About Puppets as Enzyme Engineers of the Imagination
This project aimed to train engineers to utilise puppetry, engaging young people from diverse backgrounds in bio-engineering projects and encouraging them to pursue engineering careers. 36 of the most deprived areas in the UK are located in Portsmouth and Bognor Regis, which is associated with limited aspirations towards pursuing STEM careers.
The project worked to develop the public engagement skills of a cohort of engineers from the Centre for Enzyme Innovation (CEI) through a series of masterclasses. The CEI focuses on developing bio-technological solutions as a low-carbon method for recycling problem plastic waste within a circular economy. The CEI gained international acclaim for its work in developing bio-recycling technology for problem plastic waste towards an industrially scalable level.
Delivery and engagement
Following the upskilling of the 13 engineers in the cohort, the project worked with 42 young people across the region to promote the role of engineering. This was interpreted and discussed through co-design puppetry workshops involving:
- Engineers from the University of Portsmouth.
- Artswork and The Makers Guild.
- The company Making Theatre (3 workshops in Bognor Regis).
- Secondary school students at the Admiral Lord Nelson Secondary School in Portsmouth.
To enable dissemination with non-engineering communities, the engineers held workshops at the "Plastics Future" conference and the University of Portsmouth Festival of Research. To engage the general public, a showcase event was held at the University of Portsmouth.
Impact and key findings
Through this project, it was demonstrated that co-creation and facilitation activities, enabled by puppets, can inspire young people from under-served backgrounds to find out more about careers in engineering.
The engineer cohort demonstrated:
- Increased knowledge and aspirations.
- Greater confidence to lead public engagement activities.
- Enhanced ability to work with under-served audiences in the future.
Lessons Learnt
Through working with the engineers, the project identified that buy-in from managers is essential to ensure engineers have sufficient time to support engagement activities. The team also found barriers regarding the perception of engineers; specifically, a tension exists between the perceived need to present subjects and facts versus the occasional need for creative interpretation to promote clarity. Finally, reaching the general public in under-served audiences proved particularly challenging, as universities themselves can often appear exclusionary.
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