ACTION POINTS

1.

Create a department manifesto promoting an approach which our work on the environment.

considers the broader effects of

Assess the viability of offering a retrofit site as an option in one of the design studio modules.

Organise a lecture series from leading sustainable architects, offering practical advice on low carbon design.

4. Biodiversity

Conduct a feasibility study into what can be done to enhance biodiversity on campus.

5. Transport

Evaluate the lowest carbon method of transport for the third year study trip.

Look into the feasibility of serving only vegetarian/plant based foods at open days and other department events.

7. Building Study

Research the operational carbon footprint of 4ES and consider how it might be reduced (turning

2. Retrofit Site the heating off at night, etc.)

10. Research

Find a way of linking PhD academics with undergraduate students so that research can be learned from and tested out in design studio projects.

12. Design Competition

Open design competition to reduce the carbon footprint of the University, whether it be how students get to campus or how the bins are collected.

8. Paper

Look into whether it would be feasible to switch to 100% recycled paper in 4ES.

9. Recycling

11. Moodle Page

Design a new moodle page with best practice guides on different aspects of sustainable design, such as embodied carbon and thermal performance.

13. Transferable Model for the studio recycling system, find out if food waste and glass

Harnessing the presentational skills of architecture students to demonstrate how actions taken within ACE may be repeated by other departments.

Design a more effective layout recycling would be possible.

By Yolanda Plunkett

I recently went to an event hosted by Women Engineering Society, where they had a group of women from STEM speak about their personal experiences and how we can “change the world”. During the panel discussion at the end, a student asked “how do you balance your career in STEM and having a family?”

It made me wonder if family life was something that affected women’s involvement in STEM? Was it a problem that also male engineers were asked about? And how bad the gap between male and female engineers actually was?

It may not come as a large surprise to you all reading this, but there is a massive gender equality gap in the STEM industry. STEM, short for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths, encompasses some of the largest sectors in the UK and the world. £1.5 billion in the STEM