BRITISH SCIENCE WEEK 2016

This week at SATRO, we have had lots going on as part of British Science Week 2016...

LEGO WeDo Workshop at Kingfield Primary School
On Wednesday 16th March, SATRO delivered a LEGO WeDo workshop for primary students at Kingfield Primary School, Pupils worked in pairs to design, engineer and programme robots using LEGO bricks, a computer, a motor and other special elements. Pupils learnt to incorporate tilt and motion sensors into their designs. They then tested their initial designs and programming; after reflecting on what did or did not work, the pupils learnt to consult with peers, adapt their programming, and adjust their designs. 


SATRO Mega-Structures Challenge at Pirbright Village Primary SchoolToday, we are at Pirbright Village Primary School delivering a Mega-Structures Workshop. 60 Year 5 pupils will be tested on their engineering skills. The day involves using design and build techniques, combined with team work to create a shelter that could be sent to a refugee camp for them to cover with plastic sheeting. This event has kindly been sponsored by Beard Construction.

SATRO 2016 Problem Solving Challenge Grand Final at ACS Cobham International School

The regional final of the SATRO Problem Solving Challenge will be held at ACS Cobham International School this evening. Teams of 6 students from schools all over Surrey and bordering areas will be tested on their engineering skills and scientific knowledge during this challenging event - all for a grand prize awarded to their school! This event has kindly been sponsored by Allianz, The Manly Trust, Give-It-Away, The Worshipful Company of Armourers and Brasiers, Frazer Nash and IChemE. 

B-Involved STEM Challenge - Bouygues UK, SATRO and Runnymede Borough Council

Tomorrow morning, 5 teams from three schools located in Runnymede will be taking to the council chambers to pitch their ideas to a panel of judges.  This year's STEM Challenge is being supported by the partners on the Addlestone One scheme along with members of the local construction industry. The students have been set the challenge of developing proposals to enhance the sustainability of the Addlestone development, as well as coming up with innovative ideas to make Addelstone a destination of choice for young people. During the past couple of months, each team has had the opportunity to seek advice from industrial mentors from Bouygues UK, BAM Construction Ltd, Crest Nicholson and Thorpe Park, on sustainability designs and processes. 

LEGO Dacta Workshop at Guildford Library's 'Geek Week'

On Satruday 19th March, SATRO will be delivering it's second LEGO workshop of the week. This time SATRO will be working with Guildford Library during their 'Geek Week' in celebration of British Science Week 2016. Children and parents will be programming the LEGO RoboLab RCX to open the car park barrier, change the traffic control lights and close automatically as their model car cuts the light beam that triggers the sensor. 

To find out how you can get involved with our events, email contactus@satro.org.uk or visit our website www.satro.org.uk

What is it like to complete a SATRO Extended Work Placement? Case Study by Toby Peterken

My name is Toby Peterken.  I am currently a student at Esher College.  For my AS year I studied maths, further maths, physics and philosophy and now, for my final year, I am continuing with maths, further maths and physics.   Following my A Levels, I am hoping to complete a degree in either physics or theoretical physics.  I aim to remain in academia - achieving a Ph.D. and then staying on as a research fellow and with any luck becoming a professor of physics. 

I heard about the SATRO placements through an email from college and applied for a placement for several reasons.  Obviously it looks amazing on a UCAS form or a CV, however that wasn’t my motivation.  My main draw to this placement was that it was the first opportunity I have had to make a real contribution.  With year 10 work experience placements or with 1 week summer academies you learn a lot, however you never seem to do any actual work, whereas my work at SSTL (Surrey Satellite Technologies Ltd) did matter – it was the first time this technique had been looked at on land in such significant amounts, so everything I did was new. 

My project was to analyse the data from a satellite to see if there were any correlations between the strength of GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems) reflections and the landforms below and by doing this, see if there were any useful applications of this.  The first 2 weeks were spent mainly programming; I had to create the tools that mapped the data onto Google Earth.  Then we realised that there was too much data and the computer kept crashing, so I had to program another tool that allowed me to load only the data in a certain region.  Then I had to analyse the data, discovering correlation with different landforms below and showing that this technique could potentially be used for mapping deforestation.  I also got to reprogram the timing system for the receiver on the satellite.  

The main skill I learned was programming, this includes more than just learning what a particular line of code does.  I had to learn how to break down large problems into small tasks.  I learned how to go through and debug a program with rigour.  I wrote a program in my first week which, although it worked, was written inefficiently and it just felt messy, so during my last week I rewrote it.  From what I had learned initially, I was able to make the code more elegant and I completed it in much less time. I also understood what other job opportunities were on offer, as I had no idea how much variation there could be with applied physics.