Year 10 Design and Technology students were given an opportunity to visit the University of Sheffield to discover where their GCSE subject could lead them and how the developments in technology are influencing engineering and manufacturing.

Following a previous trip to the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) Get Up to Speed event at the Magna Science Adventure Centre in March, our students entered a competition and won this free taster day.

Students were welcomed to The Diamond building, an £81 million new Undergraduate Engineering Facility by university student ambassadors studying a range of engineering degrees. Students
experienced a university lecture on 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing followed by a campus tour. They were given a unique opportunity to visit a lab that is not open to the public or on
university open days, where they saw the 3D Printing machines in action. Students finished the day with a tower building challenge to test their problem solving, design, communication and team work skills.

Kirk Balk Academy would like to thank the staff and students of the University of Sheffield for an informative and enjoyable day.