#IAmAnEngineer (BIS x Ideas Foundation)
BIS x Ideas Foundation
Thanks to funding from the Royal Academy of Engineering we were able to work with Queen Mary University of London and the Amos Bursary Trust on projects promoting diversity in engineering through digital storytelling. Two of the participants (Bukunmi and Anas) tells of her experience creating the posters.
Bukunmi Oloyede
"I was given an extraordinary opportunity to attend the ‘Picture Yourself As An Engineer’ workshop, On October 1st 2022, led by Michael Cockerham and Clive Booth with input from Shafia Fiaz. As an artist and an aspiring engineer, I was excited to depict my passion for engineering and science through an artistic lens. By using storytelling as his mouthpiece, Clive illustrated his connection to aerospace. I was intrigued by how his memories redefined my perception of engineering. Similarly, Michael’s technical advice acted as a foundation for the photoshoots we conducted in groups.
I particularly enjoyed the photoshoots, as it allowed me my to convey my love for engineering and art.
As the model for the shoot I was able to use items that were precious to me. For the group shoot, I chose a location of the library. The library was important to me because it is the epicentre of learning and development. I enjoy developing my knowledge as I hope to use it to provide interdisciplinary solutions to engineering problems in the future. For the second photoshoot, I brought a pencil as a prop. For me, pencils are not only an instrument used for solving rigorous maths problems but it also aids me in drawing and planning out designs. Moreover, this object will be my primary aid in my journey to become an engineer so I was extremely pleased that I could use it in my photoshoot."
I particularly enjoyed the photoshoots, as it allowed me my to convey my love for engineering and art.
Anas Moallin (Amos Bursary Trust student)
"My story into engineering stems from one word – curiosity. Curious of how things how to be and curious on how things will turn out to be.
Exploring different sectors of engineering through videos, articles and live events have helped widen my perspective on what the sector is like but in doing so has unlocked many pathways for me to delve into.
My aim in the future is to fully grasp the concept of engineering and as reflected in my photo, have the world of engineering in my palm and the knowledge on my fingertips.
The bridge between the known and the unknown is curiosity."
This was an invaluable experience and I am thankful to the British Interplanetary Society, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Ideas Foundation for hosting the event.
