Grade 4 had an exciting visit from Jonathan Wilks, an electrical engineer with Majan Electric Company. He, along with his colleague, spoke with Grade 4 about the energy grid of Sohar and how we get our electricity at ABIS. To accompany his presentation, he showed the students a variety of interesting items including maps of the Batinah region power grid with locations of substations, the size and materials of industrial power cables, a small transformer, and even a piece of melted equipment that had been struck by lightning! The kids were enthralled and asked loads of questions which Mr. Wilks adeptly answered.
Mr. Wilks then escorted the whole class through the distribution station just outside of the school. He showed us where the high voltage is converted to the low voltage that enters the school. We then went to the substation across the street and saw an even larger transformer. We toured through the facility and saw the measuring and monitoring instruments and breakers. Students were particularly impressed with how much each piece of equipment cost.
To see all the photos from the experience go the Whole Album.
All in all, it was a great experience that hopefully sparked further curiosity and interest in this unit of inquiry. A special thanks to Ms. Simpson for accompanying us on the trip.