Chips for Everyone

Workshops in semi-conductor technology

Chips for Everyone presents a multi-faceted approach to communicating engineering.

The focus is semiconductor technology whose products are in daily use by the majority of the western population and yet their design and function is largely hidden. Chips for Everyone aimed to improve perceptions and understanding through workshops and exhibitions to over 20,000 people throughout Scotland, England and Ireland presenting semiconductor technology to a wider audience.

The activities developed can be used in combination for a very wide range of audiences in both age and stage of education as has been demonstrated with great success. Moreover, the project has developed inter-disciplinary activities designed to engage non-scientific audiences and has used entirely non-scientific venues, such as art galleries.

The suite of activities, given the umbrella title Chips for Everyone, includes:

• Chips for Everyone: drop-in activities for museums, shows, shopping centres 
• Chips with Relish: interactive workshops for groups of school pupils via in- or out- reach 
• Chips with Flair: an arts-science collaboration in music, art, video and engineering to present a new perspective on semiconductor technology

Publications

• Magill, J (2010) Chips for Everyone: Exploring Engineering Engagement through Practical Interactive Simulation, in Science Exhibitions: Communication and Evaluation ed Dr Anastasia Filippoupoliti, MuseumsEtc, ISBN: 978-0-9561943-8-1, pp 388-411
• Magill, J. & Roy, S. (2010) Chips for Everyone: A Multifaceted Approach in Electrical Engineering Outreach, IEEE Transactions on Education, Volume 53, Issue 1, Feb. 2010 p114 - 119, ISSN: 0018-9359, accessed 12 April 2010,
• Magill, J & Roy, S (2007) Chips for Everyone – Creativity in engineering and initial teacher education, Engineering Education, 2(1), 40-46