As the United Kingdom slowly emerges from its Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, the government is using the Ingenious Public Engagement awards to promote creative engineering efforts and show the public the contributions engineers are making to help.

“The coronavirus pandemic has shone a light on the important role engineers carry out in society, especially in times of emergency. From manufacturing ventilators and PPE to building the Nightingale hospitals, engineers have mobilised rapidly to add their expertise to the ongoing battle against the virus. For example, Ingenious awardee Professor Rebecca Shipley was on the front line working with Mercedes F1 to develop emergency breathing devices for the NHS in record time. Professor Shipley and her colleagues at University College London will use Ingenious funding to set up Tomorrow’s Home 2050: Visions of Home-based Healthcare; an innovative project that will create an immersive and interactive space showcasing the future of healthcare,” the FE News reported.

The Ingenious Public Engagement awards are overseen by the Royal Academy of Engineering and provide funding of between £3,000 and £30,000.

The Ingenious panel chair Professor Anthony Finklestein said the Academy is looking for projects involving under-represented groups to increase the diversity of the programs reach.

“Engineers have been essential to the world’s ongoing battle against COVID-19, from the development of breathing apparatus to the provision of advanced imaging equipment. In these uncertain times, it is more important than ever for bold and creative engineers to come forward with innovative ways to engage and inspire the public with the hopeful message that engineering is providing practical and exciting ways to improve our lives in future, helping us to build back better.”“Engineers have been essential to the world’s ongoing battle against COVID-19, from the development of breathing apparatus to the provision of advanced imaging equipment. In these uncertain times, it is more important than ever for bold and creative engineers to come forward with innovative ways to engage and inspire the public with the hopeful message that engineering is providing practical and exciting ways to improve our lives in future, helping us to build back better,” Finkelstein told FE News.

Part of the intent of the awards is to raise awareness of the diversity, nature and impact of engineering among people of all ages and backgrounds, and to have engineers share their stories and what they are working on to improve the public’s knowledge.

Perhaps efforts like this will help increase the shortage of engineers.