Why do aeroplane windows have rounded corners? How can a water pump be powered? What happens when I take a selfie? How can a simple circuit be used to create an inexpensive rain water alarm? What is the technology behind 3D printing? Why does water repel on a Lotus leaf? How can I make robots follow my instructions?
Whilst secondary students are immersed into making the most of their current scholastic year by learning at home, from University of Malta’s is busy preparing for the next season of the Engineering Technology Clubs, or “paving the natural path from curiosity to learning”, as she puts it.
The is a series of hands-on workshops offered by the Faculty of Engineering which are conducted in various laboratories at the Faculty of Engineering mostly with students who are about to choose their optional subjects.
These students are welcomed on campus every Wednesday by Dr Bonnici, who, together with a team of academic staff, technical staff and postgraduate students, deliver Electrical-themed and a Mechanical-themed workshop. After an hour of hands-on activities where they get a flavour of both streams, the students have a break, then have another hour of workshops, and conclude the visit with a talk about the engineering profession, the entry requirements for the Faculty of Engineering and the secondary school subjects that lead to these entry requirements. The talk serves the purpose of clearing some misconceptions that might discourage these students from pursuing a career in engineering, such as ‘what exactly is an engineer’ and ‘what is Pure Mathematics and why is it required to study engineering’.
“Something I generally come across in my talks, is how students perceive Pure Mathematics as an incredibly difficult subject to study. Some students are even confused by the term “pure”. I like to tell them that Pure Mathematics is a continuation of the Maths they study at school while Applied Mathematics combines Mathematics and Physics., said Dr Bonnici.
The Engineering Technology Clubs are not just done in a bid to encourage more of these students to eventually sign up for an Engineering course at tertiary level, but more importantly, according to Dr Bonnici, it is about stimulating student interest and answering the curiosities and wonders they carry with them from an earlier age.
“What we do is we provide students with a taste of the different aspects of the modern Engineering profession, and show them how exciting the engineering world can be by bringing it to them in a way they can understand it”, she told Newspoint. “It’s a great way of connecting students and academics through their potential mutual love for engineering.”
Although these weekly visits had to abruptly come to an end last March, Dr Bonnici still conducted the talk remotely with students from the Archbishop’s Seminary.
Moreover, the Faculty of Engineering is already getting in touch with different schools to assess the take-up for the sessions scheduled to take place in the next scholastic year. “We will, of course, follow all guidelines set by the health authorities to ensure the safety of our visitors, our students and staff”, assured Dr Bonnici.
Dr Bonnici thanked all her colleagues; engineers, post-grads and all the staff at the Faculty, for showing extreme commitment towards preparing for and delivering these workshops with the young students in mind. Dr Bonnici also thanked the Chamber of Engineers and the Malta Group of Professional Engineering Institutions who offer their support in the organisation of these workshops.
