Grade 11 Reddam House Helderfontein student Kopano Dichabe has returned from two weeks at the Imperial Global Summer School in London with an even clearer vision of his future in engineering.
Kopano attended the Engineering programme at Imperial College London from 29 June to 10 July, gaining first-hand experience of university-level study and exploring disciplines including aerospace, chemical, mechanical, civil and design engineering.
For Kopano, whose ambition is to study Mechanical Engineering at the University of Cape Town, securing a place on the programme was particularly meaningful. “Imperial College has been my dream school for as long as I can remember, so this felt like the perfect opportunity to earn my place there, even briefly,” he said.
His application required him to submit his academic report, write a personal motivation and secure a reference from one of his teachers.
Engineering has long been part of Kopano’s life. A lifelong Formula 1 fan, he became fascinated by the science and innovation behind the sport, while his father’s career as a mechanical engineer gave him an early view of how engineering principles can be applied to solve practical problems.
During the first week at Imperial, students took part in practical activities across several engineering fields. These included exploring a Mach 7 wind tunnel and flight simulators, learning about carbon capture technology and tackling engineering design challenges.
One of the most memorable was a mechanical engineering challenge in which teams had to build a crane using limited resources and under tight time constraints.
While many teams opted for elaborate designs involving pulley systems, Kopano’s team chose a much simpler approach, relying on the vertical rigidity of corrugated cardboard. Their crane ultimately carried the greatest load. “It was a genuinely humbling lesson,” he said. “The most sophisticated-looking solution isn’t always the most effective one, and elegance in engineering often lies in simplicity.”
The experience also unexpectedly strengthened his interest in aerospace engineering. After working through calculations relating to drag coefficients, Kopano continued researching the behaviour of air at different speeds and pressures after returning home.
In the second week, students were challenged to identify a real-world problem and develop a business solution. Kopano’s team focused on Type 2 diabetes, developing and researching a concept before presenting it in a final pitch. The project required them to combine scientific thinking with creativity, teamwork and entrepreneurship.
Living in student accommodation in South Kensington and working alongside young people from around the world also provided an early taste of university life.
Kopano said the academic workload was one of the biggest challenges, with assignments and projects often continuing late into the evening, but that this gave him a realistic understanding of what tertiary study would demand.
Rather than changing his plans, the experience reinforced them. Kopano is currently taking Physical Science, Engineering Graphics and Design and Further Studies Mathematics and says the summer school cemented his determination to pursue Mechanical Engineering after completing school. “It didn’t so much change my direction as sharpen it,” he said. “It cemented my resolve to pursue Mechanical Engineering at a tertiary level, with a genuine sense of conviction rather than simply an assumption.
