INCOSE UK release special Think Engineer edition
In collaboration with eight corporate partners of the INCOSE UK Advisory Board (UKAB) Atkins, AWE, BAE Systems, General Dynamics UK, Land Rover, Leonardo, MBDA and UCL INCOSE UK has published a special Year of Engineering edition of the childrens book Think Engineer.
The publication is aimed at Key Stage 2 pupils (ages 7-11) and their parents and educators to raise the awareness of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and in particular engineering.
The book contains a wealth of engineering information hidden within the rhymes whilst each image in the book has been carefully crafted to be as child friendly as possible yet have a solid link back to engineering.
By publishing this bespoke edition, INCOSE UK engages with and supports the 2018 ‘Year of Engineering’, a government-led year-long campaign aimed at tackling the engineering skills gap and widening the pool of young people who join the profession, by increasing awareness and understanding of the sector. Yet without support and sponsorship from INCOSE UK’s corporate partners, the project would not have been possible.
INCOSE UK plan to distribute copies of ‘Think Engineer’ to schools and libraries in the near future, thus promoting both the STEM initiative and the 2018 ‘Year of Engineering’ to young people across the country. In the meantime, participating UKAB partners have been encouraged to distribute copies to Schools, Libraries, Youth Community Groups and at STEM events around the country.
The INCOSE UK President Ivan Mactaggart sais: "INCOSE UK is extremely excited to be a part of this nationwide initiative to give young people a positive experience of the engineering profession. We are more than happy to play our part in proving that engineering can be a path for all young people."
The UK Chapter of the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE), with over 1,000 individual and 35 corporate members, exists primarily to serve UK-specific needs and is a key chapter within INCOSE. It has strong links with other UK institutions and it plays a prominent role in both the domestic and the international scenes. It holds one conference and one training day each year, has active regional, working and special interest groups and publishes a variety of guides and other products tailored for UK members.
Despite its focus on UK-specific needs, the UK Chapter attracts members from territories around the globe.
The ‘flavour’ of Systems Engineering most prevalent in the UK has developed into an open and inclusive practice that facilitates the application of systems thinking and Systems Engineering principles in domains outside of the traditional domains of defence and aerospace. In recent years, the membership of INCOSE UK has widened significantly from its roots, expanding to include domains such as transportation, energy, civil engineering, space, medicine and security.
The author of Think Engineer, Jon Holt, is an internationally-recognised expert in the field of Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE). He is an international award-winning author and public speaker and has authored 12 books on MBSE and its applications. Since 2014 he has been a Director and consultant for Scarecrow Consultants, who are ‘outstanding in the field of MBSE’.
Jon is also a Professor of Systems Engineering at Cranfield University, where he is involved with teaching of and research into MBSE. He is a Fellow of both the IET and the BCS and is a Chartered Engineer and Chartered IT Professional. He is currently the Technical Director of INCOSE UK where he is responsible for all technical activities and, in 2015, was identified as one of the 25 most influential systems engineers in the last 25 years by INCOSE.