Engineers in the fast lane
Two young engineers will be making a pit stop with a difference when they live life in the fast lane overseas.
Kathryn Mullins and Jane Hodgson, who are both engineers at the Komatsu UK plant in Birtley, are heading to Abu Dhabi in November to be judges in the world finals of the popular competition, F1 in Schools.
The pair are both STEM ambassadors – Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths – and are thrilled to have been chosen as judges for the competition which puts young people through their engineering paces.
Youngsters are tasked with a series of engineering-related challenges, with an expert panel of professionals from a variety of industries appraising the students’ work.
Researching, designing, making and racing a miniature Formula 1 car is at the core of the F1 in Schools challenge.
Each car is also put to the test, racing head-to-head on the F1 in Schools’ 20-metre long track.
Komatsu UK, which manufactures a range of hydraulic excavators, encourages its engineering staff to become STEM ambassadors, who actively promote the key subjects to students.
Design engineer Kathryn, said: “It is a real honour to be selected to be part of the international judging panel at this year’s World Finals.
“The standard at the national event was outstanding and we expect it to be even higher on the world stage.
“Working closely with local schools, colleges and training providers, the ambassadors ensure that Komatsu UK does everything it can to futureproof our future skills pool and the F1 in Schools challenge is a great example of this.
“Over the last decade there has been a real drive to encourage more females to consider engineering roles and we’re really starting to see this bear fruit.”
Production engineer, Jane Hodgson, said: “This is the seventh year we have supported this important event and every year it gets better.
“It’s amazing to see how much time, effort and commitment students put in and I can’t wait to see the standard at the World Finals.”