Jaguar Land Rover's leading education programmes 'Maths in Motion' and '4x4 in Schools Challenge' have once again been providing school children from around the UK with a unique and exciting opportunity to apply science, technology, engineering and maths to practical, complex projects which reflect the type of challenge engineers encounter on a daily basis.
Last week saw the culmination of months of hard work as the national finals of the two programmes took place in Warwickshire. Thirty six teams from as far afield as Aberdeen attended the Maths in Motion finals at the Heritage Motor Centre, Gaydon whilst fifty six pupil representing twelve teams competed in the 4x4 in Schools finals at the Coventry Transport Museum.
Maths in Motion
The Maths in Motion Challenge was established in 2000 and this year attracted entries from 200,000 pupils from 1,000 schools making it the largest maths challenge of its kind in theUK. The programme, presents school children aged 9‑16 with the task of setting up a virtual racing car to compete on a track against other schools. The teams have to use all their mathematical expertise to accurately measure the length of the track, the angles of the bends and consider other factors such as fuel load, tyres and speeds. This information is then submitted to computer simulation software and all the challengers eventually race against each other. Each racing car is shown as a name on the screen and the race is accompanied by visual commentary.
For the 2011 National Final, teams who made it through the regional heats were faced with a brand new track and given an hour and a half to prepare their cars. The competing teams are categorised by school year ‑ Primary, years 7‑9 and years 10‑13 ‑ with one winner from each fighting it out for the overall title.
This year's champions wereBankfootPrimary Schoolfrom Bradford who also won the primary age category. Winners of the years 7‑ 9 category were Dr Challoner's Grammar School for Boys, Buckinghamshire and the years 10 ‑ 13 winners were named as Blackwood Comprehensive School from Caerphilly.
4x4 in Schools Challenge
The 4x4 in Schools Technology Challenge is now in its sixth year and sets teams from schools around theUKwith the task of designing, engineering and building a remote controlled 4x4 vehicles to exact specifications. The students must not only design a 4x4 capable of negotiating a series of obstacles and tasks, including tunnels, steep hills and rocky roads but must also produce a well‑designed graphic display of work and be able to present their business knowledge to a panel of judges who scrutinize all elements of the programme in accordance with very stringent guidelines.
This year 55 teams entered competition with the final 12 teams guaranteeing their place in the final following sterling performances at the regional heats held in Merseyside, Staffordshire and Reading. The competition was judged in two classes, Class One: new teams using a starter kit and Class Two: teams who manufacturer the entire vehicle themselves.
This year's triumphant winners of Class One with their entry 'Team Alpha' wereQueenElizabethGrammar Schoolfrom Horncastle,Lincolnshire. The winners of Class 2 were 'Manic Mechanics' from Wootton Creek on theIsle of Wight. The two winning teams took home trophies, certificates and a selection of prizes.
Les Ratcliffe, Manager of Community Relations, says "These programmes are critical in showcasing the importance of STEM subjects and can really ignite a long term interest which may well see these youngsters aspiring to a career in the engineering sphere".
He continued: "We are delighted to see these two important schools challenges going from strength to strength with record entries this year. The calibre of the entrants was astounding and the quality of their work was exemplary. All schools that competed this year should be very proud of their achievements".
Ends
Notes to Editors
- For further information on Jaguar Land Rover's education, community and charity programmes please go to www.jaguarlandrover.com
- For further information on the Jaguar Cars Maths in Motion Challenge for Schools please go to www.mathschallenge.co.uk/
- For further information on the Land Rover 4x4 in Schools Technology Challenge please go to http://www.4x4inschools.com/
To Contact theJaguarLandRover Corporate PR team, please ring or email:
Nicola Rzeznik, Corporate Communications Officer
T: 01926 648063 / M: 07736 912266 Email: nrzeznik@jaguarlandrover.com
Laura Brannan, Corporate Communications Officer
T:01926 646050 / M: 07557 540611 Email: lbrannan@jaguarlandrover.com
Jonathan Griffiths, Jaguar Land Rover Manager Corporate and International Affairs
T: 01926 649893 / M: 07801 126 893 Email: jgriff76@jaguarlandrover.com