Zone Reports

The students in the Food Zone seemed to really engage with the specific work of each of the engineers, as well as asking general food and diet questions, even though this was the quietest zone of I’m an Engineer in June 2014.  As with previous zones there was a good balance between questions about careers and engineering itself. The Food Zone winner, Zoe George, stands out as really engaging with the students. She gave over a third of the answers in the zone, and over half of all the live chat from the engineers. You can download the full zone report here (PDF).  

The Cities Zone had the highest number of registered students for all the zones, which kept the site lively and busy. The live chats were great with a lot of really engaged classes, and questions focused on engineering’s contribution to the future of buildings, cities and energy. All the engineers in the zone were really engaged, sharing the load of questions answering and chatting in the ASK and CHAT sections between all 5 of them, as well as lots of discussion on Twitter. They were so even that there was a tie on the first eviction day! You can see the full zone report here (PDF).  

The Environment Zone had a good number of live chats throughout the two weeks. There was a steady flow of questions submitted in the first week but very few during the second week. The engineers all engaged well with the students. Lots of questions in the live chats were very focussed on careers and the specific work and projects of the individual engineers, in particular Tish’s work using natural and recycled materials, Nicola’s work on geothermal heat, and Ed’s work on helicopters. There were also lots of career questions aimed at Keith. The Olympics was a popular topic, with the students having read that Nicola had been a volunteer, but even sports and Olympics questions often related to engineering and sustainability. Ed’s mention of 3D printing also sparked a lot of interest and many related questions. There was quite a lot of talk about eco-friendly buildings and sustainability too. You … Continue reading →

The Water Zone was a popular one. Chat rooms were buzzing from beginning to end. The questions originally came in drips and drabs as students got to grips with the engineers’ specialisms, and then gushed in before drying out a bit again towards the end. The live chats were full of admiration for the charitable work that the engineers undertook throughout their careers and concern for the sustainability of their projects. Showing a conscientious student body! You can download the full zone report here (PDF).  

The transport zone was fairly consistent throughout the event in terms of busyness. The engineers were all friendly and engaged well with the students. The live chats in this zone were animated and fast but seemed to have a good level of interest and engagement. Lots and lots of questions were asked, repeatedly, but the engineers were quick to respond and got into a good flow. How much do you earn was asked A LOT in the live-chats. You can download the full zone report here (PDF).  

The High Performance zone was ironically one of the slower zones. The questions came in at a steady pace whereas the chat rooms were sparse but fast paced! In the Live Chats, the students obsessively quizzed the engineers and especially Kayleigh about cars and formula 1. They were also very curious about Rain’s involvement in space travel. In their questions, the students were interested in the day to day experience of the engineers, wanting to know the furthest, the fastest, the highest, the biggest and the best things that the engineers had done and seen. Rain also humoured the incessant puns about her name very well! You can download the full zone report here (PDF).