On Wednesday 13 November members of our Formula Student team delivered the first of a series of outreach events at local schools. 

The day consisted of multiple one-hour sessions promoting STEM subjects and particularly engineering as a possible career choice. Groups of Year 8 pupils built a little spring powered car, before racing it against their friends’ cars. This enabled them to see why some car designs worked better than others. Working in small groups of up to five pupils per engineering student, there was also a lot of opportunity to chat about engineering and University life.

A spokesperson for the team said:

Everyone from Warwick really enjoyed passing on their knowledge to the pupils. Having tested (in some cases to destruction) the chassis of our cars, we realised that we need to alter the design or make it from a stronger material! We had to do a lot practical alterations during the day, but this is great preparation for an engineering career where every day will involve solving a new challenge.”

Nathan Mountford, Campion School, Leamington Spa said:

The workshop from the Warwick students was a valuable hands-on experience for our Year 8 pupils. It gave them the opportunity to put the science they have learnt in the classroom to the test on a practical project, while allowing them to learn more about the applications of maths and engineering as a career.”

Feedback from the pupils was also very positive:

“It was really fun to see how we can use science in different ways.”

“The students really made learning the material easy and have helped me understand more about how we can use science and maths in the outside world.”

“The student teachers were way more interesting than my normal lessons, I enjoyed it a lot.”

Thanks to Campion School in Leamington Spa and all the Year 8 pupils that took part.

Further information about our school activities can be found on the Outreach section of the website. If you would like further information, or to make a booking, please complete the online form.