Empty Shop Head Quarters Now Open in Durham

Friday the 19th of February saw the non-profit arts organisation Empty Shop launch its new head quarters with an open exhibition just off Durham’s Framwellgate Bridge. Read more

Kilimanjaro? Easy!

Thrusting thousands of feet up into the air stands the tallest free mountain rise in the world, Kilimanjaro. By day it is a focal point in the landscape, by night a picture perfect setting as the sun signifies the end of another day. Read more

Women’s football team on a roll

Sunderland University’s women’s football team are flying high as they continue their undefeated season.
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Tripathi on the move

One of Sunderland University’s top athletes is currently involved in a transfer saga that could rival any in the cricketing world.

 

Vishal Tripathi is currently a cricketer with Lancashire County Cricket Club, but the opening batsman has attracted a lot of interest and two firm offers have been put forward.

 

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Ancient Greek Afternoon

The History of Ancient Greeks comes alive in a North East museum on the 27th January 2009.

The Old Fulling Mill Museum, Durham is hosting a programme of activities aimed at children between 5 and 11 which includes creating your own Ancient Greek Manuscripts and making Trojan Horses.

Admission fees are £1:00 for an adult and £ 0.50 for children and concessions.

Family tickets are available for £2.50

For more information contact The Old Fulling Mill Archeoogical Museum on 01913341823.

By:Daniel Curtis, Marie Donnelly, Sophie Hyde, Saeed Chaudhary, Samantha Kelly

Sunderland Racers talk with engineering institution

Both teams told the group of IMechE senior members about the competition, and how their teams are organised. They also spoke about how they plan and design their cars, as well as the building process, demonstrating how the Formula Student competition encourages innovation.

Kate Jones, the Formula Student project leader, told the audience, severely reduced because of bad weather, that the competition, open to universities worldwide as well as the UK, was an important asset that not only gives engineering students the chance to develop valuable real world skills in both design and manufacturing, but also develops their business skills, in areas of marketing; along with budget and time management.

The IMechE, as well as sponsors that includes Shell, Toyota and Airbus, supports the competition as it is a useful way to encourage school leavers to study engineering, an area were there has been a drought in graduates for several years.

Newcastle, represented by its team leader, Fiona Finlayson, along with William Smith, Ryan Broadhead and Johnny Knox, all 4^th year engineers, lead the way. The team of 16 people, split into two groups, work on separate cars. While one group worked on the 2009 car, NR6, the second team worked on designing next year’s car. Their methodology is one of constant evolution, and “intelligent, affordable, innovative design.”

Their car is an improved version of the one they competed with this year, making improvements to the design, reducing weight and replacing the gearing, now using a high speed sequential gear box that utilises a paintball mechanism, while also hoping to improve reliability. It uses a Ducati Monster 600cc motorcycle engine, with fuel injection, air intake and exhaust improvements added on.

SU Racing, represented by team leaders John Wood and David Meyerowitz, along with Chris Greaves, also presented designs for their newest car, the SU09, nicknamed ‘Trout,’ a completely new car for this year, using a new engine, a 600cc Honda CBR motor that replaces the team’s venerable 400cc one-cylinder Suzuki dirt bike engine, that will be combined with a steel space frame, with honeycomb panels to improve torsion stiffness. It is hoped that this design will not only be more powerful, but will also be lighter, weighing less than 250kg.

The team also discussed what it was like to be involved with Formula Student, highlighting the strong elements of social bonding found not only in the team, but also the camaraderie found when interacting with other teams at the competition itself, held at Silverstone in July.

The differing strategies between only two teams highlighted the reliance on innovation and original thinking that the competition was designed to encourage.

Both teams were also able to share stories of their particular woes during the event itself, with Newcastle telling the audience about the problems it had with loose drive shafts, leaking valves and a heavy, unreliable gearbox; while Sunderland related the incident when a drive shaft became loose, ripping out the differential and twisting the chassis, with major repair work being performed over night by Wood, a qualified mechanic.

Geoff Clack, a Formula Student judge also spoke, highlighting how important this, and other competitions held in primary and secondary schools in partnership with Learning Grid, such as the ‘K’NEX Challenge’ and ‘F1 in Schools’ were important to attract youngsters into engineering, as well as giving them important experience, saying, “Formula Student is more than just racing. It is also beneficial to the students.”

Formula Student, originally developed in the USA in 1981, was brought over to the UK in 1998. The competition itself asks the students to simulate building a prototype autocross car that if successful, would be a basis to produce a 1000 such cars each year.

The next competition, to be held at Silverstone in July next year, has already attracted over a 110 teams from 23 different countries. This year’s competition will also highlight the competitions environmental aspects, such as its encouraging teams to use E85 bio-fuel, as well as its newest category, class 1(A) a low carbon competition.

Doug Cartwright, a Fellow of the IMechE, and chairman of the Automotive division had been impressed by both the teams work, and SU08 ‘Frog,’ Sunderland’s old car, that had been on display in Durham’s wind tunnel, particularly its front suspension system, as he himself had been a racing driver.

The meeting ended with a vote of thanks by local IMechE chairman Syd Croft, who had attended Sunderland Polytechnic, as well as Newcastle and Durham Universities. He said he had enjoyed the stories told by the teams and added, “If Formula Student had been around during my time at university, and I would have certainly joined the competition.”

Links:

SU Racing: http://www.formulastudent.sunderland.ac.uk/

Newcastle Racing: http://www.nracing.co.uk/

Formula Student: http://www.formulastudent.com/

IMechE: http://www.imeche.org/

Learning Grid: http://www.learninggrid.co.uk/