Over 116 sixth-form students and 29 engineers will get to grips with real engineering challenges over the coming months as part of this year’s East Midlands Engineering Education Scheme (England) (EESE).
The scheme’s main launch in the region took place at The Derby Conference Centre in the city on Thursday 16 October when 26 teams received details of the tasks they had been set for the next six months. The remaining East Midlands teams attended other launch events in October.
Each EESE team consists of four sixth-form students, a teacher and an engineer. In addition to receiving details of their projects at the launch event, the teams also had the opportunity to get top tips on project management, teambuilding and personality traits.
The EESE scheme is designed to give students a taste of how exciting a career in engineering can be, as well as providing effective, innovative solutions for local companies. The teams have the opportunity to attend workshops at a university around the halfway stage of the scheme with completion of their projects set for spring 2009.
Projects this year include:
- During winter months ice can form on the overhead contact wire from which electric trains collect their power supply. This can interrupt current collection and cause damage to the pantograph head which runs on the wire. Investigate methods of removing ice and preventing ice formation.
- Machinery is often used by operators who will need to use a mobile telephone while working or driving. Hands-free should be used on UK roads. The task is to integrate bluetooth technology into a JCB machine, to enable safe, easy and convenient mobile telephone usage.
- Design a safety system to monitor solvent collection from an HPLC and warn of high solvent volumes and shutdown system if overflow or leak is detected.
EESE is part of the Engineering Development Trust’s (EDT) regional STEM Pathway programme. The EDT STEM Pathway provides a range of science, technology, engineering and mathematics activities for students, including challenging work based learning placements that are monitored and have an accredited training programme with engineering and technology companies in the East Midlands. It is supported by East Midlands Development Agency (emda) and industry partners.
John Smith, Regional Coordinator of EESE in the East Midlands said, “The launch event went very well and there is an excellent range of projects for the teams to get their teeth into. The region has a strong reputation for engineering talent and this is a great opportunity for both the students and their partner companies to explore these skills and I’m sure they will deliver excellent projects."
Andrew Morgan, East Midlands Development Agency’s (emda) Skills and Communities Director, added: “This is an excellent scheme, which nurtures talent and encourages the region’s current and future engineers to work together on innovative projects, to help the East Midlands to flourish.”