Ruth Amos, co-founder of Kids Invent Stuff, is to receive one of the Royal Academy of Engineering's most prestigious awards. The Rooke Award for public promotion of engineering will be presented at the Academy Awards Dinner in London on Thursday 13 July. Previous winners include astronaut Major Tim Peake CMG in 2019 and engineer and founder of EqualEngineers, Dr Mark McBride-Wright in 2022.
Ruth Amos is an award-winning British inventor, presenter and professional speaker. She was named Young Engineer for Britain in 2006 for designing StairSteady as part of her GCSE Resistant Materials Course.
She then co-founded the YouTube channel ‘Kids Invent Stuff’ with fellow inventor, Shawn Brown. The videos target primary aged children (aged 4-11 years) where they can submit invention ideas to be brought to life by real engineers. The channel has had millions of views and annually has over 10,000 invention ideas submitted.
Her work in engaging children with STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths) has inspired children in a variety of ways. She has established strong connections with industry partners and institutions to create new outreach projects. Each of her projects is unique, and she sits down with sponsors and partners to craft one-of-a-kind, novel engagement opportunities to inspire the next generation of engineers & inventors.
Ruth says:
“I am so excited to receive this award from the Royal Academy of Engineering and it is great to spread awareness that engineering and inventing can take many different forms. The challenges of the future can’t be tackled without the involvement of younger generations.
“I nearly missed out on a career that I love because I didn’t see myself as an engineer. For this reason, Kids Invent Stuff targets the 4-11 age group to inspire young children to see themselves as belonging to the engineering community. Engineering is fun and I hope to inspire engineers of the future to consider this as a career for them.”
Sophie Harker, engineer at BAE Systems and winner of the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Young Engineer of the Year award 2019 , nominated Ruth for the award alongside Ella Podmore MBE. Sophie says:
“I have been incredibly impressed by her ambition to make significant and meaningful contributions to the engineering profession. Ruth has worked very hard to capture the minds of young people and is inspiring thousands of young children.
“Above all, how Ruth really makes a difference is through her honesty and openness when communicating. While talking about engineering, she has a sense of wonder that is beautifully grounded in realism – even when talking about a 7ft robotic cleaning dinosaur!”
Ruth’s next project is the Spirit of Invention exhibition at the National Archives. It is a free exhibition to encourage people to think about what it means to be an inventor, open to the public till 29 October 2023. She is continuing to create videos for Kids Invent Stuff and welcomes applications from all 4–11-year-olds.
Notes for editors
- The Rooke Award for the public promotion of engineering is awarded to an individual, small team or organisation who have contributed to the Academy's aims and work through their initiative in promoting engineering to the public. The award is named in honour of the late Sir Denis Rooke OM CBE FRS FREng, a former President of the Royal Academy of Engineering and one of the UK's most distinguished engineers, who actively supported public outreach in engineering. As Chairman of British Gas, his legacy was to build the UK's gas distribution network and unite the gas industry, making domestic gas a cheap and convenient fuel source for millions of people. He later became Chancellor of Loughborough University and served on many national advisory committees on both energy policy and education.
- Annual Awards Dinner 2023. This year’s Royal Academy of Engineering Awards Dinner takes place in London on Thursday 13 July. Along with the announcement of the winner of this year’s MacRobert Award, the event will also celebrate the winners of other awards and prizes including the Major Project Award, The Princess Royal Silver Medals, the President’s Medal, the Rooke Award and the RAEng Engineers Trust Young Engineer of the Year.
- The Royal Academy of Engineering is harnessing the power of engineering to build a sustainable society and an inclusive economy that works for everyone.
In collaboration with our Fellows and partners, we’re growing talent and developing skills for the future, driving innovation and building global partnerships, and influencing policy and engaging the public.
Together we’re working to tackle the greatest challenges of our age.
For more information please contact: Megan Davenport-Connolly at the Royal Academy of Engineering Tel. +44 207 167 8112; email: [email protected]