All-girls engineering team races to final of national STEM competition
Five ambitious engineering students have made Northampton College history after becoming the first all-girls team to reach the final of a nationwide challenge to design and race miniature Formula 1 cars.
The students secured a place in the final of STEM Racing UK, where teams use their STEM skills in a real-world scenario by designing, making, testing and racing miniature cars.
Kierra Rowe, Abigail Susan Arun, Adeline Muyengwa, Geovana De Menezes, and Grace Ward raced to success in the recent East Midlands regional final at Boston College on January 15.
Now they are hoping to accelerate their achievement and be crowned UK champions at the final at the Magna Science Adventure Centre in Rotherham in March.
The competition, which is supported by Formula 1, not only develops skills in science, technology, engineering and maths, but gives participants a real-world insight into marketing, project management, teamwork, communication, graphic design, financial management and manufacturing.
The team’s car weighed 60.5 grams – around the weight of a large egg and just 0.5 grams over the minimum weight – to be as competitive as possible and completed the 20-metre drag race in 1.443 seconds. In terms of design, the car’s body shape was kept minimalistic to improve aerodynamic performance and reduce weight.
Through the project, the team learned key engineering practical skills with 3D printers and CNC machines and associated software, overseeing the entire process from initial design idea through to final manufactured product.
Northampton College engineering teacher Andrew Garbutt said: “This is the second year running we’ve had a team reach the final of STEM Racing UK and for the first time, it is an all-girls team. This is something we are particularly proud of as we are determined to break down the barriers which historically, meant these types of career fields have been dominated by men.
“STEM Racing UK is a unique opportunity for our students to put into practice the skills they learn in the classroom, in a fun, engaging and competitive way. Our team did brilliantly at the regional stage, wowing the judges with their engineering skills. They achieved an additional award for best sponsorship and marketing in all classes, alongside second place overall in the development racing class.
“The heat is on to fine tune their miniature F1 car after losing out to first place by only 0.04 seconds.”
The College is grateful to main sponsor FESTO and additional sponsor Renshaw, who have provided financial support throughout the competition.
The team is now looking for additional sponsorship to help with different elements involved in the project, including transport, accommodation close to the final event, design, manufacture and team clothing, along with help in the form of knowledge and experience. They also need to design a construct a pit display to impress the judges, with key content relating to their learning journey throughout the competition and a focus on sustainability.
Anyone who feels they can help with this should contact andrew.garbutt@northamptoncollege.ac.uk