On 22 April 36 teams of Year 12 students, teachers and leading engineers from across the East Midlands celebrated the completion of six months’ hard work when they showcased their engineering projects at the Ford College in Loughborough. This event, organised by the East Midlands region of the Engineering Education Scheme in England, represented one of 13 such celebration days across the UK.
The guest speaker at the event, organised by the Engineering Education Scheme, was the engineer and broadcaster Kate Bellingham, who said that she was constantly amazed by the level of commitment and knowledge of the young people who have taken part in the Scheme.
The Engineering Education Scheme takes place annually, with this year’s East Midlands programme launched at the National Space Centre in October 2001. Each team includes four or five Year 12 students, a teacher and an engineer from a leading company. At the launch, each team was set by its company a challenging engineering project to be completed within six months. Projects this year include:
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The collection of energy as distributed gas is reduced in pressure by Transco
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The investigation of particle emissions from the Cupola Gas Cleaning System at Saint-Gobain Pipelines plc, Staveley.
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Rapid measurement of car brake linings thickness for in-line processing, for Federal Mogul Friction Products Ltd.
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A method of installing a BT phone line across the road safely, without interfering with traffic.
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Investigating methods of removing fish from the fresh water supply for Severn Trent Water.
Professor Chris Backhouse, Dean of Engineering at Loughborough University said, ‘I saw some of the projects in development during the workshops held at Loughborough in December last year and I am very much looking forward to seeing the results. The Engineering Education Scheme provides the ideal environment for students to develop interdisciplinary experience and excellent communication skills that will help them in their chosen careers.’
Participating teams and projects 2001/2002 –
East Midlands
Ashfield Comprehensive School/Severn Trent Water Ltd
To design a portable telemetry unit for use in sewage treatment process control
Branston Community College/Marconi Applied Technologies
To design a universal quick release pressure adapter
Brookfield Community School/Fusion Provida Ltd
Flow stemming for large diameter polyethylene pipe
Burleigh Community College/3M Health Care Ltd
Aerosol drying optimisation
Carre’s Grammar School/RAF Waddington
Forward and aft lower lobe emergency lighting on E3-D Sentry Aircraft
Derby Grammar School/Serco Rail Maintenance
To devise a means of checking the height of track ballast
Dukeries Community College/Severn Trent Water Ltd
To investigate the efficiency of 3 bench scale bio-reactors
Elizabethan High School/Dexion Ltd
To design a small clutch mechanism
Garibaldi School/Transco
Energy retrieved from the reduction of gas pressure
Groby Community College/Advantica Technologies Ltd
To design a gas meter to be read by anyone with a disability
Highfields School/Severn Trent Water
To design an emergency chemical dosing system for sewage
Kesteven & Grantham Girls School/Fenland Food Company
To investigate energy recovery from effluent plant overflow
Kimberley School/Saint-Gobain Pipelines plc
Improvement in the manufacture of pipeline end rings
King Edward VII C College (Coalville)/Transco
Software design for data retrieval from gas stations
King Edward VII College (Melton)/Pedigree Masterfoods
To design a unit to measure percentage ice crystal content in meat emulsion
Landau Forte College/AEA Technology Rail
To design equipment to measure various aspects of railway lines
Lady Manners School/Federal Mogul Friction Products
Design a means of measuring the thickness of car brake linings in line
Lincoln Christ Hospital School/The Environment Agency
To design a temporary flood defence system for a variety of applications
Lincoln School of Science & Tech./Rose Bearings
To apply resin to a Rose type D self lubricating liner
Loughborough Grammar School/Druck Ltd
To design a pressure pulse protection device
The National C/E School/Rolls Royce plc
To review commercial systems of component support
Nottingham High School for Girls/British Army Military Works Force
To determine the supply and distribution of water to a refugee camp
Nottingham High School 1/Siemens Communication Systems 1
To design the software to test a phone to be used with the Internet
Nottingham High School 2/ Siemens Communication Systems 2
To design, build & test a traffic sensor communication mechanism
Oakham School 1/Anglian Water Services Ltd 1
Reduction of manual labour input for dried sludge bagging unit
Oakham School 2/Anglian Water Services Ltd 2
Accurate method of measurement of lime dosage to sludge
Queen Elizabeth High School/Eminox Ltd
To design a silencer end cap welding manipulator
The Beauchamp College/British Telecomm
Designing a safer method of overhead phone cable installation
The Ecclesbourne School/Rolls Royce plc
Production of interactive CD Rom to support RR Heritage Trust Exhibition
The Grove School/Flowserve Pumps (UK) Ltd
Improvement of pump casing, fixtures and tooling
The Kings School (Grantham)/RAF Coningsby
Reduction of Tornado tyre temperature in fast turnaround situation
The Pingle School/Severn Trent Water Ltd
Recovery of fish from the first stage of water treatment
Tuxford Comprehensive School/Greene, Tweed & Co
Design & make a fatigue testing machine for PTFE and PTFE compounds
Valley Comprehensive School/Saint-Gobain Pipelines plc
Investigating the particulate emissions from the Cupola Gas Cleaning System William Farr C/E Comp.
School/George Fischer (Lincoln) Ltd
Hot sprue removal from a process belt
Wyggeston & QE 1 College/Linread Northbridge
Automating packaging for high specification bolts
The Engineering Education Scheme
The Engineering Education Scheme (EES) currently involves nearly 1700 students all over the UK. It is one part of the Best programme promoted by the Royal Academy of Engineering to encourage able students to take up and continue with careers in engineering.
For more details, see the November 2001 issue of Ingenia and www.engineering-education.org.uk
The EESE East Midlands sponsors are:
Nottingham Consortium
Loughborough University
Leicestershire SETPOINT
Cottam Power Station
BAE Systems
Balfour Beatty
Siemens Communications
Ford Motor Company