This Is Engineering Day 2021: ‘How will you shape a better future?’

Amazon is proud to sponsor This Is Engineering Day 2021 on Wednesday 3^rd November, an annual event created and run by the Royal Academy of Engineering to celebrate the work of engineers in the world around us.

Engineering is an integral part of our daily lives, and engineers of all kinds are working to tackle some of the biggest problems we face today.

This year’s celebrations include the launch of a new film series that shares inspirational stories from young engineers to encourage young people to get into engineering.Check out the videos below – and find out more on how to get involved with This Is Engineering Day 2021.

What if you could make plastic more sustainable?

Lucy Hughes is an entrepreneur, inventor and ‘ocean protector’ who is aiming to answer this question by creating MarinaTex, a compostable alternative to plastic film made of fish waste.

Lucy founded MarinaTex in response to the harm of single-use plastics in our ecosystem. She studied product design and engineering which made her realise that the way we’ve been living and the products we’ve been using are not harmonious with the planet. She invented a biodegradable plastic alternative made from fish and sea waste and, through engineering, wants to shape a better future.

“When we see large-scale problems in the environment solved by technical innovations,” she explains, “it just made sense that we could apply a problem-solving attitude to the environment too.”

“Engineering is about solving problems by creating solutions – and that’s exactly what I do,” Lucy adds.

How do you design a greener car?

George Imafidon asks himself this question every day in his role as a performance engineer for Sir Lewis Hamilton’s X44 racing team which competes in Extreme E, the electric racing series that aims to raise awareness of the impact of climate change.

The team aims to raise awareness of the impact of climate change by taking electric racing to some of the most remote corners of the planet. Sustainability is at the heart of George’s role, which sees him looking at future technologies and designing green solutions.

George describes himself as a “humanitarian engineer” and his interest in engineering has always started with people.

“Growing up in Peckham, I was fascinated by all the bikes rusting in gardens. The wheels, gears and spokes fascinated me – but we couldn’t afford a bike, so I was fixing other people’s bikes before mine,” George explains. “When I started my Engineering GCSE, I realised that I could do more than just fix things. I can design and build them too!”

Now George is passionate about helping under-represented groups access opportunities in engineering: “Maybe they have ideas we’ve never thought before, ideas that have been heard – that’s how we tackle sustainability.”

Featuring Lucy, George and a range of young engineers working on key sustainability issues, the new film series asks viewers some important questions.

Does the future make you ask questions? How can our food be more sustainable? How can we grow enough food for everyone? How can we develop ethical, environmental beauty products? How can we save the oceans from single-use plastics?

From farming futurists to robot makers and flood fighters – check out the video to meet young engineers helping to shape a better future by answering these questions.

Want to find out more? Earlier this year, Amazon, the Royal Academy of Engineering and BecomingX teamed up to create a new film series celebrating women engineering pioneers – check out the Engineering Heroes films today.

How to get involved with This Is Engineering Day 2021.