A group of young engineers has gained first-hand experience of tensile fabric structures on a field trip with a structural engineer.
The students, whose education is being supported by the Rochester Bridge Trust, were taken on a walk over the roof of the O2 Dome in London, before reviewing what they had seen with a structural engineer.
Caroline Chisholm, Education Officer to the Trust, explained: “Bridges may be our priority, but we appreciate the importance of an all-round understanding of structures, which is why the Trust offered its scholars the opportunity to have this experience accompanied by a structural engineer.”
The young engineers included three Bridge Wardens’ Arkwright Scholars who are working towards their A-levels: Silke Heyse, Brecon Hoadley and Theodore Macklin; two further supported scholars: Frederick Bott and Emily Rowe; and Kai Smith, a former scholar who is now at university. The scholars were accompanied by their parents; the Trust’s education team and Senior Warden; and structures expert Michael Boyd from Arcadis, Bridge Engineer to the Trust.
Michael added: “It was great to meet the young engineers and talk to them about this famous structure. They were obviously fascinated by the engineering they saw, and asked some carefully considered questions.
“We also talked about engineering in general, the scholars’ ambitions, and my experiences of the profession. These young people may have a lot more education in front of them but I was pleased to see the future of engineering is in safe hands.
To find out more about the latest intake of Bridge Wardens’ Arkwright Scholars, click here, or to read about all the young engineers the Trust supports click here.