Sustainability / Date: 04/16 / Surviving a zombie apocalypse Case study Page 1 of 2 © Amec Foster Wheeler 2016 amecfw.com Surviving a zombie apocalypse STEM challenge Amec Foster Wheeler’s engineers helped promote civil engineering by developing a brand new zombie apocalypse themed activity. Three of our engineers worked alongside the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) and others to build a new under-19 activity based on the walking dead and disaster relief concepts. The event was organised to highlight the under-19 age group activities in North East England for the ICE President’s regional visit in April 2015, with the aim of engaging schoolchildren in this subject in a new and exciting way. The committee wanted to showcase the wide range of civil engineering disciplines, as well as the role that civil engineers play in everyday life across the world. The activity also introduced the idea of engineering in developing countries and disaster relief. The volunteers created an activity where the students were tasked with surviving a zombie apocalypse utilising different skill sets to meet the various tasks. The day started with students using their map- reading skills to evaluate natural resources and land features, then planning a route to a safe haven for a night of camping. The students were then required to barter at the ‘zombie shop’ using food items from their team rucksack to purchase materials in order to create a water filter to clean green ‘zombie infested water’. The creations were assessed based on the students’ understanding of the material’s properties, budgeting and the presentation of their ideas.