GirlsGetSET Newsletter 4

NE W S LET T ER

ISSUE 4 JULY 2012

Welcome to the Girls Day Special Edition!

July 2012 | Issue 4 | GirlsGetSET

Hello and welcome to this Girls Day special

edition of the GirlsGetSET Newsletter!

Lots has gone on since our last edition in

March, we will be reporting back on

GirlsGetSET events at Cardiff, Groby and

the Cheltenham Science Festival!

We have an interview with our very own

torch bearer Jo Davies, she’ll be telling us

all about that and much more!

Find out more about the Year 10 project

which has been running this year — What

will the dragons think?

We also look forward to the big summer

ahead with the Olympic Games and the

new school year in September with the

return of GirlsGetSET. There is also the

usual competition, and an exciting

announcement! Enjoy!

GE Engines Event in Cardiff In this issue:

A Day Out In Cardiff

A Visit To Sensing In Groby

Meet a Torch Bearer

Cheltenham Science Festival

The London 2012 Olympics!

Launch Of Our New Website!

Competition

GirlsGetSET Next Year!

July 2012 | Issue 4 | GirlsGetSET Page 1

A Great Day Out In Cardiff

Girls from 14 secondary schools across the

Rhondda Cynon Taff area attended the first

GirlsGetSET event hosted by GE Aviation Wales

on the 6th & 7th March 2012. More than 150

girls, aged 13-15 along with teachers attended

the event. The day was run by a team of

volunteers from the company’s volunteering

committee, the GirlsGetSET committee and the

Women’s Network.

Across the two days, the students participated

in a number of workshops which included using

a catapult as a business simulation tool,

teaching them the importance of business

planning, drawing upon their mathematical and

team building skills. Other activities included,

designing and creating an aeroplane wing

which encouraged the pupils to think about

engineering, design and financial planning.

The students were also introduced to Adrian

Button, the Managing Director of GE Wales,

who talked about the business to the girls and

underlined the importance of having a diverse

workforce. The girls were also taken on a site

tour where they saw how an aircraft engine

gets overhauled and then visited the state-of-

the-art test cell where the engines are

rigorously tested to match ‘on wing’ conditions.

The girls also participated in a Q&A session with

volunteers from the Women’s Network which

in clud ed man ag emen t , engin eers and

apprentices. This proved to be very useful as

the girls learnt about the many different

pathways into a STEM career.

We all had a fantastic day and hope all involved

did too. This is what Gerard McNamara, Deputy

Hea d tea ch er at Ca rd in al Newman

Comprehensive School had to say about the

event “Programmes like GE’s GirlsGetSET

initiative highlights to pupils who will shortly be

making decisions on which subjects to study at

GCSE level, the great career opportunities

available to them in their local area that

studying science and engineering can bring.”

“The pupils were really engaged in the

workshops and we have had great feedback

from all the girls who attended. The event has

no doubt helped to change some of the

perceptions the girls previously had of careers

in science & engineering.”

We hope to see you all again soon!

A mentor on hand

A few tips and tricks

Article by Annabel Swift and Jessica Woolley


Groovy Groby!

GE Sensing held their first GirlsGetSET! events

at Groby on April 18th and 25th with girls braving

the wind & the rain to travel from the

Gloucestershire area. Over 60, year 9 girls

visited the site with a view of learning about

pressure sensors and engineering.

The day began with the girls having an insight

to pressure sensors and their applications,

followed by a plant tour where they could see

the sensors being made. They also got the

chance to see the very latest in pressure

sensing technology.

The girls visited the silicon clean room where

they viewed computer chips under a high

resolution microscope gaining an appreciation

for the delicacy of working with these tiny

devices; the heart of the pressure sensor. Into

production, the girls saw a mixture of different

sensor and instrument types being put

together, viewing processes such as soldering,

assembly & calibration.

The girls were split up into teams and were

challenged to build the tallest tower that could

support an egg, testing their ability to define

structures, stability, force and how to work in

teams.

The highest structure built was 240cm high

which was too tall for team ‘I don’t know’ to

balance their egg on top! It was great fun

watching and the competitive spirit was evident

as they tried time and time again to balance

that egg!

The winners over the 2 days was team ‘TFB’

whose tower stood at 218cm and supported a

force of 10g.

Well done to all the teams involved and we look

forward to seeing more GirlsGetSET! At Groby

soon!

What a tower!

Build in progress

Article by Denise El-Rishmawy


Interview - Jo Davies

How did you decide on your chosen career path?

I left sc hool after completing my A-levels wanting to be a

graphic designer! Seeing that there weren't many opportunities in this line of work, I decided to join a

company that offered a solid training program. Over time

I wanted to learn more about how the 'Supply Chain’

works. I joined Dowty Propellers as a Trainee Expeditor and worked my way up to Buyer.

Who were your role models when you were at school?

I real ly respected my dad who was UK Business Banking Manager for Lloyds TSB but my real idol was Carl Fogarty

– the four times World Superbike Champion. His perseverance and determination intrigued me and, well,

I’ve always been a biker at heart!

When you were at school, what were your ambitions for the future?

I wanted to be a graphic designer as I love art. I saw myself designing adverts for large companies but I

always knew I wanted to be in management and help other people develop their skills.

What skills do you feel are the most important for a

successful career in a technology-based business?

The first thing I learnt in this business was how important

it is to be able to communic ate well and at all levels; it’s

essential to be able to ask the right questions to the right

people.

What has been your biggest challenge so far in your career?

Taking on my c urrent role at a time when GE was making a lot of changes to how our site ran. It was a steep

learning curve going f rom working mainly in an office to

working on the factory floor with no previous experience

in this area.

Can you give us a summary of your role at GE?

I coach others using a new approach to team-working

called 'Teaming'. This gives everyone in the team, f rom

the guys on the floor up to the managers, a say in what the team does and how it operates. For example, working

together to arrange holidays and time off so that i t has as little impact as possible on the team's productivity. My

main focus is on the start of the manufacturing process. I

am also the Women's Network B usiness Representative

which keeps me busy.

What has been your proudest moment in your career

to date?

Being recognised for my hard work and being nominated to represent the company by carrying the Olympic Torch

in the run up to the London 2012 Olympics.

Who inspires you now?

My dad still inspires me. Following a severe stroke three

years ago, he has proved that strength and inner belief are key in life, and that you don’t give up, you just adapt

and overcome!

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Don’t put off to tomorrow what you can do today – so

true when tomorrow always bec omes busier than expected!

Jo carrying the Olympic flame

Jo Davies

Team Coach

Dowty Propellers

A-Levels

Graphic Design, Maths, Art, General Studies

Jo joined Dowty Propellers in 2007 as the first

‘teaming’ coach after working in Sales and Logistics

at Cadbury.

In her interview, Jo tells us how she has come to

work at Dowty, the challenges she has met along

the way and who inspires her to continue achieving.

Article by Jessica Woolley and Patrick Armstrong


Year 10 Project

The year 10 projects have been running since January, the girls were first tasked with designing a transportation method for use in and around the Olympic park. They were asked to provide a presentation, posters and a model of their proposed solution. Considerations included safety, re-use, accessibility, cost, energy source, regulation and environment. Over the months the teams have grasped the physical needs of the system and a range of innovative solutions addressing transport capacity and congestion have been offered. A theme that ran through the systems were the use of existing waterways leading to the Olympic Park. One group offered a boat that had a number of design features such as solar panels, information screens and enhanced access which met the initial project brief very well. An exciting alternative solution was based on a cable car system. A number of different circuits linked together to form the Olympic rings! All

the models were created to a very high standard and the judges were most impressed with the confidence and fluency of the girls’ presentation. The second project centred on a media distribution system for the Olympic Park. The brief was kept quite broad to encourage the girls to use their imagination and provide a truly innovative solution. The focus was also shifted towards an overall systems view. Rather than designing a new app, or a great interactive screen, the girls were encouraged to think about how the media capture, transmission and con sumpti on delivered as a whole system as well as thinking about the pricing and availability of their system. All the teams have to do now is face the dragons, where they will have to combine their innovative ideas with confident presentation skills to produce a successful and memorable pitch, in order to get the Dragons to part with their cash! The winners will be revealed at the prize giving ceremony on the 6th July 2012!!! Good luck inventors!

-

–

Article by Edward McCaul and Annaliese Thomas


Cheltenham Science Festival - Thursday 14th June

This year at the Cheltenham Science Festival

we were joined by Gloucester Academy and

The Cotswold School. Their students competed

to design and build an innovative solution

representing a communications system in an

aircraft, using limited materials and in a very

compressed timescale.

The ‘Area 42’ marquee became an aircraft

hangar, with the outline of 2 aircraft marked on

the floor. Each aircraft was divided into zones,

housing the power system; engine; avionics bay

and flight deck. Each school was divided into 3

teams of 5-6 girls, with each team responsible

for sending a message (represented by a

marble) between 2 zones in their aircraft, i.e.

from power system to avionics bay.

Each team had a set of requirements, including

height limits within each zone plus a unique

challenge, whether it was the distance, a

vertical drop or limiting the speed to complete

in the required sequence. The materials

available to produce the communication

channel were limited to bamboo canes, paper,

string and sellotape. The girls considered

various options to carry the marble and support

the structure, guided by their mentors to design

a solution. It was then hands-on to build their

solution within an hour and very quickly the

marquee was filled with bamboo tripods, paper

tubes and channels supported by string. Plenty

of trial and error was evident, with the

customer clarifying requirements and reviewing

compliance as the build progressed.

To close the challenge, each school set their

marbles off to demonstrate they had met the

requirements. The customer and mentors

assessed each group and presented an award

for the best design to one of The Cotswold

School’s teams for their innovative solution to

the vertical drop and an award for teamwork to

another of The Cotswold School’s teams for not

only working well in their group, but liaising with

the other groups in their aircraft to initiate

sharing supports and thus minimise materials.

The girls had a challenging but exciting day that

was full of innovative and practical solutions.

Well done girls!

Attention to detail is needed

Salome leads the way

Article by Gavin Phillips


GE @ The London 2012 Olympics

Photo caption

The symbol of the Olympic Games, the Olympic

torch, starts its epic 8000 mile journey from the

Temple of Hera in Olympia Greece, and is

carried by 8000 Olympic Torchbearers from

across the world that best embody the Olympic

spirit – including GirlsGetSET’s very own

Kimberley Kirkham and Jo Davies – before

ending its journey by lighting the Olympic

Cauldron in the Olympic Stadium in London. In

total, around 20 GE employees had the honour

of carrying the Olympic Torch, but that is only

just the beginning of GE’s involvement with the

London 2012 games!

GE is a Worldwide Olympic Partner and

provides many products and services to ensure

a successful Olympic Games such as power,

lighting, medical equipment, water treatment,

transportation and security. Here are some of

the things GE are doing:

GE Lighting has supplied around 14,000 lights in

the functional areas of the magnificent Olympic

Stadium in Stratford, London, along with the

lighting for the athletes warming up track so

you can see your favourite athletes warming up

before their big events!

The Olympic Village will house around 23,000

Olympic athletes and officials, and GE is

supplying the essentials so they can prepare for

the games in comfort! GE Water & Processing

are donating storm water run off monitor units,

whilst GE Power Controls are supplying power

distribution equipment to keep the electricity

flowing.

Sadly during the Games, athletes may pick up

knocks and muscle strains whilst competing,

meaning they may need to pay a visit to the

Polyclinic medical centre situated in the

Olympic Village. GE Healthcare has donated

state-of-the-art medical scanning equipment

such as CT, MRI, Ultrasound and X-Ray

technology such that even the smallest injury

can be diagnosed. Even better, the Polyclinic

and its GE equipment will remain after the

Games to help better medically support the

greater London community.

The Olympic Games needs power. A lot of

power. The Energy Centre will provide power,

heating and cooling systems across all the

Olympic facilities. GE Jenbacher is supplying

CHP (Combined Heat and Power) engines to

help power the games in a more energy

efficient manner. GE Water & Processing also

have installed water dosing systems.

GE is also donating equipment to several other

facilities such as the Velodrome power

distribution technology. The Aquatics Center

Uninterruptable Power Supplies. The Basketball,

Handball and Hockey Arenas Floodlighting!

GE will also be supplying several volunteers to

assist with the running of the games. All in all,

GE is trying to help make the London 2012

Olympic and Paralympic Games a Games to

remember!

Article by Dan Gordon and Annaliese Thomas

GE Sponsor the British Triathlon team!


Crossword Competition

Subtitle

Articles by Liam McGinley, Ben Daffurn and Kimberley Kirkham

Onto Next Year...

This year we have seen the GirlsGetSET scheme grow to include more schools, more girls in more areas of the UK. Throughout the year we’ve built data networks for aircraft, designed wings, and made towers to support an egg!!!

Next year is set to be bigger and better! Keep up to date with what’s going on via the website, Facebook and Twitter. A big thanks from us at GirlsGetSET for making the events successful and enjoyable for all involved!

Send your answers to [email protected] to be in with the chance of winning a prize!

Make sure you include your name, school and year group.

Prizes will be given out at the start of the next academic year.

GirlsGetSET On The Web

GirlsGetSET is now online! Check out all the latest news, events and pictures at

www.GirlsGetSET.icountGE.co.uk

Get Clicking and have FUN!

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GirlsGetSET Newsletter 4

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