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Better World Celebration: Spotlighting Tom Rodgers

A photograph depicting a number of the cards and the designs on the back. With the first card showing George E. Davis with a star rating of 100.

Throughout August and September, we’re encouraging colleagues to get involved and submit nominations for our Better World Celebration – an FSE-led initiative aiming to shine a spotlight on individuals who are making the world a better place through their everyday actions.

Nominations are welcome for all kinds of actions, but particularly those related to social responsibility and Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility (EDIA). Simply complete this short form or send a voice note or video message via WhatsApp. Nominations close on Wednesday 30 September with the celebration taking place in November.

This week, we’re celebrating Chem Eng Stars; a game developed by Tom Rodgers, Professor of Engineering Education, and undergraduate students; celebrating the diverse pioneers of chemical engineering.

The idea was born from a desire to highlight a range of chemical engineering role models and make them visible to students. Rather than focusing on a narrow group of well-known figures, the deck, inspired by the game “Top Trumps”, celebrates engineers from a wide range of countries, cultures, backgrounds, and identities, helping to demonstrate that innovation has always been driven by diverse people with different experiences and perspectives.

The cards were researched and designed in partnership with Zahira Chaudhry Wajid and Marija Shukulovska, undergraduate chemical engineering students. The finished deck has been designed to support teaching, mentoring, and outreach activities, using play as a way to encourage discussion about engineering, teamwork, and inclusion.

The cards have been used with first-year students in team-building activities to promote communication, collaboration, and reflection on the diverse skills that engineers bring to solving global challenges. They also support outreach activities with schools and the general public, recently engaging with over 400 people at the Rochdale Science Extravaganza.

Using the cards during the 1st year group working support session.

Reflecting on the project, Tom says:

“Chemical engineering has been shaped by remarkable people from every corner of the world, yet many of their stories are rarely told. We wanted to create something that was fun, accessible, and genuinely useful in teaching, while also challenging perceptions of who can be an engineer. The best part of this project has been working alongside our students, whose enthusiasm, creativity, and research have transformed an idea into a resource that will continue to support learning, outreach, and inclusion.”

As well as continuing to be used with our own students and inspiring school children to be interested in chemical engineering, the project is continuing this summer with Aimee Woodley, an undergraduate aerospace engineering student, who is creating a deck which encompasses people from all engineering disciplines.

An example of the one of the cards. Alice Ball Born in 1892 in America, she turned natural products into lifesaving chemistry. Her Ball Method transformed chaulmoogra oil into a treatment for leprosy, while she also explored the chemical secrets of the Kava plant. Her ingenuity and dedication made her a pioneer, using chemical engineering to improve health around the world. There is then a list of the stats used in top trumps style for the game. Era of Influence = 6 Innovation = 5 Social Responsibility = 8 Specialisation = 2 Safety contribution = 6 Star Rating = 79
Two students who are the undergraduate developers of the cards, playing the game during the PASS leaders EDIA session.
Zahira Chaudhry Wajid (left) and Marija Shukulovska (right), the undergraduate developers of the cards, playing the game during the PASS leaders EDIA session.
A photograph depicting a number of the cards and the designs on the back. With the first card showing George E. Davis with a star rating of 100.