From 27th June to 30th June 2011, forty-three students aged 14 and 15 spent the week enjoying a unique learning experience at The University of Manchester. The four-day Smallpeice Trust Engineering Materials residential course, hosted by The University of Manchester's School of Materials and sponsored by LATEST2 (Light Alloys Towards Environmentally Sustainable Transport) was designed to give students a taste of this exciting and rapidly expanding subject.

Lab sessions provided a hands-on opportunity for the students to discover the fundamentals of Materials Science and the breadth of the subject. Sessions were designed to explore not just Engineering Materials, but also biomedical materials science and technical textiles. Working on different group tasks, students solved engineering challenges including a ‘Straw Towers Construction,' a chance to design a jet engine and an ‘Advanced Composite Beam Project.'

The course also included ‘Meet the Engineers' sessions, where students had the opportunity to speak to engineers from Rolls-Royce, who gave a company introduction and answered questions about their career paths. Students also had the opportunity to visit Hampson Aerospace to see the Bloodhound Project which is a car designed to break the land speed record at 1000mph.

Max Rowe, Outreach Administrator, LATEST2 & Advanced Metallic Systems CDT, commented, "Materials Science is a subject area which has fantastic career opportunities and allows you to combine the study of physics, chemistry and engineering in higher education.

Unfortunately the subject is not well known amongst school children and these summer schools are a great way for us to spread the word and engage students with the subject. By combining practical activities with subject talks and industry visits we are able to give the students a varied experience over the 4 days and hopefully foster their interest in the subject in years to come."

Spokesperson Gemma Murphy from The Smallpeice Trust commented, "We are very grateful for the support from LATEST2 and the University of Manchester. A key focus of this course is to give young people hands-on engineering experiences and to open their eyes to the rich and varied progression routes available to them. They have all learned a tremendous amount and really enjoyed every minute of their stay at the university."

The Smallpeice Trust Engineering Materials course is part of an ongoing programme of subsidised residential courses to help young people aged 13 to 18 develop skills in engineering, design, technology and manufacturing.

Founded by Dr Cosby Smallpeice in 1966, The Trust has grown tremendously over the past 45 years, helping thousands of young people find a successful career in a multitude of disciplines within the industry from engineering materials, marine technology and naval architecture to nanotechnology and structural engineering. Through running residential courses and STEM enrichment days, 17,677 students have attended a Smallpeice activity in the past year.

The new course timetable for 2012 will be launched in the Autumn. Places are allocated on a first come, first served basis. To find out more, visit www.smallpeicetrust.org.uk , or telephone The Smallpeice Trust on 01926 333200.