A TEAM of five dedicated Year 11 students from Newhaven College has achieved international recognition for their outstanding work in the Real-World Design Challenge (RWDC) - an annual STEM competition that engages high school students (Years 9–12) in solving real-world engineering problems faced by leading industries.
This year, teams were tasked with designing an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capable of flying into fire zones to deliver and retrieve supplies. Students were required to use professional engineering software to develop their solutions and submit an academic paper, alongside a presentation detailing the design, functionality, and impact of their proposed UAV.
Their paper was of such a high standard, the group was to present it at the RWDC finals in Washington, D.C., however, they were unable to attend. Mathematics Teacher Melinda Kelly and aeronautical engineer Clint Heinze mentored the group.
“The physics involved in the preliminary design of an aircraft is at the university level. This type of project introduces secondary school students to problems and challenges they will encounter in their professional careers,” said mentor, Clint Heinze, “The fact that the team was able to so easily deal with the complex physics and mathematics involved in aerofoil selection and energy consumption was very impressive. The students were optimistic, committed and hard-working. It was an absolute pleasure to work with them.”
Year 11 student, Eli Bowker, said of the experience, “We were the only Australian team in the Real World Design Challenge. We assigned ourselves roles to tackle different parts of the challenge, and our mentor, Clint Heinze, guided us through the design process and helped us with the aeronautical engineering involved. The team put in lots of work and ended up with a design we are very proud of.”
Mathematics Teacher and mentor, Melinda Kelly, was thrilled with the team’s efforts and the final result. “We congratulate the students and commend them for representing Newhaven College with such innovation, determination, and professionalism on the international stage,” she said.
