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www.military.ie THE DEFENCE FORCES MAGAZINE | 9 BY COMDT SHARON MCMANUS, 2 FD ENGR COY Engineers Week is an Engineers Ireland Initiative held annually nationwide to pro- mote and celebrate engineering. The Defence Forces Corps of Engineers is an accredited Continuing Profes- sional Develop- ment employer ensur- ing that engineering competence levels are achieved and maintained in the organisation. During Engineers Week 2019 week, Custume Bar- racks, Athlone and 2 Fd Engr Coy hosted 8 schools and 278 children, where the students learned about engineering in the military in a fun and practical way. The Defence Forces Corps of Engineers (COE) is an accredited continuing professional development (CPD) employer ensuring that engineering competence levels are achieved and maintained in the or- ganisation. The COE has supported Engineers Week since its inception in 1999 and Custume Bks, Athlone with the Field Engineer Company (Now 2 Fd Engrs, formally 4 Fd Engrs) has been supporting this event since 2008. Each year local primary and secondary schools are hosted, where students can learn about STEM (science, technology, engineering, maths) subjects and engineering in the military in a fun and practi- cal way. Children learn using all of their senses, allowing them to see engineering at a practical level and to touch and feel the equipment is very tangible and complements learning in the classroom. The theme for Engineers Week 2019 was "Dream Big". The visit be- gan with an interactive presentation, which focused on the following: What is an engineer? How does the military innovate? And what does a combat engineer do? The main thrust of the presentation was to demonstrate to the chil- dren that curiosity and a desire to problem solve are crucial elements in engineering and that each and every child could be an engineer. The link between maths and arts subjects was also highlighted to explain that creativity is a hugely important part of STEM work. Examples of how the military need to innovate in order to improve, fix a problem, move faster and work smarter was demonstrated with examples from everyday life that were originally military inventions e.g. the internet, GPS navigation and the EOD robot. This captured the children's attention and brought realism to the concepts. The presentation ended with an overview of the roles of combat engineers at home and abroad focusing mainly on: Camp construction and survivability in particular electricity production & water purifica- tion; Mobility in particular bridge building & minefield clearance; Coun- ter mobility in particular minefield laying & explosive demolitions. Later the children were split into small groups and brought to the display area where they visited the following stands: Mine Clearance Flail; Berro Water Purification Plant; Infantry Assault Bridge (IAB); Rubber Inflatable Boat (RIB); Engineer Specialist Search & Clearance Equipment; Electrical Circuit Boards; Artillery weapons and Radar and Infantry Support Weapons & Small Arms Weapons. Each stand was manned by at least two technicians who explained in detail how the equipment worked, where possible allowed operate it or simply hold and feel the weight. The children unscrewed sockets and wired electrical circuits, used metal detectors, ran across the IAB, held mines, climbed aboard the RIB, got into firing positions with weapons, saw sniper and standard webbing and infantry equipment, looked at the UAV, 105mm howitzer gun, the 120mm mortar, the Giraffe radar and had a lot of fun in the process. Some lucky schools were also able to see the EAS Helicopter and receive a short brief on its capabilities. One very lucky school was also treated to a recital by the Band of the 2 Bde under Capt Tom Kelly – making the link between STEM and the arts. Also present during the week were two transition year students who got a great insight into military engineering in the COE as well as in the Air Corps and the Naval Base. The event was not only beneficial for the visiting students and schools but also for the COE. Explaining how and why the COE does its work and evaluating the best way of com- municating that to children as well as demonstrating that to the most inquisitive minds is a challenge in itself and one that certainly aids continuing professional development. Huge thanks to all the branches, services and units who assisted in making Engineers Week a huge success. The demand for this type of event is immense and we are already looking forward to Engineers Week 2020!

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