Last Friday Year 10 took part in a STEM day with the company Smallpeice Trust. We practically explored the physics of flight through concepts such as aerodynamics and forces. We did this by constructing airplanes which were powered by propeller mechanisms and the fuselage was constructed from balsa wood. We worked in randomly selected groups, and we started off by designing three prototypes out of card and straws. We then tested them based on balance, speed and distance. We also measured the pros and cons of each plane. The plane that was the best was chosen to be our final design that we would create. We were given resources to make the planes such as balsa wood, propellers, a motor and wires for the circuit. Once our plane was finished, we made a presentation including a poster and name for our plane. Each material was given a certain cost and we had to create a plane that was the cheapest and most sustainable. Then our final designs were tested in order to see who’s unique design flew the furthest. The winners received a second certificate. At the start of the day everybody was given a bronze crest award certificate, during the day teachers helping out handed out stickers when they could see pupils had developed skills required throughout the day such as; leadership, creativity and positive thinking.
Overall, I think we all really enjoyed the day as it was something that we don’t normally do and enriched our knowledge about engineering. I think many of us will now consider a stem-based career. The leader that ran the day was very helpful and provided us with the knowledge that we needed for the day through colourful and animated PowerPoints.
A full photo gallery and some videos can be seen on Firefly:
