will be its legacy.
We have also attracted some valuable support from high-profile organisations such as the Institution of Mechanical Engineers,which has become a sponsor of the project. As a result, engineers of all ages can get involved in the project by volunteering as IMechE Bloodhound Ambassadors, going into schools and colleges to engage with and inspire the students. We have 180 ambassadors so far and we plan to increase this to 600 and supply appropriate training to service the schools. This is another really valuable way that we are getting our message across to budding engineers.
So don’t listen to the doomsayers who believe thatrecord-breaking projects such as Bloodhound are a waste of time and money. That’s a short-sighted viewpoint that doesn't take account of the wider educational activities that often surround such attempts. I believe that Bloodhound is the perfect antidote to our conservative times, and the support we have receivedbacks up my case. Bloodhound will prove that Britain is a country that still has a sense of adventure.