In October 2022, Bell Bay Aluminium hosted the Tasmanian Final of the F1 in Schools™ STEM challenge, which is managed in Australia by the ReEngineering Australia Foundation and supported by the smelter. The challenge sees teams of students from Years 6 to 12 collaborating in and out of school time to design, manufacture and race miniature compressed air-powered F1 cars.
The racing was fast and the talent displayed by students in their project management, portfolio designs, engineering design and manufacturing, verbal presentations and project marketing was impressive. Using the same technology as real F1 teams and vehicle manufacturers, the cars are capable of speeds exceeding 80 kilometres per hour and can cover the track in less than 1.5 seconds.
Students hone their skills in areas such as leadership, team building, project management, public speaking, marketing and collaboration. This exciting program continues to provide Tasmanian students with a unique opportunity to build valuable skills in a supportive and safe environment.
The skills and knowledge learned through this program may lead to future ambitions for these students. It will help build their interest in STEM, build employability skills and career self-efficacy, and we are proud to have the opportunity to support those students involved.
Teams were assessed against set criteria by an independent and experienced panel of judges from Bell Bay Aluminium and TasNetworks. Winning teams will compete in the National Final in 2023. Tasmanian schools have a strong history of success in the program at a national and international level.