Students excited by the ME Program and the technology pathways offered.
Merewether High became a ME Program school partner this year. Their enthusiasm and commitment has shone through by ticking all the right boxes of the ME Program.
This is best illustrated by their involvement in Robocop Junior Regional Competition, F1 in Schools Regional Competition and the development of a strong relationship with ME Program industry partner Ampcontrol.
The Robocop Junior Regional Competition was Merewether Highs first year of experiencing this technology pathway. They had three (3) teams compete from Year 8 and 9 and found it to be a real eye opener as they were unsure of what to expect at the beginning, but by the end of the day they walked away knowing what they need to improve on for 2013. With their enthusiasm sparked and determination to be more competitive in 2013 ignited, Merewether High could be a force to be reckoned with next year.
Merewether High student quotes from Robocop Junior Regional Competition:
‘The Robocop Day made a big difference is helping us with knowledge and giving us experience…we are now working on next year’s Robocop with the needed kits that the ME Program bought us’
‘We learnt a lot on the day and met other teams that taught us lots about programming….it would be great to compete in some other categories next year.’
Merewether High is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to F1 in Schools. Moos Engineering competed in the Pro-Senior Division and Super Sonic Speed team in the Pro-Junior Division. Teams are marked on speed and a number of other categories such as Best Engineered Car, Best Team Portfolio, Best Team Marketing, Best Pit Display and Industry Collaboration.
Moos Engineering were runners up in the Pro-Senior Division and Super Sonic Speed won the Pro-Junior Division and will compete in the state finals in Sydney in October.
Moos Engineering with Bob Harper – Ampcontrol (Left) and Super Sonic Speed (Right)
In May, a group of prospective engineers from Merewether High visited Ampcontrol. About forty (40) students from Year 10 and 11 visited Ampcontrol’s Tomago site. Students were given an introduction to engineering, met with current Ampcontrol graduate engineers and toured workshops and engineering offices.
It is envisaged in the future, that Year 11 students will visit Ampcontrol and spend 2-3 days on site mentored by an electrical or mechanical engineer to gain experience through a more hands-on visit. Much interest has been shown by teachers from Merewether High, to visit, Ampcontrol in order to help relate their subject course delivery to applications from manufacturing industry.