Displaying items by tag: technology

(First published in 2013)

Professor Boris Plahteanu was born in Bessarabia, in Chişinău, on September 22st 1941. During the war, his family moved to Romania. He graduated from the Politechnical Institute, Iaşi as a valedictorian, and completed his PhD in mechanical engineering in 1973 more specifically in the area of industrial engineering. He was immediately recruited as a Member of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. Since 1990, Professor Plahteanu has been a Member of the National Inventics Institute of Iaşi, Editor in Chief of the Journal of Inventics, and Scientific Manager.

Since 2002 he has been General Manager of the National Inventics Institute and is Coordinator of the Regional Centre of the European Network PATLIB for the promotion of intellectual property. With about 87 patents submitted to the National Trademark Office, Boris Plahteanu is the winner of several national and international trophies with over 60 Golden Medals in the international fair of inventions, and he owns several Romanian and international distinctions.

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Professor Boris Plahteanu was born in Bessarabia, in Chişinău, on September 22st 1941. During the war, his family moved to Romania. He graduated from the Politechnical Institute, Iaşi as a valedictorian, and completed his PhD in mechanical engineering in 1973 more specifically in the area of industrial engineering. He was immediately recruited as a Member of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. Since 1990, Professor Plahteanu has been a Member of the National Inventics Institute of Iaşi, Editor in Chief of the Journal of Inventics, and Scientific Manager.

Since 2002 he has been General Manager of the National Inventics Institute and is Coordinator of the Regional Centre of the European Network PATLIB for the promotion of intellectual property. With about 87 patents submitted to the National Trademark Office, Boris Plahteanu is the winner of several national and international trophies with over 60 Golden Medals in the international fair of inventions, and he owns several Romanian and international distinctions.

Talent is the foundation for economic growth, and is at the heart of our vibrant engineering and manufacturing sector. Engineering is often the silent 'E' in STEM education so it is vitally important that that we find innovative ways to join up with the existing curriculum and bring engineering to life in in schools.

Despite the fact that three fifths of the general public see a career in engineering a 'good profession/career', 'challenging' and 'well paid', one fifth of teachers believe that engineering is an 'undesirable' career. Just 12% of 12 – 16 year olds know what an engineer does and most see engineering as less well paid than other professions.

The recent pronouncement by the current UK Secretary of State, reinstating the General Certificate of Secondary Education, will not prevent the tsunami I present in my recent article reaching land. Mr. Gove's conviction politics has done two things. Firstly, it puts the question about what we want from the UK education system starkly into focus. Secondly, it highlights the problem, ingrained within our culture, that Technology, the Arts, Design and other subjects, are the preserves of the mid to lower ability pupils. Perhaps Mr Gove is very good company on a personal level but he has led with conviction politics at the expense of research based outcomes: the resulting tensions of which we are witnessing now.

During my quiet times I imagine a time when the UK has a truly democratic, research inspired, Secretary of State for Education. It is a time when pupils of all abilities are encouraged to explore their potential by engaging with a broad curriculum, without fear of censure – and I imagine the benefits it would bring. But I look at the Year 9 'option choices' made by pupils in the school where I teach, compare them with the 'ability distribution', visualise the beach draining before the inevitable wave, and carry on.

Tom Bradburn