Five days. Four schools. 400 children. Engineers Week 2025 was busy. But it was also brilliant because it gave our student and graduate engineers an opportunity to talk about their passion for engineering in a way that will, hopefully, leave a lasting impression on the children they met.
Over the course of the week, we visited Scoil San Treasa, Mount Merrion; St. Raphaela’s Primary School, Stillorgan; Cnoc Liamhna Gaelscoil, Knocklyon; and St. Mary’s Boys’ National School Booterstown. Our aim was to open the students' eyes to the engineering hiding in plain sight around them and to encourage them to see science, technology, engineering and maths as cool and interesting subjects that can lead to exciting and rewarding careers.
We started each day with a talk on what engineering is and how scientists, technicians, engineers and mathematicians have shaped the world around us. While some students were familiar with engineers like Thomas Edison, others had never given any thought to the engineering - or the women and men - behind everyday things, from phones and cars to hospitals and schools.
To help the children connect the dots and see engineering in action, we divided them into teams of four and set them the challenge of creating the tallest tower they could using lollipop sticks, pipe cleaners and straws, but one stable enough to hold as many toy cars as possible – all within 30 minutes. Before the children began, we explained the importance of teamwork and creativity in engineering, and showed them how bracing works, how to identify the weak points in their towers and where to add reinforcement. And then they were off, throwing themselves into the task with great gusto.
When the time was up, the children stood back and admired their unique designs. The sense of pride in the classroom was palpable. In fact, it almost didn’t matter to the children which team won; what counted was the fun they had in building their towers together.
For our part, we were delighted to get the children talking, thinking and engaging with engineering. And who knows what brilliant future engineers we may have inspired with our enthusiasm for the profession. Roll on Engineers Week 2026.
