Engineers Without Borders visited Redrange Public School and Emmaville Central to interact with young locals.

Engineers Without Borders (EWB) Australia was founded in 2003. They believe that engineering and technical professions have a significant role to play in solving global challenges. They want to inspire the next generation of professionals. 

Red Range Primary School Principal Pam Murphy said the EWB School Outreach program gave her students a creative, hands-on workshop designed to open young people’s minds to the challenges facing developing countries. 

"They also highlight the power of humanitarian engineering to create positive change," she said.

"Red Range students participated in the Renewable Energy module which focussed on the role of renewable energy in transitioning to a clean energy future. 

"The students discussed fossil fuels, sustainability, climate change with a focus on wind turbine power generation technology. 

"The students got to make their own wind turbine blades which were tested for speed with a fan."

Engineers Without Borders spokesperson Nathan Lam said the students are usually reserved about the workshop but warm to the information quickly.

"Once the workshops start and the activities are presented we find the students are more engaged in what they are being taught and they get  a lot out of it," he said.

"Initially we make floating houses to wind turbine models but then we tell them a bit about engineering, we present it as not just a vocation but as a way to meet other people's needs.

"We find that the students are curious and want to find out more information and we usually have one or two students who are more curious than others and they may well be our future engineers."

Mr  Lam said the students are given real case studies done on real people.

"We have been to Cambodia and helped the locals build floating houses that are structurally stable, so the students were particularly interested in that," he said.

"I find these workshops rewarding because I think I am helping kids see that science is not just theory, it has real world applications."