On Thursday 10 November the Institution of Mechanical Engineers took the Bloodhound SuperSonic Car to visit the Folkestone School for Girls.
The full-scale model of the Bloodhound SSC car was on display to help raise awareness among schoolchildren about the Bloodhound SSC project and its aims to inspire a generation about science and engineering.
The Institution of Mechanical Engineers is one of the key sponsors of Bloodhound SSC, which aims to break the world land speed record of 763 mph in 2017 before its 1,000 mph run in South Africa in 2018.
The visit gave pupils an opportunity to explore the different components of the car, get ‘hands-on’ experience using reaction timers to see how they compare to BLOODHOUND SSC driver Andy Green’s reaction speeds as well as an opportunity to design and build their own model rocket cars.
Peter Finegold, Head of Education and Skills at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers said:
“We need to encourage more young people, and particularly girls, to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). Women currently make up just 6% of the engineering workforce and, given the engineering skills shortage, we cannot afford to miss out on the talent and ingenuity found in 51% of the population.
“Showcasing the Bloodhound project at Folkestone School for Girls helps give students a taste of some of the exciting possibilities of engineering careers and hopefully inspire the problem-solving engineers of tomorrow.”
Caroline Stubbings, Senior Vice Principal at Folkestone School for Girls, said:
“We were enormously excited to host the Bloodhound Project at our school and are delighted that our students had the opportunity to explore ‘the car’ as well as participate in a range of stimulating workshops which have opened their eyes to careers in engineering and also support their current science and technology curriculum.”
