Students Get In The Fast Lane

HUNDREDS of Mansfield and Ashfield students will learn about engineering and a bid to build the world’s fastest land vehicle during a two-day event at West Notts College this week.

A team from the Bloodhound Project will deliver specialist engineering and technology workshops to children from 11 primary and secondary schools on Thursday and Friday while demonstrating the Bloodhound Super Sonic Car (SSC).

The vehicle was originally designed to take the world land-speed record to more than 1,000 mph.

The visit forms part of the Bloodhound education programme, which aims to inspire the next generation to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects by demonstrating how they can be harnessed to achieve feats like breaking the land-speed record.

And the event – which takes place at the college’s Construction and Logistics Skills Academy in Kirkby – will give pupils an opportunity to see a scale model of the pencil-shaped vehicle.which will be powered by a jet engine and a rocket, and driven by RAF pilot Wing Cmdr Andy Green.

They will also be construct ing and racing their own balloon-powered car and hear from Bloodhound Project members about the science and engineering which goes into building the vehicle.

Guest speakers include Dawn Fitt, delivery director of the Bloodhound education team and former president of the Women’s Engineering Society, who will talk to female pupils about the variety of career opportunities available to women .

Then on Friday, Sir Richard Noble – director of the Bloodhound Project and land-speed world record-holder between 1983 and 1997 after reaching 633 mph in a car named Thrust2 – will be visiting to talk about the project to 30 of the college’s own engineering students at The Engine.

Said college principal Asha Khemka: “The Bloodhound Project embodies the same ethos as our college – promoting skills development in young people and regenerating the UK economy through innovation, technology and new ideas.

“By promoting skills development and training in key industry sectors, we can improve opportunities and aspirations of our young people and future workforce.”

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