EIP attorney Ben Hoyle returned to school to help run a one-day event with the aim of inspiring the next generation of engineers and scientists.
The event on 5 February was delivered by The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) as a Faraday Challenge Day, hosted at Crispin School in Street where Ben is a former pupil. Seven teams of students from five Somerset schools took part.
The Faraday Challenge Day is a nationwide scheme provided free-of-charge to UK schools by the IET. Companies working in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) are invited to provide consultants in these areas. The event involves teams of pupils between the ages of 12 and 13 who compete to research, design and build a prototype solution to an engineering problem. In this case, pupils had to develop an electrical system to send coded emergency messages between two locations.
Ben said: “The day was great fun. The pupils were faced with real engineering constraints such as deadlines and a budget. The final solutions showed great creativity: some teams even unwittingly reinvented classic coding techniques common in industry. Big thanks go to the IET, for providing such a well-run event, to Crispin School as hosts, and to all the pupils who took part.”