Young Engineers Club Takes on Cable Car Project

On January 25, 72 sixth- and seventh-grade students in the Eastbourne Young Engineers Club participated in an engineering project at Bede’s Preparatory School in East Sussex, U.K. The challenge was designed based on the Emirates Air Line cable car project in London (ELEVATOR WORLD, January 2013). The club is chaired by David Cooper of LECS (UK) Ltd., who was also the consultant on the cable car project.

The challenge consisted of 18 groups of four and required students to build two towers with a weight suspended between them until either a tower failed structurally or the weight applied grounded. The specification was that the towers should be at least 1 m tall and similar. The suspended weight should also allow the passage of a boat under the line at high tide, similar to the Emirates Air Line project. The entries were judged on the design and quality of the tower construction, the load-bearing capacity and how the students worked as a team.

Cooper formed the club in 2004 when he was president of the Eastbourne & District Chamber of Commerce. It was established to bring engineering to young students. Overseen by the Eastbourne Education Business Partnership Ltd., the club is linked with various schools and engineers and sees a different engineering theme each year. Activities are also coordinated by Tim Sorenson of Soren Learning Solutions Ltd.