Students build working wind turbine
Students at St Ignatius College, Boys’ Secondary School, Tal-Ħandaq, Qormi, have taken on a project through which they are developing a working model of a wind turbine to be used within their school.
This project, coordinated by the school physics department, the Learning Support Zone and two technology teachers who are also working with the students, is being supported by the Malta Council for Science and Technology (MCST), who are funding this initiative.
The ‘Wind Turbine Project’ aims to increase students’ awareness of sustainable energy sources and also aims to be a stepping stone in view of the introduction of vocational training in the coming years.
The wind turbine project involved a large amount of research. Robert Farrugia, from the University’s Institute of Sustainable Energy, helped the students conduct this research.
Once the design and requirements were identified, the students, guided by technology teachers Joseph Falzon and Marco Sciberras, started construction on the wind turbine.
Through this project, students are learning to combine theoretical ideas discussed during lessons and apply these concepts in practice. They are also becoming more aware of key rules and practices that enable tradesmen to work safely in a workshop.
MCST followed the development of the project and offered €1,000 to enable the students and teachers to buy the required material in order to build the wind turbine.
MCST CEO and vice-chairman Nicholas Sammut visited the school workshop to observe the students at work. During the visit, the students explained how they managed to devise the components that will form the wind turbine and explained how the assembly is progressing. The students are aiming to use the energy generated from this turbine to power a number of computer units.
Dr Sammut also visited the Learning Support Zone within the school, and also presented a cheque to college principal Horace Caruana and head of school Carmel Micallef.
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Pule' Carmel
Jan 23rd 2011, 22:52
My congratulations. When System of Knowledge was offering the Practical Technical Project for students to present it before they enter university, many students offered Wind turbines, but unfortunately these never made the news, as many teachers and lecturers at 6th form institutions including GFA and members of MATSEC were against all these practical projects.
I advise all students to follow all that you see fit irrispective of what many teachers think and oppose a good thing. That also applies to parents as most parents in Malta were against their sons and daughters conducting Practical Technical projects for SOK examinations. There were Principals of colleges who put so many obstacles in the spokes with some never bothering to see what the students did in a period of ten years.
So Congratulations once again. Malta needs students who are aware of what Malta can do . Even Europe seems to insist that Malta needs to be aware of the use of energy and we need students to know it irrispective of some old fashioed educators used to think.
And by the way many students reading SOK also offerred Solar Panels which educators never appreciated 10 years ago, Look at their use now!!!!!