The Engineering Message
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Support The Engineering Message “a professional practitioner of engineering, A definition of an engineer is... concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics, economics and ingenuity to develop solutions to meet economic and societal needs” “the discipline, art and profession of acquiring and And a definition of engineering is... applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge to design and build structures, machines, devices, Does Your Audience Agree With systems, materials and processes that safely realise solutions to These Definitions? the needs of society”. By working through this resource you will be able to help students understand The Engineering Message, and develop their understanding of engineers and engineering. Remember this is a starting point for discussion and activity and you can draw upon your own enthusiasm and experience. What Is Engineering? Many people think that engineering is just about fixing cars or constructing bridges, ships or buildings. Some will also have the impression that engineering takes place in a dirty environment that isn’t for them, but in fact engineering helps shape the future. Engineers look to develop and manufacture sustainable products, materials, structures and much more. Find out what your group thinks of engineering: You will need some fabric paints and old, extra large T-shirts (alternatively you can use just paints and paper or even badges). Ask your group to draw ‘engineering’ on a T-shirt. They may draw a person or product, building or bridge etc. Once dry, ask them to wear the T-shirt over their clothes and explain their drawing. Have they drawn an engineering stereotype? Allow time for this discussion. We want to show students that engineers are from diverse backgrounds and work in many varied industries. During the activity, challenge the students’ stereotypes. Use the profiles provided throughout the Engineering Engagement Project resources to help you. in partnership with Misconceptions Do their pictures show stereotypes or misconceptions of engineering? Draw up a list on the board or flipchart. v Why do they think this way? v What do they think engineering really is? Getting the Message Across After these discussions, ask each member of your group to think of a word or sentence that defines engineering for them. Use these to form a word cloud, with the most frequent answers in bold or a bigger font and display this in your classroom. Here is our example: Engineering is... Visit www.wordle.net for an easy way to make your own. Visit www.wordle.net for an easy way to make your own. More Information To see what other STEM Clubs are doing and to find the other Engineering Engagement Project resources visit www.stemclubs.net There are more useful ideas on STEMNetworking at: networking.stemnet.org.uk For more information the Engineering Engagement Project visit The Royal Academy of Engineering website at www.raeng.org.uk Page 2 21st Century Water Engineering It may appear strange to say our water is engineered, but engineering is essential Anywhere we look we can find in providing us with clean water in our engineering examples. homes, protecting us from floods (see picture Whether it is the toothpaste that has been of the Thames Barrier) and treating sewerage. chemically engineered to keep our teeth white or the bridge that is built to reunite a town after v Ensuring we have clean and safe water to drink is vital. heavy floods (see Workington after the 2009 How is this achieved in the UK? floods in Cumbria). v Some parts of the world do not have sufficient clean Engineering is useful and relevant in many areas drinking water. What problems can this lead to? of our lives. ‘Pure’ is a water bottle that uses ultraviolet light In the 21st century there are many examples of to sterilise drinking water anywhere in the world. engineering that we just couldn’t live without. Timothy Whitehead, an Industrial Design and Technology Look at these ideas which you can share and graduate from Loughborough University, had the idea while discuss with your club. Can they think of other travelling in Zambia. examples? Start with ideas that are local before moving onto global examples. The innovative bottle eliminates the need to use chlorine and iodine tablets to sterilise drinking water. These take up to 30 minutes to work and leave an unpleasant taste. Tests showed that using a combination of chamber filtration and UV light, ‘Pure’ can sterilise water in just two minutes. Tim’s invention has won the UK arm of the James Dyson Award 2010. The James Dyson Award is an international student design award currently running in 18 countries. The brief is broad – “design something that solves a problem” – with a total prize of £20,000 being awarded to the international winner. Could this process be scaled up for Transport whole towns and cities? In the 21st century we are reliant on so many different forms of transport, not only for ourselves but also for the products and food that we buy. Our key task for the future is to ensure that our There Are Many transport is green and sustainable. Why is this important? How can you help? More Everyday Examples Of Great Engineering... Here are just a few: Q self service checkouts Q satellite navigation systems Q the shopping trolley that locks outside the car park Q rapid boil kettles Q low energy light bulbs Q touch and go payment technology Q the ball point pen Page 3 Role Models – STEM Ambassadors in Action Engineers can push the boundaries of what is possible and make the world a better and more exciting place to live. Do these role models challenge your audience’s impression of engineers? There are lots of profiles throughout these resources. Why not photocopy the profiles onto A3 and display them in your classroom? Rachel Joshua Structural Engineer I have always enjoyed maths, physics and art, and this career is a great way of combining these skills, which is something I discovered through my physics teacher. Dr Davide Di Maio I like going onto Materials for Electronics construction sites because I think I perform experiments to test the properties of it is important to materials used in the electronics industry. see the projects I am working on Sometimes I get to travel, especially for meetings in their real-life and conferences. context. I studied for my Materials Engineering degree in Italy. It is also great I studied for my PhD (DPhil) in Materials Science in to meet people Oxford. I had always been interested in science but of different I did not know what specific field. I decided to focus on professions, materials when I started an engineering degree. such as builders, Engineering for me is understanding how things architects and work and using that knowledge to improve scaffolders. something, making life easier or solving problems. I want to carry on working in a job that inspires and challenges me and eventually become a Contact Us Chartered Engineer so that I can work on more exciting projects and earn more money! The Royal Academy of Engineering 3 Carlton House Terrace London SW1Y 5DG Tel: 020 7766 0600 Generously supported by Fax: 020 7930 1549 Web: www.raeng.org.uk Engineering Engagement Project Web: www.raeng.org.uk/eenp www.baesystems.com/education Email: [email protected].