Technology event shows hope for the future

Papst has sponsored a schools' technology event aimed at raising pupils' technical awareness and ability.

Papst has sponsored a schools' technology event aimed at raising pupils' technical awareness and ability.

More than 90 year 6 pupils from four local primary schools took part in the 2002 Papst Technology Challenge held at Harrow Way School in Andover.

This year's event - devised by Input, the Oxford Trust's Understanding Technology project, and organised by First Partnership, an education business partnership company working in North Hampshire - gave teams of pupils the opportunity to design and build a working model of a hovercraft, powered by a Papst fan.

As well as the hovercraft, a wind generator was designed, built and tested to demonstrate how wind power can be harnessed to provide energy.

Using only wind power, a series of weights were lifted over a known distance, the winning team was that whose generator lifted the largest weight.

Engineers from Papst were on hand to help the youngsters design and build their models.

Commented Papst engineering director, Ian McLeod, "This is the first time that the Papst Technology Challenge has involved primary age children and I am astonished at how quickly they grasped the principles involved and the results they produced.

If this is the level of talent demonstrated by 11 year-olds, then there is great hope for the engineers of the future".

The schools taking part in the 2002 Challenge were Portway, Shepherds Spring, Roman Way and Castle Primary.

This latest Technology Challenge event was the third in a row to be sponsored by Papst.

Back to top