Organising your visit
Each year, we invite high school students to tour UC's Electrical and Computer Engineering Wing.
Half-day sessions are offered, the timing of which is usually at the end of Term 2 (school calendar) and during University mid-year break.
Our objective is to provide access across a broad cohort of students to ensure gender, ethnic and equity diversity in the talent pool of school leavers considering tertiary education.
Our preferred criteria are:
- Year 13 NCEA Level 3 (or equivalent such as International Baccalaureate or Cambridge International Examination)
- Intention to enrol in a tertiary institution upon finishing secondary studies – preferably University of Canterbury
- Currently studying the appropriate subjects to qualify for admission to Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) qualification (NCEA Level 3 Maths/ Calculus and NCEA Level 3 Physics). More detailed requirements can be found here: Bachelor of Engineering with Honours - University of Canterbury
To book a slot or to find out more, please contact EPECentre, info@epecentre.ac.nz.
What do the tours include?
Tours typically start with a short presentation about study and opportunities, followed by visits to several laboratories in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Wing, such as the High Voltage Lab, Power Electronics Lab, Machines Lab, Nano Lab and Embedded Systems Lab, with demonstrations and hands-on activities.
Some past activities and demos have included:
- Programming, optimising and racing solar race carts.
- Code cracker race using an oscilloscope to read signals and translate the results into a puzzle to find the answer.
- Induction and Magnetic Levitating Motors demonstration.
- Finding the optimum design and angles of wind turbine blades.
- High voltage demonstrations illustrating the fundamental risks and mitigation methods of high voltage electricity by experiencing lightning arc drawings and the Faraday cage.
- Learning how to control a rocket using GUI and an automation kit.
It was a blast, exactly the kind of experience that we need to brighten our conversations in the physics class.
Virtual tours
You can take a look at our labs anytime with UC's Engineering Virtual Tour. Choose LAB WINGS, then ECE WING and choose the Lab you want to visit or walk through.
