EPQ Ideas

Real World Aviation
#1

Hey guys!

I have started an EPQ (Extended Project Qualification). It is a qualification that you can get in the UK. Generally speaking, you have to conduct a research on a specific topic and either make an artefact (this could be something from a play to a robotic hand etc) or write 5000-word essay. You also have to show your working.

The students’ choice of topic is free, although they must show that it is academically useful, either related to their current course of study, or their future career. It takes the form of either a dissertation (5,000 words being a common guideline) or a number of other forms: a musical or dramatical composition, report or artefact, backed up with paperwork.

So I am quite struggling to find a good topic for me. I want to do aeronautical engineering in uni.

Any ideas from you guys?

Source: http://www.aqa.org.uk/programmes/aqa-baccalaureate/extended-project

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#2

I didn’t do one. But I guess you could talk about a range of things like how the current engineering advancements mean more use of composite and the benefits etc but not sure how much you could write about it.

#3

Hey @Artem_Frolov,

I did an EPQ (somehow got an A) and I made an e-book which is now on the iBooks store about whether the Elgin Marbles should be returned to Greece or not. I now study law at uni.

Perhaps an investigation into the progression of air safety over the years may be an interesting thing to investigate? Something like that is recorded in quite some detail I’m sure, and I’m sure it would be relevant to any interview you got at a university for your course. You could then either make an artefact (although strange, books and e-books count as artefacts beleive it not), or maybe even a report?

EDIT: Definitely check whether books and e-books still count as artefacts, been a couple of years since I did mine, and mine was Edexcel I believe!

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#4

I did mine on the ethics of tar sands oil extraction in indigenous Albertan lands. Now I study Dev with Anthro and politics at uni. My point here is to pick something related to what you really want to do in the future as it can be useful for getting into a good uni if you wish to do that.

Perhaps something such as a long essay on the past, present and future of jet engines? It would allow you to explore a lot of options for the future section.

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#5

Perhaps the development of aerodynamics throughout aviation.

Or maybe the study of different propulsion techniques and how they have changed.

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#6

I don’t know if this counts… But you could redesign an old plane.

Last year, for a school project, I chose Concorde. I did research on why the aircraft failed and how said systems could be improved to make the aircraft viable in the 21st century.

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#7

Definitely update your diary as you go… don’t know about anyone else but the worst thing in the world was having to backfill that thing last minute before the deadline…🙄

#8

Yeah, still counts. You can even make a dance and it will be an artefact as long as you made research on it. Thanks for an idea!! Really appreciated

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#9

Good stuff.

Taking @MishaCamp’s idea of ethics, perhaps an interesting discussion could be had about whether it’s right to halt the MH370 search when we still don’t have any real idea of what’s gone on - still relevent to the idea of aerospace, and shows good knowledge of current affairs?

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#10

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