Over the summer, I spent 4 weeks at the University of Surrey
where I undertook a project under the supervision of Dr Radu Sporea (Advanced
Technology Institute, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering). My
project aim was to make an Arduino* open day project which would be interesting
as well as showcasing the ability of hobbyist electronics.
My project, in
short, was remote controlled tanks with lasers attached. Off the back of
the project I received a CREST Gold Award as well as attending the SATRO STEMX Awards. I entered my project into the Big Bang completion (the largest science
and engineering competition in the country) and made it through to the finals.
This resulted in me taking 3 days out of school to head up to the NEC in
Birmingham where I had my project judged.
Whilst there I had the chance to speak
to many like-minded, enthusiastic and interesting students who had also
completed projects and also speak to people in industry about what jobs they do
and how engineering is in their everyday lives. It was an experience I will
never forget and despite not winning any awards,I had an amazing time
and was inspired by the talent and hard work being showcased by the other
projects.
*Arduino is an open-source electronic prototyping platform
enabling users to create interactive electronic objects.
Oren Hargreaves was Highly Commended in the STEM Work Placement Awards at the STEMX Awards in 2017 and is hoping to study Electrical Engineering at University.
