The EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Composites Science, Engineering and Manufacturing (CoSEM CDT) welcomed Sixth Form pupils from Katharine Lady Berkeley’s (KLB) School in Gloucestershire. The CoSEM CDT students, alongside colleagues from the Bristol Composites Institute, FARSCOPE CDT and CerTest Project, led activities that showcased the work they are engaged in and gave a taster of the type of exciting research taking place at the University.
After a warm welcome from Dr Jemma Rowlandson and series of supporting lectures, the pupils spent the day in the General Engineering Laboratory carrying out a variety of hands-on activities. One activity, delivered by CoSEM CDT student Matthew Lillywhite, was the creation of an aeroplane wing, which required pupils in small groups to make decisions to craft a wing that took into consideration aerodynamics and the lift/drag ratio.
The KLB pupils also spent time with the CerTest team, rotating through 4 Non-Destructive Testing stations to figure out what defects were within a tile. During the lunchbreak pupils were invited to interact with the FARSCOPE CDT Swarm Robotics installation. The day was rounded off with a tour of some of the laboratory spaces in the building.
Jim Evans, CerTest Project Manager, said : “It was fantastic to welcome aspiring engineers to get an inside look at University research and experimental techniques. I had some great conversations with the attendees, and it was very rewarding to see their enthusiasm for STEM subjects!”
Additional support to run the day was given by: Ege Arabul, the GE laboratory technical team, Flora Herven, Henry Hickson, Vincent Maes and the CoSEM CDT PGR students, Directors and Staff.
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