Today was the start of a three-week journey of discovery. They came from Broken Hill, Dubbo, Noosa, Cairns, Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane & Sydney. Teachers and students alike, all with the goal of learning as much as possible about the application of Science, Technology. Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in the real world. Each has a different expectation and a different point in the itinerary they’re looking forward to. For some it Google and others it’s the Hadron Collider. This is where the journey starts and finishes. But there’s loads in between which will take their breath away. As a mechanical engineer, visiting Williams F1, the Land Rover Design & Test facility, the Mercedes manufacturing plant and the Farnborough air show will offer opportunities to expand on my knowledge. For the students it’s all about the travel at the moment as the level of excitement rises. I am keen to see the impact the history of the journey will have on them. Visiting Tomas Edison’s workshop, Bletchley park and Stonehenge should provide a perspective ontechnology against which they can compare the electronic world in which they currently live. We live in the world of people where the ability to collaborate will a critical skill moving forward. The opportunity to experience Washington DC on the 4th July and to spend a week in the UK and Europe after the monumental actions of the past few days in Europe and the UK will bring a human component to the journey. Being close to turmoil in Europe and the US will help the students and teachers understand this international incident from a completely different perspective.
At this point we have a long 14 hours in a plane and a fabulous tur of San Francisco when we arrived. Tomorrow its Autodesk, the Autodesk maker-space on Pier 9 and Fisherman’s wharf for lunch. PS: Only one person has been late for the bus so far … and it wasn’t one of the students.
