• Question: Do you think that you will make the biggest difference to the poeple that need it most out of all the engineers?

    Asked by katypopiscool to Alex, Chris, Harriet, Jed, Ken on 15 Mar 2012. This question was also asked by c8lincfm, codyrocksyoursocks.
    • Photo: Ken Gibbs

      Ken Gibbs answered on 14 Mar 2012:


      @all: An excellent question. Trouble is, each engineer makes a difference to different people in different ways, maybe at different times. Alex may build ships that haul huge quantities of goods half the way round the world benefitting hundreds of thousands if not millions of people. Harriet stops cholera in its tracks so saving many lives and also produces sparklingly clean water from effluent. A LOT of people are pretty pleased about that, be quite sure. Jed may have the nicest job of all but which can bring so much pleasure to so many. What wouldn’t you do for a quiet punt on the Isis (upper Thames ?). And then there’s Chris. Lucky chap, playing with penguins but his work could possibly tell us about what we should (or should not) do to ensure that we don’t destroy the planet. What a role model !

      I don’t think I can choose between them. Can you ?

    • Photo: Jed Ramsay

      Jed Ramsay answered on 14 Mar 2012:


      I vote for Ken’s answer!

      Although I also think Ken is being modest – as have a look at his pump (on his profile under ‘Me and My Work’) that is used by 200 million people… surely this makes the biggest difference, perhaps even compared to every other engineer on this website.

    • Photo: Harriet Fletcher

      Harriet Fletcher answered on 15 Mar 2012:


      Yup, Ken has this one in the bag despite his wonderfully modest answer. Being out there on the front line is amazing.

    • Photo: Alexander Zacheshigriva

      Alexander Zacheshigriva answered on 18 Mar 2012:


      I agree with rest. I think Ken is ahead at this game.
      But may be the engineer that will make the biggest difference to people is indeed YOU!
      One of the students.
      And each of us will be glad to claim that it was us that persuaded you to become an engineer.

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