Tavistock College students turn their talents to a technology challenge

TAVISTOCK College students have spent their evenings designing and making vehicles in a rush to be crowned winner of the Great Egg Race.

The able, gifted and talented product design students took on the challenge of propelling an egg for 10 metres in a vehicle powered only by an elastic band.

Teacher Rob Moore explained: “As part of our after school provision for able, gifted and talented students, we held a Great Egg Race to test their design skills and increase their interest in design technology.

“The groups had to create a vehicle which would carry an egg as close to 10 metres as possible without damaging it. If they were more than a metre short or past the line they lost points.”

Mr Moore said he was impressed by the ingenuity the students’ designs displayed. One group created a catapult to fire a hamster ball along the floor, while another opted for a dragster-style car.

Nathan Turnock, whose group created the winning dragster, said: “It’s a long design to spread the weight and it works well and goes quite far.”

His team mate Josh Blake said it was fun designing and making the vehicle and working out how to make it faster.

The group used CDs as wheels and cut the wooden body to size, ensuring it was within the 30cm length and 15cm width limit.

Nicholas Hill said his team’s idea won because it was lighter and faster and there was good weight distribution.

“I like DT and enjoy making things and doing it with my friends,” he added. “I’m happy to stay for extra classes after school because it’s more casual than lessons.”