Nowadays, with the speed of email, it’s very rare to get a letter via ‘snail mail’ that isn’t a bill or a statement; even rarer still, to have your name and address handwritten on the envelope.
So, when a letter addressed to myself landed through D3D Tower’s letterbox I was more than a little curious. Inside was a rather charming ‘ode to engineering’ written by a female engineer, Amaya Muñoz of amx engineering in Carlisle.
The reason for the ode was not to showcase a possible change in career but to draw attention to how vital engineering is to all our lives and to get young people excited by engineering so that they may consider it as a career.
So, here’s her ‘odd ODE to Engineering’ and please take heed of Muñoz’s request at the end.
What will I do when I’m older?
Sometimes I wonder.
I see doctors and nurses
when I don’t feel well.
I stare at policemen
and the fast firemen.
I wave to the postman
early in the morning.
At night in the theatre
I see dancers performing.
On the telly I see actors,
footballers and referees.
I can see models
in the magazines.
At school I see teachers
who want to teach me.
I giggle if the plumber
can’t fix the leak.
At home the builders
have knocked down a wall.
We need lights and plugs,
and the electrician fits some.
My mum says an architect
has drawn the plans for the extension.
I wonder… who then makes the plans
for the trains and other inventions?
Who makes the electricity
for the lights to shine?
And for the kettle to work?
It comes to my mind
And who designed that lamp
and the box it came in?
Who made our car
and who thought of this zip?
Is there an invisible job
nobody can see?
My mum answers to me,
smiling, with a cheeky grin:
“The people who think
of all these things,
they are called Engineers,
Engineers like me.”
“If you want one day
an Engineer be,
you’ll have to learn Maths
and the Laws of Physics.”
“You’ll learn to make Drawings,
about green Energy
and very interesting
Materials Properties.”
“This knowledge will
prepare you to find
clever solutions
by using your mind”
Who wrote this Ode to Engineering:
A mum of two of Spanish origin,
juggling housework and career,
the school run, the kids and the meals!
To the engineer reading this Ode:
May you have some old DEVELOP3D magazines,
should we collect them all
and bring them into schools
for the pupils to read
INTERESTING STORIES ABOUT ENGINEERING?
(…. and to plant a seed)
