MechEngNews // Issue 16 // April 2018

Department Of Mechanical Engineering.

ISSUE 16: April 2018

MechEngNews

Contents.

Hello!

03 #YearofEngineering

04 Profile

Dr Matt Carré

And welcome to the first issue of MechEng News for 2018!

Following our centenary last year, the excitement is set to stay as the Department continues to develop the next generation of mechanical engineers and our research pushes the boundaries of our field.

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Engineering Heartspace Exploring our new home

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Where are they now?

Pooya Abka

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Let’s get technical!

Meet the Technical Team

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Railway Challenge More about the 2018 team

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Research focus Fatbergs and Fibre Optics

Colleagues across Mechanical Engineering have also been involved in some exciting projects and outreach activities and we’re pleased to share a selection of them in this issue too.

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Funding awarded This quarter’s grants

So without further ado, let’s get on with Issue 16…

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My week with Mechanical Engineering Work experience diary

Editor: Amy Grange Email: a.grange@sheffield.ac.uk

Insigneo Showcase

18 DiscoverySTEM

Outreach and MechEng 20

2018 is also a special year for engineering as the UK Government launches #YearofEngineering - a new campaign to raise awareness of engineering careers and opportunities. Read more about it and how to get involved on the next page.

Follow us:

The final word.

@SheffMechEng

/SheffMechEng /department-of-mechanicalengineering-university-of-sheffield 2

This publication is produced using 100% recycled FSC certified paper MechEng News: Issue 16

2018 is the #YearofEngineering Engineering is in the spotlight as the UK government launches a new campaign to tackle the engineering skills gap and inspire the engineers of tomorrow.

A pioneering campaign to transform the way young people see engineering and boost numbers entering the profession has been launched.

The Year of Engineering will see ministers join forces with engineers, industry experts and businesses to help change perceptions around engineering – and highlight the opportunities it can hold for young people.

Engineering is one of the most productive UK sectors, but there’s a shortfall of 20k engineering graduates every year. There’s also widespread misunderstanding of engineering among young people as well as a lack of diversity.

The Year of Engineering aims to fill those gaps, changing misconceptions and sharing inspiring engineering experiences with young people, their parents and teachers.

Over the course of 2018, Mechanical Engineering and the wider Faculty of Engineering will be supporting the campaign by taking a closer look at engineering - inspiring the next generation of innovators and problem-solvers.

We’ll be doing this through a number of activities and events and by exploring some key engineering themes such solving real life problems, diversity in engineering, raising aspirations and careers.

You can follow @SheffMechEng @SheffUniEng for all the latest news on what we are up to!

Get involved!

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Be part of the conversation and spread the word on social media using hashtags: #YoE #takeacloserlook or #inspireanengineer

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Send us your stories of engineering careers and how you got there.

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Take a look and share resources on the Year of Engineering website and add the logo to your email signature to show support: www.yearofengineering.gov.uk

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Follow the campaign on Twitter @YoEgovuk and on Instagram too.

Secretary of State for Transport, Chris Grayling said: “We want to show young people and their parents the immense creativity, opportunity and value of the profession.

“By bringing them face-to-face with engineering role models and achievements, we can send a clear message that engineering careers are a chance for all young people, regardless of gender, ethnicity or social background, to shape the future of this country and have a real impact on the lives of those around them.”

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Profile: Dr Matt Carré

What made you want to become a mechanical engineer?

None of my family are professional engineers but my father had many technical jobs including being a car mechanic and college lab technician before finally teaching design technology at a secondary school.

I was good at maths and science at school and considered architecture and civil engineering before my mother (also a teacher) suggested a mechanical engineering degree after a conversation with one of our neighbours.

I went for this as I thought it would give me more options. Now I’m lucky that I can combine my passions of engineering research and educating the next generation of engineers.

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Where did you train?

Like many of my colleagues, I’m a product of the fantastic training from our Department!

I was in one of the first cohorts of the MEng Mechanical Engineering programme (1992-1996) and then studied for a PhD here (1996-2000).

This was working with the England and Wales Cricket Board, along with other researchers, to better understand how to produce high quality pitches.

My piece of the puzzle looked at how a cricket ball’s rebound was affected by natural turf parameters. I produced and analysed over 15,000 ball impacts but this didn’t put me off enjoying cricket - I still try to catch an England Test match every year, usually at Headingley.

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By this point I’d fallen in love with the city of Sheffield and its surroundings and settled down with my future wife and mother to my two boys. Hence we’re still here!

What are your research interests?

After my PhD, I carried out lots of projects applying engineering concepts and theory to problems associated with sport, such as football aerodynamics, hockey stick impacts and rugby ball handling. I soon realised the aspects that appealed most were how athletes interact with their equipment and so I helped set up the Human Interaction Group in the Department.

We focus on the physical interface between humans and their immediate environment (e.g. products, devices and surfaces) with applications as varied as healthcare, consumer goods, sport and assistive living.

What are you working on at the moment?

All sorts of things! I am currently supervising PhD studies linked to industry and I’m also involved in two Knowledge Transfer projects with a company that wants to improve its slip-resistant footwear and develop bespoke additivemanufactured footwear products.

I also work with the English Institute of Sport who support Team GB Olympics and Paralympics athletes but that is shrouded

in secrecy and you’ll have to wait until after Tokyo 2020 for me to reveal any more!

All of this work is built on a foundation of fundamental engineering science, understanding the tribology of human tissue and response to loading, delivered through research council funded projects.

None of this is done individually and I collaborate with a host of academics and researchers in our Department (too many to try and name-check!), as well as other universities and organisations.

If there was one Mech Eng problem you could solve, what would it be?

The massive challenge of how to cope with a society that is living longer.

Medical advances have been incredible at keeping humans alive, but what we need now are solutions to keep older people active, comfortable and with reduced pain – essentially, happy in later life.

I would love to be able to impact on a small part of that and this is what most of my current future proposals are based around.

What words of advice would you give to your student-self about the future?

Find something you enjoy doing and make it your job.

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Engineering Heartspace: We take a look at the home of If you’ve taken a stroll around campus recently, you will have noticed the busy worksite surrounding the Sir Frederick Mappin Building and 1885 Central Wing, Mechanical Engineering’s traditional base here at the University of Sheffield.

That’s because construction has been underway on the exciting Engineering Heartspace, a dynamic social and research collaboration space set to be unveiled in 2019.

Designed to future-proof and bring our beautiful old buildings back to life whilst creating new collaborative spaces, the Engineering Heartspace is a big project for the Faculty with big benefits in mind.

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As Professor Mike Hounslow, Vice-President & Head of Faculty (Engineering) explains: “First and foremost [the Engineering Heartspace] is a place where staff and students can meet and work together... this will genuinely bring parts of the Faculty together, it will create a whole of what has been two separate buildings.”

So what’s happening underneath all the scaffolding?

The design includes a glazed quadrupleheight atrium that brings the Sir Frederick Mappin Building and 1885 Central Wing together, with new highly

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f Mechanical Engineering and its amazing transformation. serviced laboratories, workshops and postgraduate research space.

It will also include office space and connected social spaces for the Faculty of Engineering.

When complete, the refurbished Central Wing will once again be home to Mechanical Engineering, taking us into the next 100 years of the Department – so as you can guess, we’re excited to move in!

To take a virtual tour around the plans, visit: www.youtube.com/ShefUniEng

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Where are they now?

Pooya Abka studied with us from 2009 to 2012, graduating from our BEng in Mechanical Engineering. He is now based in LA and the CEO and Co-founder of Idemandu, an AI assistant helping service experts and clients to connect. He tells us more about his time in Sheffield and what he has been up to since…

What attracted you to mechanical engineering?

After graduating from Sheffield where did you go?

What attracted you to Sheffield?

For me, Sheffield gives you a chance to focus on the things that matter most at that stage of your life and career advancing your education, getting to know yourself and having fun!

My father studied mechanical engineering, so I was raised with the idea of becoming a mechanical engineer myself - when I had the chance to choose my major, I didn’t doubt it for a second.

I attended the University of Sheffield International College and found the city affordable, the people friendly and the IC library excellent!

What were your favourite things to do in Sheffield?

Attending Sheffield Students’ Union events, midnight walks on West Street, taking trips to Meadowhall and of course, the delicious Sunday roast at Yorkshire Bridge Inn!

Did you get involved in any clubs or societies during your studies?

I was an active member of Faculty Advisory Board representing all undergraduate engineering students.

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I moved to London to do my masters but I’m glad that I chose a smaller city for my undergraduate studies, Sheffield was the best decision I ever made.

You’ve recently been profiled by Forbes about your AI start-up Idemandu – can you tell us more?

Idemandu is an AI agent that learns and adapts to your needs over time.

It can understand a customer’s service needs over voice, connect them to vetted service providers instantly and learn about their personal preferences – it’s a first for the service industry.

We recently partnered up with Google Assistant to offer our services in California and we’re super excited

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about our upcoming new features and partnerships!

Pictured: Pooya (l) and Erfan (r)

Sheffield played a significant role in the creation of Idemandu as I met my co-founder Erfan Dehghanfar there. He was doing his masters in Information Management whilst I was studying Mechanical Engineering.

We were introduced by some friends and have been working together ever since.

Sheffield is a great place to start building lifelong connections. After Sheffield, we moved to London and then to sunny California in 2014.

What piece of advice would you give to your younger self or a recent graduate starting off in their career?

Even though my field is now completely different to Mechanical Engineering, I’ve found that my training has given me a ‘third eye’ to look at problems from a different angle, which has been invaluable.

1. Allow yourself to make mistakes.

Take advantage of your limited responsibilities and be bold.

It is certainly an exciting time for you – what would you say your ultimate goal for the future is?

2. Get your hands dirty with work.

Don’t be afraid of building something you’re passionate about.

Our ultimate goal is to play a part in shaping the future of consumer AI and we work hard to achieve that goal.

3. There’s no shortage of honesty, generosity and kindness in every corner of this Earth. Don’t make your mind up about people too quickly.

Perhaps someday we’ll be acquired or exit through IPO; I guess we’d be okay with both!

4. There are 3.8bn people just an email away. Ask for nothing and you will receive nothing.

Find out more about Idemandu at www.idemandu.com MechEng News: Issue 16

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Let’s get technical!

From intricate small parts to large rigs, the Technical Team are a go-to resource for students and academics alike with a collective experience of over 110 years. They tell us more about the support and expertise on offer.

Highly trained and experienced machinists, our Technical Engineering Team provide support for the Department’s teaching and research activities as well as a sounding board for students working on projects - sharing the benefit of their experience and best working practice.

“We have a wealth of experience here within the team,” says Gareth Barker, Team Leader.

“Many of the technicians have years of practical experience and skills that students can access throughout their course and we really encourage any opportunity for them to work and liaise with us.

“Even though the majority work more closely with us as part of their final year projects, we are here to support and advise students throughout their time at the University.

“It’s another great way to learn more about practical manufacturing processes and considerations such as labour time and costs – all things that come into play once you’re in industry.”

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The team’s top priority is to provide technical engineering services for students and the various research and development projects the University is involved with. These vary, ranging from entire rigs designed by undergraduates to small, individual testing samples.

Alongside project work, they also support student-led activities and recurring cocurricular projects including Formula Racing, Railway Challenge and Shell Eco-Marathon.

They were also involved in the SunbYte high altitude telescope project last year. ‘’The Technical Team provides Sheffield Formula Racing with high quality machining services. They help us with everything from welding to CNC machining and without their continued support we would simply not be able to hit our manufacturing targets.

“Their accommodating attitude has helped us out of numerous tight spots over the years, making them invaluable to the team,” says Ben Seers, a member of the Sheffield Formula Student team.

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With their main workshop currently based in the Hicks building, the Technical Team are looking forward to moving into the new Engineering Heartspace when it opens in 2019 too.

“It is an interesting time for the team as we focus on how we can help students and continually improve our own approaches, such as project planning, precision capability and turnaround times.

“We’ve also had the opportunity to work on some really interesting and innovative projects over recent months, marrying our experience and expertise with forward thinking design.

For example, during quieter months we’ve been able to collaborate with other parts of the University - from designing and producing task-specific machines to manufacturing components for a multi-million pound telescope!

Upcoming Event: Insigneo Showcase 2018 The Insigneo Institute for in silico Medicine’s annual showcase will be held on 3rd May 2018 at the Octagon Centre, Sheffield.

This year Insigneo is delighted to welcome Prof. Dame Pamela Shaw, Director of the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) as a keynote speaker alongside a programme including: •

Talks covering the full scope of Insigneo’s research, from fundamental science to translation, from clinical implementation to industrial development.

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An Industrial Village showcasing in silico medicine’s latest commercial applications and developments from our industrial partners.

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Networking opportunities and one-to-one’s with funders, academics and clinicians.

“We’re excited for the future of the team and continuing to provide that sounding board for students, their ideas and projects.”

To arrange a visit to the team or to discuss a project, please contact Technical Engineering Team Leader, Gareth Barker on 01142 227868 or email G.T.Barker@sheffield.ac.uk

For more programme details and information on how to register please visit: www.insigneo.org The event is free of charge.

LtoR: Gareth Barker, David Webster, Joe Milner, Geoff Hibberd and Matt Kirkland.

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The locomotives will then be tested live during a competition weekend in June at Stapleford Miniature Railway in Leicestershire, where several categories of winners and an overall Railway Challenge champion will be crowned.

Last year, the University of Sheffield came 4th overall, competing and completing in all 10 categories and winning in maintainability.

It’s that time of year again, where students from Mechanical Engineering are joined by their counterparts across the engineering faculty to take part in the Railway Challenge.

Now in its seventh successive year, the challenge is organised by the Institution of Mechanical Engineering and provides a brilliant opportunity for teams to take part in an industry-specific competition – helping to develop their skills, expertise, knowledge and business acumen.

So, what does the challenge involve?

As with previous years, the teams will be required to design and manufacture a miniature (10¼” gauge) railway locomotive in accordance with a set of strict rules and a detailed technical specification.

Isobel Catt is working on Structures and Dynamics in the Challenge team alongside her MEng in Mechanical Engineering studies: “As a first-year, I’ve found RCAS extremely welcoming. The more experienced members are always willing to help and I can learn from their knowledge and guidance.

“So far, I’ve worked on the suspension and coupling system, which made me realise how much more complex it is applying classroom theory to a real project!”

What will 2018 bring for team Sheffield?

The 25-strong team will again be competing in all the paper and track challenges including design reporting, business case, innovation to industry, traction, energy

RAILWAY CHA 12

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storage, noise, ride comfort, maintainability, reliability and scrutineering - with design and manufacturing already well on the way.

Sam Blacktop, Team Principle and fourth year MEng Mechanical Engineering student tells us more: “This year we’re really looking forward to impressing at competition. In keeping with the spirit of the team, we’ve kept innovating and come up with a concept that’s completely new. The new design will certainly get some funny looks when it is unveiled!

“Part of this progress has been the use of Virtual Reality to design the loco. For the first time, we’ll be hosting a design review for the University and sponsors, using the VR cave in the Diamond. We hope this will give a new perspective on our design and prevent mistakes, as well as trying a technique which is becoming more common in industry.”

With eleven teams due to meet and compete in Leicestershire - some coming from as far afield as Egypt and Germany – it is definitely gearing up to be an exciting Railway Challenge. Good luck to all of the team!

Follow the team and their progress on Facebook ‘RailwayChallengeAtSheffield’ and on Twitter @RailChallAtShef

Did you know?

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The University of Sheffield is the only competing team that is extracurricular and undergraduates don’t earn any credits for taking part.

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Members can join in their first year as an undergraduate, with many of the management team in their second year.

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This year’s team is 25 strong with a third of members in their first year. A third of the team are female engineers.

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The team is cross-faculty with members from mechanical, materials, aero, chemical and electrical engineering related courses.

ALLENGE 2018 MechEng News: Issue 16

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Research focus: Fatbergs and Fibre Optics Academics from the Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Civil and Structural Engineering have been working with wastewater and systems experts nuron to develop a dual-purpose fibre sensing technology that provides an early warning for sewer blockages.

When you think of your broadband provision, sewers and fatbergs wouldn’t necessarily spring to mind – but perhaps they should as both could benefit from a new innovation involving academics from the University of Sheffield.

That’s because nuron, wastewater and systems experts based in London, have developed an innovative, dual-purpose fibre optic ‘nervous system’ for sewers, where blockages that could grow into ‘fatbergs’ are detected early – helping to avoid costly excavations.

Developed with the support of Professor Kirill Horoshenkov from the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Professor Simon Tait, Department of Civil and Structural Engineering as part of their involvement in the University’s Pennine Water Group, this is the only dual-purpose technology of its kind.

It not only transforms existing sewer and wastewater monitoring capabilities, but includes capacity for the integration of existing sensors and telemetry to create a comprehensive management network. As it is based on optical fibres, this new technology could also enable a more cost effective and efficient means of broadband roll out.

As Claire Fenwick, Managing Director at nuron explains: “Our technology is the only dual-purpose system enabling real time solutions for the

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impact of climate change, ageing infrastructure and urbanisation. It also reduces the cost of rolling full fibre networks; these are all very high priorities for the general public, asset owners, regulators and Government.

“Since our inception, the University of Sheffield and in particular Prof. Kirill Horoshenkov and Prof. Simon Tait, have been an instrumental part of the success of nuron with both Professors valued members of our team of technical experts.

“At nuron we do things differently, we continue to push boundaries in terms of what we understand and what we can do today. The University is very much aligned to this way of thinking, making them a perfect academic partner.”

As Prof. Horoshenkov and Prof. Tait add: “Flooding of your house or garden is one of the worst events that can happen to a householder.

Thousands of people suffer such events each year in the UK and this is often caused by blockages in sewers.

“Blockages can occur intermittently and are very difficult to locate quickly. The technology developed by nuron allows water companies to continuously monitor the flows all along sewer pipes and rapidly identify any developing blockages, which can then be dealt with proactively.

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Research funding received Rail Innovation

ARTEMIS V3

DyVirt

STriTuVaD Digital Twins

“This rapid monitoring system has the potential to eliminate sewer flooding caused by blockages and prevent a negative impact on UK householders.”

To find out more about the Pennine Water Group, the largest urban water research group in any UK University visit www.sheffield.ac.uk/ penninewatergroup

How it works: nuron technology gives sewer and wastewater operators the ability to not only monitor the ‘down manhole’ spot flow provided by current generation sensors, but for the first time, continuous ‘in pipe’ condition and flow too.

By measuring multiple parameters at the same time, every 5m within a sewer network, it allows potential incidents to be rapidly localised, accurately diagnosed and resolved - averting customer, public or environmental impact.

£7,340,933 our top 5 research grants this quarter: Professor David Wagg and Professor Keith Worden – Digital twins for improved dynamic design - £5,112,624 from Engineering and Physical Science Council (EPSRC) Professor Marco Viceconti – In Silico Trial for Tuberculosis Vaccine Development (STriTuVaD) £747,734 from Horizon 2020 Professor Mohamed Pourkashanian and Dr Muhammad Akram – ARTEMIS V3 £618,224 from BE&IS Professor David Wagg, Dr Ifigeneia Antoniadou, Dr Robert Barthorpe, Dr Elizabeth Cross, Dr Nikolaos Dervillis and Professor Keith Worden – DyVirt - £572,351 from Horizon 2020 Dr David Fletcher – Rail Innovation Technology Centre Renewal - £290,000 from Network Rail Ltd 15

My week with Mechanical En

We were pleased to welcome Y10 student Ameerah Khan to the Department as She is currently studying for her GCSEs and hopes to carry on into further edu

Day 1

Day 3

On Monday morning, I started research for the poster I will be working on throughout the week. It is on finger friction and during my research I came across some interesting facts.

Back at school for the day!

In the afternoon, me and Julia made our way to one of the labs in the George Porter Building where we tested how strong our grip would be with different chemicals on our fingers. We used chemicals such as baby powder, soapy water and glycerol, which proved to be the slippiest and making it hard to grip. I really enjoyed Monday as I got an insight into working at the University.

Day 2 Tuesday was really interesting as I got the chance to see University students at work and how advanced the work is.

I was happy that I was able to give my input and opinion to the students and see how I would come up with solutions if I was working on a project.

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ngineering

s she undertook her work experience alongside Dr Julia Carrell. ucation. She tells us more about her week and what she got up to...

Day 4

Day 5

Thursday has been the best day as we did some amazing stuff and explored some of the University’s equipment.

On Friday, we spent the morning completing the poster I had been working on and applying all the finishing touches. Towards the end of the day, we headed to iForge to make a keyring using a laser cutter. This was fun as iForge is run by students of the University.

In the morning, we headed to the VR suite where I was given the opportunity to use the VR wall. I had to wear special 3D glasses and figures would appear on the big wall - it felt as if they were real!

I was also able to wear VR glasses that blocked out the reality and made you feel as if you were in a different place. I was in a big robotic-like room and had a little figure teaching me how to move blocks around with the VR glasses on - it was surprising how fun making shapes in virtual reality is!

Later on, we headed to the machine shop and I made a homemade screwdriver.

This was really fun, as it was a very creative and enjoyable activity to do. It was my favourite part of the week and really broadened my mind, inspiring me to consider engineering as a career choice. Spending time with the engineers was great and they had a great sense of humour.

My Week in 3!

Inspiring, fun and an experience (I’ll never forget!)

“This week has really opened my eyes to engineering and has made me consider going down this career path in the future. I am very grateful to the University for my work experience and a very big thank you to Julia who let me spend the week with her and all of the effort and time she gave to make my work experience a memorable one.”

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Inspiring the next STEM generation in Sheffield “Not just fun, super fun!” was the glowing endorsement of children taking part in a session with Discovery STEM Education and volunteers from the University of Sheffield this British Science Week.

And fun is definitely the objective at Discovery STEM Education, a not for profit organisation based at Kelham Island Museum, Sheffield.

Dr Melissa Butt set up the organisation to inspire the next generation of scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians - a project that the Department of Mechanical Engineering and our doctoral training centres IDC Machining Science and iT-CDT are proud to support.

Through bespoke enrichment days, after school clubs, holiday clubs and workshops for those in home education, Discovery STEM Education brings science, maths, engineering and technology to life for children right across the city. They also run practical GCSE science tuition sessions and

surgical skills courses for A level students that support young people to reach their full potential in their GCSE’s and University applications.

“Our aim is to engage young people from all backgrounds in exciting STEM activities and to open their minds to a variety of careers. We are very proud to have an equal mix of boys and girls engaging in our sessions, as well as an ethnic mix and SEN cohort representative of Sheffield’s population,” explains Melissa.

“We have a strong belief that role models are very important to improve engagement in STEM subjects and the opportunity to work with enthusiastic engineering colleagues from the University has clearly inspired many of our budding engineers over the past few weeks.”

These role models included colleagues specialising in machining and tribology who joined the team at Discovery STEM Education to take part in the experiments and answer the many insightful questions the children had for them.

“It’s great to welcome colleagues from the University. They’re great ambassadors for STEM and opportunities like this help our young people to explore and understand engineering and how it is relevant to the world around them,” adds Amanda Childs, Project Development Manager.

“Today we’ve been working with impact testers and measuring how much force is needed to break spaghetti and chocolate – experimenting with different thicknesses and temperatures to see how much they’ll take before breaking.

“It’s been messy and fun and the kids have been inspired to measure, record and analyse data. They’ve extended their understanding of experimental protocol because they wanted to get better data and find a conclusion, rather than because they were told to”.

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to see how kids can come out of their shell when they are inspired by what they are learning and we’ve had examples of that today.”

Professor Matt Marshall, Director of Recruitment and Admissions at the Faculty of Engineering helped to establish the links between the project and the Department of Mechanical Engineering, IDC Machining Science and iT-CDT.

Royce Copley who is studying at iT-CDT and has been taking part in the outreach sessions said: “I found my time with Discovery STEM Education very rewarding on a personal level and the groups I encountered really impressed me with their approach, understanding and knowledge – with just a small push in direction, they took off and created some very cool results and conclusions!

“We’re really proud to support Discovery STEM Education and their mission to bring STEM to life for children across the city. By helping children of all backgrounds to explore and experience science and engineering, we can inspire and motivate the next generation – supporting young people to become the Sheffield engineers, scientists, technologists and mathematicians who will shape our future and take on some of the world’s biggest challenges.”

Here’s to breaking more spaghetti!

Sessions are also playing an important role in helping children of all backgrounds to engage with STEM and use it as an opportunity to help overcome personal hurdles.

“We work with children from a wide range of backgrounds,” explains Amanda. “The chance to come here and take part in our activities not only helps them to learn more about science, maths, engineering and technology but it can also help them to develop their confidence and skills such as problem-solving and teamwork. It is amazing

Images courtesy of Discovery STEM Education

“I hope that the children I met continue with their energy and enthusiasm and can one day join us in doing this job for real. I’m right behind the idea of STEM outreach and especially STEM for girls. In just a few hours with Discovery STEM Education I met many talented girls who I hope will keep up their interest in science and maths and let nothing and no-one convince them that STEM subjects aren’t for everyone.”

To find out more about Discovery STEM Education, visit their website www.discoverystem.org.uk or follow on Twitter @Discovery_STEM_ and Facebook at ‘Discovery STEM Education’.

For more about outreach activity across the University of Sheffield visit: www.sheffield.ac.uk/outreach

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The Final Word.

Celebrating our centenary last year was a welcome reminder of how far the Department of Mechanical Engineering has come over the past 100 years, continually evolving to be at the forefront of teaching and research.

It is something I am incredibly honoured to have played a part in and I certainly admire the passion for innovation and excellence that emanates across the Department – whether that be our students, our academics or our technical and support colleagues.

This year has proven to be just as exciting: we have been busy commissioning our new Laboratory for Verification and Validation, the Engineering Heartspace is really starting to take shape and staff and students are continuing to enjoy using the Diamond and all that it has to offer.

We’re involved in some leading research and forging relationships with industry partners that are making a real difference to the world around us and how we understand it. We also continue to inspire, develop and encourage the next generation of problem-solvers, leaders and researchers in mechanical engineering through our varied outreach activities and quality teaching and learning too.

So here’s to the #yearofengineering and the many, many more to come for Mechanical Engineering at Sheffield.

Neil Sims

Head of Department, Mechanical Engineering

This publication is produced using 100% recycled FSC certified paper

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