Engagement

We are widening public interest in engineering and raising appreciation of the importance and value of engineering in society.

We engage with audiences in a variety of ways and use our research to inform and transform society at local, regional and national levels.

Take a look at some recent examples of the public engagement and outreach activities that we have delivered.

Public engagement

We have showcased our research at the National Eisteddfod, Green Man Music Festival, Edinburgh Science Festival and Rudry Music Festival. Some of our activities include engaging with families in ‘motor madness’ and robotic hands activities.

We work with several local organisations to celebrate the breadth of STEM in Wales, including the National Museum Wales, First Campus, Techniquest, See-Science, Cardiff Science Festival, the Worshipful Company of Wales and Central South Consortium.

We have also partnered with the Smallpeice Trust, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, the Institute of Physics, the Institution of Engineering and Technology, the Royal Society of Chemistry, and the Institution of Civil Engineers to deliver engineering events and activities targeting young people and their families around the UK.

Examples of our wider contributions to the economy and society include the FIFA-accredited Medical Centre of Excellence, a joint facility with Cardiff Metropolitan University and the Football Association of Wales, focused on providing the best medical care to all those participating in football, irrespective of age or gender.

Outreach activities

We aim to create a close working relationship between schools, colleges and the School of Engineering, working together to help their students identify and pursue the opportunities that are available to them at Cardiff University.

In our local community, we have contributed to Cardiff Council’s ‘Cardiff Commitment’, linking local schools and industry to stimulate early years awareness of engineering. We also completed a Tidal Power project with Radnor Primary School, providing support to design turbines for the Bristol Channel.

We lead several interdisciplinary University events such as the annual STEMlive: Mission to Mars, a one-day immersive experience involving 12 secondary schools and approximately 150 pupils participating in a range of interactive STEM activities themed around a voyage to live on another planet.

Our Cardiff Marine Energy Research Group supported the creation of GCSE resources, including lesson plans for the National STEM Learning Centre.

Widening participation

We are committed to supporting all students and helping them to realise their potential, regardless of their background. We prioritise working with groups that are under-represented in engineering and their influencers.

Using an Ingenious grant from the Royal Academy of Engineering, our staff worked with Go Girl Academy and Girlguiding to trial resources and provide training to engineers in inclusive practice. We also ran engineering workshops at school holiday clubs for girls and developed an electromagnetics Girlguiding challenge badge.

We work with diverse communities in some of the most deprived areas in Wales, such as Willows High School and Ninian Park Primary. Students from Willows High School join us annually for hands-on interaction with projects in our laboratories, while students from Ninian Park Primary have performed their own Science Magic Show in the School.

We also led the Museum After Dark events at the National Museum of Wales to help bring science and engineering to primary age children from diverse backgrounds. In 2019 the event attracted over 1000 people and was supported by Kirsty Williams, the Welsh Government Minister for Education.

Get in touch

For further information about our community activities and events, please contact