Dr. David Cutting is a Lecturer (Education) at Queen's University Belfast. He holds a PhD in Software Engineering, an MSc in Advanced Computing Science and is a full member of the IEEE, IET, BCS, and a fellow of the Higher Education Academy. His educational interests include making better admissions decisions beyond exam grades, engaging STEM students who are reluctant to participate, and communicating dry technical ideas through art. In his spare time he's involved in the QUB rocket programme and can be found launching high altitude balloons.

We talk a good talk about the importance of interdisciplinary learning and work for our students, but how often do we actually practice what we preach? Traditional academic structures rarely encourage interdisciplinary working, often they actively stand in the way creating silos. In fact the higher you progress up the educational ladder the less you may know about the world outside – I call this the hierarchy of ignorance. In this talk I explore ways to engage learners beyond academic credit in interdisciplinary activities and the benefits it can bring to staff and students alike.