LJMU judges next-gen engineering ideas
What would you invent if you were a top design engineer?
An allergen-detecting watch? Clothes that grow as children’s bodies grow? A transparent toaster (why not?)?
These were some of the eye-popping ideas thrown up by youngsters at a contest run by Primary Engineer, an educational not-for-profit, and judged by experts at Liverpool John Moores University.
School-age children presented ideas, big and small, from solar-powered cars and robot bins, to a dementia photo album with voice prompts to help memory recall, a sensory cube for neurodiversity and a lanyard that detects emotions for people with autism.
LJMU hosted the regional event with judges Denise Lee, Faculty of Science Associate Dean, Lesley Lambert, project manager of the Low Carbon Eco Innovatory, and Steve Wylie, senior lecturer in the School of Civil Engineering and Built Environment.
Industry judges included ABB, Peel Ports, The Royal Navy, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and Thales.
Denise Lee said: “LJMU is thrilled to partner with Primary Engineer. It’s vitally important to nurture the engineers of tomorrow, as they will be the future leaders, decision-makers and innovators coming up with solutions for a healthy, equal world for all.
“The children’s designs were fantastic. They’ve thought about some of the bigger problems the world faces, such as climate change and homelessness, as well as some of the smaller challenges of everyday life, coming up with some very innovative solutions.”
Natasha Kinnear, Head of Partnerships for the north west at Primary Engineer, said: “It was a real pleasure to host the Liverpool, Merseyside and Cheshire judging day at LJMU as part of our first year in partnership.
“The creativity and thought behind the pupils’ ideas was so impressive, and it was brilliant to see such a wide range of judges from both industry and academia engaging with every design.”
An awards ceremony will take place at LJMU on June 24, where all the regional entries will be displayed, and the winners will be presented with trophies.
MAIN IMAGE: Steve Wylie, Denise Lee, Hayley Kearney, LCEI and Lesley Lambert.
LJMU Partners with Primary Engineers to Find the Innovators of Tomorrow!
LJMU is proud to be regional partners with Primary Engineer, helping inspire the next generation of engineers by supporting a national design competition.
Pupils aged three to 19 across the country were asked: “If you were an engineer, what would you do?”, challenging them to come up with an idea that solves a real-world problem.
The competition is organised by Primary Engineer, an educational not-for-profit organisation that provides a range of fully-funded programmes and competitions to encourage young people to consider STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) careers.
