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Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Alison Rennie

Paisley pupils have a n-ice time on luge ramp project

Pupils at Todholm Primary are having a n-ice time helping to design and build a luge ramp.

The Winter Olympic sport sees participants slide down an icy track at eye-watering speeds.

And the Paisley school is one of six across Renfrewshire taking part in the STEM project, which has been funded by a £3,000 donation from the Royal Society.

Around 200 pupils from Todholm Primary, Brediland Primary, Cochrane Castle, St James’ Primary, Bargarran Primary and Langcraigs Primary are taking part.

They are working with students from Glasgow Caledonian University to build an artificial luge ramp for The Royal Navy winter luge team.

The project is running throughout the year with the pupils looking at which angle of descent is best to give the fastest speed and longest distance over a set course.

Royal Navy visit Todholm Primary (PDE)

The pupils will also be asked to think about how the fitness of the athletes will affect their starting performance and will be asked to consider this when thinking about the design of the starting ramp.

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David Rigmand, deputy headteacher for P4-P7 at Todholm Primary, said: “We are delighted to work on this innovative Royal Society Partnership Project alongside Glasgow Caledonian University and The Royal Navy.

“Six schools in Renfrewshire are working with masters students from the university to build an artificial luge ramp for the Royal Navy Luge Team and potentially Olympic Team GB!

How a luge ramp looks in competition (REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann)

“This is a fantastic opportunity and particularly exciting with the Winter Olympics on at the moment.

“We are very excited about the scientific investigations ahead as our pupils learn from STEM experts from The Royal Navy and collaborate with engineering students, developing science capital throughout.”

Royal Navy visit Todholm Primary (PDE)

The ideas will enhance the design of the luge ramp, which will be used by the Royal Navy Luge Team and potentially the GB Olympic Luge Team.

The project is expected to be completed by May 2022.

Royal Navy visit Todholm Primary (Andrew Neil)

Project supervisor Dr Patricia Munoz-Escalona from Glasgow Caledonian University said: “I am delighted to provide this opportunity to pupils at such a young age.

“It gives them a chance to be involved in a real-life engineering problem and the opportunity to provide solutions, considering the different aspects of design and materials selection.”

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