Harriet Evans

I’m Harriet Evans, the Education Volunteer Manager at The IET. I collaborate with an amazing group of Education Volunteers from across the UK. They generously dedicate their free time to engage children and young people in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) activities, deliver career talks, and provide mentorship. Our goal is to inspire these young minds to pursue careers in engineering.

I’m thrilled to be hosting this focus on STEM education in the EngX community. This week is dedicated to exploring the exciting world of STEM resources, volunteering and activities that aim to highlight the importance of engineering to young people.

Why STEM Education Matters

STEM education is more than just a collection of subjects; it’s a way of thinking and problem-solving that prepares students for the challenges of the future. By fostering curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking, STEM education equips learners with the skills they need to innovate and excel in a rapidly changing world.

Within IET Education we have 3 main programmes: FIRST® LEGO® LEAGUE, Faraday Challenge Days and our parent/teacher learning resources for primary and secondary pupils. Each programme has been designed to link in with the current curriculum and work to inspire young minds into STEM careers.

What to Expect This Week

In our Community Insights blog, you’ll hear from colleagues, members and partners who are sharing their enthusiasm for engineering with students across a variety of initiatives.

In the General Discussion forum you’ll be able to chat with me and the rest of the EngX community about all things STEM education.

How You Can Get Involved

We encourage everyone to join us in celebrating STEM education this week. Here are a few ways you can participate:

  • Read and Share: Follow our daily blog posts and share them with your friends, family, and colleagues.
  • Get Hands-On: Try out the STEM challenges and activities we’ll be posting throughout the week.
  • Inspire Others: Share your own STEM stories and experiences in our discussion post

We hope you are as excited as we are about this week-long celebration of STEM education. Stay tuned for an inspiring and educational journey, and let’s work together to ignite a passion for STEM in learners of all ages!

Happy STEM Education Week!

  • Good evening everyone. I am a fairly new member of the IET Education volunteers team, based in Milton Keynes. Today, I visited the Silverstone Museum, which is almost on my doorstep. I was setting up for a large careers fair all day tomorrow, multiple schools, around 500 pupils expected. I took over a table this afternoon from McLaren F1, a very helpful outreach lady who passed on her specially aerodynamic gaffer tape so that I could get my mains wires tidy! She had various bits of broken F1 car on display, all very intricate composite shapes, left over from unintended contact on the track ! Mercedes are due tomorrow. I had 30 mins after setup to get around the exhibits, and I saw intact cars driven by Jensen Button, Nigel Mansell, Lewis Hamilton, Damon Hill and David Coulthard, some of which I had seen race trackside ( and crash in DCs case). Of particular interest to me was the history of the track which was transformed from farmland to an RAF bomber command training base in WW2. I am documenting events in the MK area, before it was built, mainly the period of August-November 1940 as it is quite a story of German technology advantage then being tackled and nullified by British electronic counter measures. But I digress. It has been a great opportunity to visit the museum and tomorrow I will be handing out IET Education career information and engaging with as many young people as I can. I have a quite unusual demonstration that I may desribe tomorrow.

  • Looking forward this week to reading the stories from other STEM ambassadors, as they share their stories about how volunteering with the IET has rewarded and inspired them.

More from EngX News

Join us to get the best from IET EngX.

Joining EngX lets you personalise your experience so you stay up to date on the topics that interest you, plus you’ll be able to make connections who are looking to collaborate, exchange ideas and more.

Join us Not now

Community Rules & Guidelines