Engineers making a difference

Two University of Sheffield AMRC Training Centre alumnae feature in a new book that will be sent to every secondary school in the UK to inspire and excite young people about careers in engineering.

Beth Cousins, now a project engineer at the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) and Kate Todd-Davis, who works as a manufacturing engineer for Rolls-Royce, were hand-picked to appear in the book Engineers Making a Difference, alongside 44 other superhero engineers from sectors including construction, energy, transport, robotics, artificial intelligence and more.

The book, released just days before International Women’s Day, was penned by Dr Shini Somara, a mechanical engineer who is also a mentor at Imperial College London and a media broadcaster. Her love for engineering began in childhood, spending countless hours building things and pulling them apart to see how they worked – not to mention the curiosity she developed through watching her father, a mechanical and electrical engineer.

In the book, Beth, who works within the gears team at the AMRC, part of the High Value Manufacturing (HVM) Catapult, said that collaboration, creativity and communication are essential in her job and that she loves the team of brilliant people she works with.

Kate, who uses old and new technologies as part of her day job, where she helps make parts for jet engines, finds her work fascinating and enjoys the hands-on approach to learning. In the book, she said: “At Rolls-Royce, the mindset is that apprentices are the future of the company, so we are always being taught new things and are given room to be creative.”

To help bring engineering careers into the spotlight further and reaffirm that anyone from any background can consider a career in engineering, the collaborators of Engineers Making a Difference, are sending out a school kit to every state secondary school in the UK, which includes two copies of the book, a teacher’s guide, 12 posters and a fourmetre-long timeline wall chart.

The project is supported by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, set up by Lord Sainsbury to give charitable funding to science, education and art projects.

Collaborating on the project are Imperial College London, a global top ten university with a strong focus on STEM subjects, and What on Earth Publishing, a publisher of non-fiction books that engage the natural curiosity of young people.

The book can also be found at: bit.ly/ICLEMaD