Norm Himsley FIEAust CPEng is a Consultant Engineer who volunteers as a member of the Education Outreach Group. Spanning several decades, his volunteer work engaging children with engineering has made huge contributions to the profession.
“My volunteering dates back to the 1990s when I began using my expertise, and that of other volunteers, to help engage kids in schools to take up engineering.
We’re not getting enough people into engineering and this has been an issue for a long time. So we’ve been dealing with students, teachers and the system to help engage more kids in engineering.
In the primary school area, we set up a program where teachers from kindergarten upwards can offer their students a series of projects.
They could be around solar ovens or sustainable rainwater harvesting, etc., projects that could be ongoing and might even help the school.
Engineers go into the schools to assist the teachers to get the projects up and running and then the teachers run with it. It began in NSW then went national.
There’s a lot more I’m involved in, but with this project we’re introducing fascinating engineering principles in a straightforward way that makes sense at the kids’ levels.
I get a lot out of it myself. I’ve been able to meet many really good engineers, lecturers, teachers, principals and students who give back to me as much as I give to them.”
Read more about Engineers Australia’s volunteers here.
