Entries for the EPro8 Engineering In-school Competition close this Friday (March 22), so register your team now to secure one of the 16 available spots. Thanks to the generous support of parents Tom and Kate Magill of Magill Consulting Group, Aquinas now has three extra EPro8 school kits for students to use.

Places for the 2024 EPro8 competition will be allocated on a first-in, first-served basis. Eight Year 7-8 team spots are available, and eight in Year 9-10. Key details are:

Registration: Email Mr Howells at ahowells@aquinas.school.nz by Friday, March 22 with your team name, and the name of your team members. (First, check that your parents are OK with the contest fee.)

Cost: $120 per team ($30 per person). * Note that each round of competition requires a separate entry fee, so winning teams should be prepared to invest another $120 for each stage they qualify for.

Competition Date: Friday, May 10 (Week 2 of Term 2)

Time: 9.00 a.m. - 11.00 a.m. for Year 7-8, and 12.00 p.m. - 2.00 p.m. for Year 9-10.

Format: In each competition, eight teams of four tackle three challenges within two hours. The top two teams in each competition go on to represent Aquinas at the EPro8 interschool challenge.

Tom and Kate Magill, parents of William (Yr 10) and Thomas (Yr 8), are strong supporters of EPro8 for Aquinas students. We chatted to them to find out why.

Firstly, tell us about what you do at Magill Consulting.

Magill Group Consulting is a specialist Project Management and Environmental Planning business. We specialise in working with our clients in resource consent planning and the project management of infrastructure and building projects from the feasibility stage through to the completion of construction. We also offer claims consulting and engineer-to-contract services.

At approximately $1,800 each, EPro8 kits aren't cheap. You've now sponsored three of these for Aquinas. Why are you so keen to see students participating in EPro8?

The built and natural environment industry is a rewarding sector to have a career in. You get to turn your mind to problem-solving and working with a diverse range of people and clients. We want students to experience the satisfaction and enjoyment that comes from solving problems and using their skills and abilities to explore, build and create with the hope that this may give them an insight and interest in engineering and science. We think EPro 8 is a great way to get young people into the mindset of exploring engineering and science, problem-solving, challenging themselves and meeting new people.

What are some of the highlights and benefits of a career in engineering and planning?

Over our careers, we have had the opportunity to be part of teams that design and build infrastructure that supports communities of today and future generations in a sustainable way. We have worked on projects like the Wellington Stadium, Te Papa National Museum, Transmission Gully, and housing and community reconstruction from the Boxing Day Tsunami. Engineers and Environmental Planners get the opportunity to work on things that last and leave a legacy. It has been a great experience being part of nationally and internationally recognised projects and knowing that these projects have resulted in positive outcomes, benefiting society and the environment. Engineering has also provided us with the opportunity to travel around the world with work, assisting communities in their recovery from natural disasters and war-torn conflicts.

What are the skills young engineers need to develop to have successful careers and solve real-world problems?

Have an open mind to a range of solutions and points of view when solving a problem. Engineering challenges can be solved in many ways. It's also important to be brave so you can put your ideas forward and allow others to challenge your thinking. Starting at the start is also an important skill to learn; many projects have lots of moving parts and it's easy to jump into solution mode without fully understanding the issue.

Any other tips for this year's EPro8 participants?

Don’t be afraid to be creative, listen to your teammates, and be brave in putting your thinking forward. Enjoy meeting other creative people from around the Bay of Plenty and start building friendships that could lead to opportunities in the future.