Full STEM ahead!
On Friday March the 15th 2019 Year 8 students participated in a workshop focused on developing their Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) skills with a team from HS2.
The workshop delivered by two representatives from High Speed 2 (HS2) as part of their education outreach remit encouraged students to develop the skills essential for a career as engineers of the future. They began by assessing their own STEM powers with the intent of using the activities of the day to boost their skills and understanding.
Taking place in the sixth form common room, the day split into parts. Firstly, students in small teams were challenged with designing the railway station of the future. Emphasis was placed not only on the practical needs of a station, but also the needs of a full-spectrum of customers. Some ‘blue sky thinking’ was also required, with students encouraged to consider all manner of hi-tech features, both real and speculative.
The latter half of the workshop tasked students with applying their practical engineering skills. After some guidance on different structural concepts, teams were asked to build a structure from paper straws capable of supporting a sack of sand weighing several kilos. Many different approaches were adopted, and the final testing stage was an excellent example of mutual support as teams competed to produce the most effective structure.
The day was very successful and enjoyed by all who participated and hopefully inspired students to consider the variety of opportunities available in STEM careers. The staff from HS2 were very complimentary and were impressed by the effort, ideas and behaviour of all students involved.
