This year, W5 is hosting the inaugural Ingenious Cardboard Regatta programme, a maritime challenge designed to inspire the interest of young people in STEM.
What is the Ingenious Cardboard Regatta?
Engineers from the Belfast Maritime Consortium, along with W5’s Learning and Engagement team, will promote marine engineering through a dynamic programme of activities for all participants. It will conclude with a regatta race of cardboard boats powered by student seafarers.
In teams of up to 10, Year 10/11 students will complete two parts of the programme with an industry specialist. Beginning with a set of skills-based workshops, students will explore fundamental concepts and develop their engineering knowledge. Students’ understanding will then be applied during hands-on sessions, where they will research, design, build and test a cardboard boat to hold a maximum of two students.
Students will display their vessels and communicate their engineering expertise at a showcase in W5 on Thursday 22 June 2023. They will then demonstrate their nautical prowess by taking to uncharted waters in their cardboard boats and racing against their peers on Friday 23 June 2023.
This programme is supported by the Royal Academy of Engineering Ingenious, an awards scheme for projects that engage the public with engineers and engineering. It also provides engineers with skills and opportunities in public engagement.
Who is taking part in the Ingenious Cardboard Regatta?
Thank you to all the local schools who have registered their place in the Ingenious Cardboard Regatta. Check out the participating schools, and their paired engineers below.
- Dundonald High School – Thales Group
- Mercy College Belfast – Artemis Technologies
- Fort Hill Integrated College, Lisburn – Energia Group
- St. Dominic's Grammar School, Belfast - Artemis Technologies
- All Saints College, Belfast – Andor Technology Ltd.
- Royal Belfast Academical Institution, Belfast – Creative Composites
How you can take part?
Are you interested in registering a team from your school to take part in the Ingenious Cardboard Regatta? Get in touch with our Learning and Engagement team today using the Contact Us form that is found at the bottom of this page.
What are the aims of the Ingenious Cardboard Regatta?
The Ingenious Cardboard Regatta has many aims which involve both the participating schools and engineers.
This programme provides engineers with training, skills and opportunities in public engagement whilst also engaging schools and the wider public with engineering. Helping to inspire the interest of STEM subjects in young people, this programme explores the fundamental concepts in workshop sessions and application of knowledge in build sessions.
The final event will celebrate the efforts made by students, teachers, engineers and their respective companies through the showcasing and Regatta event.
Launch Event
On 27 February 2023, students from Mercy College travelled to Belfast Activity Centre for the launch of the Ingenious Cardboard Regatta. The team took to the Lagan River in canoes to begin thinking about boat designs and how they will construct their boat for the final event.
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School Workshops
Throughout the programme, students from participating schools take part in theory and practical activities to explore fundamental concepts and develop their engineering knowledge before beginning to construct their boat. Take a look at Dundonald High School in action during one of their school workshops.
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Build Sessions
Following the workshop sessions, the students' understanding of engineering is applied during hands-on build sessions. The teams construct their final boat design along with materials that they will display at the showcase before the final event. Check out Fort Hill Integrated College during one of their build sessions.
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Showcase Event
Before taking to the water in their cardboard boats, the six teams and their paired industry expert travelled to W5 LIFE for the penultimate event in the Ingenious Cardboard Regatta, the Showcase. Here, the schools displayed their vessels and communicated their engineering expertise.
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The Ingenious Cardboard Regatta
For the final event, the six teams put their cardboard vessel to the test and raced against their peers at Queens Boat Club. Take a look at how the morning unfolded and which teams came out on top in the Ingenious Cardboard Regatta.
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Get in touch with our team today to find out more about the Ingenious Cardboard Regatta and how you can register your interest.
