Introduction

Venus Shum is an engineer who uses electronics and computer programs to improve people’s lives and help young people learn in a fun way.

Using computer programmes and electronics to help young people learn about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is an important part of Venus’ work.

“I like problem solving, inventing and teaching. And I enjoy working with people to find out what they need and then using technology to make a difference to their lives.”

Career history and work

After studying electronic engineering at university in Hong Kong, Venus came to England to study telecommunications at University College London (UCL). She then worked for a mobile communications company and travelled all over the world.

Computer programming Venus Shum

Case study

Engduino Credit: UCL EngineeringEngduino

at UCL’s Faculty of Engineering. This team has created learning technologies designed to help children develop experience and understanding of electronic systems and computer programming. One of these technologies, the Engduino, is a programmable microcontroller about the size of a credit card that can sense and react to its environment.

Venus is using the Engduino to help teach 11–14 year olds the principles of computer programming. She has also worked on a project called Code Me, which gives school students not only the opportunity to program electronic devices, but the chance to make them too.

Venus is also working on projects that use cutting edge wireless sensing networks to monitor air and sea pollution levels. And she is using wearable technologies to monitor the heart rates of different groups of people including Olympic swimmers.

What does Venus love about engineering?

“I see engineering as a tool to help people. I am motivated by using engineering to achieve higher purposes, for example, enabling a coach to monitor an athlete’s performance, helping people to communicate over great distances or helping children to learn about programming and electronics.”

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Venus and pupils experimenting with a Makey Makey banana piano

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Venus working with primary school pupils during an outreach event

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The Code Me programmable sensing cube developed by Venus and her colleagues

However her passion for learning brought her back to the UK to carry out research into electronic technologies and the computer programmes that control them.

Venus’ job is varied and gives her the opportunity to design electronic circuits, write computer programmes, research, teach university students, and lead activities for school children.

She is a member of UCL’s Interaction Centre (UCLIC), which is a world leading Centre of Excellence in Human-Computer Interaction based

Credit: UCL Engineering