Ruth Amos
Engineer, inventor and YouTuber Ruth Amos – her story, challenges, and motivations.
Solar Energy Engineer
/0 Comments/in committed, imaginative, organised Primary, Year 1, Year 2, Year 3, Year 4, Year 5, Year 6 Science (Primary) Electricity Electricity, Primary, Science/by Melanie HoranSolar energy engineers are experts in utilising sunlight to generate electricity. They create solar cells that collect and store the sun’s rays. They work with clients to design, plan and implement solar energy projects for cities, businesses, and homeowners. They manage anything from large-scale municipal projects to home rooftop installations. Solar engineers may need to report on the efficiency, cost and safety of a project. Computer skills are essential for creating designs and testing photo-voltaic systems.
Attributes: committed, imaginative, organised
Useful links:
- The Primary Science Teaching Trust has a downloadable slideshow (PDF) about Helen Mason who is a solar scientist. It’s part of their resource A Scientist Just Like Me.
Palaeoanthropologist
/0 Comments/in committed, passionate, patient Primary, Year 1, Year 2, Year 3, Year 4, Year 5, Year 6 Science (Primary) Evolution and inheritance Evolution and Inheritance, Primary, Science/by JonathanPalaeoanthropologists study the origins and development of early humans using fossil remains. They use biological evidence such as fossilised skeletal remains, bone fragments and footprints alongside cultural artefacts such as stone tools which were made by early humans to discover how the human species developed and evolved.
Attributes: patient, passionate, committed
Useful links:
- The Primary Science Teaching Trust has a downloadable slideshow (PDF) about Emma Dunne who is a palaeobiologist. It’s part of their resource A Scientist Just Like Me.
Structural Engineer
/0 Comments/in committed, observant, resilient Primary, Year 1, Year 2, Year 3, Year 4, Year 5, Year 6 Maths (Primary), Science (Primary) Forces, Maths - Algebra, Maths - Geometry - Position and Direction, Maths - Geometry - Properties of Shapes, Maths - Number Addition and subtraction, Algebra, Forces, Fractions, Geometry, Multiplication and division, Number, Number and place value, Position and direction, Primary, Properties of shapes, Science/by JonathanStructural engineers are focused on all aspects concerned with buildings and built structures, such as houses, hospitals, office blocks, bridges, oil rigs, ships and aircraft. They work to understand, predict and measure aspects such as the strength, stability and how rigid buildings are. They also work to develop new designs or modify the designs of buildings or structures which are to be constructed and are responsible for choosing the appropriate materials, such as concrete, steel, timber and masonry, to meet design specification.
Attributes: observant, committed, resilient
Satellite Communications Engineer
/0 Comments/in committed, organised, resilient Primary, Year 1, Year 2, Year 3, Year 4, Year 5, Year 6 Maths (Primary), Science (Primary) Earth and space, Maths - Geometry - Position and Direction Earth and Space, Geometry, Maths, Position and direction, Primary, Science/by JonathanSatellite communications engineers work with the satellite systems which enable wireless communication in regions where mobile networking is not cost-effective. They design programs that direct orbiting satellites and keep them functioning as well as conducting testing of satellite communication systems. They may also work on projects such as NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite which provides continuous communication between astronauts in space and the ground base on Earth.
Attributes: committed, organised, resilient
Network Engineer
/0 Comments/in collaborative, committed, patient Primary, Year 1, Year 2, Year 3, Year 4, Year 5, Year 6 Maths (Primary), Science (Primary) Electricity, Maths - Algebra, Maths - Measurement, Maths - Statistics Algebra, Electricity, Maths, Measurement, Primary, Science, Statistics/by JonathanNetwork engineers are involved in the installing, maintaining, servicing and repair of computer data and communication systems. They can be involved in installing new software and hardware as well as creating user accounts and dealing with permissions and passwords for networks.
Attributes: committed, patient, collaborative
Nuclear Engineer
/0 Comments/in committed, patient, resilient Primary, Year 1, Year 2, Year 3, Year 4, Year 5, Year 6 Maths (Primary), Science (Primary) Electricity, Maths - Algebra, Maths - Number, Maths - Statistics Addition and subtraction, Algebra, Electricity, Fractions, Maths, Multiplication and division, Number, Number and place value, Primary, Science, Statistics/by JonathanNuclear engineers design, build, maintain and decommission nuclear power plants. Their work involves measuring and monitoring radiation levels, ensuring the plant meets legal requirements for safety and security, supervising power station technicians and planning safe methods of nuclear waste disposal. They maintain the systems which transfer the electricity from the generators to the outside world and design ways to improve the efficiency of nuclear power plants.
Attributes: committed, patient, resilient
Acoustics Engineer
/0 Comments/in committed, communicative, open-minded Primary, Year 1, Year 2, Year 3, Year 4, Year 5, Year 6 DT, Maths (Primary), Science (Primary) DT, Maths - Number, Sound Addition and subtraction, DT, Fractions, Maths, Multiplication and division, Number, Number and place value, Primary, Science, Sound/by JonathanAcoustics engineers are concerned with the science of sound and noise vibration. They are involved in designing and constructing buildings where sound improvement or noise reduction is a major priority. This could be the construction of sports stadiums and recording studios to improve how sound carries, but may also look at reducing noise interference for local residents. Acoustics engineers assess the noise impact of any construction to ensure there is minimum impact. Some acoustics engineers are involved in designing medical acoustic equipment such as ultra-scans.
Attributes: communicative, committed, open-minded
Solid State Physicist
/0 Comments/in committed, imaginative, resilient Primary, Year 1, Year 2, Year 3, Year 4, Year 5, Year 6 Maths (Primary), Science (Primary) Maths - Algebra, Maths - Statistics, States of matter Algebra, Maths, Primary, Science, States of Matter, Statistics/by JonathanSolid-state physicists study rigid matter, or solids using quantum mechanics, crystallography, electromagnetism, and metallurgy. They study how the large-scale properties of solid materials result from their atomic-scale properties. Solid-state physicists study the mechanical and thermal behaviour of solids including the thermal conductivity, the amount of energy that must be absorbed by a solid to produce a given change in temperature and the melting points of crystals. It is the electrical properties of a solid that are of most interest, in particular its electrical conductivity. This knowledge is used in the production of transistors and semi-conductors.
Attributes: committed, resilient, imaginative
Magnet Engineer
/0 Comments/in committed, creative, observant Primary, Year 1, Year 2, Year 3, Year 4, Year 5, Year 6 Maths (Primary), Science (Primary) Forces and magnets, Maths - Measurement Forces and Magnets, Maths, Measurement, Primary, Science/by JonathanMagnetic engineers design magnets or machines and devices that use magnets. These may be used in computer data storage, compasses, doorbells and alarm systems, microphones and speakers, motors, electrical generators and electrical transformers. They are also used in medical equipment such as MRI scanners. After a magnet has been designed, magnet engineers define manufacturing processes and testing strategies then analysing test results and present them in the form of operating instructions and manuals.
Attributes: creative, committed, observant
