Student Studio extends its reach into the environmental and mechanical sectors

Student Studio is an on-line platform that provides structured role-play-based engineering projects which organisations can use to provide really inspirational work experience placements.

Our engineering design and construction management projects have been used successfully within the civil engineering sector over a number of years.  Building on this success we would like to announce that three new projects are currently being developed for the environmental and mechanical engineering sectors.

Our first environmental engineering project will challenge the work experience student to design an environmental “life support” system to enable humans to live  comfortably in one of the most extreme environments on Earth – a floating ice-shelf in Antarctica.  Students will be introduced to the ‘life-support’ systems that exist in their own home.  Following on from this, they will be encouraged to think about how these systems might be adapted to cater for an extreme environment.  They will learn how to prepare sketch diagrams of a number of different proposals, establish the pros and cons of each proposal and then choose the one which they want to present to their work colleagues.

Our first mechanical engineering project will challenge students to design a building that walks – again in Antarctica.  Due to the natural movement of the ice-shelf towards the sea, buildings have previously had to be relocated.  A walking building will enable it to ‘walk’ to a different location whenever the need arises.  Students will be encouraged to build a series of 3D models such as levers and gears so that they gain an understanding of how these mechanisms work.  Using this knowledge students will be asked to put forward a number of different design sketch proposals, establish their pros and cons and then choose the proposal that they want to present to their colleagues.

In a similar but separate project students will be asked to develop a deployable structure for use in a humanitarian relief scenario. Once students master the art of building an umbrella like structure they will be challenged to design a shelter that provides shade in extreme hot, dry weather for people who are fleeing conflict or suffering economic hardship.  They will be asked to put forward and justify their final proposal.

We are looking forward to working with the Royal Academy of Engineering and a number of other partners to develop what we believe will be interesting and inspirational work experience projects that will highlight engineering as a worthwhile career to pursue.

More information coming soon!