REA offers engineering fun to all ages

F1 in Schools Technology Challenge is operated by Re-Engineering Australia Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation founded 10 years ago to encourage the next generation into technical careers.

Defence Materiel Organisation has become a national sponsor, having seen the effectiveness of REA to excite, equip and inspire teenagers to consider engineering, manufacturing and related career paths.

Adult engineers have participated as judges at state and national finals over the years and have been asking to get involved.

The Industry Class is a simplified version of the student program which enables an engineer to use any CAD application available to them to create a futuristic F1 racer.

REA will connect each engineer with a participating high school where they can manufacture their car from a block of balsa wood using a 3-axis router and test it in smoke and wind tunnels before racing it on the 20-metre track at speeds up to 80 km/h (all supplied by REA).

This provides the engineer with easy access to the necessary technology while providing students with an industry role model who can encourage and inspire them.

An Industry Class team consists of a professional engineer and a teacher from their partner school, or two professional engineers.

The winning Industry Class team will travel each year with Team Australia (made up of two or three high schools teams) to the F1 in Schools Technology Challenge World Championships.

The 2010 finals will be held in Singapore.

The Industry Class information kit includes rules, balsa block, wheels, axles and is available from REA for $300+GST.

For more information contact REA Foundation on 1300 554 503 (Craig Hingston, Marketing Manager) or go to www.rea.org.au