Applications for 2014 Industrial Fellowships invited

What does the Great Exhibition of 1851 have to do with studying for an engineering doctorate in 2014?

Well, applications for 2014 Industrial Fellowships from the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 are now being invited (see AEngD news). The Fellowships are worth up to £80,000 over three years, and the most recent cohort of successful candidates included three EngD candidates.

A 2012 Fellow, Maria Felice, will be at the AEngD conference in London on 26 November as one of the shortlisted finalists in the AEngD Engineering Research Writer of the Year competition (post).

Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851

The Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 was established in 1850 by Queen Victoria to organise the Great Exhibition. Prince Albert was appointed President and took personal charge of the whole complex operation.

The Exhibition was an enormous success and made a substantial profit. The Commission, about to be dissolved, was enjoined by Royal Charter to remain constituted and to administer the profits for charitable purposes. The Charter charged the Commission with 'increasing the means of industrial education and extending the influence of science and art upon productive industry'.

To this end the Commission purchased 86 acres of land in South Kensington and established the unique cultural site of three great museums, the Royal Albert Hall and what have become renowned institutions of learning, including Imperial College and the Royal Colleges of Art and Music. It continues to own the freehold of, and manage, much of this estate.

When this huge undertaking was largely complete, there remained sufficient funds for the Royal Commission to set up, in 1891, an educational trust to perpetuate its aims. In spite of generous funding of many worthy enterprises right from the outset, these slender resources have been carefully husbanded over the years. Today, with capital assets of over £60m, annual charitable disbursement approaches £2m.

Giving fellowships and grants to pure research in science and engineering, applied research in industry, industrial design and other projects, the Commission supports the development of science and technology, and its profitable exploitation by British Industry. The first Industrial Fellowships were awarded in 1990

Improving public understanding of STEM subjects through communication

It's not just the AEngD which is focused on the need to improve public understanding of STEM subjects through communication (through, for example, our Engineering Research Writer of the Year competition, and local initiatives by industrial doctorate centres such as the Systems Centre).

The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) recently announced that the 2013 winner of the CIPR President’s Medal will be decided by CIPR member nominations for an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the public understanding of science through effective communication.

This initiative, led by current CIPR President Sue Wolstenholme, intends to highlight the contribution of a non-professional communicator in the fields of medicine, mathematics, technology and engineering. If you would like to suggest a nomination, it may be worth seeking out a CIPR member (many university PR departments and in-house communications team include CIPR members), but do it soon; the deadline is 22 November.

The future of the EngD

The annual conference of the Association of Engineering Doctorates, to be held in London on 26 November, will debate the future of the EngD qualification in light of new research into EngD impacts and recent changes in EPSRC funding (AEngD news).

New AEngD/EPSRC-funded research from Manchester Business School looking at the impact of the EngD qualification (see previous post) will be presented by Dr Fumi Kitagawa at the AEngD conference at the Building Centre.

The event will also consider the Engineering Council's view of the route from EngD to Chartered Engineer status (recent post), and recent changes to the EPSRC funding affecting various industrial doctorate centres. Details of the full impact are currently sketchy; most if not all affected centres have been informed, but an official announcement is expected from EPSRC later this month - just before the AEngD conference.

The conference also aims to stimulate discussion among current and recent EngD research engineers about what the AEngD could do to support them during their four-year research terms. If you are a current RE, this is your chance to influence and get involved with the future activities of the AEngD.

Lastly, but by no means least, finalists in the AEngD Engineering Research Writer of the Year competition (shortlist post) will also present their papers at the conference - which, with the Manchester Business School research impacts presentation, makes it ideal for existing and potential industry sponsors to learn about EngD research benefits and outcomes.

Book your place at the AEngD 2013 conference here (opens in new window).

DesigningBuildings / Development Securities ideas competition: £500 prize

DesigningBuildings (an expert wiki devoted to the built environment - and so relevant to a good number of EngD research centres, though admittedly some more than others) is running an ideas competition, in conjunction with Development Securities focused on the question: How do we keep investors interested in UK property?

It's different to our recent Engineering Research Writer of the Year award (finalists to present in London on 26 November - book your seat now) which looked for 800 word essays. Instead, short and fresh ideas are welcomed, and there is a £500 prize for innovative ideas.

Julian Barwick, Director, Development Securities says:

“We need to harness the creative thinking of practitioners if the UK is to succeed in the global market. This competition is about harvesting good ideas and a bit of crystal ball gazing. We are looking for free and lateral thought, particularly from those with a fresh view.”

Sounds like a good place for EngD researchers and alumni to show their originality....

Shortlist for 2013 Engineering Research Writer of the Year

To mark the first anniversary of the formal launch of the Association of Engineering Doctorates, we are holding a further conference - to be held at the Building Centre, London, on 26 November - and promoting the outcomes of EngD research by getting researchers to write about their studies. The Engineering Research Writer of the Year competition attracted some great entries, which were wittled down to two shortlists:

EngD graduates/alumni: actual impact (describing tangible benefits actually delivered during and/or as a result of the researcher's project):

• Javid Khan (Centre in Optics and Photonics Technologies, Heriot-Watt University) - Holographic volumetric 3D displays
• Marek Kubik (Technologies for Sustainable Built Environments, University of Reading) - The winds of change

EngD research engineers: potential impact (potential benefits that could be delivered during and/or as a result of the researcher's project):

• Laura Daniels (Technologies for Sustainable Built Environments, University of Reading) - Diesel generators and demand side management
• Christos Ellinas (EngD in Systems, University of Bristol) - An engineer imagines. Again.
• Maria Felice (Centre for Non-Destructive Evaluation, University of Bristol) - Let's get cracking!
• Rob Hughes (Centre for Non-Destructive Evaluation, University of Warwick) - Pushing the limits of materials testing

To reach the shortlists candidates have all demonstrated that they have thought about and understood their audience and can convey information about their engineering challenge, and their research response to that challenge, in a readable way. They have all been invited to deliver a short presentation (no longer than eight minutes) at the AEngD conference on the afternoon of Tuesday 26 November - if they can't make it, we may get them to summarise their research in a short video! The winners, each receiving £250, will be announced during the post-conference drinks reception immediately after the conference. To register to attend the conference, please click here.

Last call for entries for Engineering Research Writer of the Year 2013

The deadline for entries to the AEngD writing competition is midnight on Monday 30 September 2013. We want EngD research engineers and recent alumni to write short articles promoting public interest in their research. The writers of the two best articles will each win £250.

As part of its commitment to promoting the EngD qualification, the AEngD is seeking articles that address any area of engineering and would be suitable for publication in a magazine (for example, the RAEng magazine) and/or a broadsheet newspaper. Shortlisted writers, who should be current EngD research engineers or recent alumni, will be invited to present their papers at a London event in November 2013, and the writers of the two articles judged best will each win £250.