Engineering Matters

Helping the next generation achieve their full potential doesn’t just take commitment from their parents or carers, or from professionals like teachers. It takes, as the saying goes, a village. In Derby, nuclear engineer Katie Jarman has assembled the equivalent of a village full of volunteer maths tutors, all recruited from her employer Rolls-Royce, to help local school children achieve their academic and career goals. Working with local schools, Katie and more than a hundred Rolls-Royce volunteers dedicate an hour a week of their time, over six weeks, to support and encourage children as they prepare for their maths GCSEs. These end-of-school exams can be vital to progressing on to further and higher education, and to careers in engineering and elsewhere. In this episode, part of our series on Engineering Matters Awards Gold Champions, Katie tells us how she set the programme up, and why it is helping Rolls-Royce strengthen its business. As she explains, this is a programme that is ready for emulation by engineering businesses around the world.  Guest Katie Jarman, assistant chief engineer, Rolls-Royce Novel NuclearThe post #330 A Village Full of Maths Tutors – Engineering Matters Awards’ winners first appeared on Engineering Matters.

Ben Gibbons and his colleagues at Circular11 are developing ways to add value to hard-to-recycle light plastics. They take packaging, and turn it into a lumber-equivalent, suitable for long term use as post and rail fencing. But to maintain tight loops of circularity, they needed to understand the supply chain they were targeting. National Highways designed a programme to help innovators like Circular11 scale their ideas. The sustainable plastic re-use business, alongside three other start-ups, went all the way through to the final phase—live trials on the UK’s strategic roads network—of this Acceleration Low Carbon Innovation programme, organised with the help of the Connected Places Catapult. The accelerator was awarded Gold Champion in the Net Zero category of the Engineering Matters Awards. In this episode, we learn about the challenges facing SMEs as they try to enter the complex and highly regulated roadbuilding sector. We hear how the programme was designed to bring together SMEs, established contractors, and roadbuilding experts, helping scale sustainable innovations, in a way that is ripe for emulation by other major clients.Entry for the 2026 Engineering Matters Awards is now open. Guests Melissa Giusti, Principal Innovation Advisor, National Highways Ben Gibbons, CEO, Circular11 The post #329 Scaling Low Carbon Innovation – Engineering Matters Awards’ winners first appeared on Engineering Matters.

Worldwide, water is in short supply and high demand, with very real consequences for human health and security. Many countries struggle to maintain aging networks, meaning that more than 20% of clean water is lost before it reaches the customer. New industries, like data centres, are adding to demand, as they use water for cooling. In this episode, we look at the work of FIDO Tech, which is using AI and acoustics to identify leaks. The idea of listening for leaks is not new. Traditionally, water company engineers would use a steel rod with an ear cup to listen to water flowing through a pipe. But this is a skilled job, which takes time and staff resources to perform. FIDO first developed its process as part of an innovation accelerator backed by United Utilities. Bringing the product to market demanded careful thought about physical sensor design, and rigorous training of their AI. In a four week trial with Thames Water, their system was able to work through 45,000 historic recordings, and identify leaks with more than 90% accuracy. Now, the company is developing their system to allow for real time detection of leaks, across water networks. Guests Victoria Edwards, CEO/Founder, FIDO Tech Paul Parr, Global Technical Director, FIDO TechThe post #328 Listening for Leaks – Engineering Matters Awards Innovation Champion, FIDO first appeared on Engineering Matters.

On the coast of rural Cumbria, in England’s northeast, a once-secretive nuclear site is transforming its legacy by investing in the engineers of tomorrow. Sellafield, known historically for producing weapons-grade plutonium and nuclear energy, has now begun the 100 year process of decommissioning. At the Sellafield Engineering & Maintenance Centre of Excellence, engineers research and develop new technologies for the nuclear industry and engage with the local community.  As the 2025 Community Gold winners at the Engineering Matters Awards, the team at Sellafield has been recognised for their exceptional outreach to local schools, students, and SEND communities, using engineering to inspire and empower the next generation. In this episode, we explore their work, Claire O’Connor, the social impact and community lead and Angela Broggins, work experience lead from the Centre of Excellence, along with Jo Hedley from Branthwaite Academy, explain how their unique, inclusive programmes give students not only technical skills but also the confidence to envision futures in STEM. Whether it’s hands-on robotics with primary pupils, bespoke work experience for neurodiverse students, or creating pathways into apprenticeships and employment, this team is reshaping what access to engineering education can look like. Listeners will learn how the Sellafield Centre of Excellence has shifted the narrative around nuclear engineering, from secrecy to openness, from decommissioning to development. We uncover how strategic, long-term community engagement can spark real change, and how tailored learning has already helped hundreds of young people find their place in the engineering world.The post #327 Nuclear Engineering for School Children – Engineering Matters Awards 2025 first appeared on Engineering Matters.

The past months have seen a shift in international trade, of a scale not seen for decades. New US tariffs have created uncertainty for investors, and promise to spark a global trade war. While these new challenges to cross-border trade are unique, recent years have seen another shift in industrial policy, particularly in the UK, with leaders on both sides of the political divide emphasising a pro-growth, abundance agenda. With such pressures on existing supply chains, and renewed attention to growth and productivity, can manufacturers still aim for decarbonisation? In this episode, first aired in March 2023, we present an idea that promises to boost growth, while meeting climate goals and protecting local supply chains.  Sam Turner, Net Zero champion for the UK’s High Value Manufacturing Catapult, proposes a new approach: not offshoring, but ‘greenshoring’. The strategy would see countries competing not just on their ability to supply cheap labour and materials, but on their ability to reduce carbon emissions and other environmental harms. It’s an approach that has been adopted by Frog Bikes, a manufacturer based in the UK’s Bike Valley, a regional cluster of businesses that aims to develop bicycle manufacturing in the country.  But the company has struggled to find the data it needs to prove its ability to compete in terms of carbon costs. Doing this will require the development of new carbon accounting tools, and of standards that allow them to be validated. Guests Katherine Bennett, CEO, High Value Manufacturing Catapult Sam Turner, Net Zero champion, High Value Manufacturing Catapult Russ Hall, chief engineer, Net Zero, High Value Manufacturing Catapult  Shelley Lawson, director, Frog Bikes Jerry Lawson, chief frog, Frog BikesThe post #326 Revisited: The Green, Green, Shores of Home first appeared on Engineering Matters.

The rise of AI and machine learning promises a revolution in how we live and work. Expert reasoning and mundane tasks will be completed for us in the cloud. But the cloud is not ethereal or abstract. It is a globe spanning mass of physical infrastructure. Enabling this transformation will demand a huge expansion in data centre construction.Data centres house the processing and computing power that the world relies on. Investors have pledged trillions for their construction. But their costs are environmental, as well as financial. From energy, to water, to materials, data centres require a lot of resources to build and operate. By 2030 the IEA (International Energy Agency) estimates that worldwide data centres will consume 1,000 terrawatt hours of electricity. Today an average data centre uses 300,000 litres of water a day. However sustainability in the industry is improving. In this episode, Josh Parker, head of sustainability for Nvidia, explains how improvements in chip design and accelerated computing have led to massive gains in efficiency over the last ten years, doing the same AI workload uses 100,000x less power. Sustainability gains go beyond operational energy use. As Professor Deborah Andrews highlights, e-waste and water usage are key issues the industry must address. And, as Damien Dumestier explains, the scale of this new sector will, perhaps, push innovation all the way into space. In this episode we explore what the industry is doing to become more sustainable, from improving energy efficiency, building data centres in novel and remote locations and by using AI itself to improve sustainability across industries. Guests Professor Deborah Andrews, professor of Design for Sustainability and Circularity, London South Bank University Josh Parker, head of sustainability, Nvidia Damien Dumestier, head of the ASCEND feasibility study, Thales Alenia Space Resources  IEA 2025 Energy and AI report The post #325 Real world sustainability and the digital revolution first appeared on Engineering Matters.

This February, with the flick of a switch, there was a vast shift of power on Europe’s borders. The Baltic states’ electrical grids, built in the 1960s while these countries were forcibly incorporated into the Soviet Union, had been under the control of Moscow. In one weekend, the transmission system operators in Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, working with partners in Poland and across continental Europe, disconnected from Russia, and synchronised their systems with those of their neighbours to the West. While the switchover took only a weekend of testing, and synchronisation occurred in an instant, the project was decades in the making. For the Baltic nations, the threat of Russian aggression had been clear as early as 2007, when Estonian institutions suffered a massive cyber attack. But securing the political and financial support of their neighbours would take careful diplomacy. The €1.6bn project would also require the deployment of cutting edge grid systems. These included synchronous condensers, needed to add inertia to grids as they move towards widespread use of renewable energy; new connections with the continental European grid; and investments in new high voltage lines and battery storage. In this episode, three of the leaders of this project, from Lithuania, Estonia, and Poland, share how they made the case for this investment in European energy security, and the work needed to upgrade grid systems across the region. They describe the excitement of the moment when synchronisation occurred, and the benefits to countries across Europe of a grid system that is secure and ready for the energy transition. Guests Hannes Kont, director of the synchronisation programme, Elering Donatas Matelionis, head of power systems operations, LitGrid Remigiusz Warzywoda, deputy director, international cooperation, PSE Photo  A new pylon in Estonia, part of the upgrade necessary for synchronisation. Courtesy of Tönu TunnelThe post #324 A Shift of Power on Europe’s Borders first appeared on Engineering Matters.

Engineers from around the world gathered at the Postal Museum in London for the Engineering Matters Awards 2025, presented in partnership with the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, IMechE, and Engineers Without Borders UK, EWB UK. In this episode, we introduce the award gold champions. In episodes to come, we will look in more detail at each winning entry.  The awards celebrate the impact that engineers have on people and the planet. This year, Gold Champion trophies were awarded to adi Group, ABB, Fido, Keltbray, the Lightyear Foundation, National Highways, Red Pitaya, Rolls Royce, and Sellafield Centre of Engineering Excellence. The Engineering Matters Awards will return in 2026, with entries opening soon. Guests Mateja Lampe, CEO, Red Pitaya Matt Lamb, Senior Design Engineer, Hiperenergy, Keltbray Melissa Giusti, Principal Innovation Advisor, National Highways Thomas Huggenberger, Product Manager, ABB Fabiana Cavalcante, Global Head of Mobile E-Power, ABB Victoria Edwards, CEO, Fido Katie Jarman, Assistant Chief Engineer, Rolls-Royce Novel Nuclear Alan Lusty, Founder/CEO, adi Group Emma Zeale, STEM Outreach Programme Manager, The Lightyear Foundation Rosie Mellors, Community Manager, The Lightyear Foundation Angela Groggins, Work Experience Lead, Sellafield Centre of Excellence Claire O’Connor, Social Impact Community Lead, Sellafield Centre of ExcellenceThe post #323 Engineers Deliver Impact: The Engineering Matters Awards 2025 first appeared on Engineering Matters.

Seagrass meadows are the engineers of the marine ecosystem. They provide habitats, support biodiversity, prevent coastal erosion and sequester carbon dioxide. For this reason Italy has embarked upon a world leading project to map these coastal ecosystems at a national scale, enabling it to plan protection and restoration measures that will improve ocean health and meet legislative targets.  This is only possible thanks to recent advances in coastal mapping technology and the sophisticated integration of state of the art data collected by a range of sources from satellite sensors, lidar and multibeam echosounders to hyperspectral cameras on autonomous underwater vessels. Guests Dr Hannah Brocke, co-founder and chief strategy officer, PlanBlue Benoit Cajelot, regional manager climate and nature, Europe and Africa, Fugro Professor Francesco Cinelli, Professor of Marine Ecology at University of Pisa  Dr Knut Hartmann, chief operating officer EOMAP, a Fugro company. Featuring Giordano Giorgi, project director, Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA) Resources Mapping Italy’s seagrass for biodiversity gain by Planet Beyond Partner Fugro is the world’s leading geo-data specialist, collecting and analysing comprehensive information about the Earth and the structures built upon it. Through integrated data acquisition, analysis and advice, Fugro unlocks insights from geo-data to help clients design, build and operate their assets in a safe, sustainable and efficient manner.The post #322 Engineering Ecosystems: Italy’s Seagrass Meadows first appeared on Engineering Matters.

We can reuse and retrofit buildings to extend their lifespans, and reduce their embodied carbon impact. But some structures may not be suitable for full reuse: some will have reached the end of their safe life; others will have no viable reuse; and some retrofit projects may require partial dismantling to reduce loadings on the original structure. But demolition or disassembly does not need to mark the end of the life of building materials. With care and planning, these can be dismantled and used anew. Around the UK, we see centuries old pubs and homes built using recovered timbers, from ships and structures. But this is just a starting point for materials reuse. In this episode, a follow-up to episode 315 Renewing the world, without costing the planet, we learn why architects and engineers should plan for materials reuse, from design through to demolition or disassembly. We examine how different materials can be reused. And we look at the development of trading platforms that enable the use of reclaimed materials at scale. Guests Will Arnold, head of climate action, IStructE Prof. Katherine Cashell, Department of Civil, Environmental & Geomatic Engineering (CEGE), University College London Mike Davies, co-founder/director, SD Engineers Image credit Installing a Re:Crete bridge in Wallis, Switzerland, courtesy of EPFL, under CC-BYThe post #321 Circular Construction – Designing for Disassembly first appeared on Engineering Matters.

Quantum mechanics has transformed our understanding of reality, but how did we get here? In this episode, we celebrate the International Year of Quantum, marking 100 years since the birth of this groundbreaking field. From the fierce debates between Einstein and Bohr to the mind-bending implications of superposition and entanglement, we explore how quantum mechanics has reshaped modern science and technology.  Dr. Paul Cadden-Zimansky, Associate Professor of Physics at Bard College, a physicist and science communicator, untangles the complicated history and science behind quantum mechanics. With years of experience bridging complex scientific ideas and public understanding, Paul takes us on a journey through the milestones and debates that defined quantum theory in the early years of its development. The episode explores how quantum mechanics emerged from early 20th-century experiments, the heated philosophical battles that shaped its interpretation, and why its implications continue to challenge our understanding of reality. Paul explains how quantum mechanics has shaped groundbreaking technologies throughout the 20th and early 21st century. We learn how quantum theory is fuelling today’s cutting-edge technologies, from quantum computing to secure communications.  Guests Paul Cadden-ZimanskyThe post #320 International Year of Quantum: 100 Years of Quantum Mechanics first appeared on Engineering Matters.

Britain’s biodiversity has been declining sharply over the last 50 years. The country is now one of the most nature-depleted nations in the world. Despite legislation and efforts to stem the tide of wildlife population decline, little has helped.In February 2025, the UK government announced a new approach to reintroductions of beavers in England. The animals’ dam-building helps maintain wetlands and dissipate floods. But they are not nature’s only green engineers. Looming above the charming rodents are bison, whose grazing can help maintain biodiverse woodlands. In this episode, originally aired in 2023, we look at a project to make use of this behaviour. Some Wildlife Trusts and organisations now support a more nature based approach to wildlife and land management. Rewilding is the process of helping nature return to its natural state and one of the best ways of doing that is by letting big animals do the job of wildlife managers. In Kent, in the Summer of 2022, a family of European Bison, the first to roam wildly in the UK for thousands of years, were released into the Blean Woods. The hope is as they move through the woods, they will interact with the environment around them creating better, more livable habitats for the entire ecosystem. It’s also not just Bison, across the UK species that once lived here are being returned to see if they can play a role in managing and improving this island’s depleted wildlife. Guests Paul Hadaway. Kent Wildlife Trust Sara King, Rewilding Manager, Rewilding Britain Resources For more on the Bison reintroduction project, click here For more on Rewilding Britain, click here  2025 Defra Guidance on wild release and management of beavers in EnglandThe post #319 Revisited: Green Engineering, with Bison first appeared on Engineering Matters.

At a unique hackathon in Manchester, a diverse group of hackers, coders, and gamers gathered to design digital solutions for the nuclear industry, blending innovation, teamwork, and pressure-driven problem-solving.  The event, called HackAFuture, served as a groundbreaking careers initiative, offering the winning team not just bragging rights, but jobs with AtkinsRéalis developing their solution.  This was the brainchild of Darren Grears, Director, Head of Digital, Nuclear & Power EMEA at AtkinsRéalis and Sam Stephens, Head of Digital, Nuclear, at AtkinsRéalis. They share insights into what made them want to set up the HackAFuture event and why digital and gaming skills are required in the nuclear industry. This episode travels through the 24 hours of the hack, from the kick off, to the winner being announced. With insights from judges, organisers and competitors on the HackAFuture event, it gives a glimpse of the future of the nuclear industry.  Guests Darren Grears, Director, Head of Digital, Nuclear & Power EMEA, AtkinsRéalisSam Stephens, Head of Digital, Nuclear, AtkinsRéalis Candice Long, Digital Solutions Wngineer, AtkinsRéalis Alexandra Hussenot, Chief Revenue Officer, Igloo Vision  Partner AtkinsRéalis is a world-leading professional services and project management company dedicated to engineering a better future for our planet and its people. Employing over 37,000 people across Canada, the US and Latin America, the UK and Ireland, and Asia, the Middle East, and Australia, AtkinsRéalis creates sustainable solutions that connect people, data and technology to transform the world’s infrastructure and energy systems.The post #318 Gaming Out a Career in Nuclear first appeared on Engineering Matters.

When we search for causes of accidents, we often assume a binary: either mechanical failure, or human error, were to blame, and we must pick between them. But labelling an accident as caused by human error doesn’t teach us anything. It makes no effort to understand what caused people to make the decisions they did. From aviation and healthcare to energy and defense, understanding how people interact with complex systems is key to improving safety, efficiency, and decision-making. At the most recent annual Thomas Hawksley lecture, organised by The Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Professor Sarah Sharples, the chief scientific advisor to the Department for Transport, opened a discussion titled Humans and Automations – Safety by Design. In this episode, we hear her advice on how to consider the science of human factors in engineered systems. Mark Young, Professor of Human Factors in Transport, was part of the discussion, and joins the episode to explain how cognitive factors like workload, stress, and situational factors all contribute to humans abilities to make decisions, particularly when under pressure.  As we move into an ever more autonomous world, humans in many sectors are becoming overseers of complex systems. This creates a new paradigm for human factors, not just asking how to get the best performance out of humans in a system, but how to empower people to intervene when a system goes wrong. Guests Sarah Sharples, chief scientific advisor, Department for Transport  Mark Young, professor of human factors in transport, University of Southampton, President of Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human FactorsThe post #317 Human Factors, Human Error, and Safety by Design first appeared on Engineering Matters.

AI is evolving so fast it eludes definition. The potential impact of the field is barely understood, even by those working in it. ‘Move-fast-and-break-things’ practitioners are deploying AI systems in autonomous vehicles, in courts, in medical diagnosis, and now even at the heart of the US federal government.  Few of the constraints that govern individual and corporate behaviour are being applied to the field. Large corporations are shaping the sector faster than governments can act. In a society where few have a useful understanding of the technology, neither market signals or social norms can steer how good AI systems are produced, and harms prevented. But experts and institutions are proposing systems that might professionalise the sector, establishing best practices and avoiding harms.  In this episode, Fordham Law School’s Chinmayi Sharma shares her proposal for a ‘Hippocratic Oath for AI’, that could bring the same professional duties to AI developers as are followed by surgeons. Peter Bannister, whose business Romilly Life Sciences supports the development of cutting edge medical devices, explains how his institution, the IET, is already shaping a professional approach to this technology. And Humboldt Prize-winning pharmacologist David Colquhoun shares a story from early in his career that illustrates the importance of ongoing monitoring of adverse effects of innovative products. Guests Chinmayi Sharma, Associate Professor, Fordham School of Law Peter Bannister, MD, Romilly Life Sciences David Colquhoun, Fellow of the Royal Society, Honorary Fellow, UCL References AI’s Hippocratic Oath, Chinmayi Sharma Code, Lawrence Lessig We Need a Building Code for Building Code, Carl Landwehr Digital Empires, Anu Bradford The Application of Artificial Intelligence in Functional Safety, The IET Responsible Handover of AI, Sense about Science DC’s Improbable Science, David ColquhounThe post #316 What Can AI Engineers Learn From Medical Professionals? first appeared on Engineering Matters.

How should engineers think about their duty to design safe structures? For IStructE’s head of climate action Will Arnold, this duty extends beyond the structure, to the safety of everyone on the planet. With renewable energy cutting operational carbon emissions, the majority of the engineering sector’s impact on climate change now comes from embodied carbon. Today, the World Health Organisation estimates that 150,000 excess deaths each year are caused by climate change. Embodied carbon from construction accounts for 10% of climate changing emissions. Around 15,000 deaths each year could be attributed to poor design that does not consider these costs. In this episode, we learn how engineers have extended the lifespan of structures around the world, minimising or entirely avoiding new impacts on the planet. As UCL’s Katherine Cashell explains, structural engineers now have a wealth of techniques and technologies that they can use to renew, retrofit, and preserve existing structures. With these tools in hand, they can meet client and public demands, while cutting financial and carbon costs. Resources PAS 2080: Carbon Management in Infrastructure and Built Environment The Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard Part Z – A proposed amendment to the UK building regulations IStructE Climate Action Report 2024 Guests Will Arnold, head of climate action, IStructE Prof. Katherine Cashell, Department of Civil, Environmental & Geomatic Engineering (CEGE), University College London Mike Davies, co-founder/director, SD Engineers Balduino Del Principe, associate, ArupThe post #315 Renewing the World, Without Costing the Planet first appeared on Engineering Matters.

Ten years ago, Fugro set out on an ambitious mission: to bring expert staff off of vessels, and into a purpose built remote operations centre, or ROC. The first of these ROCs, in Houston, now allows specialist staff to work on multiple projects at once, giving customers the real time data and analysis they need to compete in the fast-paced markets at the heart of the energy transition. In the decade since, Fugro has established ROCs around the world. In this episode, we learn how staff in Houston, Aberdeen, Dubai and Perth are enjoying a better work-life balance, without the need to spend weeks away from home, working offshore. The move will allow Fugro to diversify the workforce and recruit staff skilled in other areas, such as IT and software. And it means employees  can devote more of their working time to where it will have the most impact and value for customers. As the global network of ROCs has been rolled out, Fugro has been developing not just remote analysis, but remote command and control, of vessels and survey vehicles, with autonomy playing an increasingly important role. This allows Fugro not only to compete for individual projects, but to offer remote operations as a service. At sea, these developments can now shrink the climate and financial costs of performing surveys. But the concept has gone much further, with the Australian Space Automation, Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Control (SpAARC) facility now working with Intuitive Machines to bring remote operation to the moon. And this work is laying the foundation for increased use of remote operations in more mundane, earthly, applications. Guests Ryan Trahan, Remote Operations Surveyor, Houston, Fugro Fionnuala Richard, Regional Manager Americas Remote Operations Centers Vitto César, Remote Operations Centre Senior Geophysicist, Aberdeen, Fugro Jeff Richardson, Regional Manager Europe and Africa Remote Operations Centres, Fugro Ross Macfarlane, Manager, Middle East and India Remote and Autonomous Operations Resource Centre, Fugro Samuel Forbes, Director, The Australian Space Automation and AI Robotics Control Complex (SpAARC), FugroThe post #314 Remote Operations, To the Moon and Back first appeared on Engineering Matters.

The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) has a 100 year history of mapping the world’s oceans. John Nyberg, technical director, explains how the organisation’s role in understanding our oceans is evolving. Now, rather than just recording ocean depths for mariners, the organisation is setting standards for how we record environmental data. In Italy, this approach is being put into effect with an ambitious coastline mapping project. Planet Beyond explored this work in a recent episode. In a bid to reverse a decline in biodiversity, Italy aims to map 7500 kilometres of coastline to a depth of 50 metres. Marco Filippone, global solution director for ocean science and hydrography at Fugro, explains how new technologies ranging from satellite sensors to remote underwater mapping are all playing a crucial role in collecting data for this initiative. One of the first undertakings of the Italian coastline mapping initiatives was to get a better understanding of the seagrass meadows and the role they can play in maintaining ocean biodiversity. Giordano Giorgi, the project director for Italy’s marine initiative explains how the project has furthered our understanding of seagrass’ role in carbon capture and with this knowledge, how the protection of the seagrass meadows can be ensured. HostJon Baston-Pitt Guests John Nyberg, technical director, the International Hydrographic Organisation Giordano Giorgi, project director, Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA) Marco Filippone, global solution director for ocean science and hydrography, FugroThe post #313 Introducing: Mapping Italy’s Seagrass for Biodiversity Gain, from Planet Beyond first appeared on Engineering Matters.

What do engineers build? Often, the answer will be bridges and dams, apartment blocks and factories.But in everything they do, engineers are also helping to build communities. They are contributing to building people’s careers, and it is those jobs that are central to building a better world. In this episode, the last of four profiling shortlisted entries in the Engineering Matters Awards, we are looking at how engineers are helping to build better, more diverse workforces, and supporting the communities they work in. Guests Stuart Culley, Customer & Social Value Lead, Aureos Victoria Hingley, Skills, Employment, and Education Lead, EKFB (Eiffage, Kier, Ferrovial Construction and BAM Nuttall) Katie Jarman, Assistant Chief Engineer, Rolls-Royce Novel Nuclear Alan Lusty, Founder/CEO, adi Group Emma Zeale, STEM Outreach Programme Manager, The Lightyear Foundation Rosie Mellors, Community Manager, The Lightyear Foundation Ali Birkett, Science Events Developer, Edinburgh Science Mateja Lampe, CEO, Red Pitaya Angela Groggins, Work Experience Lead, Sellafield Centre of Excellence Claire O’Connor, Social Impact Community Lead, Sellafield Centre of Excellence David Eldon, Behavioural Strategy Lead, Sellafield Sulaman Mukhtar, Innovation Project Manager, National Highways Jeff Richardson, Regional Manager, Remote Operations, FugroThe post #312 Lifting Each Other Up — Engineering Matters Awards 2025 shortlist, People first appeared on Engineering Matters.

At the core of engineering and manufacturing, is the transformation of materials.  A tree becomes a book. A stone is transformed into a concrete bridge, rocks into steel and glass skyscrapers. Each of these transformations are inefficient. Raw materials are lost to waste. Mechanical energy is converted into lost heat. In this inefficiency, we gradually chip away at our planet, and its liveability. If we are to maintain our planet, we must find new, more efficient ways to perform these transformations. We must move from a linear economy, where materials are extracted, transformed, used and then thrown away. Instead, we most focus on re-using, and build a truly circular economy. In this episode, the third of four profiling shortlisted entries in the Engineering Matters Awards, we are looking at how engineers are helping to transform the world, by making manufacturing and transport efficient and sustainable. Guests Victoria Garcia, CEO, BindEthics States Lee, Engineering Lead, Notpla John-Paul Grogan, Product Designer, FrugalPac Geoff Brighty, CTO, Mura Technology Ed Fortin, Global Product Manager, Magna International Tom Siekmann, CEO, Voodin Blade Technology Keith Jones, CEO, CityShuttle Joe Tighes, CEO, Klean Drive Thomas Huggenberger, Product Manager, ABB Fabiana Cavalcante, Global Head of Mobile E-Power, ABB Steve Wilkinson, CTO, Avioxx Maurice Briggs, CEO, Vertical Solar Alf Oschatz, MD, SBP Adhesh Shenoy, CEO, Guerilla Victoria Edwards, CEO, Fido The post #311 Transforming the World, and the Economy — Engineering Matters Awards 2025 shortlist, Planet, Part 3 first appeared on Engineering Matters.

Across every sector, from manufacturing to transportation, energy to construction, the race toward a net zero future is reshaping how we work, produce, and consume. These industries have powered global growth for decades, but now, they must also lead the way in securing a sustainable future. The scale of the challenge is immense. Achieving a greener future will require more than incremental changes—it demands bold, transformative ideas. In this second episode of four looking at shortlisted entries to the Engineering Matters Awards, we’re looking at ways to make industry cleaner and more efficient. Whether that’s in construction, transport, materials or even valves, these entries are all helping deliver a net zero world. Guests Matt Lamb, Senior Design Engineer, Hiperenergy, Aureos (formerly Keltbray) Dan Summerbell, Chief Solutions Officer, CarbonRe Christoph Birkl, CEO, Brill Power Melissa Giusti, Principal Innovation Advisor, National Highways Peter Toxopeus, Fleet Development Manager, Fugro David Tindall, Global Product Owner, Land Equipment, Fugro Mohammed Khan, CEO, Immaterial George Hunter, Head of Sale, Carnot Anne Franzas, Global Product Manager, Circularity, Drives Division, ABB Dave Hawley, Global Head of Sales, Low Voltage Motors, ABB Heikki Vepsäläinen, President, Large Motors and Generators, ABB Brendan Hegerty, Director of Marketing and Sustainability, Oxford Flow Joachim Knapp, CEO, Anker TechThe post #310 Manufacturing a Brighter Future – Engineering Matters Awards 2025 shortlist, Planet, Part 2 first appeared on Engineering Matters.

What links draught excluders and nuclear reactors? Or carbon capture and methane monitoring? As we enter a generation of change, these and other ideas will be key to developing efficient, decarbonised energy, and to how we use this energy in our homes. This week, we introduce the shortlisted entries for the 2025 Engineering Matters Awards. The awards aim to celebrate the impact that engineers have on people, and on the planet. In this first episode of four, we look at how shortlisted entries in the Net Zero, Environment, and Sustainability categories are changing energy generation, and domestic energy use. Guests Patrick Möller, CEO, CorPower Ocean Jaymish Patel, CEO, BioFuel Evolution Thomas Fudge, CEO, WASE Andreas Aepli, CFO, Climeworks Maxime Tornier, VP, R&D, Climeworks Jasper Wong, CTO, Airhive Clément Gourrierec, Director, CrystalTrade Michelle Brechtelsbauer, VP, Strategy, Last Energy James Montgomery, Chief Design Engineer, Novel Nuclear, Rolls-Royce John Mason, Systems Design & Integration Specialist, Novel Nuclear, Rolls-Royce Mateja Lampe, CEO, Red Pitaya Derek Egan, Chartered Engineer, EirGrid Dunstan Power, MD, Versinetic Jess Prevost, Marketing Director, Switchee Mauro Fazion, CTO, SuSy Sam Cryer, CEO, Thermulon Sally Philips, Founder, Chimney SheepThe post #309 A Generation of Change – Engineering Matters Awards 2025 shortlist, Planet, Part 1 first appeared on Engineering Matters.

We live in a world where data and connectivity are essential to almost everything we do. Cable and satellite connections add value to business through trade and collaboration, and enrich our personal lives with the ability to engage with friends and family around the world. Maintaining these connections is a central aim of engineers in the 21st century. Little has changed in a hundred years. In the early years of the 20th Century, London was the backbone router of a communications network that was revolutionising the business and social lives of Britons. Information was transferred by letters and parcels, rather than data packets, but the need to ensure efficient data transmission was the same. In 1913, work commenced on a project that would smooth this transmission: the General Post Office’s underground railway. This allowed information to flow freely, minimising bandwidth constraints and enabling efficient handling. In March, attendees at the Engineering Matters Awards will have the opportunity to ride on the railway. In this episode, we tell the story of how it was planned, built and operated. Guests Chris Taft, head of collections, The Postal Museum Ray Middlesworth, maintenance engineer (retired), the Post Office Underground RailwayThe post #308 Building Bandwidth in the 1920s first appeared on Engineering Matters.

For many of us, now is a season of giving. A well chosen gift can bring lasting joy. But it’s easy to get wrong. One of the finest gifts anyone can give, is the gift of engineering. But how can engineers and designers ensure that when they share their gifts, they really meet the needs of users?  This November, Engineers Without Borders UK brought together a diverse panel of experts to discuss the ‘Voices That Matter’ in engineering. In a conversation moderated by Jonathan Truslove, the panellists—Kamran Mallick, Marsha Ramroop, and Natalia Vasnier—discussed how engineers, and particularly those new to the industry, can work to ensure their work responds to the needs of all users. In this episode, featuring excerpts from the discussion, we offer a guide to the gift that keeps on giving—inclusive engineering, inspired from the start by the voices of users.This is our last episode of 2024. We’re taking a two week break for Christmas and the New Year. We’ll be back in January, with a mini-series on the shortlisted entries in this year’s Engineering Matters Awards. Featuring Jonathan Truslove, education and skills lead, EWB UK Kamran Mallick, chief executive, Disability Rights UK Marsha Ramroop, author, Building Inclusion: Practical Guide to EDI in Architecture & the Built Environment Natalia Vasnier, founder, editor-in-chief, The Conference CornerThe post #307 Giving the Gift of Engineering first appeared on Engineering Matters.

This week, we are returning to Rothera, in the Antarctic, where, in 2021 the British Antarctic Survey had just completed work on a project it has called ‘the world’s most extreme construction site’. Pour yourself a warming drink, and enjoy the episode. We’ll be back with a new episode next week. Since the end of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, humanity has focused its activities in the southern continent on science and research. To do this effectively, logistics are critical. To prepare for the arrival of its new ship, the RRS Sir David Attenborough, the wharf at Rothera Research Station needed to be replaced. The new wharf needed to be built in the extreme conditions of Antarctica, and able to withstand impacts from 15,000 tonne icebergs.  In this episode we speak to the people who made it happen, and find out what it’s like to work in the most desolate environment known. Guests Bruce Wulff, Project Manager, Ramboll David Seaton, Head of Construction, British Antarctic Survey Martha McGowan, Project Manager, Bam Nuttall Stewart Craigie, Technical Director, SwecoThe post #306 Revisited: Building Rothera Wharf first appeared on Engineering Matters.

Nature-based solutions are emerging as vital tools to tackle the dual crises of climate change and biodiversity loss by leveraging nature’s inherent resilience to protect and restore ecosystems. This episode explores how innovative approaches can make these solutions mainstream and economically viable while addressing complex challenges like urban flooding, ecosystem restoration, and sustainable investment opportunities. As species vanish at unprecedented rates, ecosystems lose their resilience, diminishing their ability to mitigate climate impacts such as floods and heatwaves. Traditional grey engineering solutions, like concrete sea walls, often address a specific issue but can create long-term challenges. In contrast, nature-based solutions leverage the inherent adaptability and efficiency of natural systems, offering multifunctional benefits like enhanced biodiversity, flood management, and improved urban living conditions. Nature-based solutions integrate ecological processes into infrastructure and land management, delivering diverse benefits to urban and rural settings. However, scaling these methods requires overcoming challenges in measuring their long-term benefits, articulating their value, and shifting industry focus from short-term cost efficiencies to long-term systemic resilience. Economic viability is crucial for the widespread adoption of nature-based solutions. Companies like Nattergal are pioneering models that make nature restoration an investable asset, transforming public goods like carbon sequestration and clean water into marketable ecosystem services. Incentives like biodiversity net gain credits in the UK show how policy can direct funding toward environmental recovery. By demonstrating tangible financial returns alongside environmental benefits, these initiatives aim to align corporate interests with sustainable practices, ensuring businesses can protect their futures while contributing to global climate resilience. Guests Philip Hoare, Chief Operating Officer, AtkinsRéalis Stuart McLaren, Global Director for net zero innovation, AtkinsRéalis Claire Wansbury, Fellow and technical director for ecology, AtkinsRéalis Zoe Metcalfe, Client director for local and central government, AtkinsRéalis Francis Heil, Associate director for climate change and resilience, AtkinsRéalis Ben Hart, head of operations, Nattergal  Ivan de Clay, head of natural capital, NattergalThe post #305 Making the Case for Nature-Based Solutions first appeared on Engineering Matters.

During the last Ice Age, glaciers scored huge trenches through the land beneath the Irish Sea. Today, those valleys are filled with softer material and sit between tracts of hard rock, creating a diverse landscape that wind farm developer Codling Wind Park has had to research in painstaking detail before it can begin installing its turbine foundations into the seabed. This challenge is explained by Ed Sly from Codling Wind Park, and Matthew Chappell, Melanie Zacheis, and Ross Frazer from Geo-data experts Fugro. They explain the innovative technologies deployed to combat the hazardous offshore conditions, while making the process as quick and efficient as possible when designing what is set to be Ireland’s biggest offshore wind farm, projected to produce 1,300 megawatts of power for homes in Dublin and beyond. With the wind power industry booming, the necessary ground investigation and construction equipment is in short supply, and financial stakes are high. Safety is always a priority when working offshore as well. Fugro made modifications to the jack-up platform from which it conducted its testing for the Codling project, cutting downtime, reducing overall time at sea, and enabling more tests to be run, giving a more accurate picture of the seabed. Guests Matthew Chappell, regional service line director nearshore, Fugro Ross Frazer, principal analysis engineer, Fugro Ed Sly, engineering manager, Codling Wind Park Melanie Zacheis, principal engineer – geotechnical team leader, Fugro Partner Fugro is the world’s leading Geo-data specialist, collecting and analysing comprehensive information about the Earth and the structures built upon it. Through integrated data acquisition, analysis and advice, Fugro unlocks insights from Geo-data to help clients design, build and operate their assets in a safe, sustainable and efficient manner.The post #304 Grounded in Knowledge – Ireland’s Biggest Offshore Wind Farm first appeared on Engineering Matters.

Monitoring and maintaining an entire rail network can be costly, slow and, for those working on the track, very dangerous. Specialised trains were developed that could be mounted with sensors for collecting data on track gauging and track condition, however these couldn’t be mounted together. In this episode we look into the development of RILA or Rail Infrastructure Alignment Acquisition, which has been used on multiple rail networks to make data collection faster and safer. In 2006 Jos Berkers had the idea to combine all the existing technology for rail data collection and put them in a box small enough to fit on passenger trains. After years of working to develop the idea in his living room he was able to test the system that became known as RILA on the Dutch rail network. Since then RILA has continued to develop, with more sensors being added and more countries using it to monitor their networks. In 2021 RILA was used across the entire 2,000 miles of Scotland’s Rail network.  It reduced the time taken from 27,500 hours to under 1,000 hours, and Network Rail estimates that RILA prevented 72 minor and three major injuries from ever occurring. Guests Jos Berker, rail consultant, Fugro Adam Carlin, former business developer for rail maintenance, Fugro The post #303 Gathering data at the speed of a train: Engineering Matters Awards 2024 Health & Safety Gold Champion – Fugro RILA first appeared on Engineering Matters.

From habitat destruction, to use of pesticides, the arrival of invasive species and the growing impact of climate change, life, in all shapes and sizes, is fighting to survive. To protect the world’s biodiversity, first we have a better understanding of what and where that biodiversity is. In this episode we delve into iNaturalist, the 2024 Engineering Matters Community Gold Champion. iNaturalist is a citizen science community with thousands of active members sharing the wildlife around them with experts. Alongside the experts giving support to users, iNaturalist have developed an AI that can identify rare species and even alert experts when it detects something unusual, like a species in an unexpected location. iNaturalist’s database is being used by scientific studies and by conservationists looking for a better understanding of their local biodiversity. Understanding the wildlife around us gives us a better chance of protecting it. iNaturalist is creating a global community of nature lovers that can be at the centre of helping protect their own local biodiversity. Guests Scott Loarie, Executive Director, iNaturalistThe post #302 Conservation, Community and AI: Engineering Matters Awards 2024 Community Gold Champion — iNaturalist first appeared on Engineering Matters.

In the early 1900s Sydney was transformed by its first electric lighting system, which was so bright compared to gas lamps it was hailed as “turning night into day”. The network did much more than just light up the streets. It democratised power, electrifying communities, homes and businesses for the first time. The system, designed by London based engineering consultants Preece & Cardew, became the basis for today’s electricity grid and ushered in a century of electrical evolution as the system rapidly expanded to meet soaring demand. Today society is facing a new kind of energy transformation: to decarbonise systems based on fossil fuels and build in climate resilience. This episode explores the opportunities and challenges from connecting in new renewable generation and supporting radical operational changes, to delivering social value and ensuring a just and equitable transition. Guests Paul Currie, energy leader Asia Pacific, New Zealand and Australia, Mott MacDonald David Hawkins, Solar and BESS market sector leader, Australia, Mott MacDonald Dr Simon Harrison, group head of strategy, Mott MacDonald Clare Wildfire, global cities leader, Mott MacDonald Someswar Chakravorty, technical specialist, HVDC, Mott MacDonald Resources Pioneering Pumped Storage City of Sydney Archive Transferability of engineering skills for the clean energy transition, by Engineers Australia and Mott MacDonald Partner Mott MacDonald is a global engineering, management and development consultancy focussed on improving society by considering social outcome and relentlessly focussing on excellence and digital innovation. Preece & Cardew is a predecessor company of Mott MacDonald founded in 1899.The post #301 Electrifying Sydney: Transformational Energy Systems first appeared on Engineering Matters.

Governments and businesses around the world have made commitments to achieve Net Zero by the middle of the century. This will require engineering innovation, and changes to practices, standards and regulations, across the generation, transmission, storage and transport segments. In this episode we explore these challenges and how they intersect.  The IET’s Powering Net Zero week returns on December 3–6 2024, at Millennium Point, in Birmingham. Find out how you can take part here. Guests Keith Bell, Scottish Power Chair in Future Power Systems, University of StrathclydeClaire Miller, Director of Technology and Innovation, Octopus Electric VehiclesHuiyi Zhang Jackson Director of Clean Energy Technologies and Policy, Edison Electric Institute Partner: The Institution of Engineering and Technology inspires, informs and influences the global engineering community to engineer a better world. As a diverse home across engineering and technology, the IET shares knowledge that helps make better sense of the world in order to solve the challenges that matter. The post #300 Bonus: Powering Net Zero first appeared on Engineering Matters.

The Thames had been for thousands of years London’s main route to the sea. But it is also an obstacle. The last crossing east of London is the bridge and tunnel at Dartford, and this is often congested. But a new crossing has been proposed further down the river. Throughout its planning, the focus has been on the legacy that the new Lower Thames Crossing will deliver. As we saw in yesterday’s episode of this mini-series, recorded live at Highways UK, National Highways is pushing contractors and engineers to achieve annual carbon reduction. The Lower Thames Crossing, nominated as a Pathfinder project by the Department for Transport, implements this approach. The project has aimed for continuous carbon reduction, and will be a proving ground for low carbon construction techniques. The legacy of the project will go further than reducing congestion and carbon emissions. Contractors are working with local businesses to build supply chains, and capabilities, that will live on beyond completion of the crossing. They are engaging with schools, former members of the armed forces, and prison leavers, to develop the skilled workforce needed to build the crossing. And they are striving to ensure a diverse and inclusive workplace. Guests Shaun Pidcock, Programme Director, Lower Thames Crossing  Claire Seward, Technical Director, Transportation, AtkinsRéalis Jas Sandhu, Customer and Social Impact Lead, Balfour Beatty Partners AtkinsRéalis is a world-leading professional services and project management company dedicated to engineering a better future for our planet and its people. Employing over 37,000 people across Canada, the US and Latin America, the UK and Ireland, and Asia, the Middle East, and Australia, AtkinsRéalis creates sustainable solutions that connect people, data and technology to transform the world’s infrastructure and energy systems. Balfour Beatty is a leading international infrastructure group. With 26,000 employees across the UK, US and Hong Kong, Balfour Beatty is leading the transformation of the industry to meet the challenges of the future.The post #299e Highways UK Live – A Legacy of Excellence first appeared on Engineering Matters.

National Highways has adopted clear net zero targets: its own operations will be carbon free by 2030; those of contractors on its roads by 2040; and of road users by 2050. The challenge will be meeting those goals, while also fulfilling its mission of getting drivers where they need to go, safely and efficiently. The key to meeting this challenge is the carbon reduction hierarchy: avoid, switch, and improve. National Highways has set annual carbon reduction targets for its suppliers. By making use of the carbon reduction hierarchy, these suppliers can ensure that they are able to meet these annual targets. The fear for these suppliers—and others in construction and engineering—will be that the push for decarbonisation will hamper their commercial sustainability. But, our guests explain, the same reductions in materials, for example, that support decarbonisation, can also cut costs.  Guests Stephen Elderkin, Director of Environmental Sustainability, National Highways Simon Shapcott, Net Zero Director – Transportation, AtkinsRéalis Victoria Limbrick, Energy Manager, Balfour Beatty Partners Balfour Beatty is a leading international infrastructure group. With 26,000 employees across the UK, US and Hong Kong, Balfour Beatty is leading the transformation of the industry to meet the challenges of the future. AtkinsRéalis is a world-leading professional services and project management company dedicated to engineering a better future for our planet and its people. Employing over 37,000 people across Canada, the US and Latin America, the UK and Ireland, and Asia, the Middle East, and Australia, AtkinsRéalis creates sustainable solutions that connect people, data and technology to transform the world’s infrastructure and energy systems.The post #299d Highways UK Live – The Journey to Net Zero and Resilience first appeared on Engineering Matters.

In 2024, National Highways completely closed parts of the M25, London’s orbital motorway. This blockage in the arterial system of the UK economy wasn’t a mistake. Instead, it was an example of meticulously planned surgery, performed by experts. In the previous episode of this mini-series, recorded live at Highways UK, we saw how data is becoming key to the future of the UK’s road infrastructure. In this episode, we learn how asset managers, infrastructure owners and engineers can use this data to perform major works with minimal disruption, bundling them with other works that might otherwise have required lane closures. Machine learning and artificial intelligence, driven by the vast array of data available from vehicles, assets, and roads themselves, along with external sources, can help streamline interventions on the motorway network. But, these decisions always require humans in the loop. Data-driven decision making must be based on human priorities, and leadership is needed to ensure efficient and effective collaboration between multiple partners and external stakeholders. Guests Nicola Bell, Executive Director – Major Projects, National Highways Louise Haining, Managing Director, Connect Plus Services, M25 DBFO, Balfour Beatty Claire Gowson, Technical Director, AtkinsRéalis Partners AtkinsRéalis is a world-leading professional services and project management company dedicated to engineering a better future for our planet and its people. Employing over 37,000 people across Canada, the US and Latin America, the UK and Ireland, and Asia, the Middle East, and Australia, AtkinsRéalis creates sustainable solutions that connect people, data and technology to transform the world’s infrastructure and energy systems. Balfour Beatty is a leading international infrastructure group. With 26,000 employees across the UK, US and Hong Kong, Balfour Beatty is leading the transformation of the industry to meet the challenges of the future.The post #299c Highways UK Live – Next Generation Asset Management first appeared on Engineering Matters.

As an engineer, it is easy to think of roads as a challenge to be solved. Many of the innovations we will discuss in this mini-series will have a real impact on the safety, efficiency, and environmental impact of roads. But roads should be thought of as a service, not as an end in themselves. Today, National Highways is committed to only build new roads where strictly necessary. The future focus for the strategic highways network is to make road transport safer, more efficient, and more reliable. Data will be vital to delivering roads as a service, ensuring that maintenance is timely and efficient, and new roads and road assets are installed with minimal disruption or environmental impact. To collect and share data from an increasingly wide range of sources—vehicles, highway assets, and even the road itself, as well as external sources—it will be necessary for roads to become ‘a computer wrapped in asphalt’. Some of this work will be performed by telephony companies, but the road industry must develop new skills, to help ensure data and vehicles all flow smoothly and safely throughout the network. Guests Andrew Page-Dove, Operational Control Director, National Highways Andrew Dodsworth, Programme Director, BalfourBeatty Matt Peck, Director of Innovation, AtkinsRealis Partners Balfour Beatty is a leading international infrastructure group. With 26,000 employees across the UK, US and Hong Kong, Balfour Beatty is leading the transformation of the industry to meet the challenges of the future. AtkinsRéalis is a world-leading professional services and project management company dedicated to engineering a better future for our planet and its people. Employing over 37,000 people across Canada, the US and Latin America, the UK and Ireland, and Asia, the Middle East, and Australia, AtkinsRéalis creates sustainable solutions that connect people, data and technology to transform the world’s infrastructure and energy systems. The post #299b Highways UK Live – Roads Reimagined first appeared on Engineering Matters.

Why should we be thinking about roads as a service, not just an engineering challenge? What does it mean for a road to be a computer wrapped in asphalt? How can we use data from cars, highway assets, and even the road itself, to plan maintenance with minimal disruption to road users? How can roads become greener, more sustainable, and have less carbon impact? And what legacy do we leave when we build a new road? All through this week, Engineering Matters will be releasing a new mini-series, looking at the future of the UK’s road network, with guests from National Highways, Balfour Beatty, and AtkinsRéalis, recorded live at Highways UK. In this first short episode, mini-series producer Will North is joined by Balfour Beatty managing director, highways, Phil Clifton, and AtkinsRéalis managing director, transport, strategic highways, Peter Baynham, to talk about all of the topics we will be discussing throughout the week. We’ll be returning tomorrow with the first full episode of the mini-series, “Roads Reimagined”. On Wednesday, we’ll meet the asset management experts using data to perform heart surgery on the UK’s highways. On Thursday, we’ll consider how we can build and maintain roads sustainably, and without carbon emissions. And on Friday, we’ll learn about the planned Lower Thames Crossing, and how the project has been designed from the start with a clear legacy in mind. Guests Phil Clifton, Managing Director, Highways, Balfour Beatty Peter Baynham, Managing Director, Transport, Strategic Highways, AtkinsRéalis Partners AtkinsRéalis is a world-leading professional services and project management company dedicated to engineering a better future for our planet and its people. Employing over 37,000 people across Canada, the US and Latin America, the UK and Ireland, and Asia, the Middle East, and Australia, AtkinsRéalis creates sustainable solutions that connect people, data and technology to transform the world’s infrastructure and energy systems. Balfour Beatty is a leading international infrastructure group. With 26,000 employees across the UK, US and Hong Kong, Balfour Beatty is leading the transformation of the industry to meet the challenges of the future.The post #299a Highways UK Live – The Future of Highways – Mini-series Preview first appeared on Engineering Matters.

We should all want to build workplaces where everyone feels safe and included. But how can we do that when we don’t know what everyone needs? How can we make sure that we understand our colleagues and potential recruits, and provide them with the tools they need to be welcomed, and to be successful? Engineering Matters Awards Diversity & Inclusion Gold Champion EKFB’s Victoria Hingley has been working to develop a more diverse and inclusive workforce at the HS2 joint venture. Part of the work has involved giving staff a chance to disclose invisible disabilities through the Sunflower scheme. But Victoria’s work goes much further. EKFB has developed introductions to the industry for children attending SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) schools, shaped around these children’s abilities and needs. They have reshaped how they conduct interviews, ensuring they focus on the person, not the job profile. And they are working with industry partners to spread the message that construction can be a welcoming environment for all. Guests Victoria Hingley, Skills, Employment and Education Coordinator, EKFB (Eiffage Kier Ferrovial BAM JV) Paddy Paterson, Skills, Employment & Education Manager, EKFB Ben Hickman, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Manager, EKFBThe post #298 Making Everyone Welcome in Construction: Engineering Matters Awards 2024 Diversity & Inclusion Gold Champion — EKFB first appeared on Engineering Matters.

In 1985 diver Henri Cosquer discovered a submerged cave entrance in the Mediterranean near Marseilles. Exploring over the next six years he discovered a chamber filled with prehistoric art. Conditions in the caves and the submerged passages leading to it are extremely dangerous: three divers lost their lives exploring the caves. Efforts to map the cave structure using traditional techniques proved impossible, but with modern 3D scanning and photogrammetry tools, replicas of key works from the cave have been created on land, spreading knowledge of the caves to future generations. Guests Luc Vanrell: professional diver and independent underwater archaeologist. Former Scientific Manager of the Cosquer cave for the French Ministry of Culture Alain Dalis: prehistorian and visual artist, responsible for the reproduction of the painted and engraved walls of the Cosquer cave replica in Marseille Bertrand Chazaly: land surveying engineer, digital and 3D expert at Fugro Resources The original paper describing the discovery of the caves Luc Vanrell, Jean Clottes, and Jean Courtin’s description of the caves. A study of handprints in caves around the Mediterranean, arguing that most may have been my women. Academic papers on Cosquer, and other subjects, can be accessed with a free independent researcher account on JSTOR.The post #297 Revisited: A Deep Dive Into the Past first appeared on Engineering Matters.

The North Sea’s natural conditions, with shallow waters and strong winds, make it ideal for wind farms. But, these same factors pose challenges for construction. To meet ambitious Net Zero targets, improving the speed and efficiency of installing wind farm foundations is critical. At the same time, these works must be carried out safely, without risk to workers on decks. This episode introduces the Engineering Matters Health & Safety Gold Champion, Fugro’s VBM3000, a vertical boring machine, which is revolutionizing the process of offshore wind construction by making drilling safer, faster, and cheaper. The VBM3000 offers a significant speed advantage over traditional drilling methods, reducing the time required to reach the seabed from 12 hours to just one hour. This is especially beneficial for large-scale wind farms with numerous turbines, where the time savings can dramatically cut down project timelines. Safety is another key benefit of the VBM3000. Traditional offshore drilling involves heavy equipment, manual handling, and exposure to harsh weather, creating significant risks for workers, but the VBM3000 is operated remotely.  In this episode Mark Stevens, business development manager for Fugro’s Marine drilling department, explains how the VBM3000 has been deployed in Scotland, cutting drilling times by over a third. To achieve Net Zero goals and deliver the wind farms under consideration, without increasing offshore risks, developments in technology like the VBM3000 will be critical. Guests Mark Stevens, business development manager, Fugro Peter Richards, chief engineer, Fugro GeoservicesThe post #296 A Safer, Faster, Way to Build Offshore Wind first appeared on Engineering Matters.

The first stable atom to form after the Big Bang was hydrogen. Transformed into other atoms through stellar nuclear fusion, it is the foundation of all matter. Bound with other elements in water and hydrocarbons, it is the basis for all life, and the fuel of the industrial revolution. But can it also be the foundation of a new, Net Zero, economy? And what should that new energy system look like? In this episode, we talk to three leading academics about the role of hydrogen in the UK energy transition. This new economy will be shaped in large part by decisions made now on whether hydrogen should be used in home heating. That will determine the viability of the national pipeline network, and this will have implications for how and where green hydrogen is generated. Our guests talk us through these key questions in the episode. The discussions will continue at the IET’s Powering Net Zero Week, which this year introduced a new hydrogen strand to help address these urgent decisions. Guests Dr Stuart Dawson, University of Sheffield, AMRC Prof. Tim Mays, University of Bath, GW Shift, UK-HyRES Prof. Sara Walker, University of Birmingham, HI-ACT Partner The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) inspires, informs, and influences the global engineering community. The IET’s Powering Net Zero Week, from 3-6 December 2024 in Birmingham, will gather industry and academic leaders to discuss advancements in renewable power, hydrogen technology, energy storage, and EV infrastructure. Attendees can engage in discussions, network, and contribute to the net zero conversation, playing a key role in the transition to a sustainable future.The post #295 Decision Time for the Hydrogen Economy first appeared on Engineering Matters.

On Coire Glas, in the remote Scottish Highlands, geologists and engineers are developing a vision of Scotland’s energy future. SSE Renewables plans the first pumped hydro storage facility in the UK for decades here, taking advantage of the unique and awe inspiring landscape. But first, they need to understand conditions on and in the ground. And to do that, they needed to trek to the mountaintop, bringing in all the tools they needed by hand or by helicopter. Coire Glas is the largest hydro storage project in UK history and would be the first one to be built for 40 years. The project will have a 1500 MW capacity, enough to power 3 million homes for 24 hours, all of which can be generated at the flip of a switch. But the project is located up a mountain in the Scottish Highlands. SSE has been working on plans for Coire Glas for over a decade. Last year ground investigations began.  Jessica Smith works for SSE and is technical authority for engineering geology on the project, she explains how the remote location led to Coire Glas feeling more like an offshore project. With access to the site so limited, David Shillitto and Balazs Rigler of Fugro had to come up with clever and innovative ways to get equipment to site and complete the necessary ground investigation, including the use of a helicopter to deliver the borehole drilling equipment. The ground investigation team work is now complete and the data collected will be used to inform the final design. The guests all highlight the importance of collaboration and early contractor involvement in delivering the ground investigation comprehensively and efficiently despite the conditions. Guests Jessica Smith, senior engineering geologist, SSE Renewables Chris Jack, technical director, COWI Balazs Rigler,  UK wireline services manager, Fugro David Shillitto, senior project manager, Fugro The post #294 A View of the Future from Coire Glas first appeared on Engineering Matters.

For 70% of the world’s population, doing the laundry means hours of difficult manual washing. It was this fact that led Nav Sawhney to leave his job as a design engineer at Dyson and try to come up with a way to fix this problem. After six different design iterations, Nav and his team at the Washing Machine Project had come up with the Divya, a hand crank washing machine that uses no power, 50% less water and a fraction of the time. The machines are built from durable and easy to access materials. When they are distributed, the Washing Machine Project team teaches people how to use them. Locals learn how to maintain and repair the machines during a six month monitoring and evaluation period, helping develop new employment opportunities in the community. The Washing Machine Project partners with local NGOs to find the people who would most benefit from owning a Divya. Over the last six years they have impacted nearly 30,000 people with their machines. They have been able to deliver these machines with the support of industry, including companies like RS Components. Innovation consultant, TV presenter, and IET vice president Yewande Akinola came to know the project through her work with RS, and describes the approach it takes to sustainable design engineering. Nav and his team are continuing to grow and expand looking into new potential areas of innovation, like cooking or air conditioning. Organisations can find out more about how to support the project at thewashingmachineproject.org.  Guests Navjot Sawhney, founder of The Washing Machine Project Yewande Akinola, MBE, vice president, the Institution of Engineering and Technology The post #293 Cleaning clothes and changing lives: Engineering Matters Awards 2024 Community Gold Champion — The Washing Machine Project first appeared on Engineering Matters.

How should local and regional leaders encourage investment in their communities? Around the world, cities struggle with a legacy of industrial decline. In England, devolution of planning policy to mayoral combined authorities has allowed for regions like Greater Manchester to outpace national growth. But within regions, local areas can themselves fall behind, and require a joined up approach to planning and investment. Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, and Susan Hinchcliffe, leader of Bradford City Council, joined Tim Newns, MD for Levelling Up at the UK Department for International Trade’s Office for Investment, and Richard Robinson, president, UK & Ireland at AtkinsRéalis, at a panel discussion at UKReiif in May 2024 to consider the importance of place in planning and investment. After the event—and after the 2024 UK general election—John Rayson, MD of Northern Transformation at AtkinsRéalis, joined Engineering Matters to explain the history of devolution in England, and to consider the impact of newly proposed new devolved authorities. In this episode, we learn from the successes of Greater Manchester and Bradford. We discover how they consider the history and needs of places within their communities, and the opportunities they present. We find out how the creation of place-based plans can spur investment, from national and international investors. And we discover how transport infrastructure within and between regions can provide the foundation for growth. Guests Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester Susan Hinchcliffe, Council Leader, Bradford City Council Tim Newns, MD, Levelling Up, Office for Investment, UK Department for International Trade Richard Robinson, President, UK and Ireland, AtkinsRéalis John Rayson, MD for Northern Transformation, AtkinsRéalis Partner AtkinsRéalis is a world-leading professional services and project management company dedicated to engineering a better future for our planet and its people. Employing over 37,000 people across Canada, the US and Latin America, the UK and Ireland, and Asia, the Middle East, and Australia, AtkinsRéalis creates sustainable solutions that connect people, data and technology to transform the world’s infrastructure and energy systems.The post #292 Place is the Space for Growth first appeared on Engineering Matters.

Project managers have traditionally measured the viability of a project design or materials choice as a triangle, balancing cost, scope and performance. With the addition of carbon, this triangle becomes a three-sided pyramid, with four considerations each interacting with the others.  Materials suppliers and project designers now have a wealth of carbon cutting innovations available to them. They can use materials derived from plant sources, replace fossil fuels used in materials processing, and use electric vehicles for delivery. The challenge is to show clients the carbon benefits of these innovations, while continuing to be mindful of cost, scope and performance. In this episode, we talk to two experts about the tools and methods available to assess carbon cutting innovations, and to compare them using the new project management pyramid. Guests Jessica Tuck, National Technical Director, UK, Tarmac Tim Smith, Regional Technical Manager, South, Tarmac Partner Tarmac is the UK’s leading sustainable construction materials, road contracting and building products business. It leads in the supply of construction material comprising aggregates, asphalt, cement, lime, concrete, road contracting, building products and recycling services.The post #291 Making the Case for Cutting Carbon first appeared on Engineering Matters.

Formula Student is Europe’s top educational motorsport competition, with students and teams from all over the world coming to compete. The competition is integrated into engineering degree courses, allowing students to take what they are learning in the classroom and lab, into the real world. It tests both engineering skills, and the project management that is vital to a professional career.  In this episode, we take you behind the scenes at Silverstone, as this year’s finals took place, with over 50 teams competing across a variety of disciplines.  Chief judge Dan Jones went from competing in Formula Student, to a career in motorsports. He explains the process each team goes through on the day. But the work, he says, goes on throughout the year as they design and build their car. Jones also explains how Formula Student has played an integral role in helping him get into a career in motorsport. We also hear from the teams themselves and explore how these engineering students tackle everything from design and manufacturing to testing and racing. From internal combustion engines, to the EV cars that now dominate the competition and even new AI cars, we hear from teams competing in all the different classes. Guests Naomi Rolfe, project lead Formula Student, IMECHE Dan Jones, chief judge, Formula Student John Dangerfield, head cost and manufacturing judge, Formula Student Cara Fox, team principal, Queen Mary Formula Student Prescott Campbell, team leader, Oxford Brookes Racing Dash Gilbert, technical partnerships lead, Oxford Brookes Racing Links Formula StudentThe post #290 Racing for Innovation: Inside Formula Student first appeared on Engineering Matters.

Lean production techniques have become common across heavy industry. They cut resource use, and promote quality assurance. They were inspired by shelf stocking techniques used in US grocery stores. But can they now be turned to the start of the grocery supply chain, farming itself? That is the goal of Engineering Matters Awards Sustainability Gold Champions, Intelligent Growth Solutions. IGS’s vertical farming towers take components from heavy industry, and repurpose them for farming. Within a structure around the size of a two-storey house, plants and seedlings grow in trays, in precisely controlled conditions. Clever control of LEDs and other electronics, makes the towers energy efficient, and particularly suitable for use with intermittent renewable energy. For some crops grown in warmer climates and traditionally transported by road or air, these can deliver carbon benefits in terms of reduced food miles. The towers allow crops to be grown anywhere, meaning that land currently dedicated to farming can be used for carbon sequestration and biodiversity renewal. And, by allowing tree seedlings to be grown reliably at scale, they could help boost reforestation efforts. Guests Colin Campbell, chief executive, The James Hutton Institute Dave Scott, CTO, Intelligent Growth SolutionsThe post #289 Bringing lean production to agriculture: Engineering Matters Awards 2024 Sustainability Gold Champions — Intelligent Growth Solutions first appeared on Engineering Matters.

We can only efficiently reduce those things that we can measure. The Whole Life Carbon Assessment standard, produced by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), established a method for assessing the carbon impact of buildings. Its updated version, which came into effect in July, expanded its scope to include infrastructure, and was designed to be used around the world, not just in the UK.  For this comprehensive and global impact on carbon reduction efforts, the Institution was named Net Zero Gold Champion in the Engineering Matters Awards. In this episode, we learn why the standard was revised, and how it has been developed for wider use around the world. The standard allows architects, engineers, and construction professionals to evaluate and reduce the climate impact of their work. And it provides a way to compete effectively to meet clients’ Net Zero goals. Guests Simon Sturgiss, lead author, Whole Life Carbon Assessment, 2nd edition;  founder, Targeting Zero LLP Mark Rogers, Head of Net Zero Carbon, Cost Management, Turner & Townsend Amit Patel, Head of Professional Practice in Construction, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Sarah Perring, policy and strategy lead, Department for TransportThe post #288 Counting carbon costs of the world’s infrastructure: Engineering Matters Awards 2024 Net Zero Gold Champion – Whole Life Carbon Assessment, 2nd edition first appeared on Engineering Matters.

The Engineers Without Borders UK People Design Challenge is a year long challenge that is part of many UK engineering students’ degrees. For this episode we went to Stoller Hall in Manchester to cover the Design Challenge final. The design challenge each year focuses on a new community, and puts them at the centre of the project. For 23/24 the community was Pu Ngaol in Cambodia. Students received video messages and a briefing pack, and then it was up to them to design a solution to improve the lives of the community of Pu Ngaol. From using the local river to generate power through to reusing plastic waste, there was a huge range of creative and innovative ideas, so join us as we talk to the students and judges and find out the Engineering for People Design Challenge 2024 Champion. Links Engineers Without Borders UK Engineers WIthout Borders International Design ChallengeThe post #287 Engineers Without Borders: The Design Challenge first appeared on Engineering Matters.

With the launch of robot taxis, we are already seeing autonomously controlled devices operating alongside humans in the public realm. As AI improves it will become embedded in our physical environment, in factories and construction sites, and in our streets and homes. In episode 267, we talked to Darren Martin about the importance of considering human needs when developing and deploying technological solutions. In this episode, Darren joins us to work through the implications of new machine learning and AI tools moving into the real world. These tools, Darren explains, will play a role across the work of architecture, engineering and construction firms.  Robot taxis should encourage us to rethink how we use public space, freeing us from the dominance of cars and roads. As Big Tech makes acquisitions and launches experiments in the use of AI in our cities, engineering firms are well positioned both to use these tools, and to undertake the public consultation process needed to ensure they are accepted. And, from the architect’s desk to the job site, AI will help efficiently deliver new homes that are shaped to each resident’s needs and preferences. Guest Darren Martin, chief digital officer, AtkinsRéalis Partner AtkinsRéalis is a world-leading professional services and project management company dedicated to engineering a better future for our planet and its people. Employing over 37,000 people across Canada, the US and Latin America, the UK and Ireland, and Asia, the Middle East, and Australia, AtkinsRéalis creates sustainable solutions that connect people, data and technology to transform the world’s infrastructure and energy systems.The post #286 AI In the Real World first appeared on Engineering Matters.

What does it take to win at the Olympics? For Pierre Engel, chief engineer at ArcelorMittal, victory took years of experience, precision, and collaboration. He was aided by kit made entirely of a novel material—low carbon recycled steel. Pierre’s challenge shared much with those faced by Olympians. But he wasn’t skipping rope to keep himself within his weight class—he was shaving kilos from three of the Olympics’ most important symbols, in order to help deliver this years’ games with half the carbon impact of London 2012. Pierre joins this bonus episode to explain the engineering that supports the Olympic Rings on the Eiffel Tower, and the Agitos on the Arc de Triomphe, without drilling into these world famous monuments. And, he says, the techniques and materials employed for these spectaculars could one day help slash the carbon impact of construction around the world. Guest Prof. Pierre Engel, chief engineer, ArcelorMittal Photo credit: Geraldine BruneelThe post Bonus: Engineering a Low Carbon Paris Olympics first appeared on Engineering Matters.