Rapid Response Engineering Challenge
I signed up to the Rapid Response Engineering Challenge with my friends Chloe and Lydia and we don’t regret it.
The three of us went to form base, first thing on Monday the 27 March 2012 then made our way to the Upper Floor of the Silver Robin. To kick off the Challenge we were introduced to the Civil Engineers and we got spilt into 7 teams of 5 or 6. For the first couple of hours we did some work which was fun, like creating your own campsite for people to live after a disaster. We then got to learn what a civil engineer does and how they help us.
After break each team was given 12 marshmallows and 12 pieces of raw spaghetti. We were told NOT to eat them yet, though I can tell you that it was very tempting, and that we had to build a strong tower which could hold a small toy car with no more than what we had. Each teams got to work and with many trial and errors each team was finished all with sticky hands and fingers. The Engineers got out the toy car, and every one gathered around every tower, guessing if it would break and fall or stay up right. Most fell down but one team of girls made a small ramp last minute. Their team won the prize for the toy car being on their “tower” the longest but they defiantly didn’t win for their tower being the tallest.
After lunch we were brought out to the Rose Garden and the groups split in half. Half of them were told to make a water proof tent while the half my team was in, had to make a pipe line that wasn’t to go over some things like mountains or swamps. We sent to work. After many times holding up the pipes, stealing more masking tape from the other teams and falling bamboo sticks we were finished. We called over Frasier, the leader who was making sure we went right and he got out the timer. Chloe and I lifted up the 10 litre bottle of water and poured it down the pipe-line. Most of it flowed into the bucket though some did splash out and we did it in good time.
Next we went across to the other side of the Rose Garden and we saw the teams making tents. We watched for a while until Richard, their supervisor said ‘Times up!! Get in to your tents!!”
The teams got into their tents and waited. Richard grabbed a bucket of water and soaked the tent. Most people in the tents got wet but there were a few exceptions. We then switched over activities and we made the tent. When it was our turn and we didn’t get wet which was good as the buckets of water were all filled to the brim.
We then went back inside of the Silver Robin and they asked us, if any of us wanted to be a Civil Engineer when we get older. A number of hands went up, including mine. Being a Civil Engineer sounds like a brilliant and fun job to do.
I would really recommend the workshop for any Year 8’s wanting to do it next year. And the best bit of it…. You get the whole day off!!
Emma Quinn 9s