• Question: what inspired you to do your job

    Asked by abc123 to Paige, Amit, Emily, Joanne, Martin on 16 Mar 2012. This question was also asked by kathrynduffy3.
    • Photo: Martin Wallace

      Martin Wallace answered on 16 Mar 2012:

      Playing with construction toys I think was the main thing that made me interested in engineering. I remember making all sorts of vehicles and structures out of lego technic and mechano, and model rollercoasters out of k’nex. By playing with different combinations of gears and motors it enabled me to visualise what was happening in engineering.
      I enjoyed playing with construction toys, and I now enjoy playing with much bigger engineering structures.

    • Photo: Joanne Davies

      Joanne Davies answered on 16 Mar 2012:

      What really inspires me is the materials we make things out of and the processes we use to make them.

      Did you know that the benches outside McDonalds are made from the polystyrene burger containers? đŸ™‚

    • Photo: Amit Pujari

      Amit Pujari answered on 16 Mar 2012:

      In the third and final year of my undergraduate (degree) course, I came across a module named ‘biomedical engineering’. I was fascinated by the subject! I was amazed to discover that our heart behaves like a four chamber pump. I was surprised to know that our body generates electricity though in tiny amounts. When you tap into this electricity (signal) near your heart, it tells you quite a lot about your heart’s working; its rhythm, whether it is beating faster or slower due to any problems.

      I was inspired to learn that engineering can be used to know more about human body. Engineering can be used to treat or cure diseases. Therefore, engineering can be used for improving health and well being. From that point onwards, I decided to opt for a career in Biomedical engineering. Simply, I wanted to do something useful and Biomedical engineering seemed like a right choice.

    • Photo: Paige Brown

      Paige Brown answered on 17 Mar 2012:

      Ahh… so many things!

      What inspired me to do my current job (being a science and engineering communicator) was seeing so many scientists failing to make their work accessible and fun for the general public. I think it is VASTLY important for scientists and engineers to talk more about their work, in fun and simple language, to high school students, young college students, and individuals who don’t have advanced education. Everyone can and should share in the discover of science and new scientific solutions, regardless of their level of education. After all, science is all around us!!!

      This is what inspired me to start a career in science communications… and also because, simply, I LOVE to write a good story. đŸ˜‰

    • Photo: Emily Bullen

      Emily Bullen answered on 19 Mar 2012:

      Well, I liked chemistry at school. I was really interested to find out why liquids/gases/solids behave like they do, and the explanations behind some everyday events. I was worried by the organic chemistry though, and having to learn loads of different kinds of reactions, and what they resulted in. My dad is an engineer, and told me that in engineering I would be able to understand some of the principles, but not need to know as much stuff off by heart.
      I therefore tried chemical engineering, and I love it!

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