Report on the Challenge in South Wales for 2007

  Tower construction - concentrating on the design

 Aim of the Challenge

 The Challenge is intended to encourage Year 9 (14-year-old) pupils in South Wales to think about a career in Engineering at professional level. 

 Background to the Challenge

 If the UK is to compete in providing products and services requiring technical innovation, it is crucial to produce chartered engineers in sufficient quantities to supply the needs of industry.  Various initiatives have appeared over recent years to help in this and the Engineering Team Challenge is one such project. 

 The Challenge has been held in South Wales since 1999.  The themes of previous Challenges have included bridge building, foundation engineering, aircraft wing design, renewable energy, earthquake engineering, environmental engineering and hydro-electric power.  Each year, an engineering consultancy is invited to prepare a Challenge to arouse the interest of the pupils.  This year, Arup, a global firm of designers, engineers, planners and business consultants, set up a Challenge to construct a tower, to a strict specification, using everyday materials.  Before schools were invited to take part, a trial was held at St Teilo’s Church in Wales High School, Cardiff, in June and this provided valuable information in the preparation of the Challenge.  

 Organising the Challenge

 Four venues were required for the Challenge to cater for the numbers of participating schools and pupils: 

12 November at the University of Glamorgan, Pontypridd
13 November at the University of Glamorgan, Pontypridd
15 November at the Halliwell Centre, Trinity College, Carmarthen
16 November at the University of Wales, Swansea. 

Over 130 schools across South Wales were invited to bring pupils to take up the Challenge.  The following twenty-three schools took part, with almost 300 pupils: 

12 November at the University of Glamorgan 

 13 November at the University of Glamorgan 

 15 November at the Halliwell Centre 

 16 November at Swansea University

 The teachers received joining instructions containing the programme, layout map of the venue, a list of sponsors, Health and Safety information and a feed back questionnaire.

 The pupils received Welcome Notes with a programme and a feed back questionnaire

Sponsors

 The Challenge was to be self-financing and the sponsors were very generous.  Most provided funding for the necessary prizes, materials and organisation whilst others provided transport or materials.  The sponsors were:

Arup
Halcrow
Atkins
PB
Capita Symonds
Association for Consultancy and Engineering
The University of Glamorgan
University of Wales Swansea
The Halliwell Centre, Carmarthen
Institution of Civil Engineers
Institution of Mechanical Engineers
Institution of Structural Engineers
Careers Wales Cardiff & Vale
Careers Wales Gwent
Careers Wales Mid Glam and Powys
Careers Wales West
Construction Skills
Bridgend County Borough Council
Caerphilly County Borough Council
Rhondda Cynon Taff County Borough Council
Swansea City Council
Vale of Glamorgan County Borough Council
Alun Griffiths (Contractors) Ltd
Walters Group
The Engineering and Technology Board
The Welsh Livery Guild
Bridgend Ford
Ford Britain Trust
Royal Academy of Engineering
McDonalds
The Tesco Charity Trust

A scaled-down panel shows the sponsors’ logos.  This was displayed at the four venues.

Challenge Graduates 

Fifteen graduates took part in the Challenge: 

12 November at the University of Glamorgan

(left to right)

Sean Bermingham - PB
 Ramyata Paruchuri - Arup
 Peter Halstead - Halcrow
 Suffiya Hassan - ArupJon Strugnell - Halcrow
 Tom Hocking - Arup

13 November at the University of Glamorgan (no image)

Suffiya Hassan - Arup
Mike Hanbury - Arup
Tom Hocking - Arup
Peter Halstead - Halcrow
Jon Strugnell - Halcrow
Chi Kit Lin - PB 

15 November at the Halliwell Centre (left to right)

Suffiya Hassan - Arup
Craig Kearney - Atkins
Dan Pritchard - Neath Port Talbot
Robbie Meredith - Neath Port Talbot
Manny Bennett - Arup
Mark Cooper - Arup

16 November at Swansea University (left to right)

Alex Robb - Atkins
Dan Pritchard - Neath Port Talbot
Tom Webster - PB
Mark Cooper - Arup
Suffiya Hassan - Arup
Manny Bennett - Arup
Robbie Meredith - Neath Port Talbot

Each received a Certificate of Continuing Professional Development.

 Programmes 

The programmes provided for a full day starting with a welcome at each venue:

12 and 13 November at the University of Glamorgan by Professor Peter Hodson, Dean of Faculty of Advanced Technology;

15 November at the Halliwell Centre by Dr Brian Clarke, Director of Resources and Operations

16 November at Swansea University by Professor Javier Bonet, Head of Engineering.

 


Jane Hutt, Minister at the Welsh Assembly Government for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills met the pupils on 13 November.

The welcome was followed by two talks given by Arup graduates:
The first, “What is Engineering?”, gave the pupils a description, with a generous use of slides, of the work of engineers and a clear but simple definition of engineering:
 

“Everything of any consequence in the modern world, on the earth, under it, on the sea and beneath it, in the air and in space has been designed and its construction and maintenance supervised by a qualified engineer”

 In the second, the Introduction to the Challenge, the pupils heard about the requirements of the Challenge. 

The Challenge 

The pupils were to build a tower to a specification (attached) using the materials listed.  They realised that towers are usually built where land is at a premium or statements of the success of the organisations commissioning the towers.  The pupils also understood the various loads acting on a tower and the means of resisting those loads.

 Before starting, the pupils were given health and safety advice about the care needed when using the materials.  The pupils were in groups of four, each from a different school, partly to encourage team building and partly to increase the chances of all schools winning at least one prize.  Pupils had to “buy” materials used and had to work out the final cost.  A time of 1¾ hours was allowed to complete the task, including answering technical questions.  Pupils lost marks for errors in the cost calculations.

The towers were then tested by placing increasing loads (lead weights) at the top of the tower to find out how much load they would carry before failure.  The weights carried before failure divided by the construction cost, together with marks for questions and costing, determined the first, second and third teams.

Lunch followed the testing and then the pupils and teachers were taken on a tour of the Civil Engineering Division of the University of Glamorgan and the School of Engineering at Swansea University.  There was no tour at the Halliwell Centre.

 Prize giving followed.  The prizes were a £35 gift token for each member of the winning team at each venue,  £25 for the second and £15 for the third. 

The winners were: 

12 November at the University of Glamorgan (six out of seven schools won prizes)
(Presented by Chris Jofeh, Director, Arup)

 First Prize

Blackwood Comprehensive School
Whitchurch High School 
Pencoed Comprehensive School 
Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni (left before
prize giving)

Second Prize

Blackwood Comprehensive School
Bryn Celynnog Comprehensive School
Whitchurch High School
St Teilo's Church In Wales High School

 Third Prize

Bryn Celynnog Comprehensive School
Whitchurch High School
Pencoed Comprehensive School 
Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni (left before
prize giving)

13 November at the University of Glamorgan (all six schools won prizes)
(Presented by Stuart Watkins, Director, Arup) 

First Prize

Newbridge Comprehensive School
Barry Comprehensive School
Bedwas Comprehensive School
Porth County Community School (left
before prize giving)

Second Prize

Newbridge Comprehensive School
Porth County Community School
Barry Comprehensive School
Bedwas Comprehensive School
Porth County Community School (left
before prize giving)

  Third Prize

Whitchurch High School
Bedwas Comprehensive School
Porth County Community School (left before
prize giving
Porth County Community School (left
before prize giving)

15 November at the Halliwell Centre (all five schools won prizes)
(Presented by Suffiya Hassan, Graduate Structural Engineer, Arup)

First Prize

Ysgol Gyfun Emlyn
Ysgol Gyfun y Strade
Ysgol Tre-gib
Ysgol Gyfun Pantycelyn

 Second Prize

 
Ysgol Gyfun Emlyn
Ysgol Gyfun y Strade
Ysgol Tre-gib
Sir Thomas Picton School

Third Prize

Ysgol Gyfun Emlyn
Ysgol Gyfun y Strade
Sir Thomas Picton School
Ysgol Gyfun Pantycelyn

16 November at Swansea University (all six schools won prizes)
(Presented by Colin Lea, Awards Committee, The Welsh Livery Guild)

First Prize

Cwmtawe Comprehensive School
Bishop Gore Comprehensive School
Ysgol Dyffryn Aman
Olchfa School 

Second Prize

Cwmtawe Comprehensive School
Bishop Vaughan Catholic School
Ysgol Dyffryn Aman
Ysgol Gyfun Gŵyr

 Third Prize

Cwmtawe Comprehensive School
Bishop Gore Comprehensive School
Ysgol Dyffryn Aman
Olchfa School

 Twenty-two of the twenty-three schools won at least one prize and Certificates were sent to the prize-winners.

 Feedback

 The teachers and the pupils completed feedback forms.  A summary of the feedback from the teachers (attached) and comments from the teachers (attached) show that the Challenge was very well received. 

Several teachers had taken part in past years and they considered that interest in Design and Technology had increased since last year. 

A summary of the Feedback from the pupils (attached) shows that there has been no great change in the excellent responses except for stimulation from the introductory talks, which has dropped.  The percentage of girls taking part has dropped - in the past, the percentage of girls has been has been around 45%.  This year it is 37%.  The number of pupils planning to follow a career in engineering remains high, which is very satisfying.

 Conclusions  

The Challenge was another success but some aspects require attention:

• The introductory talks need more visual examples - perhaps with short video clips

• A guide is needed for pupils at Swansea University whilst teachers park minibuses

• The programmes need to be reviewed to give earlier finish times (except at Carmarthen)

Thanks are due to…  

• Arup for their substantial input

• Jane Hutt, Minister at the Welsh Assembly Government for Children, Education  Lifelong Learning and Skills who spared the time to address the pupils on 13 November

•  Professor Peter Hodson, Dean of Faculty of Advanced Technology at the University of Glamorgan, Dr Brian Clarke, Director of Resources at the Halliwell Centre and Professor Javier Bonet, Head of Engineering at Swansea University, all of whom spared the time to welcome pupils to the Challenge

• the fifteen Graduates, without whom the Challenge would not have been possible

• the Graduates’ organisations for encouraging them to take part

•  the sponsors, without whom the Challenge could not have been produced

• the staff of the Business Unit of the University of Glamorgan, particularly Stacy, Gemma, Anne, Richard, Cara and Lisa; the staff of the Halliwell Centre, particularly Ceris, Chris and Sherree and the staff of Swansea University, particularly Ruth Bunting and Val Bird

• the participating schools, for supporting the Challenge

• and, most important of all, the pupils, who made it all worthwhile