Don Whitley Scientific hopes that its sponsorship of this competition will inspire Bradford's students to consider design and engineering careers in the future
In the past three years there has been a 26 per cent fall in the number of UK students studying engineering-related subjects, according to James Dyson (Mail on Sunday, 25 February 2007).
It is hoped that this competition will inspire Bradford's students to consider design and engineering careers in the future.
Don Whitely Scientific provided sponsorship and two of the technical judges for this event organised by Bradford Rotary Clubs.
92 students from nine schools across the Bradford area entered in three categories: basic - age 12-14 (won by Holy Family School, Keighley); intermediate - age 14-16 (won by Bradford Girls Grammar School); and advanced - aged 16+ (won by Immanuel Church of England Community College).
The event was attended by the lord mayor of Bradford, councillor Choudhary Rangzeb, and the lord mayor of Keighley, councillor Graham Mitchell.
The teams were given the task of building a motor powered vehicle capable of travelling down a simulated pipeline.
Students had to design and build the vehicle with a switch to start and stop the device, completing the pipeline track in the shortest possible time.
Marks were awarded for additional elements of the process, including evidence of planning, analysis of the problem, communication, construction and use of the materials provided.
Chief judge Evan Kitsell, head of design at Don Whitley Scientific, commented: "I'm very proud that DWS could provide sponsorship to enable such a worthwhile competition to take place.
"It was gratifying to observe the energy, effort and enthusiasm that the students put into their projects.
"I think that all participants now appreciate that a mixture of skills are necessary in successful product development - truly original thought, team members who can get things done, and sheer dogged persistence, as exemplified by James Dyson's approach to the bagless vacuum cleaner where 5127 prototypes over a five year period were required before success was achieved.
"He has now built up a personal fortune estimated at over £1 billion".
Engineering has been reported as the highest paid graduate profession with an average starting salary of £21,681.
Having a degree will add an average of £160,061 to a person's gross lifetime earnings, but having an engineering degree will increase this by a third (James Dyson, Mail on Sunday, 25 February 2007).
