By Allan Reid
South Wales based STEM and BLOODHOUND SSC Ambassador Allan Reid has instigated a series of lunchtime talks in South Wales and the West of England to introduce the BLOODHOUND Project to a wider audience.
“The first of my ‘Lunch and Learn’ talks was given to employees of General Dynamics at its site in Oakdale Business Park in Blackwood and by live video link to a group of other employees at the company’s Hastings site in Sussex. The second event in the series took place at Airbus Defence and Space at the company’s Newport campus. Each event was attended by around 35 to 45 employees.
Getting started
“At both lunchtime talks I followed the same theme, starting off by describing the Project’s overriding technical ambitions and its educational objectives, which are to create a national surge in the popularity of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) as a lasting legacy.
“The Project was launched in October 2008 by Richard Noble OBE, an entrepreneur and former world land speed record holder, who aimed to design and construct a supersonic car capable of speeds in excess of 1000mph. This would greatly exceed the current world land speed record of 763mph established in 1997 by Wing Commander Andy Green in Thrust SSC on the Black Rock desert in the USA.
“The talk then included a brief history of the world land speed record over the last century and the background to the formation of the BLOODHOUND SSC project itself. I gave an overview of the car’s technical statistics, together with details of the intricate design, manufacture and construction processes of this remarkable vehicle.
Bringing the audience up to date
“I then told the audience about the current progress relating to the build and testing of the vehicle, and gave details of the track preparation and plans for the build-up to the world land speed record attempt on the Hakskeen Pan in South Africa’s Northern Cape Provence.
“At the conclusion of each talk the audiences responded with some challenging and interesting questions in a vibrant exchange during the question and answer sessions. Both organisations were keen to have a return visit to review the outcome of the record attempts after they have been undertaken in 2016 and beyond!
Future plans
“We’re now planning more lunchtime talks at some major corporate and leading manufacturing organisations in South Wales and the West of England region.”
If you would like to invite one of our Ambassadors to talk to your organisation about the BLOODHOUND Project, please see our "Engaging with BLOODHOUND Education" page, click on Bringing BLOODHOUND to your school or community and download the Ambassador Request form.
