IDEAS in the pipeline

Ideas in the Pipeline will consist of a programme of innovative events and online forums for a wide variety of public audiences, to create spaces for discussion about vital engineering-related topics. It will draw new insights about how society forms ideas about engineering through using carefully selected themes as stimulus for thought and debate. Most people are happy to use the products of engineering and to embrace technological change, at least in certain forms. However, the proportion of younger generations showing an interest in entering the engineering profession is in decline. There is little public opposition to the incremental expansion of technology in our everyday lives, but conversely little enthusiasm for ambitious projects that would have a significant impact on our world. This suggests that there is no simple picture of how people think about issues around engineering, science and technology.This project will conduct an iterative process of debate, in which each stage is focussed around a clear but open-ended set of questions. The aim is not to record quantitative data on attitudes to specific issues. Instead, the development of ideas with (rather than about) the public will deepen understanding of how to engage with the thinking that shapes public attitudes.