Durham University Department of Engineering

A Warm welcome to our new 24/25 cohort of L1 Engineers. We look forward to welcoming you to Durham in September, and wishing you all the best as you embark on your studies with us. Feel free to DM us with any questions you have about Engineering at Durham, we are happy to help!

DURHAM CLIMATE HUB is pleased to invite you to 2 talks, with time for discussion, on Thursday 8 August on the theme of SCALING UP NATURE RESTORATION: THE CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES.

Doors open at 6pm (for those wishing to buy refreshment from the café), talk from 6.30 - 8pm.

Durham Climate Hub, Northern Stores & Deli, Unit 36, High Street, Durham DH1 3UL (in Prince Bishops Shopping centre, next to T J Hughes).

'Protecting and conserving wildlife from Tees to Tyne.'
Talk by JIM COKILL, Durham Wildlife Trust.
'The researcher, the shooter, and the single malt maker: 3 in a bog.'

Talk by JESS FIOR-BERRY, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) UK Peatland Programme.

Following on from our screening of the film ‘Why Not Scotland' we are holding a talk and Q & A with two expert speakers. They will help us explore the opportunities and barriers to rewilding and conservation. David Attenborough says we must 'rewild the world' so how can we increase the scale and pace of projects? What is being done in county Durham and how can we support this urgent need?

DrJessica Fìor-Berry has worked in UK peatlands for the past 6 years, initially starting out at Natural England working on agri-environmental restoration agreements. She joined the IUCN UK Peatland Programme as Policy Lead in 2023. She works across the four UK nations to embed the scientific consensus into peatland policy, and build collaborative partnerships between stakeholders to strive towards the core goal of the Peatland Programme, thriving, healthy peatlands for the benefit of nature and people.

Jim Cokill is Director of Durham Wildlife Trust and is currently Chair of the County Durham Environment and Climate Change Partnership. He has recently developed and implemented new income streams based on Nutrient Neutrality and Biodiversity Net Gain, embracing new opportunities to deliver nature recovery at scale.

PLEASE BOOK your place & bring a £2 donation. [email protected]

Applications are now invited for a Doctoral Teaching Fellow in Electrical or Electronic Engineering at the Department of Engineering. This role will support the completion of a PhD whilst acquiring teaching skills that will enhance career progression👇
https://www.durham.ac.uk/departments/academic/engineering/news/durham-doctoral-teaching-fellow/

We are co-hosting a funded PHD project with the Energy and Environment Institute at Hull University with their CDT in offshore wind. Apply using the QR code above by 31/7 for this opportunity!

WES Durham will be hosting a coffee morning on Tuesday 25th June 11:00 - 11:30 in E245 to celebrate International Women's Engineering Day 2024. Please join us for a tea/coffee and some cake/biscuits.

They will then be livestreaming Stemazing's INWED webinar from 11:30 - 13:00 for anyone that would like to stop for some or all of this.

All welcome, feel free to bring along a friend or colleague.

WES Durham University

On behalf of the UK National Clean Maritime Research Hub, we’re delighted to announce that registration is now open for our Clean Maritime Research Conference on 3rd July 2024!

The conference is taking place at Bayes Business School, City University, London, EC1Y 8TZ.

Head over to Eventbrite to find out more and secure your place! https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/866647103817?aff=oddtdtcreator

The final Network-H2 Research Conference will take place on the 4th of July, at Bayes Business School in London. This event follows on from the Clean Maritime Research Conference that is taking place in the same venue on the 3rd July 2024.

The Network-H2 conference will be opened by Professor Tony Roskilly who has 30 years’ experience in the design, control and optimisation of transport and energy systems.

The day will focus on key areas such as:

- Hydrogen Transport Innovation Landscape
- Hydrogen Transport Technologies
Policy and Economics

The event is from 09:00 until 16:00 with refreshment breaks and lunch provided. Please highlight any dietary requirements when prompted in the registration / ticket stages of this process.

To register for this event please follow the link to the Eventbrite page:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/922811432837?aff=oddtdtcreator

Durham Energy Institute

During this term many of our final year undergraduate students will be exploring postgraduate study options.



Durham is a great place in which to remain for postgraduate study. Many students have a deep affinity with the University, and value the sense of continuity which postgraduate study here provides, especially if studying a one-year taught Master’s programme.

Students who are looking to undertake postgraduate study may find our Progress to Postgrad sessions useful to join as well. These online sessions provide an opportunity for students to learn more about what being a Durham postgraduate student is like and to ask questions:

https://www.durham.ac.uk/visit-us/open-days/postgraduate/progress-to-postgrad/

On the 19th of June 2024 we will have the 2024 PGR Engineering conference where our PhDs and MSc-R students present their research to the department. If you’re interested in anything to do with engineering and its applications then please do come along and attend some of the talks!

There will be a screening of Six Inches of Soil on the 19th June at 7.30pm in the Music Department on Palace Green, followed by an expert panel discussion and Q&A. This is a great event for all engineers, particularly those interested in geotechnics! Tickets are free but limited, so please copy and paste the following to come along: https://kinema.com/events/six-inches-of-soil-oatlx

The role of Small Island States in driving climate action beyond the climate change regime: A year of ground-breaking advisory proceedings before International Courts

Speakers:

Prof. Payam Akhavan, Counsel for COSIS, Professor of International Law at Massey College, University of Toronto

Catherine Amirfar, Co-counsel for COSIS, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP

Zachary Phillips, Crown Counsel with the Attorney General’s Chambers of Antigua and Barbuda

Dr Sarah Cooley, Senior Director of Climate Science at Ocean Conservancy; IPCC lead author

Dr Shobha Maharaj, Science Director at Terraformation; IPCC lead author

Dr Rozemarijn Roland Holst, Assistant Professor in International Environmental Law at Durham Law School, fellow of the Durham Energy Institute, co-director of the Durham Centre for Sustainable Development Law and Policy

Durham Energy Institute

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-role-of-small-island-states-in-driving-climate-action-tickets-761064714047?aff=ebemoffollowpublishemail&ref=&utm_campaign=following_published_event&utm_content=follow_notification&utm_medium=email&utm_source=eventbrite

Teresa Dillon, Artist & Professor of City Futures at the School of Art & Design, UWE, Bristol

“Matters of Material Maintenance” focuses on artistic practices that work at the ‘break point’ of material and technological failure. When things break down, the web of forces (Bennet, 2009) that connects things, to other things is revealed. This in turn demands that we pay attention to how stuff is made in the first place. For when we engage in acts of repair, we are confronted with questions not only about the primary commodities that constitute an objects’ make up, but also tap into the labour conditions, distribution channels, access to spare parts and the costs and skills available to repair an object. Such emphasises engages a form of broken world thinking (Jackson, 2014), where processes of erosion, breakdown, glitch, and decay, as opposed to the new and novel, become the starting points, for rethinking a broader political ecology of stuff. Placing specific attention on media art practices, this talk explores what it means to work the ‘break point’ and how such art making, connects not only to other fields of critical research but also provides pointers for how we may transition to more circular societies and regenerative material matters.

Durham Energy Institute

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/matters-of-material-maintenance-tickets-918689263317?aff=ebemoffollowpublishemail&ref=eemail&utm_campaign=following_published_event&utm_content=follow_notification&utm_medium=email&utm_source=eventbrite

With today being the first day after our exam period we’d like to wish a huge congratulations to all students. Have a lovely well-earned break!

To celebrate all things Star Wars, Durham Venture Lab presents a remarkable two-day event: Star Wars Hoth’s Last Stand Tournament DESIGN SPRINT. On 7th and 8th June from 9:30-5:30 the New Republic Challenge will take place in the Hazan Venture Lab in the Maths and Computer Science building. It is a chance for fellow Star Wars fans to meet each other and compete in the 2-day creative challenge. Current students can check their Durham inboxes for more details

We enjoyed sharing our views on decarbonisation and net zero systems at the Durham Energy Institute. With members from The National Grid and Energy Leeds it was a great opportunity for all present.

Congratulations to Durham’s Emilia Russel who has made the 2024 Young Person’s Lecture Competition UK Final! Her fascinating discussion is a comprehensive guide on the future of this technology, and even draws parallels between crinkled semiconductors and the similarly shaped crisps. Well done to her!

On the 6th June there is a conference to support the North of England’s regional semiconductor industry; This is a chance to learn more about the role of semiconductors within Electrical Engineering, so please email [email protected] for more details if interested.

Sign up to the North East City Nature Challenge with 4 steps and take part in a really important project to record wildlife on campus 🍀🌿

We are pleased to announce multiple subjects have been recognised in the QS university subject rankings. Take a look below to read more and see who has been recognised👇

https://tr.ee/dqIuhTXL_a

Policy makers, regulators, service providers and advice bodies have been triply challenged by stubborn levels of fuel poverty, an explosive energy-supercharged cost of living crisis and the demands of accelerating progress toward net zero targets. Despite costly and varied interventions, we are emerging from the worst of the crisis without a coherent policy framework that learns the lessons of recent years and anticipates the challenges of the years to come. The benefit case for interventions around energy affordability is conservative and under-explored. The strong strategic alignment between fuel poverty and net zero interventions are asserted but not followed through. The regulatory protections for the most vulnerable energy consumers are held back, in the hope that the market will right itself and the challenge can be largely avoided. National Energy Action identifies five critical and foundational actions so that the interests of those that struggle most to afford the cost of a warm and healthy home are finally put at the heart of the public and regulatory policy agenda not only to mitigate the impact of high energy costs but to realise the benefits of the low carbon transition.

Adam has been Chief Executive of National Energy Action, a charity that campaigns against fuel poverty in the UK, since 2017. He has been a consumer rights campaigner for many years including at major UK consumer bodies such as Which? energywatch, Consumer Focus and Citizens Advice. He has been a member of numerous industry advisory boards and committees from civil aviation to insurance fraud. Fuel poverty, consumer vulnerability and the challenge of decarbonisation have been key drivers throughout his career.

Arrow Innovation – An Introduction

28 March 2024, 1pm-2pm, Zoom
Claire Copeland, Senior Innovation Associate

This presentation provides an overview of the Arrow Innovation programme that has recently commenced delivery through Durham University. The aim of the programme, that is funded by the UK SPF, is to increase innovation in North East businesses by engaging with university expertise. This programme provides academics with the opportunity to increase the impact of their work by engaging with local businesses in the region.

The presentation will include examples of completed Arrow Innovation projects that have been delivered in the North East and there will be opportunities to ask the team questions.

Durham University Arrow Innovation Team:

Dr Chris Howell, Senior Business Development Manager:

Chris has a PhD in materials science and over 14 years’ experience in both industry and academia. Research areas include composites, electrospinning, polyurethanes, graphene, and polymer self-assembly, among others. Chris has worked on prototyping projects including developing inexpensive fast throughput microscope for surface analysis, an electrospinning rig to make bio-compatible nanofibres, and an oven to cure carbon fibre parts for automotive and rapid prototyping.



Dr Andrea Zachariou, Senior Innovation Associate:

Andrea has a PhD in Heterogeneous Catalysis that used spectroscopic techniques to study the Methanol-to-Hydrocarbons reaction (olefins/gasoline potentially from bio-sourced methanol). Andrea has completed a number of research projects mainly on catalysis with a focus on sustainable alternatives to industrial processes, as well as material characterisation.



Claire Copeland, Senior Innovation Associate:

Claire has recently completed a PhD in energy futures combining participation with an exploratory futures approach. She has undertaken research on a range of energy and net zero emissions projects including regional energy planning, local green new deals and wellbeing, local government tools for net zero emissions decision making, and translation of qualitative information to quantitative using Bayesian statistical methods.

To further Durham University’s commitment to equality and inclusion, there are scholarships available for Women seeking study in STEM.
Please see more here 👉 https://brnw.ch/21wHL41

Renew-a-ball Crazy Golf Challenge - by PEAs and Inspiron Learning

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Are you passionate about the environment? Do you like designing things?

We invite all creators, designers, innovators, problem solvers to come design a crazy golf course. If doesn't have to be fancy- all you need is a paper and pencil! The best design wins £50 prize money!
This challenge will create awareness about sustainability, provide an educational and practical experience for participants and... it will be great fun!

If you are curious to learn more visit our challenge Website:
https://sites.google.com/view/renew-a-ball-challenge/home

The HKUST Engineering Summer Camp for Elite Students 2024, organized by the School of Engineering of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), will be held at HKUST in Hong Kong on 22-26 July 2024.

This invitation extends to senior undergraduate or master’s students to join the Summer Camp.

The eligibility of applicants is as follows:

- Undergraduate or master’s students in engineering-related disciplines from a recognized institution outside Hong Kong
- Demonstrate outstanding qualities of academic performance and research potential
- Proficient in English


For details, please visit the website: https://seng.hkust.edu.hk/academics/research-postgraduate/summer-camp

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology - HKUST

The Venture Lab Accelerator is an immersive eight-week, in person programme designed for early-stage startups.

This is an exclusive opportunity to be part of a highly-talented cohort of individuals, developing innovative solutions to significant problems, and includes:

A monthly stipend to cover living costs throughout the programme duration.
Engaging workshops aimed at refining entrepreneurial skills and advancing the development of new ventures.
Mentoring and interactive guest talks featuring successful alumni entrepreneurs and investors.
Comprehensive support from the Venture Lab team to accelerate your progress.
The programme runs from 15th July to 6th September 2024.


Applications will be open from 19th February to 19th April 2024.

We invite both individuals and teams of Durham students and graduates leading early-stage ventures with scalability potential to apply.

To learn more about this exciting opportunity and have the chance to ask questions, the Venture Lab Team invites you to participate in our Discovery Sessions held online on Tuesday 27th February at 12:30pm and Thursday 29th February at 12:30 pm.

Durham Venture School

Professor Simon Hogg
Ørsted Professor in Renewable Energy
Durham University, Durham University Department of Engineering

Wind turbines and their role in the green energy revolution

The Point at ARC Stockton Arts Centre saw a packed audience enthralled by a talk from Durham University professor in renewable energy Simon Hogg. His opening question was ‘what percentage of the UK’s energy comes from wind power?

Change or Chaos? What will the 2024 Global Elections mean for the World?

Stephenson Ideas x Durham Global Week

Tuesday 27 February 2024

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2024 is not just an election year. It’s perhaps the election year.

In 2024, more than half the world’s population will go to polls—4.2 billion citizens across approximately 65 countries. From Taiwan to Bangladesh, from the UK to India, from Pakistan to Russia, these national elections will prove consequential for years to come. Not to mention, the elephant in the room; the U.S. presidential race culminating in November.

Join us for what promises to be a lively panel discussion with:

Dr. David Andersen is an Associate Professor in United States Politics. Dr. Andersen studies American politics and government, focusing on political psychology and political behaviour. His research explores how people learn about politics and then how what they learn influences what they believe and how they act politically.

Dr Kyriaki Nanou is an Associate Professor in European Union politics and joined Durham University's School of Government and International Affairs in 2018. She previously held a Lectureship in European politics at the University of Nottingham, a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford, a Max Weber Postdoctoral Fellowship at the European University Institute in Florence and a Fellowship in European Politics in the Department of Government at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Professor Thom Brooks is Professor of Law and Government at Durham University’s Law School. He has written 9 books, edited 30 books and published over 150 journal articles or book chapters since 2001. Prof Brooks works across citizenship and immigration, criminal justice and punishment, public policy and political/legal philosophy. He is an elected member of the Fabian Society executive committee and active Labour Party member.

Dr Avishek Parui is Associate Professor in English at the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Madras and an Associate Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Advanced Studies, currently in residence at Stephenson College for Epiphany Term 2024.

The talk will run from 18.30 - 19.30 on Tuesday 27 February 2024. Doors open at 18.00. The talk will be held in the Saltwell Building, Stephenson College, DH1 3DE. All members of the DU community welcome.

Cheese, charcuterie and wine will be served after the event in Platform 2. Please do let us know of any dietary requirements on this form.

To register for the talk and cheese and wine event, please complete the short form here: https://forms.office.com/e/zm9RV9quTt

The Empowering Engineers Symposium is happening on Wednesday 6th March 13:30 - 16:30 in the Teaching & Learning Centre 101 run by WES!

Charter is building the collaborative engineering operations and program management OS to make it simple to orchestrate building spacecraft and complex systems.

The Durham Tech Start-up have a number of job openings. For more visit: https://jobs.techstars.com/companies/charter-space-2 #

Charter Website: https://www.charter.space/

Durham University Durham Venture School

We are joined by three distinguished guest speakers:

Simon Sharp of UN Climate Champions and author of Five Times Faster: rethinking the science, economics and diplomacy of climate change.

Nameerah Hameed of Climate Outreach the world-renowned charity that advances communication on climate change

Suzan Krumdieck, professor of the School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society at Herriot Watt University.

Event info: https://trello.com/b/Jho2158S/cfca-events

Durham Energy Institute