Girls Reach National Final of 4x4 In Schools Technology Challenge
Date posted:Friday 9th March 2012
A team of four Year 9 students from Simon Langton Girls’ Grammar School has won a place in the national final of the ‘4x4 In Schools Technology Challenge’ in Birmingham on 15 March thanks to their engineering and creative skills.
The girls were prompted to enter the challenge, which aims to encourage students aged 11 - 18 to develop their interests in engineering and design, after experiencing success in the regional ‘Solar Car Challenge’ final last year.
Team Nebula’s Design Engineer, Raina Bardhan (14), said: “We were generously sponsored by Bailey’s Nissan Canterbury, and the Kent County Council, whose financial backing made the project possible for the team. We joined the competition two months later than most other teams and were under a lot of pressure after receiving the 4x4 starter kit just three weeks before the regional finals, but with team work and dedication, we overcame the hurdles and came up with a winning design.”
The girls had to impress the judges by driving their car around obstacle courses and were asked to explain the engineering behind their vehicle. Judges also scrutinised their design portfolio and the car’s build. Raina said: “The judges were impressed with our modifications on the 4x4 kit, which included darkness activated headlights, a buzzer triggered when the car tilted over 25 degrees, and a solar charger for the car’s battery to boost its eco-friendliness. They were especially impressed with our presentation and its excellent delivery.” The team won an award for the most innovative design, and a place in the finals at the National Science Fair in Birmingham next week.
Raina said: “We felt, and still do, that as women are a minority group in the field of engineering, it gives us all the more reason to put our best foot forward, and prove the people out there with these pre-conceived notions wrong! More and more women are entering the field of engineering, and progressing faster and further than the men- our victory at the Solar Car Challenge is proof of that!”
“We are extremely nervous about the finals, especially now that we've seen our competition. It also puts a lotof pressure on us to step up our design for the national finals, where we'll be competing against quite a few veterans of the project!”
4x4 In Schools Technology Challenge (January 2012)
Despite starting three months later than most other teams, a group of 6 determined Year 9 students at SLGGS are working hard to enter the 2011/2012 4x4 In Schools Technology Challenge. This will involve designing, building and eventually racing a 4x4 radio-controlled car against other schools. The car must meet a variety of specific criteria set by the competition organisers, such as being able to travel through water and over rocks.
The competition, sponsored by British car company Landrover, is geared towards 11-19 year olds, from key stage 3 to 5. It provides a brilliant chance for pupils to understand and experience the everyday challenges of engineering for themselves. Additionally, the project requires great discipline, individual learning and research, original thinking, first-class teamwork and the ability to run a project independently.
Each team member has taken on a different role in the project, with Raina Bardhan responsible for designing; Lucy Blatherwick for manufacturing; Caitlin Cooke for graphics; Trinity Hunt and Astrid Canévet for resources and Ramani Chandramohan for managing the project as a whole.
The girls are part of a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) club, who last year participated in the Solar Car Challenge at the University of Kent, helping SLGGS to come first for speed. Currently, they are undertaking the project with the assistance of physics teacher Ms Bebbington.
So far, the team (called Team Nebula) has secured £200 of sponsorship from global car manufacturer Nissan, applied for a grant of £260 from Kent County Council and begun compiling their portfolio folder. With the Starter Kit (containing the necessary car components) on its way, the girls are hoping to be ready for the Regional Final on 6th February. Although Team Nebula have had a late start (as they were not aware of the competition for some time), they know what they have left to do, and are more than willing to put in the extra time and effort. Ultimately, they feel this invaluable experience is “better late than never”.
Report written by Ramani Chandramohan 9J.
If you have any knowledge or advice that could be of use to the team, please contact SLGGS or send an email to the project manager, Ramani, via ashieber@langton.kent.sch.uk .
For more information about the project itself, please visit www.4x4inschools.co.uk
Canterbury TImes Article: http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/Girls-motor-contest/story-14399894-detail/story.html
