I’m an Engineer, Get me out of here! is running for the first time in March 2012. As with I’m a Scientist we split the event into zones. Each zone has 5 engineers and around 400 students in 20 classes.
We have our own ideas for the zones for I’m an Engineer but it’s important that teachers and people in the engineering industry tell us what they think will, and what won’t, work. We don’t have all the answers so please let us know what you think about the zone ideas we’ve come up with.
We’re avoiding zones themed by type of engineer, such as an Electrical, Civil or Chemical engineering zone. Instead we would like to run zones themed around areas in which an electrical engineer, a civil engineer and a chemical engineer all work. Such as a Transport, Food or Building zone.
Some of the zone ideas we’ve come up with are listed below. Please comment below with your thoughts, or email your suggestions to rosie@gallomanor.com. Have you got ideas for other zones? Which zones would work in your classroom? And which zones wouldn’t? Could you suggest more engaging zone names? (Automotive Zone doesn’t have the best ring to it).
Transport Zone – This is all about moving people and goods around the planet. It could include an oil pipeline engineer, a flight systems software engineer and a geotechnical embankment engineer.
Energy Zone – This zone looks at producing and using energy. It could include a wind turbine software engineer, a radar systems design engineer and an oil well reservoir engineer.
Building Zone – This zone looks at all the processes needed during construction. It could include a geophysical soil engineer, a lift design engineer and an air conditioning technology development engineer.
Aeronautical Zone – This zone is all about flight! It could include a flight systems software engineer, an engineer working on the fluid dynamics of aircraft design and an engineer who tests that aircraft are airworthy.
Health Zone – This looks at the use of technology in health and medical services across the world. It could include a chemical engineer developing drugs, a hospital database software engineer and a hip replacement design engineer.
Nautical Zone – This zone explores all types of water based transport – from submarines and hovercraft to aircraft carriers. It could include a marine acoustics engineer and a chemical engineer working on preventing corrosion.
Food Zone – This zone explores how we get our food – from growing it through to production and disposal. It could include an agricultural engineer, a food factory operations optimisation engineer and a chemical engineer working on space food.
Sports Zone – This looks at the technologies applied to sports and sporting events. It could include a snowsports engineer, an engineer working on the latest Formula 1 car model and an infrastructure engineer working on the logistics of building the 2012 Olympics stadium.
Danger Zone – This looks at how we can use engineering technology deal with dangerous events from earthquakes and tsunamis to power cuts. It could include a structural engineer who designs earthquake proof buildings and an engineer who tests that aircraft are airworthy.
Nuclear Power Zone – This zone explores how we can safely use nuclear power – from its generation through to using the energy generated and storing and disposing of waste material. It could include a geotechnical uranium mining engineer and a civil engineer assessing potential sites for nuclear stations.
Robotics Zone – This is all about how robots are used everyday in our world. It could include an electronics engineer working on moon robots and an engineer exploring what artificial intelligence means.
Mining Zone – This explores the technology used to mine materials from our Earth. It could include a chemical engineer who analyses the quality of mined metals, a mine shaft design engineer and an explosives engineer who ensures materials are accessed safely.
Space Zone – This looks at exploring Space – both through sending people and instruments up there, and from observations. It could include a shuttle navigation software engineer, an electronics engineer building satellites and a chemical engineer working on space food.
Automotive Zone – This zone explores all types of ground based transport – from segways to cars and bullet trains. It could include a geotechnical embankment engineer and a car cockpit design engineer.
Underwater Zone – This is all about what goes on in oceans, rivers and lakes. It could include an oil pipeline engineer, a tunnel design engineer and an underwater cable engineer.
Communications Zone – This zone looks at all the different ways we communicate with each other, from texting a friend to instructing a satellite what orbit to take. It could include a shuttle navigation software engineer and an underwater cable engineer.