Yesterday, our school hosted an exhilarating workshop run by Heathrow’s STEM outreach team, which challenged us to step into the shoes of airport engineers. Working in groups of four, our task was to design, build, and program a functioning vehicle and make it navigate a real-life track.
The experience was a brilliant test of teamwork and communication. As the coding had to work perfectly in the physical world, my group had to stay constantly aligned to make sure our software instructions matched the vehicle's actual movements. We quickly learnt that strong leadership was essential to keep us on track, especially when we hit "technical hurdles" that required us to brainstorm and problem-solve as a unit.
The dilemma we had was difficult. However, my team stayed resilient and found a solution. Our vehicle seemed not to work, so we borrowed another car. Both of these cars just didn't work. Of course, we got extremely worried, but we stayed calm and collected. The pressure was intense! We asked the team volunteers to help us with the vehicle, and they did! The help was genuinely appreciated.
By the end of the session, the room was filled with energy as we put our coded vehicles to the ultimate test in a "race off" against other teams. We only had one minute to make the car move around! Although we didn’t fully complete the coding to make the vehicle go back onto the road, it was incredibly rewarding to see our hard work come to life, and the workshop gave us a real insight into how STEM skills are used every day to keep one of the world's busiest airports running steadily.
Haniah Razvi [8B]
In the workshop, we were put into groups of four. In the group we had to do a quiz at the start about Heathrow Airport. Then we were shown the steps on how to program a chip which we would connect to the car. The car had to go across a bridge to the runway, then get a new light from the tool shed. This had many challenges, such as the car going off the track. This resulted in the teams adjusting the program of speed and turn time.
We had to make a design for the car. Most teams went for vibrant colours, so people would know something has gone wrong and they need to be cautious of what is around them. This was a very crucial part of the workshop as it showed us that you must be careful of your surroundings. This also shows the usage of creativity in the workshop.
The workshop also taught us the importance of working together in a team and that everyone in the team has a fair role, or the end piece will have some mistakes. The workshop also taught about the job opportunities we have and showed how key skills like creativity and teamwork not only contribute in school but also outside of school when you get a job. The workshop overall gave us an idea of what we could become in the future.
Ro Nath and David-Geroge [8G]
Yesterday, our school participated in an incredible workshop hosted by Heathrow Airport. The experience allowed us to step into the shoes of airport engineers to see if we had the resilience to handle their high-pressure roles. Our task sounded straightforward; we had to code a vehicle to reach a broken light and fix it within a one-minute time limit. However, we soon discovered that coding is far more problematic than it looks.
Our team hit several obstacles early on. Initially, we were given two cars that simply wouldn't move, which could have been a disaster. Instead of giving up, we stayed positive and kept working. The time pressure was so intense that we couldn't even finish the car's design because we were so focused on making sure the code worked. Through resilience and leadership, we overcame these technical glitches and successfully completed the work as a team. The Heathrow team was thoroughly impressed by our work and our ability to stay calm under pressure. It was a tough challenge, but by working as a team, we proved we could handle anything.
Reflecting on that day, I’ve realised that being an engineer isn't just about knowing how to code; it’s about having the resilience to keep going when things don’t work the first time. Even though we struggled with broken cars and a 20-minute time, the sense of achievement we felt when our car finally moved was amazing. This workshop showed me that teamwork and problem solving are just as important as technology itself. I’m really proud of how our team stayed positive throughout the pressure, and I now have a much clearer idea of the exciting, coded challenges that people face every day at a world airport like Heathrow.
Dunya Sahil [8G]
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