The EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Composites Science, Engineering and Manufacturing (CoSEM CDT) welcomed Sixth Form pupils from Katharine Lady Berkeley’s (KLB) School in Gloucestershire. The CoSEM CDT students, alongside colleagues from the Bristol Composites Institute and FARSCOPE CDT, led activities that showcased the work they are engaged in and gave a taster of the type of exciting research taking place at the University.

After a welcome from Dr Jemma Rowlandson and mini-lecture on aeronautics from CoSEM CDT student Matthew Lillywhite, the pupils spent the day in the General Engineering Laboratory for a variety of hands-on activities. One activity, created by Dr Ben Woods, was the creation of an aeroplane wing, which required pupils in small groups to make decisions to craft a wing that took into consideration aerodynamics and the lift/drag ratio.

The KLB pupils also utilised a crushing apparatus devised by the University's NextCOMP research team. Using jelly and dried pasta, the pupils were tasked with creating a sample that could withstand the most weight. In an additional NextCOMP activity, the pupils experimented with reinforcing chocolate bars and seeing how they performed under a pendulum test.

The final activity was to create a marble run, and under guidance from Dr Jemma Rowlandson the groups competed to build and test marble runs that met certain parameters.

Jurg Laderach, Maths teacher from KLB school, said: “I was so impressed by the interactions between your department and our students. This is exactly how outreach should be done! I overheard many good conversations about career options and your students were brilliant at encouraging our students to choose the path that is right for them and go with what they enjoy. Your students talked with infectious passion about what they do.”

Additional support to run the day was given by: Jo Gildersleve (NextCOMP), Dr Jemma Rowlandson, Dr Ben Woods and Matthew Lillywhite, UoB Active Outreach team, and the CDT Directors and Staff.