Malaysia/Singapore 2004

The March 2004 Sterling Group lecture tour to S.E. Asia visited three centres – Bangkok, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
Dates were as follows:-

The tour party consisted of the Sterling Lecturer, Professor Peter J Goodhew FREng, Head of the Department
of Engineering at the University of Liverpool, supported by a party of nine senior academics from member institutions of
the Sterling Group.

Bangkok

This was the Sterling Group’s first visit to Thailand. The purpose of this visit was to explore opportunities for a
possible full tour in future years. Thus the tour party for this preliminary leg was just Professor Goodhew
(Sterling Lecturer) supported by two members of the executive committee – Dr Richard Scott (Chairman) and Dr Sally Clift.
The tour programme was developed in close co-operation with the British Council in Bangkok and included a
presentation of the main Sterling Lecture by Professor Goodhew.

Singapore and Malaysia

The main tour party assembled in Singapore and had representatives from the Universities of Bath, Birmingham,
Durham, Liverpool, Loughborough, Queen’s Belfast, Southampton, Strathclyde and UMIST. The Sterling Lecture
was presented at the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University. Supporting
lectures were given by the main tour party to around 9000 students in about thirty colleges and polytechnics. The
prize winner of the Sterling Competition for Junior Colleges in Singapore was announced at a reception hosted by
the British High Commissioner Mr Alan Collins CMG. Meetings were also held with professional institutions and
government representatives. Close co-operation was maintained with the British Council in Singapore.

Details of the Sterling Lecture and the supporting lectures are given below:-

THE STERLING GROUP LECTURE 2004

Nanomicroscopy for Nanoengineering

Professor Peter J Goodhew FREng
University of Liverpool

Visionary manufacturing engineers are now moving from the micrometre scale to the nanometre scale. In doing so, they move beyond the regime in which monitoring, process control and quality control can be carried out using light. In this lecture Professor Goodhew will describe the ways in which other techniques have risen to this challenge. Recent advances in several techniques now permit investigation at all scales from millimetre down to one-tenth of a nanometre. A new range of super-microscopes is being developed and the leading UK project, SuperSTEM, will be presented. It is hoped that the SuperSTEM at Daresbury laboratory in the UK will be operated remotely in a live demonstration from the lecture room.

Peter J Goodhew FREng is Henry Bell Wortley Professor of Materials Engineering at The University of Liverpool, and is the leader of the SuperSTEM project team. He is currently the Head of the Department of Engineering at Liverpool. In addition Professor Goodhew is also Director of the UK Centre for Materials Education, which supports the teaching of Materials in all UK Universities, Director of the MATTER project, which produces educational software and President of The Sterling Group of UK Universities with excellence in Engineering. In the past he has been Pro-Vice Chancellor, University of Liverpool (1998-2001), Dean of Engineering (95-98), President of the Royal Microscopical Society (94-96) and was formerly Professor of Microstructural Science, University of Surrey (until 1990). He was a member of the RAE panels on Materials in 1996 and 2001. He has given more than 100 invited presentations to conferences, summer schools and research institutes in 20 countries. He is the author of 8 books on electron microscopy and more than 200 publications, most based on electron microscopy. He is also the author or editor of many educational software modules for computer-based teaching.

More details can be found at www.liv.ac.uk/~goodhew/

SUPPORTING LECTURES 2004

Professor William M Banks FREng
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Strathclyde

Title:- Marvellous Materials

Abstract
A stunning variety of developments are taking place in the materials world at the moment. This ranges from the nano scale (less than the diameter of a hair of the head!) to the macro scale (eg parts of an aircraft structure). At the lower end “designer materials” are being introduced to meet a variety of requirements, whereas at the other end of the spectrum the applications are so numerous that they are literally changing our way of life. The presentation would show many of the developments which have taken place recently, and the variety of application potential that there is. This ranges from everyday items like furniture and kitchen utensils to the more exotic spacecraft.

Dr Alan R. Chambers
School of Engineering Sciences, University of Southampton

Title:- Composite Materials – Engineering the future

Abstract
Metals, polymers and ceramics are finished! If we want to fly higher, drive faster or hit the ball harder we need new materials. The answer is composite materials made from a combination of polymers, ceramics and metals. In this presentation composite materials are introduced and the materials from they are made from are described. It will be shown how unique properties can be achieved by how we construct the composite, how easy it is to make a part and how this is changing our lives. The talk will be illustrated with examples from F1 motor, racing, aerospace, racing yachts, sport and bioengineering.

Dr Sally E. Clift
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Bath

Title:- What is Medical Engineering?

Abstract

Modern technology underpins most aspects of our 21st Century life. We use electricity to power our labour saving devices; we use computers and mobile telephones to communicate; and we rely on cars, buses, trains and planes to get us where we want to go. None the less important is the contribution of technology to the development of modern medical devices and equipment. Medical engineers have supplied their clinical colleagues with a huge range of diagnostic and treatment equipment with which to help their patients. Artificial organs, replacement joints, imaging machines and biomaterials are but a few of the engineered products that help improve the quality of life for millions of people worldwide every year. This talk will review some of the key developments in medical engineering and set a wish list for the future.

Dr Ian Cotton
Department of Electrical Engineering and Electronics, UMIST

Title:- Bright Sparks in the Sky – Friend or Foe?

Abstract
Lightning is one of natures most powerful and spectacular natural phenomena. At every moment of the day there are over 2000 thunder storms on earth and more than 100 lightning strikes per second. Lightning travels at speeds of up to 60 000 miles per second and a single strike is brighter than 10 million light bulbs. Why do we get lightning? How does it form in the sky? What can it do to buildings, people and aircraft? Is lightning friend or foe?

Dr Geoff Dearden
Department of Engineering, University of Liverpool

Title:- High power laser applications for 21st Century engineering

Abstract
The laser’s invention just over 40 years ago heralded the start of an optical revolution, despite the laser being initially dubbed as ‘a solution looking for a problem’. Today, a wide range of industrial, scientific and medical applications have been successfully developed and laser devices are found in everyday use. In many cases, the properties of laser light can offer unique advantages, whether being used as a research tool or in a production process. With the continuing emergence of new laser devices and optical techniques, the engineering applications for lasers are rapidly expanding. This presentation will firstly review the types of lasers available to science and industry today and their key properties, with an emphasis on high power lasers. A number of state-of-the-art developments in high power laser applications will then be described to illustrate the breadth of potential use in engineering.

Professor David W.L. Hukins
Department of Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Birmingham

Title:- Materials in the Human Body

Abstract
The human body is a highly sophisticated machine made of very complicated natural materials. In order to repair this machine, when it is damaged by injury or disease, we need to understand how these natural materials function and why they fail. Replacement parts have to be made of materials that are safe; usually they should not be degraded by body fluids but, for some applications, like resorbable sutures, this is beneficial or even essential. In many applications, like artificial joints, a synthetic material has to be fixed to the natural materials of the body.

Professor Dennis L. Loveday
Building Services Engineering Group, University of Loughborough

Title:- If You Want to Save Planet Earth .Become a Building Services Engineer!

Abstract
Evidence is gathering that planet Earth’s climate is changing, and that we face an uncertain future in the years to come. Carbon dioxide released by the burning of fossil fuels for energy production is believed to be the main cause of climate change, and this is leading to global warming. In many countries, buildings are responsible for about 50% of national energy consumption, a large part of this being used for the cooling or heating of buildings to maintain people’s thermal comfort. For this reason, building services engineers take a leading role in combating global warming through energy-efficient design.

Against the above background, the lecture will address the important work undertaken by building services engineers in keeping people comfortable, healthy and productive in today’s energy-efficient buildings. This branch of engineering is of vital importance, since we spend about 90% of our lives indoors. The relationship between human thermal comfort and energy use by buildings in the context of the above will be discussed. In particular, recent developments in our understanding of thermal comfort will be presented, together with a view of how buildings will have to become more energy efficient in future if we are to tackle the threat of climate change. Finally, a glimpse will be given of how building services engineering might develop in the far future.

Professor Alan Marshall
School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Queen’s University, Belfast

Title:- Quality in the Internet – who needs it?

Abstract
The development of the Internet as a communications network that can connect everyone on the planet is perhaps one of the greatest engineering achievements of the last century. Despite its phenomenal growth, the Internet, as it is today, is so congested that it does not allow for the development of cutting-edge applications. In an ideal environment, time-critical traffic such as voice and video would take precedence over spam, particularly when the network is congested. Quality of Service (QoS) has become an increasingly important factor in the evolution of the Internet, and this talk will explore some of the techniques used to impart the notion of quality into computer networks. The talk will also discuss some of the new applications that the next generation Internet will have to support – such as touch and smell!