Insight courses this year
Insight courses are open to all girls in Year 12 and Scottish Year 5, and although they will be of interest to everyone, they are of particular benefit to those who are interested in maths and science, who want to see how that interest can be put to practical use.
Insight courses are undertaking major refurbishment as accommodation is renewed and new subjects integrated. So although it is not possible just now to provide precise details of each course, here is a selection of the content of recent Insight courses.
Registering for an Insight course is very straightforward and you are not obliged in any way until a formal offer of a place is made, at which time you will be invited to make a contribution towards the cost of the course.
The course fee is around £190 for four days and four nights at a residential Insight course, and £75 for the non-residential version available to girls in Year 11.
University of Bristol
The Insight course at Bristol will give budding engineers the chance to sample undergraduate life in the six departments within the Faculty of Engineering. Typical activities might include -
- Aerospace Engineering - rocket or land-yacht design competition
- Computer Science - wearable computers
- Civil Engineering - earthquake-proof design
- Electronic and Electrical Engineering - electronics-build project
- Engineering Mathematics - chaos theory
- Mechanical Engineering - hands-on challenge
Opportunities will be given for discussion and advice on Engineering as a degree or career option. Participants will live as students in the hall of residence and the technical programme will be complemented by social events.
University of Birmingham
Insight at University of Birmingham provides an opportunity for a hands-on experience in an excellent campus environment. You will be involved in design and build exercises, visit our laboratories, perform experiments and use some major facilities. For example, you can visit the Automotive workshops where undergraduates design and build their own racing cars.
During the course you will visit industry to see how products are designed and manufactured in real time. In recent years, delegates have toured the Cadbury chocolate factory and visited Jaguar Cars.
You will meet lecturers from each of the main Engineering departments – Chemical, Civil, Electronic, Electrical and Computer, Mechanical and Manufacturing and Metallurgy and Materials. They will give you a flavour of student life within the department and an overview of career options available to you as a graduate.
You will also be introduced to some of our specialist degree options such as Biomedical Engineering, Sports Materials and Sustainability and Disaster Management courses.
Accommodation will be in a hall on or close to campus, within easy reach of the departments and the University’s extensive sports and leisure facilities. Evening entertainment will include bowling, sports and an end of course restaurant dinner.
The whole course will be rounded off by a walking tour of Birmingham city centre followed by an ‘all you can eat’ lunch at the Big Wok in Birmingham’s China Town.
University of Cardiff
http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/engin
Insight at Cardiff provides an opportunity to look into the variety of engineering by examining degree schemes including Architectural, Civil, Environmental, Integrated, Mechanical, Electrical and Electronic and Medical Engineering, as well as an introduction to university life.
You will stay in one of the university Halls of Residence and have access to university sporting facilities. The Cardiff course is designed to sample different engineering disciplines by -
- Introductory presentations on each of the degree schemes
- A choice of hands-on laboratory sessions to explore practical principles
- A choice of visits to engineering firms / construction sites to see engineering at work
- Group-based design, build and test projects
You will have tours of facilities in the School and the Student’s Union and opportunities to meet Admission Tutors. Postgraduate students will join the course in the social activities, and they can explain at first-hand the undergraduate student’s life.
There will also be a presentation from a recent graduate to show what life can be like after graduation. Social activities include various sports, bowling and a course dinner.
University of Newcastle
Insight at Newcastle is for those who are undecided about their degree or career option. You may be interested in an engineering degree but cannot be sure about what kind.
The course contains a comprehensive range of disciplines to help you make an informed decision. These include:-
- Civil Engineering
- Electrical Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Chemical Engineering
- Marine Engineering and Naval Architecture
The course will begin to develop key engineering skills such as teamwork and problem solving to help you perform to the best of your ability at university, interviews for sponsorship and for Year in Industry applications. The course is designed to help make sure you know where you want to go, and to prepare you for getting there.
University of Salford
Insight at Salford involves team exercises and project work in one of the following areas: physics, biomedical engineering, audio, video, acoustics, aeronautical engineering, mechanical engineering, electronics engineering, civil engineering, computing.
You will also have a chance visit industry, participate in group presentations and listen to talks by practising women engineers and scientists, admissions tutors and careers services.
The School of Computing, Science and Engineering provides an integrated approach by combining computing with engineering and the physical sciences. We are therefore able to offer a range of exciting undergraduate and postgraduate programmes that not only provide a solid grounding in a particular subject but also allow students to broaden their knowledge and capability.
This, we believe, is what students will increasingly require to enter the modern day workplace.
Visits to companies in the North West have included British Airways Engineering, British Aerospace Systems, Kellogg’s, Manchester Airport, Airbus and Ove Arup.
Insight at Salford is a valuable introduction to engineering and science and life on campus, but it is not all work: you will make new friends at the social events - fun activities in the University’s own swimming pool, visit the theatre, a tour of Concorde at Manchester Aviation Park and the course dinner with an after-dinner speaker.
