Careers in STEM ignited by alumni

Two 2016 NBCS Alumni, Alex Air and Chris Jenkins (pictured above), shared their journey in STEM with Primary and Secondary students last week, bringing with them one of the fruits of their research and development – the Sunswift-7 solar car.

Alex and Chris, who are currently PhD Mechanical Engineering students, have been part of the engineering team at the University of NSW involved in developing and building solar electric vehicle technology.

In assemblies and small groups, they shared with our students the passion they had for Maths, Engineering, Software Design & Development and Physics while at school, and how it has led to their involvement with Sunswift Racing and developing sustainable technologies.

The car, which set a world record in December 2022 for ‘The Fastest 1000km completed by an electric vehicle on a single charge’, was brought on site for students to view and marvel at what might be part of their future in years to come.

The car has been purpose-built for the 2023 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge, a 3000km+ race that starts in Darwin on 22 October and finishes in Adelaide on 29 October.  There are 99 teams entered from all over the world, with 10 vehicles entered in the ‘cruiser’ (passenger vehicle) category featuring the Sunswift-7. The race will determine which of the world’s solar vehicles are the most efficient over a long distance.

Thank you to Alex and Chris and the UNSW team for being so generous with your time and building a vision for careers in STEM for our enthralled Primary and Secondary students! It was a fabulous example of our community coming together to live out our school’s ‘Love Learning’ vision.