What do speed and Scifest Africa have in common?
What do speed and Scifest Africa have in common?
The attempt of one Scifest's collaborators, Bloodhound SSC UK, to break the World Land Speed Record on Hakskeenpan, Northern Cape in 2013. Scifest Africa’s outreach will host tours with the Bloodhound SSC in the Western Cape from 29 October – 2 November 2012.
Scifest Africa’s outreach and the cutting edge Bloodhound SSC Project, will headline workshop tours across George, Mossel Bay and Oudtshoorn. The project involves the creation of a supersonic car which is designed to travel at the jaw-dropping speed of 1690km/h.
Unique among cutting-edge engineering programmes, all the research, design, and manufacture and testing of the car will be shared with schools and tertiary education institutions around the world, inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers.
In the Northern Cape the area identified for the record attempt is being examined with a fine-tooth comb. Not even a tiny pebble can afford to be out of place when this supersonic car launches.
Head of the Bloodhound SSC project in South Africa, Dave Rowley, will tour with Scifest Africa, presenting both lectures and workshops. Known for his pioneering work in involving the business world in the school curriculum, with a keen focus on science, maths, engineering and design technology, he was head-hunted for Bloodhound SSC to set up a programme that allows all the research behind the Bloodhound SSC to be shared with pupils and students.
Sponsored by the Systemic Education and Extramural Development Support Programme (Seeds), and an initiative of the Kingdom of Netherlands, these tours aim to encourage excitement about the sciences. The Seeds programme was established to strengthen education in the Western Cape in particular and South Africa in general.
Scifest Africa 2013 is a proud supporter of Bloodhound SSC, and will showcase “Science on the move”, exploring transport… and anything that moves.