The Buzz: A science and engineering podcast

Nuclear energy. It can be a controversial topic for some; for others, it has fantastic potential as a cleaner, greener energy source.

With this in mind we wanted to find out more about this fascinating field and, importantly, what the future holds for it.

Helping us answer these questions are Dr Aneeqa Khan, a Harwell Research Fellow in Nuclear Fusion in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, and Dr Laura Leay, a Dalton Fellow in Nuclear Engineering Innovation.

We discuss nuclear fusion and fission - and the important differences between the two - as well as the potential for nuclear energy, both now and in the future, plus the unique challenges this research area faces.

Could nuclear be the answer to our future energy needs? Find out in this powerful episode.

We’ve all been spending plenty of time in our homes of late – as the COVID pandemic rumbles on, lockdown continues and working from home remains a necessity for many.

With such a shift likely to impact working behaviours for years to come, and with sustainability a key focus for housebuilders and homeowners alike, we got to thinking: what will the sustainable homes of the future look like?

To help answer the question we speak to Claire Brown, a PhD researcher at The University of Manchester’s Tyndall Manchester, part of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change.

The Buzz is back! And in our second season we'll be attempting - with the help of our academic experts - to answer some of the biggest questions in science and engineering.

In this episode we speak to Dr Eamonn Kerins, an astrophysicist at The University of Manchester's Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, who tackles one of the most intriguing questions not only in the world, but the whole Universe: Do aliens exist?

It's something we've all pondered while looking up at the night sky - and Dr Kerins, a leading expert on the use of gravitational lensing to find exoplanets, offers unique insight into some of the fascinating theories and ideas that could, one day, uncover the truth.

This episode of The Buzz is dedicated to one of The University of Manchester’s most treasured heroes – Alan Turing.

We speak to Turing’s nephew Dermot Turing, who tells us more about Turing’s time at Bletchley Park.

We also chat with James Sumner, Senior Lecturer in History, and find out about Turing’s work at The University of Manchester.

In this episode of The Buzz we take a deep dive into the wonder material that established Manchester’s place at the forefront of global scientific innovation – graphene.

Manchester is known as ‘Graphene City’ – and with good reason. It was here that the 2D material was first isolated in 2004 by two of our physicists - Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov.

Today, graphene continues to fascinate scientists and industrialists alike. The material has been used in everything from trainers and tennis racquets to cars and clothing. It has been used in surfacing, batteries and even to create a sieve that can desalinate water – potentially making seawater drinkable.

Tuesday, 23 June is International Women in Engineering Day – an event that celebrates the female engineers making waves and solving challenges across the globe. But why do we need a special day to celebrate this?

According to the WISE Campaign, there are now over 50,000 women in engineering roles in the UK – nearly double the figure a decade ago. However, to put this into perspective, this accounts for only 10% of the UK’s entire engineering workforce. There is still work to be done.

In this episode of The Buzz, we chat to a couple of the Faculty of Science and Engineering’s own engineers. We ask Professor of Radio Frequency Engineering Danielle George MBE what inspired her to make the move from science to engineering during her time at Jodrell Bank. And we ask Dr Jessica Boland, Lecturer of Functional Materials and Devices at the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, what we can do to inspire more girls to choose engineering as both a study and career choice. 

There’s also the return of our regular feature, Kids’ Questions, with one listener asking why there aren’t more female scientists. And we showcase a few of our engineering heroes from the last hundred years – including a motorcycle legend and a star of the silver screen.

In this episode of The Buzz, we round up all the COVID-19 news from across the Faculty of Science and Engineering. We take a closer look at how our very own scientists and engineers are helping during the ongoing crisis.

We speak to Dr Lorenzo Pellis of the Department of Mathematics who, together with Dr Ian Hall and Dr Thomas House, has been crunching the numbers and using his expertise in mathematical monitoring to advise the government on its coronavirus strategy. Assisting the trio are a band of researchers and PhD students – including Bindu Vekaria and Jacob Curran-Sebastian, who we also grab for a (remote) chat.

Meanwhile, Dr Andrew Weightman of the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering (MACE), has used his engineering expertise to solve a problem with ventilators at one of Manchester’s largest hospitals. He tells us how he employed 3D printing to come up with the solution. Computer Science graduate Thomas Macpherson-Pope has also been using 3D printing to help frontline workers – all while in lockdown.

Finally, Dr Obuks Ejohwomu, lecturer in Project Management at MACE, discusses his role assisting Manchester City Council (MCC) to coordinate and test thousands of pieces of PPE so that they can be delivered to key workers in the city.

This episode we're talking all things dinosaurs, and learning about one of the University's most exciting projects: Mission Jurassic!

At a top-secret site in Wyoming, thousands of dinosaur bones await discovery - we speak to project leaders Prof Phil Manning and Dr Victoria Egerton about the dig.

We also catch up with Dr Russell Garwood, discussing extinction events and their relevance today.

In part two of our Women in Science episode we focus on girls in science, examining the 'leaky pipeline' and why young females are dissuaded from a career in STEM. We speak to Dr Kristy Turner, a chemistry teacher at both university and secondary school, and Dr Lynne Bianchi, Director of the Great Science Share for Schools.

In this episode of The Buzz, we celebrate The University of Manchester’s own women of science – both past and present. We speak to Prof Danielle George and Dr Andrea Murray about their careers in science and the people who inspire them, and we chat about some of Manchester’s iconic women of science.