It’s rather trivial to prove countries with
more engineers per capita are generally economically better off than comparable
countries and from this point flows all sorts of other positive benefits such
as higher levels of education among the general population, increased resources
for arts and sciences, better health outcomes, etc. Less easy to prove is that
to increase engineering enrollment; engineering needs a PR campaign. This is exactly what Polarmedia.co.uk are trying to do, except perhaps with even more
ambition.
There is an established pattern of neglect for
high quality engineer and architect narratives. Compare the portrayals seen of
other professions like doctors and lawyers. There’s really no equivalent to
Game of Thrones for engineers and architects. The long temporal nature of
building projects is an obstacle to audience engagement for one. More
surprising is the neglect of architect stories: Architects tend to be
egomaniacs (full disclosure; I trained as one) and therefore when two meet in
opposition, because of each’s inherent energy, more often than not, sparks tend
to fly. Why this point hasn’t been leveraged as a source for architect stories
is a mystery.
Ultimately I don’t mind these efforts to
promote STEM professions, or “humanize” them as the Polar Media representative suggests.
So long as we don’t get carried away by imaginary narratives and remember to
address at the same time the real obstacles people have in entering the
engineering field. Removing barriers to higher education, be they financial or
academic, seems just as important as “sexying” up the engineering industry. But
otherwise, good luck to Polar Media. If interested in helping them with their
project, more information is available through the link above.
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