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Welcome to the June issue of the Sparxx monthly newsletter!
If the emails you receive are not formatted properly - we are working on this - you can view the newsletter online using the 'Click here' link at the top of this email or visit the Sparxx website
Newsletter page.
L
ast week there were two occasions to celebrate: the Summer Solstice on Monday
20 June (the longest day of the year and for many the start of the summer) and National Women in Engineering Day (#NWED2016) on Thursday 23 June. This month's Blog celebrates the success of #NWED2016 with a collection of tweets from its supporters. If you'd like to know who the Top 50 Women in engineering in the UK are have a look at the Book Review section.
Aurelia Hibbert, our Sparxx of the Month, who talks about managing the Cambridge University Eco Racing Team was the stimulus for the newsletter themes - energy, design and cars. N
ow that the days are getting shorter discover how to create your own solar night light in the DIY section. In the Fun Stuff section find out if you can successfully manage the energy requirements of a city and the Williams Racing role that matches your skill set.
The Did You Know section has an experimental electric car, ultra thin flexible solar cells, the Damsels of Design and Ford's all women auto design team. If you're curious about a career in energy take a look at the Career Wall and a day in the life of a solar cell designer Video of the Month. The Organisation of the Month - GineersNow - can keep you up to date with all the latest engineering news.
In our News this month Rochester Bridge Trust's new education officer for engineering initiatives, the Talk Biology online discussion forum, the BBC Micro:bit pocket sized codeable computer and the Sparxx newsletter prize draw. For our Educators win a £100 Amazon voucher and new aerospace engineering inspired teaching resources developed by Lauren Shea, a Year 11 pupil at Alton Convent School.
The Competitions and Events sections have plenty of things to do over the summer.
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Aurelia Hibbert (Credit Si Barber) - Sparxx of the Month |
 Sparxx of the Month
This month, Sparxx was lucky to catch up with the fast moving Aurelia Hibbert, who is currently on a placement year running the Cambridge University Eco Racing Team.
Before studying for her MEng at Cambridge University, where she intends to specialise in Civil and Structural Engineering, Aurelia attended the
EDT Headstart Insight course at
Salford University.
Read the full interview here.
"
I think the key to giving everyone equal opportunities in engineering is educating at a young age about how diverse engineering is.
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Competitions
If you haven't already entered, check out our Competitions
page to find out more about these exciting challenges closing soon.
- Draw an Engineer for NWED
As part of our celebrations for NWED2016, we've again partnered with Butterfly Books and relaunched a great competition for young engineers
(4-11 years) by asking them to 'Draw and Engineer' using their creativity and artistic skills.
To enter, simply draw, crayon or paint an engineer in A4 paper and email us a good quality photo of your submission to [email protected] with the subject line: NWED COMPETITION ENTRY. Please include you name and age.
DEADLINE: Friday 8th July 2016
- Tomorrow's Engineers EEP Robotics Challenge 2016/17
 Students (11-14s) work together to solve fun, space-themed engineering, technology and competing challenges. Schools successful in their applications will receive LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Education EV3 sets worth £3,000.
DEADLINE: Schools in England and Wales have until 4th July 2016. The challenge will start in September 2016.
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Still plenty of time to enter...
If you are enrolled in a
UK university or have been in the last 4 years; studying product design, industrial design or engineering, you are eligible to enter the James Dyson Award. The award is an international competition and the prizes include up to £30,000 for the overall winner and £5,000 for your university. So why not test your design skills, set up a team and enter?
DEADLINE: Tuesday 19th July 2016
- National Science + Engineering Competition
DEADLINE: Monday 31st October 2016
- TEENTECH City of Tomorrow
To take part in the TeenTech City of Tomorrow working to the brief of 'smarter, kinder, safer' young people, individually or in small teams, have to design and construct architectural models of buildings to sit o the footprint of an A4 card - but buildings can go out as well as up. Together they will develop ideas for the connected city, addressing issues of how we will live, work and play in the future. Materials used to build project models should be recycled or cost no more than £10 if bought specially. Once young people have constructed their buildings that are invited to enter them into the annual City of Tomorrow competition.
DEADLINE: All building designs uploaded before October 31st will be considered for the 2016 TeenTech Civic Hackathon & Final. Entries submitted after this date will be considered for the 2017 final.
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The deadline for these competitions will be here before you know it, so get a headstart and check out our
Competitions
page.
- Win a Lego Windstorm Education EV3
'As technology advances we are able to improve the quality of our life in many ways. We may soon see driverless cars on our roads but our own homes can even now become connected homes which allow us to interface with them via our smart phones. In that new world, how would you like to be connected with your home, and how may being connected with your home improve the quality of life for your family?'
This competition is for individuals or
groups (only ONE entry per school) aged 14-18. Winners will be announced on the department's website and winners will be informed individually by the 31st January 2017. Entries to be sent by email to the Head of Department at [email protected] either as an attachment, a YouTube link or a cloud storage link.
DEADLINE: The closing date for entries is 31st December 2016.
- Design For A Better World
Design for a better world offers an exciting new global design challenge and competition for students aged 11-14 years.
DEADLINE: 16th December 2016
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Did you know?
Rimono: an experimental electric two-seater fabric bodied car
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| Rimono: A tiny two-seater car that is really easy to drive. |
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C
reated by a Japanese company the innovative two-seater Rimono
electric
car is
1 m wide by 2.2 m long and weighs 320 kg. Its distinctive waterproof textile body, made
from polyester cotton parts that are easily replaceable, will be customisable with a variety of colours and patterns. With a top speed of 28 mph the concept blurs the line between a car and a scooter.
Designed for short shopping trips and ferrying children it is expected to go in to production in 2017.
Watch the video
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Ultra thin flexible solar cells
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| Ultra-thin solar cells flexible enough to bend around small objects, such as the 1mm-thick edge of a glass slide. (APL) |
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Scientists in South Korea have produced ultra-thin flexible solar cells thinner than human hairs and hundreds of times thinner than most standard photovoltaics.
These thinner cells flex more easily and are less fragile under bending.
Around 1 micrometer thick the solar cells are made from gallium arsenide. The cells are stamped directly on to a flexible substrate and this semiconductor material is then bonded to metal electrodes. Light is reflected back to the solar cells by the metal electrodes improving the efficiency.
Read more here.
Harley Earl and the Damsels of Design
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Harley Earl
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Harley Earl, a visionary for his day, established a group of female industrial design engineers the mid 50s called the 'Damsels of Design'.
Although promoted as '
decorator the women
were designing car interiors from the ground up and put in some interesting innovations. It was these women who introduced the first retractable seat belt, glove compartments and light up mirrors - all features that have remained in cars for decades.
Orchestrated by Harley Earl, in 1958 the group held the first exhibition by female auto designers anywhere in the world. Unfortunately when Harley Earl retired shortly after his predecessor disbanded the group.
Click here to listen to a podcast about them and read more about the exhibition here.
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Ford's all women auto design team.
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More
recently (in 2010) Ford had an all women auto design team - five female chemical and mechanical engineers - designing the cars of the future with renewable materials. The women talk about their roles in the video.
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Blog
#NWED2016
Thanks to everyone who supported #NWED2016 it was an amazing success. The #NWED2016 Thunderclap had a social reach of 1,218,788 and t
his month we bring you a round up of some of the things that took place on National Women in Engineering Day 2016.
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Events
Current
Leonardo da Vinci: The Mechanics of Genius
Wed Feb 10th - Sun Sep 4th
Leonardo da Vinci: The Mechanics of Genius is the internationally-acclaimed, must-see exhibition of 2016. It's your chance to investigate both the facts and the misconceptions that surround this great genius of the Renaissance: Was he the period's only designer of machines? Did all of his designs get fully constructed?
The Engineering Season at the V&A
Wed May 18th - Sun Nov 6th
The Engineering Season at the V&A (18 May - 6 November 2016) will celebrate the 'unsung heroes' of design that create and shape the built world. The exciting line-up includes a major retrospective of the engineering legend Ove Arup, a display highlighting the global impact of contemporary British engineers, a garden pavilion woven by a robot, and a packed events programme exploring some of the most advanced engineering taking place in the world today.
Above and Beyond
Fri May 27th - Mon Aug 29th
Experience what space flight is really like and glimpse into its future in our new family-friendly, interactive exhibition Above and Beyond, now open at the National Maritime Museum.
Above and Beyond
is recommended for ages 7+.
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July
Meet the Universities
Fri Jul 1st
This unique event for post 16 students interested in studying the biosciences at university is being held on 1 July 2016 at the Royal College of Surgeons. Meet the Universities will give students the chance to speak with professionals about funding opportunities and student loans; meet university representatives and learn about the application process and explore the wide range of excellent bioscience degrees on offer from universities around the UK.
The Royal College of Surgeons, London - Booking for Meet the Universities is now open at http://mtu.rsb.org.uk/
Meet the Universities
If you are looking for a chemistry course, everything you need to know - and everyone you need to speak to - will be at this event. You can chat to admissions tutors and current undergraduates as well as get personalised advice from Dr Careers.
The Big Bang @ Bournemouth & Poole College
Mon Jul 4th - Tue 5th
Year 8 students from local schools are being invited to our annual Big Bang @ Bournemouth & Poole College, on July 4th & 5th at our Poole site.
Our main focus is to introduce young people to the exciting career opportunities available to them within STEM while having a fun and entertaining day. We will have a range of career based, interactive and hands-on activities available. Each student will experience up to ten activity sessions with the added opportunity to talk to leading employers, careers advisers and STEM professionals throughout their visit.
Family Masterclass: build a bridge
Sun Jul 17th
 Family Masterclass, for 7-11 Year Olds and their Families.
10.30am to 12.30pm
Explore the engineering behind bridges in this family Masterclass, aimed at 7-11 year-olds with their families.
Family Masterclass, for 12-14 Year Olds and their Families.
1.30am to 3.30pm
Explore the engineering behind bridges in this family Masterclass, aimed at 12-14 year-olds with their families.
Winchester
Science Festival
Fri Jul 22nd - Sun 24th
A weekend science adventure.
London Festival of Design & Engineering
Sat Jul 23rd
This free one day festival will celebrate all areas of Design & Engineering. Showcasing the latest tech and gadgets with lots of hands on activities for all the family.
Engineering Open House Day
Fri Jul 29th
Engineering Open House Day sees the IET joining forces with iconic venues and organisations across the country to give children and their parents an insight into what it's like to be an engineer. Designed to be an educational, fun day out to encourage parents to support their children in choosing careers in engineering and technology, by providing them with a rare opportunity to go behind the scenes at some of the UK's most celebrated innovative engineering and technology organisations.
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Have a look at the
Events page to find out more.
August
Inside Diamond - Public Open Days
Wed Aug 17th
The open day will feature stalls and activities, a short introduction to Diamond and a tour of the machine. We expect the visit will last around two and a half hours - so please wear comfy shoes! There are several sessions per day, so please select your choice within the booking system.
Harwell Atlas Centre, Didcot.
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September
London Design Festival Baboushka Boxes
Sat Sep 17th - Sun 25th
Housing has never been a more topical issue, and it is one that Shelter and Legal & General seek to address through an experiential installation designed by dRMM. The interactive exhibition will feature a series of boxlike structures made from cross-laminated timber.
Victoria Gardens, London.
New Scientist Live
The Sep 22nd - Sun 25th
New Scientist Live is a festival of ideas and discovery, taking place at ExCeL London. Rooted in the biggest, best and most provocative science, New Scientist Live will touch on all areas of human life. The show will feature four immersive zones covering Brain & Body, Technology, Earth and Cosmos. For four days this September, New Scientist Live will be like no other place on earth.
ExCeL London, London.
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Career Wall
Careers in Energy
Would you like to be part of a vital industry meeting the needs of the population's future energy requirements while building a more sustainable world? Find out if you could have a bright future in energy by visiting the
Energy Institute and
Think Power career websites.
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Organisation of the Month
An online community for young engineers with all the latest engineering news.
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Sparxx Prize Draw
Still time to tell your friends and family to sign up to Sparxx for NWED for a chance to win one of 10 portable chargers!
To celebrate NWED 2016, WES Partner, BAE Systems has kindly donated some wonderful prizes - ten RAVPower chargers, which will be drawn at random from all Sparxx contacts (new and existing) who have
signed up by midnight 10 July 2016.
The RAVPower charger is a
"pocket Lipstick sized portable external battery pack that can extend the battery life of your trusty smartphone. Use the portable battery to add more than a full charge for iPhone 6, 6S, 5S, 5, 4S, and 4. Other popular smartphones can benefit from 1 full charge, or more than 96 hours of straight audio playback"
The draw will be made on 11th July 2016 and winners will be notified by email shortly after. For a chance to win one of these great little prizes sign up to Sparxx
here
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The
BBC micro:bit, a pocket-sized codeable
computer with motion detection, a built-in compass and Bluetooth technology
It's one of the most ambitious education initiatives - a collaboration between 29 partners to get the nation excited about digital creativity and inspire a new generation of digital pioneers. The micro:bit is being given free to every child in year 7 or equivalent across the UK.
Measuring 4 cm by 5 cm the micro:bit can apparently be coded in seconds with no prior knowledge of computing and connects to other devices. Easy-to-use software to programme the micro:bit can be accessed on a dedicated website from a PC, tablet or mobile.
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New appointment to bring forward engineering education
The Rochester Bridge Trust has appointed its first Education Officer to bring forward its engineering education initiatives.
Former science and physics teacher Sharron Mackenzie's role includes organising and hosting bridge building activities to promote the potential of civil engineering as a career.
Bridge Clerk Sue Threader explained: "One of the Trust's objectives is to inspire the next generation of bridge builders. For some time we have been developing a range of education materials for children of primary school age and running events to encourage enthusiasm and knowledge about civil engineering. The appointment of an education officer is the natural way to progress these projects."
Sharron joins the Trust on a part-time basis, also working as a Teaching and Learning Coach at the Institute of Physics.
She said: "I am pleased to join the Trust and already enjoying the challenge of promoting the possibilities of bridge building to new groups, as well as starting to bring forward a new Family Engineering project."
Members of the public will be able to meet Sharron at a free event at the Guildhall Museum, Rochester, on Saturday, 18th June. Taking place from 11am until 2pm, families will be able to try their hand at a range of bridge building activities as part of the nationwide Civic Day celebrations.
Another Education Officer, Aileen White, will be joining Sharron in a few weeks' time.
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Talk Biology
- an online discussion forum
The Royal Society of Biology's TalkBiology is an online discussion forum for educators, bioscientists and everyone with an interest in biology to interact online, share ideas, resources, thoughts on policy, news and questions.
Join in the discussion at TalkBiology. Currently of interest on the site we are looking for your input on Supporting people with disabilities in STEM and the macro-problem of microplastics.
https://talkbiology.rsb.org.uk/index.php/login
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Video of the Month
Inspired by the solar racing car in our Sparxx of the Month feature this month we bring you a day in the life of a Solar Design Engineer.
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| Day in the Life: Solar Design Engineer |
For more inspiring videos, check out our
Videos page.
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Fun Stuff
Power Matrix Game
Have you got what it takes to become a successful energy manager of Power Matrix City?
Play the Power Matrix Game to find out.
What's your Williams Racing career match?
Our Sparxx of the Month, Aurelia Hibbert needs a lot of skills for her role managing the CUER. Ever wondered if you have what it takes to work in Formula One?
Discover which Williams Racing role best matches your skill set here.
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DIY
DIY Solar Night Light
Click
here to view the instructions.
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For Our Educators
At Practical Action we are always interested to find out how teachers and other educators like yourselves find out about our schools resources, how you then use them with pupils, and what you think of them.
So, we decided to do a survey to try and find out more! We are hopeful that it will also provide more accurate information on how many pupils our material is actually reaching. We did something similar four years ago so it will be good to see if behaviours have changed and/or if our assumptions then still hold.
It would be really fantastic if you could both take part in their survey and through your networks ask anyone you have delivered training to, or anyone else you have contact with, to do likewise. There is a £100 Amazon voucher up for grabs as an incentive! The link to the survey is
http://bit.ly/PASsur
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Aerospace Engineering Inspired Teaching Resources
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Lauren Shea
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For Lauren Shea a Year 11 pupil at Alton Convent School, Hampshire participating in theTeenTech Awards marked the beginning of an exciting journey into the world of engineering and technology!
'TeenTech changed my future. I feel privileged to have met so many remarkable people, both my peers and professionals from industry. I am keen to share my passion and enthusiasm for engineering with an even younger generation, and hopefully inspire others in the same way in which I have been inspired' commented Lauren.
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Lauren Shea with Dawn Bonfield.
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Lauren was part of a TeenTech national award winning team from Alton Convent School last year, and since then has spoken at the British Science Museum and served as an evangelist for TeenTech. Lauren wanted to pursue her passion for aerospace engineering further and undertook work experience at the Mullard Space Laboratory earlier this year. Whilst there Lauren took the initiative to develop lesson plans for primary school children, in Years 4 and 6. Lauren will be using the materials to run a workshop at Alton Convent School for local primary schools in October during International Space week.
Lauren's work has also been selected as an example of best practice for the ERASMUS funded EU KIKS project which challenges 14-16 years in Spain, Hungary, Finland and the UK to develop lesson plans to inspire their peers or younger children to consider a career in engineering or technology. Lauren will be supporting this project as a mentor, and will be producing a supporting video in Spanish and English in September, with a follow up video after her work shop!
You can view and download Lauren's work here.
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Book Review this week is a publication
Top 50 Women in Engineering
An inaugural list of the top 50 Women in Engineering was published in the Daily Telegraph on 23 June 2016. The candidates on the list represent the broad range of engineering roles available including industrialists from the traditional built environment, energy and transport sectors, as well as names from Hilton Worldwide, the Merlin entertainment group and many representatives from academia.
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