What is the project?

We are really excited to announce our new Maker{Move} project - Think like an Engineer! With generous funding from the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Ingenious fund, the project brings together innovative engineers from a broad and diverse range of engineering disciplines with school children, families and communities in South Yorkshire, using our new mobile makerspace facility, Maker{Move}. It is important that young people know about exciting opportunities to study and work in a range of sectors, including engineering. But a question we often get asked is, “What exactly is engineering?” We want to support engineers and help them communicate to the general public, what it is exactly that they do!

Our Maker{Move} mobile makerspace is packed full of high-tech resources including 3D printing, VR and robotics, as well as low-tech activities like woodworking, building your own bike and making circuits out of playdough! Engineers commonly use a design process that involves thinking, developing ideas, making and testing. A big part of engineering involves iteration and improving ideas and design. We think these are really important thinking routines that can be useful in other areas of life too. That is why our project will support children to develop this process to Think like an Engineer!

How the project will work in light of COVID-19

This project was planned and funded well before we were faced with a world of social distancing and partially open schools. So we have been working hard to adapt plans and we now have a dual scheme to allow us to be flexible in our approach to training engineers and engaging with school children and communities, depending on the current levels of social distancing required. Therefore, we can engage with volunteer engineers at a distance in the first instance, conducting our initial discussions and training online. Eventually our volunteer engineers will be able to engage in makerspace sessions when it is safe to do so; health and safety measures will be paramount.

Engineers - Get involved!

Are you an engineer or work in the engineering or digital sector based in South Yorkshire? You might be a postgraduate student, apprentice or at the forefront of groundbreaking research. We are really excited that you want to be involved.

What you will get from being involved:

• Satisfaction that you are actively helping to support the next generation of innovative problem solvers.
• Enhanced DBS check (formerly CRB) to allow you to visit schools and work with children or vulnerable adults.
• Enrolment into the national STEM Ambassador Scheme, plus recognition through the scheme for your contribution to STEM engagement.
• Support and mentoring in outreach activity, design and delivery .

How you will contribute to the project:

• Attend the introduction & training online session.
• Engage in an Activity Invention Workshop to contribute to the creation of suitable outreach activities.
• Volunteer to support 2-3 outreach days in South Yorkshire primary schools, libraries or community events, where you will be on hand to engage children and families in a range of fun, hands-on activities (October ‘20 - June ‘21).
• Partake in the evaluation process to help us and the RAEng to improve what we do.