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Asked by watermelon to Alex, Claire, Kate, Marcus, Neil on 18 Jun 2014.
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Alex Lyness answered on 18 Jun 2014:
Hey watermelon,
I joined IAEGMOOH in order to interact and (hopefully!) inspire a few students who may not have considered a career in engineering. I used to love designing, building and fixing things when I was growing up but didn’t really know that these skills would mean I would be a good engineer.
The earlier kids know about careers in engineering then they can see or discover that there is a great career ahead of them in applying what they learn in science, maths, design and (even) business classes.
Being in the ‘Health Zone’ and being able to tell kids that engineers don’t just fix cars but can fix anything (including people!) is a big bonus too.
Hope you’re enjoying taking part in this as much as we are! 🙂
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Neil Dhir answered on 18 Jun 2014:
I love teaching and inspiring people, especially about engineering. And it is a sad fact about the world, that it does not seem to know that we exist a lot of the time. Sure, people know about the scientists, the quirky mathematicians and the high-flying doctors. But no one seems to recall that along their long chain of events, be it experiments, or treating someone, or putting a product to market; someone has to make the tools necessary to achieve all of that.
Machines build things but someone has to build the machines. Take that concept and extrapolate it to just about everything, and you begin to see why engineering is such a fascinating career and field. And I think all of us want to share why we love engineering so much, so that hopefully a few of you will take up the charge in a few years time.
But there is more. I am not sure if you all have seen the government’s estimate of how many engineers are ‘missing’ in British industry, and indeed from industries throughout the world. But for the UK at least, according to the recent Engineering UK 2012 report the UK is going to need a lot more workers with skills in science, engineering and technology over the next five to 10 years. Some two million more, in fact, based on estimates from industry skills councils, which suggests now might be a good time to consider enrolling for a science, engineering or technology (SET) degree.
If we can inspire just a few of you guys to study for a SET degree, then I reckon we’ll be well prepared for the future.
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Kate Niehaus answered on 18 Jun 2014:
When I was growing up I really didn’t know what it meant to be an engineer. I’m always looking for opportunities to help explain what I do to young people who don’t know what they want to do yet, and to encourage people from all different backgrounds to think about engineering!
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Claire Brockett answered on 19 Jun 2014:
I joined IAEGMOOH to chat with the students. At school I didn’t really understand what engineering was, and definitely didn’t know it would be the career for me – and I’m sure that applies to a lot of other people too!
Engineering (for me) is a rewarding, interesting and inspiring career and I’d like to encourage other people to join me!
As Neil said, in the UK we are facing an issue where we’re not training enough scientists or engineers, so inspiring some of you guys to think about engineering is really important for our future! -
Marcus Johns answered on 19 Jun 2014:
As with the others I’m here to hopefully inspire people to think about doing engineering, or science, as a career. The UK wants to establish itself as a country known for its high-end engineering products – such as satellites, advanced engines, or medical equipment – but needs the engineers in order to do this!
I also want to do further public engagement activities and, if I won, the £500 prize from this would be great for helping develop an activity or event that goes beyond a talk or simple experiment.
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