PROFESSION WATCH TOMORROW’S ENGINEERS TACKLE ROBOTIC CHALLENGE


The annual Big Bang UK Young Scientists and Engineers Fair taking place at the NEC in Birmingham in March 2020 will this year see the culmination of the “Tomorrow’s Engineers EEP Robotics Challenge” in which pupils from more than 550 schools in the country will compete to be the best at building, programming and controlling Lego robots for a series of environmentally-themed missions. As part of the challenge, the teams will build a Lego Mindstorms Education EV3


robot and program it to complete a speed and control test and perform a set of environmentally-themed tasks, such as planting a tree. Students will also work as a team to present an idea of how engineers can help future-proof the world. Dr Hilary Leevers, CEO of Big Bang Fair


organiser, EngineeringUK, said: “We’ve seen young people around the world coming together to demand action over climate change. The next generation can be part of the solution by choosing


engineering careers that will be central to generating affordable and sustainable energy, and to solving other global challenges that they care about, like access to clean water and sanitation. We need creative thinkers with a range of skills and perspectives working together to secure our future.” The challenge also aims to help


students discover exciting new careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) subjects.


❱❱ The Big Bang Fair gives young people the opportunity to gain first hand experience in the challenges of technology WOMEN IN STEM: EMPOWERMENT IN EMPLOYMENT


According to Motability specialist, Lookers, STEM industries continue to be gender biased with the ratio of women gaining jobs in these fields being extremely low compared with men. Statistics from 2017 show that women made up only 23 per cent of the STEM workforce. According to a report by the Institution


of Mechanical Engineers, a lack of skilled STEM workers is costing £1.5 billion annually. Despite this, only 9 per cent of STEM apprentices are women. To redress the balance, since 2012, there


has been an increase in initiatives from schools in the UK to encourage women


38 /// Testing & Test Houses /// December 2019


into STEM. Previously, female students reported avoiding STEM courses because of a lack of female role models to identify with. Exam boards have since introduced more content about women. Rosalind Franklin’s critical involvement


in the understanding of DNA has been taught across the nation, which has been linked to this year’s A-level results, which saw female students studying STEM courses (50.3 per cent) outnumber male students (49.7 per cent). Also, Lookers launched a female


apprenticeship scheme in 2018, the aim of which is to double the amount of female


apprenticeships on their books and provide a positive environment to encourage and attract women to STEM. Some women have said they have left


male-dominant work environments like engineering due to a pervasive masculine culture, noting that it was difficult to be taken seriously and to earn respect in such environments. Philanthropists keen to fix the STEM


gender gap have donated $25 million to boosting girls’ interest by changing the narrative that they are masculine careers, hoping to inspire girls to follow other successful women into the industry.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52