Students Race Model Speedboats in Engineering Challenge

School pupils from across Hampshire, Dorset, and the Isle of Wight, identified as aspiring engineers, constructed their own miniature speedboats and subsequently tested them at the Haslar Marine Technology Park in Gosport, a location characterized as a high-security facility. The Haslar Marine Technology Park, originally inaugurated over six decades ago by the late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, served primarily for Royal Navy vessels. Currently, the defence company QinetiQ owns the site and expressed its intention for the powerboat challenge to motivate schoolchildren towards careers in science or engineering. Approximately 80 students, representing 11 secondary schools, participated in the challenge and the race held on Friday. Beatrice and Evelyn, students from Bournemouth School for Girls, commented that the event provided an excellent opportunity to assess their engineering abilities. Beatrice remarked about her boat: “It’s not been in the water before and, so far, it is faring pretty well against the others.” Evelyn articulated her aspiration for a career in engineering, stating her desire to “like to work for Nasa”. The facility itself measures approximately 400ft (122m) in length, 18ft (5.5m) in depth, and contains 40,000 tonnes of chlorinated freshwater. Chris Richardsen, a principal consultant at QinetiQ, noted that the site had historically been perceived as “secretive” due to its past involvement with Royal Navy vessels. He further explained: “But now it’s open to all clients… we test models of ships and submarines, typically around five metres in length.” Kate Mace, project lead at Haslar, organized the event and emphasized the importance of needing to “think about the next generation of scientists.” She stated: “If we don’t actually build the engineers that we need in the future we are never going to have them.” Mace also mentioned that a former participant in the powerboat challenge subsequently competed in submarine races and is now employed by QinetiQ.