Airbus

A set of printable resources and guidance notes giving teachers and technicians the basic ingredients to run their very own IET Faraday® DIY Challenge Day. This cross-curricular activity day brings science, design and technology, engineering and maths together in an engaging way.

The context of the challenge

One very important aspect of the work of Airbus is the support of international aid organisations. Their products and resources, from relief flights to satellite imagery and helicopters, are used to support the work of emergency responders around the world.
One way they do this is through the Airbus Foundation which has brought together a global network of airlines and relief organisations to support humanitarian causes. Since 2008, the Foundation has organised the delivery of 650 tons of aid materials around the world, delivering medical and school supplies, food, water sanitation equipment, toys, clothing and emergency response units to the most vulnerable.

Engineers will need to help Airbus to help transport and deliver aid or provide something which could be taken out to help people in times of need. Designs must include an electrical circuit and should be designed as a working prototype. Considerations will need to be taken into account for weight, energy, flexibility and sustainability.

Can your students help make a difference as a Faraday Airbus engineer?

Activity info and teachers’ notes

The Airbus challenge is based on the IET Faraday® Challenge Day of the same name from our 2019/20 IET Faraday® Challenge Day season.

Students are given an engineering brief (found in the student booklet) to assist the Airbus team in helping transport aid or help people in times of need. They will need to demonstrate that they have the engineering skills required to engineer and construct a working prototype of their design and pitch their products to the judges.

Designed for six teams of six students (36 students in total) aged 12-13 years (year 8 England, and equivalent), the challenge encourages the development of students’ problem solving, team working and communication skills.

This activity day can be tailored to the needs of your school and your students by adapting the PowerPoint presentation and the editable student booklet.

What’s included?

The complete set of downloadable materials includes:

• Teachers' pack
  A list of the practical materials needed, presenters’ notes highlighting key areas and reinforcing key themes throughout the day, some handy hints on how to deliver the day . . . plus printable Faradays currency and student certificates.
• Student booklet
  Available as an editable MSWord document to allow the booklet to be adapted to meets the needs of your students and your school.
• PowerPoint presentation
  A step-by-step guide for your students throughout the day, with supporting notes for the delivery of the presentation.
• Film clip
  Full briefing video introducing the challenge to your students.

Remember, all the activity sheets and supporting resources are free to download below!

All online resources (including film clips!) are free to download, and the student booklet and PowerPoint presentation are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your students' and your schools' needs.

And please do share your classroom learning highlights with us @IETeducation

You can stream and download the related film for free by clicking on the appropriate link in the Related resources section below.