The group were Year 7 students from Walton High School in Milton Keynes that had turned their hand to building watches as part of an educational outreach programme developed by Cranfield University.
The Watch it Made project, funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), aims to help young people experience the 'pride of producing' and encourages them to consider the profession when they choose their exam subjects.
After the watchmaking event, staff from Hexagon Metrology UK hosted an afternoon activity session at the company's precision centre in Milton Keynes, where the students, all members of the school's science club, were given a tour and shown a variety of measurement devices.
They not only enjoyed scanning each other's hands with a Leica T-Scan, but were also thrilled to have their faces examined with a Romer Absolute portable measuring arm, explained John Human, Hexagon Metrology's technical manager. "The idea for the day was to get these young people thinking about engineering as a career and make them aware that the profession offers a range of exciting and inventive jobs," he added.
