Help students stay connected with STEM, their teachers, and their classmates, in the I’m an Engineer, Stay at home online STEM engagement activity.
The Tomorrow’s Engineers online Stay at home zone begins 20 April and runs to 20 July.
Tomorrow’s Engineers Zone is funded by: EngineeringUK. The Institution of Civil Engineers, The Institution of Mechanical Engineers, The Institution of Engineering and Technology, The Institute of Physics and UCL Engineering.
These institutions form Tomorrow’s Engineers: providing quality engineering careers resources for schools and young people, led by EngineeringUK
Get involved in online STEM engagement
“
The activity was amazing and I would highly recommend taking part… It is such a unique way of communicating STEM ideas to students in an informal setting
Lauren, chemical engineer
Engineers of all disciplines and sectors are invited to take part:
- CHAT with students and teachers in text-based chat sessions
- Answer their questions about engineering and working in STEM
- Compete for votes to be named Engineer of the Week
Sign up now or find out how Stay at Home Zones work
How Stay at home zones work
I’m an Engineer: Stay at Home is based on the long running I’m an Engineer, Get me out of here online STEM engagement activity
“
I got much more out of the activity than I could have imagined. Some questions really challenged me, and made me think twice about what I do and why I do it.
Chris, satellite engineer
By taking part you develop communication skills, gain a fresh perspective on your work, and find out what young people think about and engineering and STEM subjects.
Everything happens online so it’s easy for you to be involved right from your desk or smartphone and at times that suit your schedule.
You put up a profile on this site, answer students’ questions engineering, your work, the universe and beyond, and engage directly with classes in live text-based chats.
Live chats with classes
Live chats last up to 45 minutes. They are text-based, fast paced and fun. We don’t expect you to attend every chat! Sign up to whatever you can fit into your schedule (watch example chat).
Time needed
Time commitment is flexible and the format is designed to so you can fit taking part into your normal schedule as much as possible.
Typically, most scientists and engineers say they spend around 1 to 2 hours on the site on days they log in: 1 hour on live chats and another hour answering students’ questions, which can be outside the work day, for example, during the evening or at lunch.
Zones: A group of engineers and schools
The activity is divided into ‘zones’ with a particular set of engineers and school classes in each one. This could be a General Zone, or themed, for example, a Transport Zone. You will be assigned a zone when given log in details for the site.
The questions students ask
“
I’m an Engineer was an excellent opportunity to hear what kids concerns are and the areas that they are curious about.
Connor, civil engineer
Students will ask engineers questions about anything they like: about you, your work and STEM in general, from robots to pizza toppings.
All questions are moderated, to remove duplicate questions, as well as rude or offensive ones. The variety of questions and reactions from students are key to the benefits people get from taking part.
Equipment you need
All that’s needed is a computer with internet access. The live chats are text-based (no video or audio needed) and run through this site. Find out more about the advantages of a text-focused format.
Who can sign up
Anyone in a role connected to science, technology, engineering or maths is welcome to sign up for the Stay at home Zones.
The activity shows students the wide variety of careers that science and engineering lead to, so is open to anyone from industry and public sectors, and all kinds of engineers from academia (PhD students, technicians, research associates, professors…).
If you’re not sure you’re eligible, or have any other questions, contact support@imanengineer.org.uk