Future engineers begin to materialise!
Article Type: Conferences, training and publications From: Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, Volume 59, Issue 6
From 9 to 12 July, 45 students spent the week enjoying a unique learning experience at The University of Manchester. The four-day Smallpeice Trust Engineering Materials residential course, hosted by The University of Manchester’s School of Materials and sponsored by LATEST2 (Light Alloys Towards Environmentally Sustainable Transport) and the Worshipful Company of Founders was designed to give students a taste of this exciting and rapidly expanding subject.
Lab sessions provided a hands-on opportunity for the 14 and 15 year old students to discover the fundamentals of Materials Science and the breadth of the subject. Sessions were designed to explore not just Engineering Materials,but also biomedical materials science and technical textiles. Working on different group tasks, students solved engineering challenges including a“Straw Towers Construction”, a Demolition Derby and an “Advanced Composite Beam Project”. The course also included a trip to Airbus and a presentation from Rolls Royce, both of which enabled students to speak to real-life engineers and learn more about their journey into engineering.
Students also developed and improved their team building, communication, time management, problem solving, planning and presentation skills, whilst experiencing university life. They met new people, engaged in new challenges and– most of all – had fun whilst doing so. Social activities included a film evening and a sports night. On the final night, The Smallpeice Trust hosted a conference style dinner, where students and supervisors had the opportunity to socialise and share their experiences of the week.
Laura Winters, Science Communication Officer, LATEST2 & Advanced Metallic Systems CDT, commented, “Materials Science is a subject area which has fantastic career opportunities and allows you to combine the study of physics,chemistry and engineering in higher education.
These summer schools are a great way for us to spread the word about Materials Science and engage students with the subject. By combining practical activities with subject talks and industry visits we are able to give the students a varied experience over the four days and hopefully foster their interest in the subject in years to come”.
Spokesperson Gemma Murphy from The Smallpeice Trust commented, “We are very grateful for the support from LATEST2, The University of Manchester and the Worshipful Company of Founders to be able to offer students a greater understanding of engineering materials. During the course students demonstrated a huge amount of enthusiasm and dedication to their projects. We hope this opportunity will encourage more students to explore and ultimately pursue a career in this field in the future”.
The Engineering Materials course is run by independent educational charity,The Smallpeice Trust, and is part of an on-going programme of residential courses to help young people aged 13-18 learn and develop skills in engineering,design, technology and manufacturing. Through running residential courses and STEM enrichment days, The Trust has reached out to 18,175 students across the UK in the past year.
The new course timetable for 2013 will be launched in the autumn school term. Places are allocated on a first come, first served basis. To find out more,visit: www.smallpeicetrust.org.uk
