Minister for Education and Skills, Ruiari Quinn was on hand to launch the 2012/13 Formule One in Schools season at the Department of Education. The Minister met with the students of St. Ailbe’s Secondary School in Tipperary who won last year’s competition are preparing for the world final this October in Abu Dhabi.
Organised in Ireland by the Irish Computer Society and supported by Discover Science and Engineering, F1 in Schools is a global competition that challenges students to design, build and race model Formula 1 cars powered by compressed air canisters. The competition was conceived as a response to a skills shortage in computing and engineering.
Launching the event Minister Quinn said: "This programme is a fantastic way for students to put into practise what they have learnt in the classroom. It really is a case of learning by doing."
"As well as bringing textbooks to life, the F1 in Schools programme can encourage students to consider further studies in engineering and computing and so help to address our skills requirements in those areas. Congratulations to last year’s winners and the very best of luck to this year’s participants."
Irish Computer Society CEO Jim Friars said: "The competition is great fun and gives the winning team the chance to represent their country in places such as Malaysia and Abu Dhabi. However the real benefit is that what began in books and on laptops becomes real allowing students to see the practical side of theory."
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