Anthony Setiadi, Vice President, represented ICorr at the Big Bang event at the Houses of Parliament. This was a fantastic event and great to see so many young students enthusiastic about science and engineering. The event was held at the Terrace Pavilion and organised by Engineering UK and hosted by Toby Perkins MP. There were a number of speeches including from Toby Perkins MP, Dame Chi Onwurah, who is a Chartered Engineer, and Dr Hilary Leevers, CEO of Engineering UK. However, the most impactful speech was from one of the winners of the Big Bang Event 2025 (Grace Palmer) who provided the background to her engineering solution to support her disabled cousin. She set out the problem, proposed a solution including coming up with a bill of materials needed, drawings and manufacture as well as trials and feedback with her ‘client’. Her passionate speech regarding Engineering with Empathy, really resonated with a lot of people in the room that were here to support and help others by their work in engineering.
There were numerous projects described from these students, covering inventions and research on mental health, fire safety, simplified transfer aid for disabled, adjustable walking stick for the blind, waste management solutions, and AI cancer detection amongst others. Another one that caught my eye was the research on CO2 emissions from the food we eat, which I think should be something we as engineering practitioners should be using as one of our Safety / Sustainability moments.
Speaking to the young students was very inspiring for me including the way they articulated their work and how they set up their stall with posters and demonstration units. We should further support and encourage them to remain involved and be an ambassador in their community to highlight the rewarding work and career options available. Here at ICorr, we are involved with our Young ICorr initiatives and the YEP (Young Engineering Professionals) programme, but further engagement with colleges and schools will be another key focus, especially since a career in corrosion encompasses both traditional education and non-traditional routes.
