Uni hosts Institution of Engineering & Technology Open House Day
Children were given the opportunity to play in a virtual reality
Thu, 04 Aug 2016 10:38:00 BST
Young visitors to Huddersfield’s campus are spellbound by the magic of modern engineering
DOZENS of youngsters and their families flocked to the University of Huddersfield for an activity-packed day that stimulated their interest in multiple facets of modern engineering – from automotive power and high-performance computing to the latest advances in virtual reality and 3-D sound.
The event was the annual Engineering Open House Day, organised nationally by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). It took place in 30 venues around the country, including major museums and research institutes. Huddersfield was the sole university to be included in an initiative that “is all about highlighting the important roles engineers play in everyday life, demonstrating the creativity and excitement behind engineering careers,” states the IET.
The University of Huddersfield’s School of Computing and Engineering staged the Open House Day and the event was virtually fully-booked with 51 children accompanied by 38 adults. The ages of the youngsters ranged from three to 15 and the boy-girl split was just about 50/50. The IET is running a campaign named Engineer a Better World that aims to increase the numbers of young people aiming to become engineers – and to raise the proportion of girls who study the subject.
► Professor Ian Glover is pictured given the children a behind the scenes tour of the School of Computing and Engineering
Attendees at the University of Huddersfield’s Open House Day were split into small groups that attended a series of special workshops and demonstrations conducted by professors and senior research staff who communicated their knowledge and passion:
- Dr Hyunkook Lee conducted a 3D sound workshop.
- Dr Violeta Holmes and a team of PhD students conducted a supercomputing workshop and gave a demonstration of a raspberry Pi cluster
- Lecturer Matt Novak and the prizewinning team from Canalside Studios ran a virtual reality demonstration and a demonstration of the games produced in the studio this year (Hover Havoc and Pocket Galaxy).
- Test applications engineer Barnaby Bryce of the University’s Institute of Railway Research ran a railway engineering workshop
- Professor Ian Glover delivered special ‘behind the scenes’ tours of the School of Computing and Engineering, including the IRR, the CNC labs, the Anechoic Chamber, the auto lab and the MIAMI research facility.
There were also an Activity Trail Challenge and special family-oriented workshops run by School of Computing and Engineering staff and students.
Afterwards, one parent commented: “It was all amazing and varied” and one young visitor said, “We learned lots, it was great! We needed more time because there was so much to do!”
Around the country, other venues staging an IET Open House Day included the Victoria and Albert Museum, the National Railway Museum, the BBC, the Museum of Science and Industry, the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and the Aberdeen Science Centre.
