Students enthused by engineering (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Students enthused by engineering

2:55pm Sunday 17th June 2007 in Swindon By Raeanne Nightingale

More than 130 pupils from Greendown Community School in Swindon have taken part in the RWE npower enthuse programme.

The students, aged 13-14 and all in Year 9, participated in a range of interactive activities designed to help them think about the impact science and engineering has on their daily lives.

The day started with a design and build session that challenged the pupils to develop a catapult. They were then encouraged to think of ways to improve existing products or alternatively design a completely new concept, before considering the very real problem of how we can meet and reduce the UK's future demand for energy.

These activities were followed by a facts and fiction session that gave them the opportunity to meet with scientists and engineering staff from RWE npower's offices based in Swindon and talk to them about their professional experiences.

To end the day, the pupils had lots of hands-on, interactive engineering fun when they took part in a series of activities relating to the power industry.

The RWE npower enthuse programme forms part of the energy company's national education programme and aims to inspire and engage students aged 13-14 years old in the subjects of science, technology, engineering and maths.

Mike Evans, director of engineering at RWE npower, attended the day. He said: "Our RWE npower enthuse days allow us to share with students the exciting opportunities that the energy industry has to offer.

"We hope days like these will help bring science and engineering to life and inspire students to consider them as a future career choice."

The pupils had a lot of fun learning, as Gill Sarjent, director of specialism at Greendown Community School, explained.

"The range of activities gave the students an excellent insight into science and engineering and allowed them to develop both new and existing skills," she said.

"Also, the opportunity to meet with scientists and engineering staff from RWE npower really brought activities to life and gave the pupils a great introduction into the world of work."

To find out more about RWE npower's education programme and free resources for schools and community groups, visit www.npower.com/education