Formula 1
Banagher College Revs Up to Formula 1™ Challenge
Banagher College has signed up two teams to participate in the F1 in Schools Technology Challenge, powered in Ireland by Irish Computer Society. Members of Team Hawkeye and Bullet G6 will be required to make an aerodynamic model F1™ car which will be raced against other participating schools in the Regional Finals in March and National Final in April. This is the sixth year for the competition to run in Ireland under the guidance of the Irish Computer Society (ICS) in partnership with Discover Science & Engineering.
Soracha Moran of Banagher College explains why their school chose to enter F1 in Schools Challenge: ‘We felt that we could gain a lot of benefit from entering the competition. In particular we will develop skills in ICT, Art, Drawing and Business which we feel will be of benefit to us in the future, while we feel that most importantly we will get great enjoyment out of our participation in it’
Both teams will be required to write a five page plan explaining how they would go about putting their model F1 car together should they qualify for the Regionals.
Once a school team has qualified they will receive a kit which includes balsa wood for making the model. Ongoing support will be offered and the school will be paired with a Formula 1 Make Centre i.e. a college or university with the necessary equipment for milling the models. This interaction with colleges will give students an introduction to Engineering, Science and Technology choices at third level. The colleges will offer their paired teams the opportunity to visit their facilities for design tutorials, to show models being made and cars being tested. All participating schools also get free computer design software with which to form their creation.
Visit www.F1inSchools.ie for more information on the Challenge.