Engenius

Beth and Emma speak with Daniel Kenning, a Chartered Mechanical Engineer, Energy Engineer, and Chartered Environmentalist. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, a member of the Energy Institute and an Associate of the Institution of Environmental Management and Assessment. Daniel is also the co-founder and Chair of the Global Association for Transition Engineering (GATE), founded in 2014. GATE is a global professional membership association which promotes the engineering that is needed to transition to a completely sustainable world. 

In this episode, we discuss how society can transition towards a more sustainable future by changing the way we think about our problem solving strategies. Additionally, we explore the practice of 'Transition Engineering' and why it is vital to securing the future of the planet. 

You can learn more about Transition Engineering and Daniel's work at Splendid Engineering by clicking on the links below.

GATE: https://transitionengineering.org

Splendid Engineering: https://splendidengineering.co.uk

#TransitionEngineering

----

Engenius is produced by a team of engineering students at the University of Bristol. To ask a question, submit an idea, or just say hi, email us at [email protected].

Intro/outro music kindly provided by @yemzo.

Beth and Gabriel speak with Alastair Boswell, a Chartered Engineer with the Institute of Engineering and Technology, and the Associate Director for Intelligent Mobility Schemes for Arup. With over 20 years’ experience in the field, Alastair has worked on a wide range of projects, including a recent role supporting Highways England with their national roll-out of electric vehicle charge points.

We discuss both the opportunities and challenges that are on the horizon as we make the switch from Internal Combustion Engines to Electric Vehicles. Additionally, we spoke about autonomous and shared mobility, and the crucial role they will play in helping us move towards a 'zero-carbon' future.

To find out more about Arup’s work on Intelligent Mobility visit their website. 

----

Engenius is produced by a team of engineering students at the University of Bristol. To ask a question, submit an idea, or just say hi, email us at [email protected].

Intro/outro music kindly provided by @yemzo.

Harshinee and Beth speak with Miles Franklin, a mechanical engineer with expertise in innovation and sustainable energy. Having previously worked at Dyson, and participated in numerous "appropriate technology" projects in developing countries, Miles' current role is as the Lead Engineer at an Edinburgh-based startup called Gravitricity. Gravitricity develops grid-scale mechanical energy storage technology, which aims to complement hydro power and batteries in solving an age-old problem: how to store electricity.

As well as learning about Gravitricity's product and business ambitions, we discuss the central role of energy storage in the journey to net zero, and Miles' experience of working at both large and small companies.

To find out more about Gravitricity, head to their website. You can also sign up for a mailing list that provides alerts for new job opportunities at the company here.

----

Engenius is produced by a team of engineering students at the University of Bristol. To ask a question, submit an idea, or just say hi, email us at [email protected].

Intro/outro music kindly provided by @yemzo.

Emily, Tom and Harshinee speak with John Armstrong, a mechanical engineer by training, current Chief Operating Officer at the British Pipeline Agency, and author of a recent book entitled The Future of Energy.

We discuss personal and professional development as an engineer, some major trends in the energy sector, and the energy transition more broadly. We also consider the societal impacts of major shifts in energy generation and usage, and the importance of engaging customers in the process.

You can buy John's book on Amazon in hardcover, paperback and e-book editions here.

----

Engenius is produced by a team of engineering students at the University of Bristol. To ask a question, submit an idea, or just say hi, email us at [email protected].

Intro/outro music kindly provided by @yemzo.

Seren and Gabriel speak with Antoni Ros Martinez, Program Manager of Disaster Services at Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team, which supports global humanitarian action and community development through open map data. Toni has acquired extensive working knowledge of humanitarian action and disaster management in complex environments, while collaborating with many international NGOs. We talk about Toni's past and current projects around the world, including numerous volunteering experiences, and recent work on the UN's vaccine distribution mapping programme.

To find out more about Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team, head to https://www.hotosm.org/.

----

Engenius is produced by a team of engineering students at the University of Bristol. To ask a question, submit an idea, or just say hi, email us at [email protected].

Intro/outro music kindly provided by @yemzo.

Harshinee, Beth and Ellie speak to Patricia Darez, an Aerospace Engineering graduate from the University of Bristol who is now a successful engineer and leader in the renewable energy sector. After starting her career as a physics teacher, Patricia is now a director of the Chilean Association for Renewable Energies, and Managing Director and partner at 350renewables, a boutique renewable energy consultancy. It is fascinating to hear about her varied career so far, and in particular her insight into being a woman working in STEM, and the challenges and opportunities of managing interdisciplinary teams internationally. To find out more about 350renewables, head to their website. 

----

Engenius is produced by a team of engineering students at the University of Bristol. To ask a question, submit an idea, or just say hi, email us at [email protected] Intro/outro music kindly provided by @yemzo.

Harshinee, Emily and Tom speak with Martin Bolton about his two roles as Head of Assembly at the Airbus Wing of Tomorrow project, and over the past year, assembly lead for VentilatorChallengeUK: one of the UK government's flagship programmes in the fight against COVID-19. 

It was fascinating to hear about the ambitious goals of both of these efforts, the similarities and differences between projects operating on vastly different timescales, and what can be achieved by cross-disciplinary teams, united by the common language of engineering.

To find out more about innovative projects at Airbus, check out this website (https://www.airbus.com/innovation.html). You can also learn about VentilatorChallengeUK here (https://www.ventilatorchallengeuk.com/) . 

----

Engenius is produced by a team of engineering students at the University of Bristol. To ask a question, submit an idea, or just say hi, email us at [email protected]

Intro/outro music kindly provided by @yemzo.

Harshinee, Beth and Seren speak with Ved Krishna, Strategy Head at Yash Pakka: an India-based paper manufacturing company, which uses agricultural sugar cane waste to create its products. In 2017, Ved launched CHUK, an offshoot of the Yash Pakka brand which specialises in creating 100% home compostable tableware and packaging solutions. With CHUK, Ved aims to provide alternatives to single-use plastic and polystyrene foam, hopefully leading to a healthier and less polluted planet.

We thoroughly enjoyed chatting to Ved about how his products are made and how he draws inspiration from biomimicry in searching for innovative solutions. 

To find out more about Yash Pakka, head to https://www.yashpakka.com/.

----

Engenius is produced by a team of engineering students at the University of Bristol. To ask a question, submit an idea, or just say hi, email us at [email protected]

Intro/outro music kindly provided by @yemzo.

Tom and Jade speak with Alan Champneys, a Professor of Applied Non-linear Mathematics at the University of Bristol's unique department of Engineering Mathematics. Alan's candid and engaging lecturing style is loved throughout the Engineering faculty, and we talk about this at length in this eclectic conversation.

We also cover his technical research and the power of abstract mathematical problem solving, the grand challenges facing engineers of the future, and the importance of open and honest discussion about mental health and wellbeing.

To find out more about Engineering Mathematics at Bristol - the UK's top-ranked general engineering programme - head to www.bristol.ac.uk/engineering/depa…ing-mathematics/. Following Alan's recommendation, you can watch Tim Minchin's famous graduation speech at youtu.be/yoEezZD71sc.

----

Engenius is produced by a team of engineering students at the University of Bristol. To ask a question, submit an idea, or just say hi,

Intro/outro music kindly provided by @yemzo.

Seren and Tom speak with Sven Schmitz-Leuffen, an environmental engineer and information management expert at the United Nations Environment Programme. Sven has over 12 years of work experience in 10 different countries, tackling water, sanitation and resource management challenges using Geographic Information Systems.

Sven shares stories of working in countries hugely impacted by natural disasters, conflict and climate change, and gives his thoughts on where we should be investing our time today to have the greatest impact in solving these problems.

To find out more about the UN Environment Programme, head to www.unep.org/. You can also explore Sven's incredible photography at www.2slphotography.com/.

----

Engenius is produced by a team of engineering students at the University of Bristol. To ask a question, submit an idea, or just say hi,

Intro/outro music kindly provided by @yemzo.