Female students get hands on with engineering and create wearable technology Wednesday, 04 November 2015

Photo Caption (above): Electronic textiles were created using conductive thread.

Photo Caption (below): Students engineers structures designed to withstand a Tsunami.

Sponsored editorial piece written by Victoria University, Principal Partner of Engineers Australia Victorian Division.

In support of Engineers Australia’s 2015 Australian Engineering Week, Victoria University (VU) hosted a hands-on workshop to promote engineering and science careers to female secondary school students.

The workshop, Engineering: A Great Career for Girls, introduced students from Years 8 through to 10 to e-textile design techniques used to create ‘wearable technology’ and structural engineering techniques used to create designs that would withstand seismic waves (Tsunami).

Working in teams of two, the students created their own fashion designs using a LilyPad Arduino microcontroller and other electronic components. Finished designs were sewn to fabric with conductive thread and programmed using Arduino software to incorporate light and audio effects. Students were invited to submit their garments for a showcase at the National Science Week Energised Fashion Runway.

Caption: Students engineered structures designed to withstand TsunamiIn the Tsunami lab, student teams applied principles of design, stability, structural engineering and knowledge of wave motion to construct structures which could endure the seismic forces of a computer-controlled wave simulation tank.

The Australian Engineering Week workshop was an initiative of Dr Juan Shi, senior lecturer in VU’s College of Engineering and Science.

"It’s important to bridge the gap between theory and practise and create opportunities for our students to develop not only strong technical skills but professional and interpersonal skills in many contexts," said Dr Shi. The coordinator of VU’s Women in Engineering and Science group, that mentors female students, has recently received a prestigious Office of Learning and Teaching (OLT) award from the Australian Government for her outstanding contributions to student learning.

Exciting and accessible workshops to engage high school students with STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) career opportunities are just one aspect of VU’s ongoing dedication to promoting STEM disciplines. The University’s College of Engineering and Science involves industry and the community to engage students and allow them to solve real-life problems, and more broadly promote STEM education.

Victoria University