Budding young engineers are working together in a bid to reduce aircraft noise in a three-month design challenge run by the University of Cambridge.
Budding young engineers are working together in a bid to reduce aircraft noise in a three-month design challenge run by the University of Cambridge.
The school/college students, aged 13 to 18, have been tasked with designing the quietest aircraft undercarriage they can in a project based on the Cambridge-MIT Institute’s (CMI) groundbreaking silent aircraft initiative.
Although based in completely different parts of the country, the students are working in teams together via online discussion forums and using sophisticated design software provided by the University's Department of Engineering. Each team is supported by an e-mentor currently studying at Cambridge for a degree in engineering and the whole project is being overseen by academics from the Department of Engineering.
The ‘real-life’ conditions - in which, just like professional engineers, the students are using new technology to work with colleagues based in other locations - mean that, in addition to learning how to apply science to practical situations, the students are also developing the sorts of transferable skills needed by industry.
After working remotely since January, the students will come together in Cambridge at the end of April to build their structure in the Department of Engineering workshop and see how their ideas work in practice.
The participating students are all part of the gifted and talented stream in their local areas and won places on the design challenge through the National Academy for Gifted & Talented Youth (Nagty).
A previous design challenge took place from November to January and asked participants to design a retractable roof for a football stadium.
CAD image of a retractable roof designed by participants in a previous challenge.
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