Engineering is the use of Maths and Science to design, build and test machines, structures and products. Below, you will find a list of things that you could use to learn more about Engineering, or to improve a future application to university.
Books; Success Through Failure: The Paradox of Design by Henry Petroski
The Gecko's Foot: How Scientists are Taking a Leaf from Nature's Book by Peter Forbes
The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman
The New Science of Strong Materials - Or Why You Don't Fall Through the Floor and Structures - Or Why Things Don't Fall Down both by J.E Gordon
Think Like an Engineer by Guru Madhavan
How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big by Scott Adams
How Things Work - The Physics of Everyday Life by Louis A. Bloomfield
Engineering: A Beginner's Guide by Natasha McCarthy
The Science of Formula 1 Design by David Tremayne
Why Study Mathematics by Vicky Neale is an excellent breakdown of how Maths features in real-life application and is particularly useful for Engineering.
Newspapers, Magazines and Journals; Engineering and Technology is the magazine of the Institution of Engineering and Technology which is a professional body and registered charity in the UK; Engineering Magazine is available in shops; The Engineer is an online magazine; The American based highly prestigious Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE - pronounced I triple E) have a regular publication called Spectrum; A highly academic journal which is open access (free to read) is Engineering Science and Technology an International Journal
Podcasts; Stem Sessions is a careers based podcast aimed at Pre-University; Engineering Word of the Day does what the name says; Engineering IRL takes Engineering approaches to solving real life issues; In Machines We Trust looks at Artificial Intelligence and comes from the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); Unprofessional Engineering seeks to take complex terms and ideas and break them down to be understood by anyone; Bletchley Park is the podcast of the famous code-breaking centre from World War 2, which is now a tourist attraction; To the Moon and Beyond is about space travel; Create the Future podcast is aimed at a student audience and looks at where Engineering is heading.
YouTube Channels; Learn Engineering; Minute Physics; VSauce; Smarter Everyday; Veritasium; Interesting Engineering
Video; Gresham College (Engineering search) offer a range of free lectures from prestigious academics; There are thousands of Engineering Ted Talks available; and you should look out for Engineering programmes and documentaries such as Impossible Engineering; How It's Made; Megastructures; Extreme Engineering; Air Crash Investigation among dozens more.
Competitions; A range of Competitions, events or activities can be found by entering your schools postcode into the Neon Experiences Website though many would require your school to join up so speak to a teacher if you find one that interests you; other competitions include Crest Awards (school signs up); The Big Bang Competition (enter as an individual or as part of a school team); Peterhouse College at Cambridge University run the annual Kelvin Prize which is a Science Essay Competition for S5/Y12 pupils; The UK Space Design Competition is for small teams registered by their school; F1 in Schools is a competition for school teams
Websites, Events and Activities; The website I Want to Study Engineering comes highly recommended with a range of helpful resources; Professor Alan Champneys at Bristol University has made available a range of problems that can be worked through as preparation for studying Engineering (they are aimed at pre-university level, though are intentionally tough!)
Each branch of Engineering has its own professional bodies, and they offer a range of resources from magazines and videos to webinars and online events which can give you an edge or a better understanding of the field. These include; The Institution of Civil Engineers; The Institution of Mechanical Engineers; The Institution of Chemical Engineers; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering; The Royal Aeronautical Society
Online Course; For pupils in Scotland there is a free summer course (you can do it anytime between May and September online) from Strathclyde University called Engineering Fundamentals