The Ladies’ College welcomed a visiting UK engineer to oversee a STEM project as part of Alternative Curriculum Week.
GCSE students worked on creating a variety of wind turbines that could be installed in the sea off the shores of Guernsey. One difficulty found with offshore wind is finding the best way to install the turbines in the water. Students worked on a mix of fixed and floating designs.
The event welcomed Katie Protheroe, an engineer at Osbit. Osbit is part of the Venterra Group, a dedicated offshore wind energy services company that builds and supports the operations of offshore wind energy developments around the world. They provided small wind turbine kits and guided the students through experiments on wind direction and blade angles.
Katie led the activity. She has real world experience in this sector and imparted crucial knowledge to the students. Katie has led projects in Singapore and has travelled across the world through her engineering work in offshore energy, including a 1500 tonne offshore system which has now been used to install two offshore wind farms.
Katie spoke to the students about a range of factors that need to be taken into consideration when planning the installation of turbines.
“There’s a whole host of opportunities just within this one sector and so many areas to think about – from turbine engineering to seabed protection and corporate roles within the industry,” she said.
Students explored a mixture of solutions for installing their wind turbines in the sea, including anchors, weights and ropes.
They also heard from Guernsey Electricity, who explained where electricity on the island currently comes from and why it’s so important to diversify the different energy supplies and focus on sustainability.
Dr Karen Marshall, Head of Science, said: “These are our future engineers and working with experts from Venterra, and seeing the tangible results of their efforts, has truly ignited a passion for STEM in our students.
“It’s not just about learning the principles of wind energy; it’s about inspiring them to think creatively and understand the real-world applications of their studies, which is exactly the kind of hands-on, impactful learning that we strive to provide at The Ladies’ College.”
Pictured: Engineer Katie Protheroe with a group of Ladies’ College students.
