Engineer your future at the Science Museum

How does the engineering brain work? A new exhibition opens tomorrow at the Science Museum, London, designed to persuade 11-15 year olds to become the engineers of tomorrow. Win £25 to spend at the Science Museum shop by entering our pre-Christmas competition.

The ‘Engineering your future’ exhibition demonstrates to school students that they already possess key ‘engineering habits of mind’ as defined by a recent Royal Academy of Engineering report "Thinking like an engineer". The interactive displays show how these are applied to deliver engineering marvels as diverse as baggage handling systems, the Mars Rover, power supply networks and bionic hands.

The exhibition will also tell the stories of women and men working in engineering today, showing that fascinating careers can be built ‘making things that work, and making things work better’.

Mott MacDonald is one of nine organisations supporting the exhibition.

A recent Royal Academy of Engineering report "Thinking like an engineer" identified six key engineering habits of mind. Can you name them all - click below? (..and for clues see the slides below).

The six engineering habits of mind are defined by the Royal Academy of Engineering's report "Thinking like an engineer" as:

1. systems thinking 2. problem-finding 3. visualising 4. improving 5. problem-solving and 6.….. ?????

What is the sixth engineering habit of mind?

To enter the prize draw to win a £25 voucher to spend at the Science Museum, email antony.oliver@infrastructure-intelligence.com with the sixth habit by 17:00 on Friday 19 December

Only one entry per person. Winner will be notified on Friday 19 December 2014

Creative problem-solving is one of the six ‘habits of mind’ explored. What’s that about?

Applying techniques from different traditions, investigating contexts, generating ideas and solutions with others, generous but rigorous critiquing, negotiating a brief with other problem-holders, seeing engineering as a ‘team sport’

What’s your best example of systems thinking?

Visualising is one of the six ‘habits of mind’ explored. What’s that about?

Being able to move from abstract to concrete, manipulating materials, mental rehearsal of physical space and of practical design solutions – involving sketching, model making and trialling

What’s your best example of systems thinking?

Adapting is one of the six ‘habits of mind’ explored. What’s that about?

Testing, analysing, reflecting, rethinking, changing both in a physical sense and mentally

What’s your best example of systems thinking?

Improving is one of the six ‘habits of mind’ explored. What’s that about?

Restlessly trying to make things better by experimenting, designing, sketching, guessing, conjecturing, thought-experimenting, prototyping

What’s your best example of systems thinking?