Some 200 students from Parkes High School, Parkes East Public School and Parkes Public School participated in the SISP/NRMA Future of Transport Challenge Workshop late last month.
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In partnership with NRMA, the STEM Industry School Partnership Program (SISP) challenged students to create an innovative product or service which addresses a real-world need through the application of human-centred design thinking.
The NRMA Challenge is all about investigation, collaboration and entrepreneurship to solve a local transport problem, with a focus in Parkes on the possibilities of the Inland Rail project.
The students were treated to a presentation from NRMA that demonstrated major transport technology changes from horse and cart to flying cars.
INLink (a joint venture between Fulton Hogan and BMD Constructions) inspired students through their presentation on the Inland Rail Parkes to Narromine, along with a range of local science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) career examples.
Students completed a range of hands on STEM based activities including brainstorming and ideation, testing, prototyping and pitching their ideas and solutions to the transport problem.
Students will refine their solutions and their pitch back in the classroom with each school across the Central West nominating the best ideas to take part in the Central West Finals Showcase to be held in Orange on June 27.
This workshop is the first of many to take place in Parkes under the STEM Industry School Partnership (SISP) Program, a NSW Department of Education Initiative.