Spark Engineering Festival Returns

The 4th Spark Engineering Festival comes to Lincoln Cathedral this week, a free three-day event (3 – 5 May) which celebrates Lincolnshire’s excellence in engineering.
Aiming to inspire future generations and showcase Lincolnshire as a leader in engineering innovation now and in the future, this year promises to be even bigger and better.

For the first time ever, the biennial festival will incorporate civil engineering, with an opportunity to find out more about Lincoln’s new Eastern Bypass and transport hub and how the discipline of civil engineering has been vital to these projects. The University will, as in previous years, have an interactive stand showcasing the work of the Engineering School. In previous years, the event has seen more than 9,000 people attend across the weekend. This year will see the addition of the Institution of Civil Engineers ‘Bridge to Schools’, giving budding engineers the opportunity to construct a 15-metre long, model cable-stayed bridge from plywood and aluminium sections.

Organised by the Lincoln Engineering Breakfast group, made up of local businesses, Spark aims to promote Lincolnshire as an engineering hotspot and inspire local young people to consider a career in the industry.

The purpose of the festival is to increase awareness of Lincolnshire’s pioneering excellence in engineering both locally and on the world stage. Our county is responsible for the supply of some of the best engineering people, services and products across the globe and we want everyone to know about it. The incorporation of civil engineering this year gives us a great opportunity to celebrate and showcase Lincolnshire’s achievements in this arena. Housed in the Lincoln Cathedral, a historic civil engineering feat in its own right.

Visitors can expect to see a number of interactive displays and impressive exhibits, including a showcase of early civil engineering archaeology to show the historic roots of engineering. This will be joined by the return of our infamous 50ft timeline which details the evolution of the industry in Lincolnshire, along with a display about the use of robotics in engineering to show the stark contrast between past and present. Science busking demonstrations will also be taking place, as well as a variety of hands-on activities suitable for all ages.

The free event will be open to local schools on Friday 3 May and will showcase cutting-edge developments in maths, science and technology happening across the county right now.

Find out more at www.sparklincoln.org. Twitter – @SparkLincoln. Facebook –www.facebook.com/SparkLincoln and Instagram – www.instagram.com/sparklincoln