eTech 2002

On Monday 5 October 2002 3 committee members from the Essex Branch joined the team of 50 volunteers to help staff E-TECH 2002. This was an event organised by SETPOINT, an organisation that aims to promote careers in engineering to young people.

The event was held at the disused Tilbury Cruise Terminal, an ideal location for the 400 9-11 year olds from primary schools throughout Essex. There were 3 activities which were undertaken by the children in small groups.

Using the design briefs provided, groups had to design and build the products using the materials provided. Activities were based around the original use of the venue and included a self propelled buggy, a container to float a 1Kg weight on water and a baggage handling system

Groups were encouraged to think about what made a good design and how it could be improved. Levels of enthusiasm and ability varied, but there were definitely some engineers of the future amongst them.

The event was sponsored by a number of organisations including the IMechE and IET. For more information on the work of these organisations in Essex see http://www.imeche.org.uk/ and http://local.iee.org.uk/essex

If you would like to get involved in similar events, suitable Ambassadors are required to work with schools and young people to excite them about the importance and relevance of science and engineering. For more information see www.setnet.org.uk

Jonathan Wentworth

Making a device to float a 1KG weight

Making a self propelled buggy using a balloon