Engineers Week 2021
This week (21–27th February) is Engineers Week 2021 — a time for celebrating all types of engineers all over the world. In this article, we’ll be exploring the basic definitions of engineering, and taking a look at some awesome examples of exemplary engineering feats in recent years.
What is Engineering?
Engineering is the application of maths and science to solve real-world problems. An engineers role is to find out how things work, and then find practical uses for these scientific discoveries.
Engineers design, develop, test, install and maintain a huge variety of systems and products. They also recommend materials and processes, supervise manufacturing/construction, provide consulting services and teach engineering courses in colleges and universities all over the world.
Engineering is a massive scientific field, which can be divided into a range of specialty areas:
- Mechanical engineering
- Electrical engineering
- Aerospace engineering
- Nuclear engineering
- Civil engineering
- Structural engineering
- Chemical engineering
- Biomedical engineering
- Industrial engineering
- Computer engineering
- Environmental engineering
The Perseverance Mars Rover
On the 18th February 2021, the Perseverance Rover made a safe landing onto the surface of Mars — with incredible information already being received including brand new images of the surface, as well as the first ever sounds of wind on another planet.
None of this would have been possible without the tireless work of the engineers behind this project, including those working at Heathcoat Fabrics in Devon, who can pat themselves on the back for making the parachute that contributed to the Perseverance’s safe landing.
The Perseverance Rover required a special parachute ‘canopy’ to slow the spacecraft down as it was dropped on the planet’s surface. The lightweight material was produced in the Heathcoat Fabrics factory, before being sewn together by engineers in the US.
In an interview with the BBC, Heathcoat Fabrics said it was “very, very proud of the achievement”. Peter Hill, director of the company’s woven fabric department, stated the successful landing had been a culmination of “15 years’ hard work”. It’s regular, everyday people like the chemists, designers, and engineers in Devon that were behind such a historic spacecraft launch and landing.
If you’re interested in being part of the future of engineering, why not consider studying at the University of Wolverhampton? From Aerospace to Mechanical to Chemical Engineering, you could make a lifechanging choice to join the pack today.