My Experience at the Academy9 Roadshow
As a Graduate Civil Engineer, I enjoy sharing my passion for engineering with others, especially young people who might one day shape the future of our industry. Recently, I had the opportunity to take part in an Academy9 Roadshow event at Kingussie, Alvie and Newtonmore Primary Schools, and this blog post will share a few highlights from the day.
The Roadshow Experience
The roadshow brought together engineers, ecologists, archaeologists and pupils for some hands-on learning. The team delivered sessions that introduced students to some of the factors, constraints and job roles encountered on a major road projects such as the A9 Dualling Programme.
In each school, there were three sessions:
- Engineering
- Archaeology
- Ecology
I ran the engineering sessions, discussing with the pupils how we choose an optimal route based on the constraints within the local area. By assigning penalty points for factors such as journey time, number of bogs and number of bridges required, we could quantitatively assess which route was best. We were able to debate everyone’s opinions on which route would be optimal, and therefore which we should construct.
One of the most rewarding parts of the day was seeing the enthusiasm and curiosity from the pupils. They had many questions about all sorts of aspects of engineering and wider issues across construction and project delivery. It was a reminder of how to make STEM subjects accessible and engaging from an early age.
Why It Matters
Events like the Academy9 Roadshow are not just about educating our young people – they’re about building connections between industry and the local community, particularly those impacted by our work. Being part of the Academy9 programme has allowed me to encourage STEM careers, by informing young people about what engineers and other associated professions do.
I look forward to future opportunities to support Academy9 and similar outreach programmes. By revisiting pupils at a number of stages through their school years, we are able to build knowledge on each visit and can support their every day learning to hopefully help encourage the STEM professionals of the future.
– Louise Grimshaw, Graduate Engineer at Transport Scotland
