When we launched the Failure Modes of Engineering Network (FeME), one of our first priorities was to create a way to showcase the breadth and depth of people and projects working to reimagine engineering for a just and sustainable future. That vision has become the FeME Tapestry: a growing digital map of stories, projects, and people tackling climate change and biodiversity loss from around the world.
The FeME Tapestry is more than a directory. It is a living, interactive resource that celebrates diversity in engineering and makes visible the contributions of women, children, and underrepresented communities.
Too often, these voices have been sidelined in engineering conversations, despite being among the most impacted by the climate crisis. The Tapestry exists to change that.
A Global Showcase
Through the map, visitors can explore projects that span energy, water, land, infrastructure, transport, education, waste, digital innovation, and that include community participation. Each entry highlights not just technical achievement, but also the lived experiences, challenges, and collaborations that shaped the work.
Stories include both successes and struggles. By documenting what has worked and what hasn’t, we can learn valuable lessons about how engineering responds to climate breakdown. In this way, the FeME Tapestry embodies one of our core principles: learning from failure as well as from innovation.
Sharing People’s Journeys
The FeME Tapestry also highlights personal stories of engineers and practitioners, especially women and those from underrepresented groups. These profiles bring to life the diverse pathways into climate-focused engineering, from grassroots organisers who turned local knowledge into sustainable projects, to researchers who bridged disciplines to design new solutions.
Each story follows a simple structure: the problem faced, the actions taken, the outcome, and the challenges encountered along the way. By weaving these stories together, the Tapestry creates a collective narrative of resilience, creativity, and determination.
Why It Matters
We believe that amplifying these voices is essential for shaping the future of engineering. The climate emergency is not only a technical challenge but also a social and cultural one. Inclusive approaches lead to better solutions because they reflect the real needs of communities on the frontlines.
By mapping these projects and people, the FeME Tapestry serves multiple purposes:
- Visibility – raising the profile of underrepresented engineers and communities.
- Connection – helping members of our network find collaborators and allies.
- Learning – identifying common challenges and sources of failure.
- Inspiration – showing what inclusive, resilient engineering looks like in practice.
An invitation to contribute
The FeME Tapestry is only as rich as the stories within it. That is why we are inviting contributions from around the world. If you have worked on an engineering project that addresses climate change or biodiversity loss, particularly with and for underrepresented groups, we want to hear from you. Projects can be large or small, successful or unfinished: what matters is the learning they offer and the voices they include.
You can share either a project entry or a personal profile. That is, you can provide a short overview of a particular project, a description of the problem and solution, or you can share your story of the projects and solutions you have worked to create. In both cases, we are interested in your reflections on outcomes and challenges. Submissions may also include images, links, or other resources to bring your story to life.
By adding your story to the Tapestry, you join a growing movement that is reshaping engineering as a discipline of justice, inclusion, and collaboration. Together, we can weave a picture of engineering that truly represents the society it serves.
To contribute, please complete the online form or contact us at feme@ed.ac.uk