Roke Engineers Mentor Students in Motion Detection

Roke Manor Research Limited, a Siemens company and developer of some of the world's most innovative electronic engineering technology, has contributed to the success of the Engineering Education Scheme (EES) by mentoring students from local sixth form college, Barton Peveril.

The EES is run by the Royal Academy of Engineering and gives sixth form students an opportunity to work with local companies for up to six months on a specific, engineering based project so they can gain direct experience in problem solving, project management and teamwork.

Five top students from Barton Peveril were given a brief by engineers Sean Clark and Eswar Vutukuri from Roke to design and build a motion detection system which could log and store images for surveillance applications. The students successfully found a way of capturing and comparing consecutive, static images, to pinpoint any visual differences that would highlight motion, and then streaming these images to a PC. Their approach involved brainstorming ideas, attending a residential workshop and holding weekly meetings with their mentors to keep the project on track.

The finished project was presented at a Celebration and Assessment day in May, held at IBM Hursley, Winchester where all the local colleges taking part in the scheme displayed their projects and were assessed by a panel of judges.

Gareth Evans, a teacher from the College who supported the students throughout the programme was very enthusiastic about his team's success and the benefits of the EES,

"The Engineering Education Scheme is an excellent opportunity for students to gain an insight into the engineering profession at a critical time in the formulation of their career plans - and we have received consistently outstanding support from the engineers at Roke. Students have enjoyed the experience year-on-year and are challenged and supported in equal measure, completing projects noted by EES assessors for their scope, depth and complexity. It is both a pleasure and a privilege to be involved in the scheme and to be supported by engineers who give so generously of their time and expertise".

Sean Clark from Roke, who mentored the team with Eswar Vutukuri, echoed his comments:

"This was a very successful partnership for everyone involved, where the commitment and enthusiasm of the students is clearly evident in their completion of a technically challenging task. Acting as a mentor, supporting the students in developing some creative and complex ideas, was a thoroughly uplifting and rewarding experience. I hope I've inspired a few more people to pursue a career in the fascinating world of science and technology as a result!”