Monday, July 26, 2010

F1 in Schools Program

F1 in Schools – Australia is an initiative of Re-Engineering Australia Foundation (REA).

REA is a not-for-profit organisation with committed partners providing exciting yet challenging educational programs in engineering and design through action-learning of science, maths and technology.

Through the appeal of Formula One, F1 in Schools is engaging and inspiring young people, piquing their interest in engineering related careers, connecting students to industry and making learning relevant and fun!

Get Involved

The F1 in Schools Technology Challenge is an exciting, yet challenging and rewarding program aimed at school students around Australia. It has demonstrated and proven success in classrooms all over Australia having significant impact on career choices and student development.

How can you get involved?

Students - Compete in the challenge, represent your school, become a world champion!

Teachers - Run the challenge in your school, compete yourself with industry.

Industry - Link with a school, collaborate with students, be a hero, compete in the industry class.

Students: Getting your school involved

Are you on the right track? F1 in Schools is an exciting and rewarding program which should be running in your school now! Over 250 schools around Australia are competing already. The F1 in Schools challenge is typically run in the Industrial Technology, Design or Science faculties of school, so the first step is to talk to the teacher who is the head of department of these faculties.

If you want more information to give them, or want REA to contact them, go to http://www.f1inschools.org.au/

Teachers: Getting your school involved

The F1 in Schools challenge is specifically aimed at High Schools, and has been running for over 5 years. It is easy to begin getting involved, and you can be up and running in a fortnight. The challenge is typically run in the Industrial Technology, Design or Science faculties, however has been successfully integrated into Math, Enterprise and Business learning areas as well!

To take part in the challenge, schools should purchase the REA supported CATIA V5 CAD/CAM software through Re-Engineering Australia Foundation, and then link with an existing REA Technology Hub that is a certified manufacturing centre. Hub schools have technologies such as CNC Router Machines, smoke and wind tunnels, and the race track, which you can negotiate to access and use for the challenge. New and existing schools can also become hubs; simply go to http://www.f1inschools.org.au/.

Industry: Getting your company involved

Investing in Australia's innovation leaders of tomorrow is a must. The F1 in Schools program is an ideal platform for you to become involved in your local community, promote your company and scout for your company's next star recruits.

It's not just about 'giving back to the community', but about sharing your knowledge and experience - become a hero! Student teams need to link with industry mentors in the context of their projects; this provides role modelling opportunities through a demonstrated link between fun classroom activities and careers.

How can you help?

  • Get linked to a school in your area. Teams are required to collaborate with industry, so you'll be doing them a huge favour by talking to the students, acting as a mentor by suggesting ideas and assisting in the development of the program at the school.
  • Support and sponsor the school's F1 program. Schools investing in advanced technology often require funding assistance to get state-of-the-art technology into the classroom.
  • Get straight into the challenge and actually COMPETE in the new Industry Class of competition. This is your chance to take on and beat the students, and then work out that the next generation are already overtaking today's engineers and manufacturers! You can work individually or in a team of 2, either just industry, or an industry representative and a teacher.

Get involved today - go to http://www.f1inschools.org.au/

YouTube links:

REA design and make process

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icilAZNlNgA

F1 in schools world championships

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbhcjJ2LI6I


Contact LaConcierge for the opportunity to link businesses as sponsors of this program. Go to www.laconcierge.com.au