Researchers in the Engineering Design Centre have been recognised for the impact of their work on society and engagement with research in the inaugural Vice-Chancellor’s Impact Awards and Public Engagement with Research Awards.
The Department winner of the Vice Chancellor's Impact Award was Professor John Clarkson, head of the Engineering Design Centre. He was recognised for his work in creating the Inclusive Design Toolkit, a set of resources and equipment that can assist with making design more inclusive for people with impairments and disabilities. The Engineering Design Centre works with the Royal College of Art to address the design challenges that changing demographics and an aging population present. The design toolkit realises the now-obvious fact that inclusive design is simply better design.
Components of the toolkit include equipment such as Cambridge simulation gloves, which simulate dexterity impairment to help develop an understanding of how dexterity loss affects product use; Cambridge simulation glasses, which simulate vision impairment; and other resources and techniques that can show how to turn inclusive design into commercial success.
The Vice-Chancellor’s Impact Awards were established to recognise and reward those whose research has led to excellent impact beyond academia, whether on the economy, society, culture, public policy or services, health, the environment or quality of life.
Ian Hosking, a researcher in the Engineering Design Centre, and Bill Nicholl, member of the Faculty of Education, received a Public Engagement with Research Award for their roles in co-founding Designing Our Tomorrow, a platform for transforming design and technology education in schools. The collaboration between the Faculty of Education and the Department of Engineering began in 2009 to bring together research around inclusive design and creativity in education. With partners Loughborough University and the Royal College of Art, Designing Our Tomorrow was born.
Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, Bill Nicholl and Ian Hosking
The DOT box is a set of tools that can bring active research questions into the classroom and give students control of designing technological solutions. Engagement with teachers, students and policymakers is integral to the success of their initiative and has resulted in engineering design being included in the national curriculum and GCSE qualifications.
The Public Engagement with Research Awards were set up to recognise and reward those who undertake quality engagement with research, part of a Catalyst Seed Fund grant from Research Councils UK to embed high quality public engagement with research and bring about culture change at an institutional level.
The research and knowledge transfer activities that went into the awards were conducted by Dr Sam Waller, Dr Joy Deane, Mike Bradley, Ian Hosking, Dr Pat Langdon, and Professor Clarkson. The Department of Engineering congratulates these researchers on their achievements and their work on improving design and our society.
