Protect pupils take off at steam car challenge

Four teams from Protec Tongaat took part in the Steam Car Challenge at the FFS Expo for young scientists at the UKZN Edgewood Campus on August 1.

The challenge was open to all pupils in KZN and seven schools took part. Participants used kits designed by UKZN professor Binden from the mechanical engineering faculty.

The winning team was from Westville Boys High School, covering a distance of 1045 metres.

The Protec Yellow Peril team was placed forth, covering a distance of 675 metres.

“The competitions are fun based, technologically challenging competitions that furthers high school pupils to use maths and science in an engineering context and stimulate pupils to pursue engineering as a profession,” said Protec Tongaat manager Marion Takis.

At UKZN on August 7 three teams from Protec Tongaat took part in the SAICE inter-school bridge building competition and the challenge was to see which bridge could carry the heaviest load.

Queensburgh Girls High School came first with their bridge carrying a load of 30kg and the top team from from Protec carried a load of 22kg.

Protec is a non-profit organisation it is completely reliant on sponsorships and it thanks to the generous support of companies such as the North Coast Courier, Tongaat Hulett, Bearing Man Group, FFS Refiners, Sugar Industry Trust Fund for education, Sun International Community Development Trust Fund and Altech.