MIA Conversation with

11/07/2025

🎥 Engineering meets imagination: the future of entertainment isn’t just being watched—it’s being built.


• Nearly 1 in 5 UK workers (19.2%) are employed in engineering and technology occupations, with many contributing to creative industries like film, gaming, and live events.

• Mechanical and software engineers are increasingly sought after in entertainment for roles in VR development, stage automation, and AI-driven storytelling.

The entertainment industry is being reengineered—and it’s engineers and technologists who are rewriting the script. The global media and entertainment market is projected to hit $2.75 trillion by 2025, and behind that explosive growth are unsung innovators in STEM.

🎮 Innovation Behind the Curtain From streaming giants expected to pull in $196B to game engines powering a $282B gaming industry, engineers are the invisible architects. Electrical engineers craft immersive sound systems. Mechanical engineers design camera drones and motion rigs. Software developers fine-tune the algorithms recommending your next binge. Without this tech backbone, the magic doesn’t happen.

🧠 Tech That Transforms Storytelling AI is now estimated to contribute to 14% of digital media creation—from writing scripts to animating digital humans. The AI market in media is projected to reach a mind-blowing $195.7B by 2033. Combine that with a 30% growth rate in VR, and we’re witnessing a storytelling revolution.

🌍 Creative Access Without Borders Thanks to cloud-based tools and platforms like TikTok and YouTube (which collectively paid $62B to creators in 2025), students and independent artists aren’t waiting for studio permission—they're creating and distributing on a global stage. A laptop and vision are the new passport to stardom.

🎓 A Call to Future Tech-Creators To students and early-career professionals: whether you're a coder, roboticist, or sound designer, the entertainment industry needs you. Engineering is no longer behind the scenes—it is the scene.

📢 Want to shape the metaverse? Create the next immersive concert? Tell stories through code? Your skills aren’t just relevant—they’re revolutionary.

🚀 The spotlight’s shifting. Are you ready to engineer its next act?

Happy Friday from the STEM Positive Disruptor!

06/07/2025

04/07/2025

🌾 Engineering & Technology: Revolutionising Agriculture

“Smart farms aren’t the future—they’re the present. With 70% of farmers planning to invest in digital tools and AI adoption soaring, engineering and technology are redefining agriculture. From water-saving irrigation to predictive analytics and renewable energy, the field is ripe for innovation.

🌱 ”

Modern farming is undergoing a tech-driven evolution. Precision agriculture uses GPS, drones, and sensors to target inputs—boosting yields and conserving resources. Automation and robotics streamline planting and harvesting, cutting labour costs.

AI and data analytics predict weather, pest risks, and market shifts, powering smarter decisions. Biotech tools like CRISPR enhance crop resilience and nutrition.

Farming’s future is high-tech: digital twins simulate conditions before implementation, while Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) enables year-round urban farming via smart greenhouses.

Sustainability is central. Regenerative agriculture restores soil using data-driven methods, and farms are adopting renewables—solar, biogas, hydrogen—to reduce emissions. IoT sensors provide real-time insights into soil, climate, and livestock.

Agri-fintech is unlocking credit access via farm data—not just credit scores.

Every step, from seed to harvest, is being optimised by innovation—making farming smarter, greener, and more accessible for tomorrow’s engineers and tech pioneers.
Happy Friday from the STEM Positive Disruptor

27/06/2025

How Tech and Engineering Are Rewriting the Future of Fashion 👗⚙️
The fashion industry isn’t just about trends anymore—its where cutting-edge technology meets innovation, sustainability, and personalization. Here’s how:

🧠 Smart Design AI, 3D modelling, and virtual prototyping are accelerating creativity while reducing waste. Inclusive tools like body scanning are helping brands design for everyone.

🧵 Automated & On-Demand Manufacturing Automation, robotics, and 3D printing is making fashion faster, more precise, and less wasteful—paving the way for scalable, custom-fit production.

🌱 Sustainable Innovation Engineers and scientists are creating lab-grown leather, biodegradable fabrics, and smart recycling systems. Circular fashion models (resale, repair, and take-back programs) are becoming the norm.

🛍️ Personalized Shopping & Transparent Supply Chains AI-driven recommendations, AR fitting rooms, and blockchain-backed transparency are elevating the consumer experience.

🌐 Fashion in the Digital Age Digital-only garments and NFT fashion assets are opening new ways to express style in the metaverse, gaming, and beyond.

👚 Smart Wearables Tech-infused clothing that adapts to temperature, monitors health, or tracks posture is redefining what it means to get dressed.

🎓 Why It Matters This intersection of engineering and fashion offers exciting opportunities for students, designers, and tech professionals. It’s not just about looking good—it’s about creating smarter, more sustainable, and inclusive fashion for the future.

25/06/2025

20/06/2025

FROM SKILLS GAP TO SKILLS EDGE: THE STRATEGIC VALUE OF APPRENTICESHIPS IN UK INDUSTRY

As of 2025, the UK’s technical skills gap is showing signs of improvement—but it’s still a major concern for employers:
• 76% of UK employers report difficulty filling roles due to a lack of skilled talent, down from 80% in 2024.
• The engineering and manufacturing sectors remain among the hardest hit, with persistent demand for technical and digital skills.
• 28% of employers are addressing the gap by upskilling or reskilling their current workforce, while 23% are expanding their talent pools and 21% are increasing wages to attract candidates.
• The SME Skills Horizon 2025 report highlights that many small and medium-sized enterprises are prioritizing investment in workforce development, especially in sectors like advanced manufacturing and green technologies.
Apprenticeships, especially in engineering and manufacturing, are seen as a key part of the solution, from trades apprenticeship to engineering degrees.
STEM Positive Disruptor introducing my special guest, Fiona McGarry on MIA Conversation, passionate about all things apprenticeship, engineering, manufacturing and increasing diversity within STEM.

Wow, what a powerful conversation with solutions that could really make a difference in bridging the skills gaps and help the industry as a whole.

3 Key things I learnt:
• The importance of educating parents on the value add of technical apprenticeship at level 2 and 3
• The secondary school system needs a complete overhaul; the school system needs to provide an alternative education route that allows young people who prefer a practical hand on learning experience to thrive.
• Although we have more female engineers in the industry, retention is a problem, so the industry needs more male allies in the sector, to be that voice for that lone female when she's not in the room to say, actually, she deserves this opportunity and promotion.
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This platform is to Educate, Raise awareness, Demystify and Change Perception about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and make it more accessible to the public.
Show the diverse roles, the benefits and impact of STEM in our world.

13/06/2025

🚀 Data Engineering: The Quiet Force Powering Innovation
From AI to analytics, the systems that shape our world rest on the backbone of data engineering.
It’s not just code—it’s infrastructure, scale, and impact.

INWES

30/05/2025

Is Ageism a real problem in the Engineering and technology industry or just a myth?

This conversation really started with a message I received from a friend about women in the Defence sector where the industry is trying to recruit more women into the sector but do not have senior women in senior tech roles as they “age out” far younger than the men but that ageism also affects men too.
According to a recent report by CWJobs.co.uk, they found, ageism is a significant issue within the Engineering and technology industry, particularly in areas like software and digital startups. that over a third of IT and tech workers have experienced age discrimination, with some experiencing it as early as their late 20s. This is often attributed to the perceived need for young, technically proficient individuals and a lack of appreciation for the value of experience.
We know that ageism impacts both younger and older workers and it manifests in various ways, including bias in hiring and promotion, and negative stereotypes about the abilities of older workers. This can lead to a loss of valuable talent and hinder innovation.
A survey commissioned by national charity the Centre for Ageing Better, revealed pronounced differences in the views of men and women. It found that more than one in four men (27%) think it does not make business sense to employ someone over 50 compared to one in five women (21%).
Men (26%) are also more likely to agree it is a waste of resources to provide training for staff over 50 than women (18%).
More than one in three men (37%) believe that people become less competent with technology as they get older, compared to one in four women (27%).
Almost half of 25-34-year-olds (46%) think that people become less competent with technology as they get older compared to one in five (22%) people aged 65 and above.
WHO refers Ageism as stereotypes (how we think), prejudice (how we feel) and discrimination (how we act) towards others or oneself based on age.

Emerging technology is evolving rapidly and is transforming our industry and we are trying to catch up with the technological advancement and forever try to bridge the skills deficit but at the same time indirectly discriminating against a certain age group is like shooting yourself in the foot but you are blaming someone else for your injury.
I like to bring to your attention that no one is exempt from aging, it is LIFE. Age has nothing to do with your ability to be innovative, inventive, creative, a problem solver, to learn new things and bring new solutions to resolve the industry problems. So, I would like to suggest what is required here, is a shift in attitudes and policies to promote a more inclusive and equitable workplace for all ages.
What do you think, love to hear your thoughts!

Happy Friday from the STEM Positive Disruptor
Women in Tech INWES Society of Women Engineers - SWE

23/05/2025

On Wednesday, I was invited to the UN Women UK special edition of the Briefing Club with Sofia Calltorp, Director of Geneva Office and Chief of Humanitarian Action and her discussion with Tabitha Morton on Gender Equality is a Human Right was both galvanising and thought provoking and the cutbacks on foreign aid to women led organisation and the impact it is having on communities across the world, the Breaking Point report can be found here: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2025-05/at-a-breaking-point-the-impact-of-foreign-aid-cuts-on-womens-organizations-in-humanitarian-crises-worldwide-en.pdf
So as the STEM Positive Disruptor, it is important to educate, raise awareness, change perception and demystify about this but also as the part of the UN women agenda to promote and talk about raising equality from a young age and so I have adapted to make STEM education and careers more diverse, accessible and inclusive

Raising Equality:
Talking to Children About Gender

Before most children can even read, they have already been told that boys are strong, and girls are weak. Whether you are a boy living in Belgium or a girl in Ghana, stereotypes about gender, and what it means to be a boy or a girl, are prevalent around the world.

By age ten, many girls have already internalised limits on their potential.

These beliefs are shaped by what they see at home, in the media, and in everyday life, and can go on to affect their dreams, opportunities, and confidence as they grow up.
It's crucial to start conversations about gender equality early and have them often

1. Start the conversation early
Talk openly with children about fairness, equality, and the barriers that still exist. These discussions can happen during daily routines, through books, movies, or even casual chats.

2. Watch your words
Avoid phrases like "boys don't cry" or "she's bossy." Instead, use empowering language and gender-neutral terms like "firefighter" instead of "fireman." Be sure to praise the children for their efforts, not just their appearance or strength.

3. Share your household chores equally
One of the most powerful ways to teach gender equality is through action. Children notice who does what at home: who cooks, who cleans, who decides. If work is shared fairly, it sends the message that everyone contributes and everyone's time matters.

4. Talk about safety and respect online
Digital spaces reflect real-world gender bias. Talk to children about online harassment, harmful content, and respectful behaviour. Help them to think critically about the media they consume and create.

5. Lift up women and girls in STEM
Encourage girls to study STEM subjects and celebrate women in STEM. When girls see themselves in the field – and when boys see women as champions – it reshapes what they believe is possible for everyone.

6. Inspire with real-life role models
Children learn by example so tell stories of key moments in women's rights history and highlight public figures who challenge gender norms and advocate for a fairer world.
Gender equality begins in everyday conversations and actions. By talking honestly with children and modelling fairness, you can help them grow into confident, compassionate individuals who not only value equality but know how to stand up for it too.

09/05/2025

Happy Friday from the STEM Positive Disruptor

Building the Future Engineering skills needed to meet Industry Demands

As the STEM Positive Disruptor, I believe this should be part of our normal conversation

So, the latest engineering trends include Artificial Intelligence AI & Machine Learning ML, sustainable practices, digital twins, Internet of Things IoT & Industrial Internet of Things IIoT, robotics, 3D printing, Augmented Reality AR & Virtual Reality VR, and cybersecurity. The industry demands a mix of technical skills (updated knowledge, automation, sustainability, cybersecurity, data analysis, cloud computing), digital skills (coding, data literacy, simulation software), and soft skills (problem-solving, communication, teamwork, adaptability).

The technical skills gap lies in a shortage of engineers with expertise in these emerging technologies and the ability to integrate them. There's also a lack of "green" engineering skills for the sustainability transition.

To meet the demand, we need:
• Investment in STEM education: To increase the pipeline of future engineers.
• Industry-academia collaboration: To align curricula with industry needs.
• Upskilling and reskilling initiatives: For the existing workforce to adapt to new technologies.
• Apprenticeships and vocational training: To provide practical skills and alternative entry routes.
• Focus on digital literacy: Integrating coding and data skills into engineering education.
• Promoting diversity and inclusion: To broaden the talent pool.
• Government and industry strategies: To create a cohesive approach to workforce development.

This requires determined effort, collaboration and intentional action between the Industry, education and the government to make sure we are well prepared to meet the demands in this ever-evolving engineering landscape.

02/05/2025

AI and Environment Sustainability: The Good and Bad
Artificial Intelligence, AI, has taken the world by storm and has a huge impact on the environment, both positively and negatively. On one hand, AI can be used to address environmental challenges, such as climate change, by improving energy efficiency, optimizing resource use, and monitoring environmental conditions. However, AI also has environmental costs, including high energy consumption for training and running models, and the associated carbon footprint and water usage. AI (Gen AI) is getting more powerful and faster which will require more energy as it does more complex computations.
So, can you imagine when energy is not produced in a 100% renewable way, the energy consumption directly correlates to increased emissions through the use of fossil fuels to generate power.
In a study done by MIT, researchers found that training just one AI model in America generates as many emissions as the entire lifetime of five gas-powered cars.
So, what should we do to mitigate this issue,
According to various sources including UNEP
These are key elements to consider:
• Optimize AI Model Efficiency by developing more efficient AI models that require less energy and resources to train and run.
• Green Data Centres by implementing sustainable practices in data centre design and operation, such as using renewable energy and efficient cooling systems.
• Responsible AI Development by prioritizing ethical AI development that considers environmental impact and ensures responsible use of AI technologies.
• Transparency and Data Sharing by encouraging transparency in AI development and data sharing to facilitate better understanding and evaluation of the environmental impact of AI.
• Algorithmic Impact Assessments by implementing assessments similar to environmental impact assessments to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of AI applications.
Check out United Nation Environment Programme:
https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/ai-has-environmental-problem-heres-what-world-can-do-about
Happy Friday from the STEM Positive Disruptor

28/03/2025

Applications for Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains Accelerating Women in Engineering programme are now open!

For the second year in a row, our Accelerating Women in Engineering programme offers women engineers one year of paid work experience across our Formula 1 and Advanced Technologies departments.

Women remain significantly underrepresented in both Motorsport and Engineering, and we remain committed to identifying, understanding, and removing the obstacles that inhibit talented women engineers.

Follow the link below to find out more about the programme!

👉 https://lnkd.in/eWfdwD36

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Closing Date: 4th April 2025