Imperial publishes new book to inspire engineers of the future

Engineers Making a Difference showcases 46 extraordinary engineers helping to change the world.

Imperial College London, with support from the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, has collaborated with What on Earth Publishing to create an inspiring new book, Engineers Making a Difference: Inventors, Technicians, Scientists and Tech Entrepreneurs Changing the World, and How You Can Join Them. 

Two years in the making, the book and its associated resources are now published, with school kits heading to every state secondary school in the UK. These free school kits contain two copies of the book, a Teacher’s Guide, 12 hot topic posters, and a 4-metre-long timeline wall chart.

The kit has been designed to be a valuable resource for schools in the delivery of their career guidance plan against the Gatsby Benchmarks Framework – a framework for good career guidance developed to support secondary schools and colleges in providing students with the best possible careers education, information, advice, and guidance – and the activities in the Teacher’s Guide will provide opportunities for teachers to bring the engineers’ stories into the classroom.   

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Authored by mechanical engineer, broadcaster and producer Dr Shini Somara, Engineers Making a Difference showcases 46 creative individuals from across the engineering world.

The book and its supporting resources are designed to introduce readers aged 12–15 to the opportunities a career in engineering could bring them. From apprentices at the start of their careers and tech startup CEOs, to professors with Royal Academy Fellowships, the engineers profiled in this book demonstrate the ways that engineers make a difference in the world.  

Through brightly illustrated pages, readers discover how the engineers found their way into the industry, their inspirations and how their work makes a difference. The book is intended to show young people that engineering is an industry for everyone, profiling engineers from a range of backgrounds, disciplines and industries. 

Included in the book are Imperial professors Michele Dougherty, Tom Ellis, Aldo Faisal and Molly Stevens. Also included are Imperial alumni, such as Pierre Paslier, co-founder of sustainability startup Notpla, Dr David Trevelyan, who can be found transforming audio at TikTok, and Dr Ugur Tanriverdi, whose unhindr startup is helping to change the lives of those who wear prosthetics.  

Inspiring the next generation 

In addition to the printed resources, a series of 15 case study videos have been produced, allowing readers to get a glimpse into the engineers’ everyday lives and learn how they’re making an impact through their work. This includes hearing how apprenticeships have made a difference to some of the engineers, going inside the Joint European Torus in Oxford to discover the secrets of fusion energy and listening to how Earthshot Prize-winner Pierre Paslier is making the world more sustainable through their innovative biodegradable food packaging.

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Benefit of society 

Imperial was chosen as a collaborative partner for the project due to its reputation as an outstanding STEM university, with an exceptional strength in engineering, and its commitment to achieve enduring excellence in research and education in science, engineering, medicine and business for the benefit of society. The project also highlights the College’s ongoing commitment to widening participation in higher education. 

Professor Maggie Dallman, Imperial’s Vice President (International) and Associate Provost (Academic Partnerships), said: “Engineers, inventors, technicians, scientists and tech entrepreneurs all contribute to the field of engineering which needs diverse minds, bringing a range of perspectives and skills, to solve global challenges. 

“This exciting project will show young people the engineering that is all around them and that they too can be part of solving these challenges.”