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Engineering Taster Days

11 January 2012

Group of students and sixth formers working together to build a robot

Group of students and sixth formers working together to build a robot
Image by Sarah Tauwhare

‘What do students eat?’ ‘Pasta!’ 

A group of sixth formers from Merchants’ Academy from Withywood in Bristol, recently visited the Systems Centre in the Faculty of Engineering, and spent the day with postgraduate research engineers at the Industrial Doctorate Centre in Systems to find out about University life, systems engineering and robots.

 The sixth formers took the opportunity to get the answers to their questions about University life that they could not find in the brochures like ‘How do students really live?’, ‘How much money do you have?’ and ‘What do you eat?’, as well as questions on how to find courses, make applications, and of course, tuition fees and loans. 

 As part of the EngD programme, research engineers are encouraged to develop their communication skills and be able to share their expertise with a wide audience.   The students decided to use an exercise in building robots from construction toys to illustrate systems engineering in practice, from the design through the building, experimenting, and evaluation.

The school visit tested my ability to talk about engineering to people who are new to it, and to make it accessible.

Natasha, research student
The challenge was to safely remove an object (a can of fizzy drink) from a designated area. The sixth formers dived straight in, successfully completing the first part of the task before heading up to the Queen’s Building for a special demonstration of a real industrial robot.

There, Steve Bullock, a PhD student, showed the group the new Relative Motion Robotic (RMR) rig, simulating automated air-to-air refuelling, with two robots approaching one another to show the action of an F-16 aircraft approaching a tanker's hose and drogue in the air!

Overall, the day was enjoyed by all and everyone gained from the experience. The sixth formers had a glimpse of student life, and an example of practical engineering that is used in product development. The research students gained confidence in their facilitation skills, and spent time reflecting on what they could improve for the next time. It is difficult to anticipate how different people will respond to tasks, so the researchers learned they need to be ready to adapt. Natasha said “the school visit tested my ability to talk about engineering to people who are new to it, and to make it accessible."

We recommend hosting a public engagement event; we learned that it is fun and rewarding!

Sarah Tauwhare
Sarah Tauwhare of the Systems group, reflecting on the day said ”…we recommend hosting a public engagement event; we learned that it is fun and rewarding, but requires thorough planning and preparation and, of course, proper risk assessment. The teacher was an excellent source of information to advise on their students’ needs or any potential difficulties.”  More visits from Merchants’ Academy and other groups are planned. The new cohort of research engineers at the IDC in Systems is invited to suggest groups they would like to host, and activities they would like to offer.  The challenge is to find a specific group of visitors, and then focus on their particular needs for the day - not so different from an engineer meeting customer demands! “

Please contact The Public Engagement Officer for further information.

Further information:

Merchants’ Academy, Bristol, is an independent comprehensive school founded in 2008 and co-sponsored by the Society of Merchant Venturers and the University of Bristol.
The Systems Centre is committed to excellence in Systems Thinking and provides a focal point for collaborations in teaching, research and enterprise.
For further information on the Industrial Doctorate Centre in Systems please contact Sarah Tauwhare on email: sarah.tauwhare@bristol.ac.uk or tel: +44 (0)117 3315825.