Civil Engineering March 2021 | Vol 29 No 2

70 March 2021 Civil Engineering A proudly South African platform, stemulator.org attracts learners and students to the exciting world of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). It provides a virtual world full of animated content from pumping hearts to turbines in power stations to excite and inform the youth, including guidance on STEM subjects and careers. BACKGROUND The STEMulator is the flagship project of pro SET (Professionals in Science, Engineering and Technology), one of seven membership sectors of the NSTF, and represents about 40 professional bodies and learned societies. The STEMulator has evolved from the detailed SAICE built environment cartoon, prepared by SAICE for career guidance more than 25 years ago, and has long been the passion of pro SET co-chair Dawie Botha. HOW DOES THE STEMULATOR WORK? An explorer enters the STEMulator world through a master landscape, displaying a variety of clickable areas, representing many fields of interest such as human physiology, agriculture, transport, energy, hospitals, the natural environment, construction, and even space exploration. Click on any one of these areas and it unpacks to reveal a selection of elements: clickable objects that open and display dia- grams of inner structures and animations of working parts. In many of these fields video clips enhance further understanding. Information in the STEMulator assists learners to understand the STEM world, to find information for school projects and explore career options. Choosing a career can be daunting for young people, and the STEMulator assists by presenting the many careers in STEM clearly, con- cisely and in context. FACILITATING TEACHER SUPPORT THROUGH E-LEARNING STEMulator enhances e-learning by presenting the world of STEM to users wherever they are, whether to the teacher in the classroom or to the learner studying at home. It boasts a virtual school which will be populated with more curriculum- related content. Teachers can find everything STEM in one place and can use the STEMulator in lessons and teaching. It assists the educator as a source of information when preparing for teaching and sourcing learning material. THE NEW WAY OF WORKING As the world of knowledge and human in- teraction becomes increasingly digital, more Stimulating the STEM sector On the 25 th anniversary of the National Science and Technology Forum (NSTF), the STEMulator was born to help people to Explore > Discover > Learn! Richard Gundersen Chief Instigator STEMulator Aeronautical engineering Agricultural engineering Chemical engineering Electrical engineering Electronic engineering Industrial engineering Mechanical engineering Metallurgical engineering Mining engineering Architect Land surveyor Quantity surveyor Town & regional planner CIVIL ENGINEERING & OTHER ENGINEERING & DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 THE SOUTH AFRICAN INSTITUTION OF CIVIL ENGINEERING Private Bag X200, Halfway House, 1685 Tel: (011) 805-5947/48/53; Fax: (011) 805-5971 e-mail: civilinfo@saice.org.za; website: http://www.civils.org.za Water Railways Harbours and coastal structures Geotechnical Environmental and sustainable development Urban and rural infrastructure Structures Construction Information technology Transportation The WONDERFUL world of civil engineering 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10 The SAICE built environment cartoon