High school pupils from the Falkirk area launched enthusiastically into an innovative rocket car time trial heat at Forth Valley College’s Falkirk Campus this week. (Thursday 8 June).
And a team from Larbert High School – VQUXEYE - zoomed to the top of the podium despite pouring rain, with one of the fastest speeds across Scotland as their Bloodhound Supersonic Car scorched to 1.1 seconds to cover 15 metres on the day!
Other teams who broke the Bloodhound speed barriers were Alva Academy’s Team Sparkle and Bo’ness Academy’s Blue Falcons. Larbert HS have now been invited to the final of the event at the Big Bang event on Tuesday 13 June at Perth College and are now gearing up to travel up to see if they can go one better with their cars.
Fiona Jackson, Curriculum Manager of FVC’s Applied Science, Maths and Mechanical Engineering Department, said: “It was a really good day and went well despite the heavy rain. I think all who attended enjoyed themselves. Well done to the Larbert High School team for winning, we wish them all the best in the next round.”
As well as workshops to create, modify and complete their cars in the Falkirk Campus Main hall, FVC put on several other science, engineering and health and well-being activities to raise interest in the range of courses on offer at the college.
Bloodhound SuperSonic Cars - built in the UK by a team of Formula 1 and aerospace experts – were distributed throughout Falkirk area schools by FVC’s Applied Science, Maths and Mechanical Engineering Department.
The aim was to inspire kids about Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM subjects) with a challenge – battling physics and a journey to the unknown - to get their cars to reach 1,000 mph. Other activities for those attending to take part in on the day in the Main Hall included:
The Bloodhound Model Rocket Car Challenge is a global competition backed by Guinness World Records, inviting teams of school children and youth clubs to set their own records by building and racing model rocket cars across their playgrounds and into the record books.
The project has teamed up with Microsoft to develop the car programme to integrate micro:bit technology into the car design. The British Army and the Dendrite Duke of York Inspiring Digital Enterprise award are also backers of the initiative.
It is hoped teachers and students can access research, design and testing of their supersonic jet and rocket powered car and through this project young people can learn about: Newton’s Laws, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Teamwork, Time, Keeping, Engineering and Computing.
