Student testing the strength of the newspaper bridge
HexMat research team at Imperial College London visited Penwortham Primary school for yet another exciting school project
In December 2015, members of the HexMat research team at Imperial College London visited Penwortham Primary school for yet another exciting school project. Abigail Ackerman, 2nd year HexMat PhD student and volunteers delivered a workshop on Bridges to year 3 students (ages 5-6).
Key topics which were covered included; materials selection –suitability, costs; and structural design of bridges.
Engineering concepts such as design and test were introduced to the students, with demonstrations and hands-on activities to aid their learning. Students were tasked to make bridges using newspapers. Prizes were handed out to the winning team who built the strongest bridge. A collective activity to build a bridge from newspaper, which could hold the weight of a child, was impressively successful!
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Reporter
Saira Naeem
Department of Mechanical Engineering
