PIONEER Autumn 2008 www.epsrc.ac.uk 01 Speed Freak Can Richard Noble’s team build the fastest car in the world? 9/11SURVIVORS’ STORIES / SLASHING ENERGY DEMAND / PROTECTING BRITAIN’S HERITAGE Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council PIONEER 01 CONTENTS Autumn 2008 FEATURES EPSRC: funding the future 13 Cover story 13 The science behind the world’s fastest car The Engineering and Physical Sciences Get involved: Contact us: 19 Default risk Helping banks avoid the mistakes of the Research Council (EPSRC) is the main EPSRC’s portfolio of research projects We have dedicated sector teams working to understand the research and skills needs of credit crunch UK government agency for funding includes more than 2,000 partnerships their sectors and to help connect businesses research and training in engineering with organisations from the industrial, with university expertise. 21 Talking bacteria and the physical sciences – from business and charitable sectors. Aerospace and Defence David Spring on bacteria’s infectious conversation Contact: Simon Crook, Tel: 01793 444425 – and how we can change the message mathematics to materials science More than 35 per cent of our research Construction, Environment and Water and from information technology to funding includes collaborative partners. Contact: Claire Tansley, Tel: 01793 444237 25 The future’s bright Electronics structural engineering. Can affordable LEDs light the low energy EPSRC’s knowledge transfer goals Contact: Matthew Ball, Tel: 01793 444351 pathway? Working with UK universities, it invests include: Healthcare Contact: Nafeesa Simjee, Tel: 01793 444465 around £740m a year in world class • Enhancing opportunities for 29 Science and heritage Manufacturing research and training to promote future business/university research Contact: Kathryn Magnay, Tel: 01793 444068 New work to preserve the past economic development and improved collaborations to accelerate Power quality of life. knowledge transfer. Contact: Stephen Elsby, Tel: 01793 444458 31 Survivors’ stories Process Industries How those who evacuated the World Trade • Ensuring postgraduate skills meet the PIONEER is EPSRC’s quarterly Contact: Nicolas Guernion, Tel: 01793 444343 Center on 9/11 are helping to create a safer needs of business through increased high-rise future magazine. Software, Media and Communications demand-led and collaborative training. Contact: Carol McAnally, Tel: 01793 444582 Transport Systems 33 Drug discovery It highlights how EPSRC-funded • Strengthening partnerships with Contact: Richard Bailey, Tel: 01793 444423 New training to keep the UK on top of the world research and training is helping to business to improve knowledge If you can’t find a sector relevant to you, tackle global challenges and the major transfer – including the development please email: [email protected] “The evacuation of the World issues facing individuals, business of strategic partnerships with EPSRC Trade Center complex after and the UK economy. research-intensive companies. Polaris House REGULARS North Star Avenue 31 the 9/11 attacks was one of Swindon 4 Leaders You can find out more about EPSRC and how you can work with us by visiting SN2 1ET the largest full-scale evacuations E-mail: [email protected] our website www.epsrc.ac.uk Switchboard: 01793 444000 of people in modern times” 5 Briefings Helpline: 01793 444100 Self-heal aeroplanes, robots with feelings and bullet-tagging technology Website: www.epsrc.ac.uk PIONEER The views and statements expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily Editor: Christopher Buratta 11 Interview those of EPSRC unless explicitly stated. Some of the research highlighted may not yet have E-mail: [email protected] EPSRC’s business innovation director Catherine been peer-reviewed. Tel: 01793 444305 Coates on building stronger links with industry © Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. Reproduction permitted only if source Mailing changes: [email protected] is acknowledged. Contributors 34 Profile ISSN 1758-7727 Maria Burke, Nina Morgan, Tony Newton. 2008 Marconi award-winner David Payne on future communication, Harley Davidsons and Heston Blumenthal 25 29 05 Frances Crick and James Watson, and, of course, Richard Noble. SELF HEALING AIRCRAFT He has already led two successful attempts on BACTERIA FOR THE FUTURE Bac for the world land speed record and his team holds DIGITAL BOOST FOR AFRICAN FARMERS Inspiring the current record with Thrust SSC. RUBBER SEA SNAKES the future Now, working with researchers funded by FUNDS FOR MEDICAL ENGINEERING BACTERIA could be the fuel of the future – thanks to new research at EPSRC, his Bloodhound SSC team hope to briefings ROBOT LOVE Sheffield University. science push the boundaries further than ever before BULLET TAGGING and create the world’s first 1,000mph car. The breakthrough could have significant BIG CITY FOOTPRINT It is ambitious, but through excellent implications for the environment and the production of sustainable fuels. science and engineering and with drive and to ensure their brilliance improves lives Like all living creatures, bacteria sustain elcome to the first edition of determination, they have every chance of throughout the UK and across the globe. themselves through their metabolism, a huge PIONEER – EPSRC’s new reaching their goal. Over the coming years, we will be sequence of chemical reactions that transform quarterly magazine. Its aim Ultimately, their achievement will not be challenging our research community to tackle nutrients into energy and waste. is to showcase the world-class measured in miles per hour, but in the advanced the very real issues of energy supply and climate Using mathematical computer models, the Wresearch and brilliant minds technologies that follow from their work and in change, to develop new ways of using digital Sheffield team mapped the metabolism of a that we fund – the pioneers who are pushing the future achievements of the children they technologies and to improve healthcare. ‘New skin’ for type of bacteria called Nostoc. back the boundaries of physical sciences and inspire to become engineers. And we will be working closely with Nostoc fixes nitrogen and, in doing so, engineering and ensuring the UK can tackle the For the UK to continue and build upon its organisations and businesses across all industrial releases hydrogen that can then potentially be challenges of the 21st century. great tradition we need to inspire the next sectors to help ensure that UK science makes self heal planes used as fuel. Fixing nitrogen is an energy The UK has a great science and engineering intensive process and until now it was not entirely generation of pioneers and we need to support a difference. AILING AIRCRAFT could heal themselves during flight thanks to a revolutionary tradition. It has produced countless pioneers who talented researchers throughout their careers. clear exactly how the bacterium produces the new system. energy it needs in have left their mark on history – Newton, Brunel, To do this great tradition justice we also need David Delpy EPSRC chief executive The technology, that mimics the healing processes found in nature, has been developed by order to perform. aerospace engineers at Bristol University, with funding from EPSRC, and could be available for This research But the new commercial use within four years. In addition to improving aviation safety, the technology could is yet another computer system also lead to lighter aircraft, cutting both fuel costs and carbon emissions. has been able to If a tiny hole or crack appears in the aircraft – due to fatigue or a stone strike – epoxy resin small step map out the ‘bleeds’ from embedded vessels near the crack to quickly seal it and restore integrity. The resin towards process. and hardener enable the composite material to recover up to 80-90 per cent of its original strength Dr Guido – comfortably allowing a plane to function at its normal operational load. sustainable Sanguinetti, from Dye in the resin would allow fuels. the university’s engineers to pinpoint damage repair Dr Guido Sanguinetti Department of Planning to deliver during subsequent ground inspections. Computer Science, Dr Ian Bond, the man who led the who led the study, said: “The research uncovered release talent, improve the competitiveness of Management of these risks is continuous and three-year project, said: “This approach a previously unknown link between the energy Britain and create a more sustainable future. comes under scrutiny from many stakeholder can deal with small-scale damage that’s machinery of the Nostoc bacterium and its core At EPSRC our three-year delivery plan organisations. We also have tough not obvious to the naked eye but which nitrogen metabolism. Further investigation of addresses key global challenges, such as energy, environmental, sustainability and diversity might lead to serious failures in structural this pathway might lead to understanding and and outlines our continued commitment to invest targets which we must meet if the London integrity if it escapes attention. improvement of the hydrogen production in the next generation of world-class researchers Games are to be a real success in the long term. “It’s intended to complement rather mechanism of these bacteria. It will certainly be and support more ambitious research. Delivery requires the co-ordination of than replace conventional inspection and some time before a pool of bacteria powers your However, the expectations are higher than thousands of companies across the UK as maintenance routines, which can readily car, but this research is yet another small step pick up larger-scale damage, caused by ever and like the ODA we will need to maintain well as the organisation of 20,000 workers on towards sustainable fuels.” a bird strike, for example.” He added: “The next step for us will be a sharp focus on the scope of activity we support the Olympic site and five deliveries of lorry The technique can be applied further investigation into hydrogen production, uring the next three years I will be across the many and varied disciplines.