ISSUE TWENTY THREE Autumn 2015

In this issue... 4 ASSOCIATION NEWS & REVIEWS FACULTY NEWS 3 Presidents report 6 Soft tissue fossils 4 Imperial’s President on Imperial Engineers 6 London Duathlon 5 Shaping CGCA for the future 6 A plethora of awards across the faculty 5 A curious bundle 7 Bionic eye 5 Chaps Club Rugby Reunion 7 James Dyson Foundation 22 Diary 7 Grantham Institute climate change projects 22 ICENAE Fortieth! 7 Cryptocurrencies 22 Glossop Medal and Award 7 High speed trains 22 Cave Junction update OBITUARIES: FEATURES 23 M J Kenn; J A Walters; G H Cope 8–9 The Road to Delhi: A journey – Nick Fern 24 M A G Wall; B S Soan 10–11 Women in Engineering: Hertha Ayrton 25 M Turner 12–13 Taking a Leif out of Erikson’s book – Nigel Fitzpatrick 26 R E Knight 14–17 Sitting in a Spitfre – Peter Buck 27 Rev. T R Hawthorn; P H Stokes 18–21 Hans and Matilda’s excellent adventure – Andy Clark 27 D Chown; C R W Stephens

Front cover photo: I m p e r i a l I m p e r i a l ENGINEER MJ627 fying over Kent ENGINEER

Back cover photo: MJ627 in the Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar LEIF ERIKSON LEIF ERIKSON ROAD TO DELHI ROAD TO DELHI HERTHA AYRTON undergoing maintenance HERTHA AYRTON SITTING IN A SPITFIRE SITTING IN A SPITFIRE ENCHANTED COTTAGE (See pp14-17) ENCHANTED COTTAGE For members of City & Guilds College Association For members of City & Guilds College Association and The Royal School of Mines Association and The Royal School of Mines Association ISSUE 23 AUTUMN 2015 ISSUE 23 AUTUMN 2015 12 14 18 © 2015 John M Dibbs © 2015 Alison Buck

Imperial ENGINEER EDITORIAL BOARD CORRESPONDENCE and ENQUIRIES Peter Buck (Editor) Teresa Sergot David Bishop, Tim Cotton, Engineering Chapter Paul Holmes, Chris Lumb, Level 2, Faculty Building Bill McAuley (Emeritus Editor), Imperial College, London SW7 2AZ Colleen Shilstone Richardson, Tel: +44 (0) 20 7594 1184 Teresa Sergot Email: [email protected] Website: www.imperial.ac.uk/engineering/alumni/ PRODUCTION AND DESIGN Alison Buck CGCA website: www.cgca.org.uk RSMA website: www.union.ic.ac.uk/rsma/ PRINTING Bishops Printers, Portsmouth Short URLs at the end of items indicate more details online. All the links in this issue can also be found in our IE23 bundle at: bit.ly/IE23links STORY IDEAS FOR THE NEXT ISSUE BY FEBRUARY 1 2016 FINAL COPY DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 29 2016

Te editorial board of Imperial ENGINEER reserves the right to edit copy for style and length. Imperial ENGINEER is printed on Forest Stewardship Council registered paper.

2 Imperial ENGINEER Autumn 2015 As we slip quietly from late Summer into Autumn, and refecting on the passage of time and the cycles in life, I want to start by drawing to your attention the sad end of one important cycle in any CGCA member’s life – the life of Rogers Knight. An obituary starts on page 26; for my wife Jean and me, Rogers has been a constant in CGCA, being there from when we frst got involved in the Association until earlier this year and encouraging us, as he did so many others, in all our activities. Equally, Autumn brings a new term and the cycle of a new academic year, with many new students to Imperial – full, we trust, of hope and determination for an exciting, challenging and rewarding time engaging in all that IC has to ofer, as well as their education! Te new academic year also brings new ofcials in the Student Unions, and I am already looking forward to our frst get-togethers with the new City & Guilds College Union ofcers and with department society representatives on 20 October. Your committees are continuing with their push to strengthen links with the Departmental Societies, to support students and feed back from our experience to assist the current students. Tis issue of Imperial ENGINEER is in the middle of another cycle – reporting on this year’s Annual Dinner at Te Stationers’ Hall and announcing next year’s Dinner at the Fishmongers’ Hall next to London Bridge – see the enclosed fyer/booking form. Friday 26th February 2016 is the date when Jean and I look forward very much Roger to welcoming many members and their guests, and our Principal Guests and speakers Professor David Balmforth, the current President of the Institution of Civil Engineers, and Sarah Porter Waterbury, Imperial College’s frst Vice President of Advancement. Te Dinner will be held 50 years since Jean and I started our studies at Imperial – yes Venables really! – and we are aiming to encourage as many of our classmates as we can to join us! Before then, I look forward to a particular pleasure of introducing a Past President of ICE and fellow CGCA member to speak at our Christmas lunch and seminar on Monday 14 December. My wife and business partner Jean will be speaking on her role of Chairman of the Nuclear Liabilities Fund and, amongst other perhaps more-important issues, will indicate how that role can possibly be linked to her previous experience in food risk management! I hope we can fll the dining room at 170 Queen’s Gate to capacity and look forward to seeing many of you there. Te fyer/booking form is also enclosed with this copy of IE. Finally, I have two more cycles for you, for both of which I invite – indeed request – your input. • First, we are seeking your input to the cycle of events that we arrange for members and what kind of event programme you would fnd useful, enjoyable, worthwhile. I am delighted that General Committee member Charles Parry has taken on the role of Events Coordinator – please write to him with your ideas at [email protected]. • Secondly, at the strategic level, your Executive Committee has decided to embark on a strategic review of the Association’s purpose and activities. Association Vice President Judith Hackitt is leading the project; please read the article on page 5 and send us your thoughts. I look forward very much to reading your input and working with Judith and many other members to determine the future direction for CGCA. PRESIDENTS REPORT

I did not expect to be penning another missive for the Imperial ENGINEER but was conscripted by the committee to undertake another year as President. Te period between the spring and autumn issues of this publication is always a quiet one in terms of RSMA and RSMU activities. Te 2015 Annual General Meeting of the Association was held on the 25th June, followed by the fnal year Bar-B-Q, which was again well attended by the students plus a few stalwart alumni. Once again, Eddie Gadd donated 2 pins of his Ramsgate Brewery’s fnest ale which was much appreciated by one and all. Te (unapproved) minutes of the AGM, including the President and Treasurer’s report will be posted on the RSMA website. Te RSMA was again represented at the IC alumni reunion day in May and this is a great opportunity for alumni to meet old friends and to see the Imperial of today and to absorb all the innovations and frontier developments in research and education, that warrant Imperial’s position as one of the world’s top academic institutions. Des Kearns, President of RSMU in 1964-65 was a welcome visitor, from the USA, this year. Te 131st annual dinner will be held on Friday 27th November at the Rembrandt Hotel in Knightsbridge. It is hoped that as many members as possible will attend as this is the most signifcant event in the Association’s calendar. A group e-mail will be sent out to all members with application for tickets attached. Te Rugby World Cup saw a signifcant infux of overseas alumni into London, many supporting teams from their adopted homes and a reunion on Friday evening 23rd October in the Union saw the renewal of many old friendships, with the Southern Hemisphere John visitors having bragging rights. Visitors over the period included Chris Molam (RSMU President 1966-67) from Harare; from Australia, Barry Sullivan (RSMU President 1968-69) and John Ballard; and from South Africa, Nick Icely, Roger Marshall and Dave Hodgson (see Chaps Club photos on page 5). Te student executives for this academic year are Sam Argyle, President, and Eleanor Bryant, Secretary. We look O’Reilly forward to a strong relationship in our continuing support of the RSMU. A good rapport has been developed with the student body which bodes well for the future. Over the last few months there has been extensive dialogue with college to formalise an agreement on the type of access that the Associations will have to alumni and members’ data held by the college, together with the membership reconciliation process. Te Association position is that we require unfettered access to our members, including communications, appeal for funds etc. Te discussions with the college’s Development Department have been held in a spirit of collaboration and hopefully a formal agreement will ensue shortly that is acceptable to both parties. It is recognised that the RSMA website is now in need of an overhaul with easier access to news and membership issues and with archiving of past events. Tis will be undertaken over the next couple of months. Members are welcome to post items that they feel may be of interest to fellow members (notifcation of reunions etc) and should forward them to the committee. Tere are now 1974 RSM alumni registered LinkedIn and a strong presence on Facebook. Te number on LinkedIn is interesting as we have fewer than half that number as paid up members to the Association (and some of those paid up members will not be on LinkedIn). Tere is therefore a need for a renewed push on membership that embraces all those alumni who have registered an afliation with the RSM, through social media, but who have not formally joined the Association!

Imperial ENGINEER Autumn 2015 3 NEWS & REVIEWS Imperial’s President on Imperial Engineers On the 20th March, the CGCA Annual Dinner was held at Stationers Hall, with principal guest speaker Lord Berkeley. Imperial’s President, Professor Alice P. Gast, responded on behalf of the guests and shared her observations on Imperial Engineers. Mr Venables, Mrs Venables, Lord Berkeley, Ladies and Gentlemen Thank you for your warm welcome to all of us on this marvellous occasion. As a chemical engineer for thirty-fve years, it is a great honour to represent the guests here this evening and deliver a few words of thanks and appreciation on their behalf. Thank you Lord Berkeley for an insightful and inspiring talk. Thanks to President and Mrs Venables and the leaders of the City and Guilds College Association for your hospitality. Founded in 1897, the City and Guilds College Association was established to ‘maintain an effective connection between the present and former students and staff’. This Photo: Ziyuan Mao is clearly what is happening tonight. It is wonderful to see so many members and their guests spending a delightful evening with students and friends. This beautiful hall is the home disciplines. The foundational feld monitoring water pollution levels. treatments for healthcare. of the Worshipful Company of of civil engineering has evolved and Inspired by nature, his trout mimics We are also excited about the Stationers and Newspaper Makers. incorporated increasing amounts of natural fsh movement with an School of Design Engineering, which The company was formed in the environmental engineering into its algorithm that enables each body welcomes its frst cohort of students ffteenth century as a company for research and education, to refect part to move in sync. Weighing in at in October this year. Keep your eye roaming text writers, illustrators, the needs of society. around 4.7kg, Ichthus is a nice sized on our design engineers; they will be bookbinders or booksellers who set Since coming to London, I have trout indeed. leading the world. up stalls or ‘stations’ around St Paul’s had the pleasure to meet many These opportunities are not Cathedral. The company is thriving Imperial engineers, past and present. Thirdly, Imperial engineers without threats and great challenges today with members working in new I have been struck by the spirit of are risk-takers. in our world of knowledge and media as well as in traditional print discovery, the passion for research discovery. We must be especially and broadcast media. Perhaps their and education, the sense of purpose. Their skills are such that they are diligent in addressing the threat to work is even more important today At Imperial, there is a compelling confdent when others are fearful, reliable and sustainable support for as they are now “roaming” across commitment to achieve enduring or out of ideas. You only have to research and education; the threat the world. academic excellence and lasting look as far as those who fearlessly to free fows of talent across our The company’s Latin motto is beneft to society. drive Bo’, the City & Guilds Union borders; and the threat of rigidity translated as: ‘The word of the Lord Whether they are current mascot car from 1902, from London in a world of changing technology, endures forever.’ students and staff, or distinguished to Brighton every year, to see how social contracts and modes of The company has changed as the alumni, Imperial engineers share risk-taking is embedded in Imperial learning. way we communicate has changed, a common spirit which unites the culture. I believe that our future success but as the motto suggests, the generations. will be determined by our ability power of language endures. And fnally, Imperial engineers to rapidly and effectively engage I have no doubt that this Firstly, Imperial engineers are are driven by a desire to in a connected, collaborative, and enduring belief in the power of great problem-solvers. contributory world of research and language would give 15th century achieve excellence. education. booksellers roaming the streets They are able to address complex All of Imperial’s Engineering As the Stationers adapted, and of London a strong affnity with and challenging problems, whether departments are ranked in the as Imperial engineering disciplines today’s publishers. Imagine the at home or abroad. top 5 in the research excellence have adapted, so we need to make way Twitter would have improved For example, our civil engineering framework peer-review exercise; this changing world work for us, not communication among them. researchers have developed with the department of Civil and against us. The history of the Stationers Arup a low-maintenance and Environmental Engineering was The power of the bonds and ties shows us how traditions bind sustainable way to build seismic- ranked the top department in the strengthened through events such communities together. It also shows resistant housing in developing country. as this evening’s dinner are vitally how traditions and disciplines adapt countries, using local materials. I am excited about Imperial important if we are to realise the to meet the needs of changing because of this great tradition. opportunities, and address the generations. Secondly, Imperial engineers I am also excited by the great challenges ahead. Like the Stationers, Imperial’s are great collaborators. opportunities on the horizon. Thank you all for supporting the engineering disciplines have adapted We are creating multidisciplinary College and the City and Guilds and changed over time. They recognise that problems are hubs focussed on addressing major College Association. Thank you for As engineering methods not solved without bringing ideas societal challenges. The frst will being role models for our students. became increasingly relevant to from multiple felds together. be the Michael Uren Biomedical Finally, on behalf of the Guests, medical challenges the discipline of Dr. Jindong Liu from the Engineering Research Hub at I would like close by saying thank bioengineering arose. The young feld Department of Computing Imperial West which will bring you to the City and Guilds College of computing now pervades every exemplifes this through his engineers, medics and scientists Association for a splendid evening. aspect of our lives and academic prototype robotic trout for together to create technologies and

4 Imperial ENGINEER Autumn 2015 NEWS & REVIEWS Shaping CGCA for the future The Executive Committee of City attract participation. really help students in their studies “Shaping CGCA for the Future” and Guilds College Association • The level of activity being and as they step out into the world project now and will spend time (CGCA) has recently been giving undertaken by the College in after graduation? during the rest of 2015 and into thought to how we might need relation to alumni is increasing Our conclusion is that it is time 2016 gathering information and to improve our offering to past, with the development department for us to consider how CGCA can talking with CGCA members and present and future students and once again fully up and running. position itself within this changing other stakeholders. Any changes staff of the Engineering Faculty of The Faculties and individual environment so that we can we propose will be properly Imperial College. Why? Well, there Departments are also being continue to do what we do, but do it communicated to the membership are several reasons. Here are a few encouraged to develop their own better, and change where necessary and this is likely to take place of them: plans for increased engagement of, or desirable. We also want to work around the time of the AGM in May • Membership numbers are and with, alumni. in collaboration with others who next year. The project will be led declining. Despite efforts to attract • Although we have good have shared goals and objectives. by Judith Hackitt CBE FREng who people to the Association at the participation by students at We have a strong connection is currently Senior VP and will take point of graduation, we are seeing some events, the calendar of to the history of the Engineering over as President of CGCA in May a drop off in those who join and events for students is already Faculty and our relations with City next year. it becomes increasingly diffcult to pretty crowded. It is also proving and Guilds College Union are good. We are really keen to get your make contact with people once increasingly diffcult to identify We have members who feel a strong input to this project and will they leave College and move on to what sort of interactions between attachment to the College but we be conducting a survey of the pursue their chosen careers. past and present students would need to get better at understanding membership in the near future. • Despite holding a number of be most valuable to current whether, and how, people want Please ensure that we have your successful events, the level of students and would attract good to be involved with the College, email details to make sure that you engagement with CGCA is levels of attendance. A recent or whether their engagement are included in the survey – please only a small proportion of our careers event with a difference – with CGCA is strictly limited to update your profle on the IC alumni membership. Some of this may where three alumni talked about maintaining contact with their peers. system, or send your email address be because CGCA members are how their career had developed Our aim is to ensure that we set to our Hon. Sec. Nigel Cresswell happy to simply be kept informed and the infuences they found CGCA on the right road for the at nigel.cresswell@hotmail. of developments at College important – was well received by future and we want to take enough co.uk. If you have any immediate via publications like Imperial those attending, and we will be time to make sure we get it right. thoughts or comments to offer for ENGINEER, but we also have to seeking to repeat the format in We want to build the membership the project please contact Judith at look hard at whether the events different departments this year. but also increase the level of [email protected] we offer are the right ones to But what else might alumni do to engagement. We are launching the with a copy to Nigel.. A curious bundle Chaps Club Rugby Reunion

In the summer, the incoming CGCU delivered to college by Thomas President found a bundle of red/ Bence who came over in 2014 for a grey striped material in the CGCU work experience. offce with a note on it saying that I heard more recently that other Richard Gundersen (EEE, 1973-6) jackets have been made since had ordered it and asked that it be the ones I had made in 2002 so, brought to the UK and dropped off at presumably, a local (UK) source the CGCU offce. Knowing nothing for the material has now been about it he asked Teresa Sergot who discovered. in turn contacted Richard. Richard, For the record, there were in South Africa, related the story several discussions as to the width behind the bundle… of the stripes and how maroon the red should be and whether grey or The story goes back to the run-up silver. I am not sure if this was ever to Bo’s Centenary in 2002. ‘offcially’ resolved. CGCU were keen to replace the jackets but were fnding it diffcult and expensive to source A group of “old” Chaps Club members got together in the Union the material in small quantities. I bar ahead of the Rugby World Cup semi-fnals. Participants casually volunteered that we had included, Boo-boo Smith (not even hiding Geoff Parsons’s tie), companies in the Natal Midlands Chris Molam, John O’Reilly, Nick Icely, Bernie Pryor, Peter that made all the striped blazers for Waugh, Squaddie Paterson, Danny Hill, Pete Brown, Trevor the local schools and discovered Fletcher and current Club President Jonny Rankin. that they were prepared to do a short ‘once-off’ run. Only two or three blazers were produced, which I seem to recall I November 2002 Brighton brought over for the Centenary in run. The new Guilds jackets June 2002. The photo (left) shows looking stunning – a huge the jackets being worn for the improvement on the old ones Brighton Run in November 2002. apparently. Bo’ performed The parcel is the left-over admirably with Dan Lehmann material, that was kept here on driving and James Devine co- hold, in case another blazer was driving, reaching Brighton requested. It was then put aside, before 3pm. Almost visible in waiting for a courier to take the the back is Sir Noel Davies, Chris Molam (L) President of RSMU in 1966-67 visiting from parcel to college, got packed away chairman of Ricardo and Bo’ Harare reunites with his VP John O’Reilly and Nick Icely, visiting during a move and was eventually driver in the mid 50s. from Johannesburg.

Imperial ENGINEER Autumn 2015 5 NEWS DEVELOPMENTS AROUND THE ENGINEERING FACULTY Soft tissue fossils A plethora of awards across the faculty An inter-departmental team from In the Department of Bioengineering, Four Imperial researchers were techniques to be used in diagnostics Imperial have detected what look Professor Jon Clasper, clinical elected Fellows of the Royal as well as in clinical trials to like soft tissue remnants in the lead for the Centre for Blast Injury Academy of Engineering this year. help other researchers who are fragments of 75-million-year-old Studies and Professor Peter This takes the tally of Imperial staff developing treatments. dinosaur fossils even though the Mahoney, associated with the and associates who are current fossils are poorly preserved. Centre through his leadership in Fellows or Honorary Fellows of the The researchers suggest their anaesthesia and critical care, were Royal Academy of Engineering to 86. study may cause palaeontologists to appointed to “Commander of the The new Fellows are: rethink how fossils are preserved, Most Excellent Order of the British and may be the frst step towards a Empire” in the Queen’s Birthday better understanding of the biology Honours List. of dinosaurs and the relationships between different species. To carry out their study the team used a range of techniques. The frst involved the use of a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to Professor Mary Ryan, observe the structure, composition Department of Materials, leads and location of the soft tissue inside Shell’s programme for Materials and the dinosaur fossil fragments. The Corrosion at Imperial. It was set up team then used a focused ion beam Professor Claire Adjiman, to help industry develop new ways (FIB) to slice into the samples and Department of Chemical to manage and protect equipment observe the internal structure of Engineering, focuses on developing by providing a better understanding the fossils. They also examined the Dr Bjoern Schuller of the new ways to design better chemical of how to predict the behaviour of fossils using a transmission electron Machine Learning group in the processes and devices. With her materials. Finding ways to reduce microscope (TEM) to detect the Department of Computing, was colleagues, she has developed new corrosion is a serious challenge for fbrous structures. selected by the World Economic techniques that enable engineers industry, estimated to cost upwards Birds are the distant relatives Forum as one of ‘40 extraordinary to predict the properties of the of $2.2 trillion globally each year, and of dinosaurs, so the researchers scientists under the age of 40’ to materials they are processing. cause safety and environmental risks. used an ion mass spectrometer to participate alongside business and The methods also enable them to In June 2015, Professor Ryan was compare their ancient soft tissue to political leaders from 90 countries predict how those properties affect appointed the new Royal Academy a blood sample taken from an emu. in the Annual Meeting of the New the performance of the process of Engineering/Shell Research Chair This enabled them to compare and Champions (also known as the and link them to what happens at in interfacial nanoscience to carry contrast the samples and see that ‘Summer Davos’) held in September the molecular scale, to determine out research to link processes at the their fossils had some similarities in in Dalian in China. Dr Schuller’s work how different decisions may affect nanoscale to ‘real-world’ materials’ the organic signatures to the blood focuses on innovative algorithms to the industrial process overall. This performance. Her work has helped cells present in the emu sample. enhance the intelligence, emotional approach, called Molecular Systems us to understand the behaviour of The next step will see the team intelligence, and perceptive skills of Engineering, can have a range nanomaterials in the environment carrying out more research to the next generation of computing of benefts for industry such as and in the body. Professor Ryan has confrm that the structures that machines. improving the cost effectiveness of also donated her expertise to help they’ve observed are found in a manufacturing processes and making with conservation activities that wider range of fossil samples and them more environmentally friendly. have national signifcance. also to understand how widespread this sort of soft tissue preservation might be in dinosaur fossils, how far back this type of preservation could go in the fossil records and the reasons why it may have occurred.

London Duathlon In Richmond Park, on Sunday 20 September, 122 participants from Professor Erol Gelenbe, nine Engineering departments took from the Department of Electrical part in the London Duathlon. and Electronic Engineering, has Professor Daniel Rueckert, Professor Nilay Shah, Working in teams of three as been made a Fellow of The Royal Department of Computing, Department of Chemical part of the Duathlon Relay, the race Academy, Sciences, Letters and Art focuses his research on developing Engineering, is the Director of comprised a 10km run, 44km bike of Belgium. The honour recognises algorithms that extract clinically the Centre for Process Systems ride and 5km sprint fnish. his pioneering efforts in the feld useful information from medical Engineering, which looks at industrial All teams competed admirably, of modelling of computer systems, images. Professor Rueckert and his systems, and all their complex but special mention goes to Leroy and for inspiring several industrial colleagues are aiming to develop components, as a whole. By looking Gardner, Katherine Gardner and prototypes. For the past four techniques that can detect the at how all the processes interact Mark Bennett for setting the fastest decades, Professor Gelenbe’s type and progress of Alzheimer’s at with one another, Professor Shah time from across the Engineering research has focused on developing a much earlier stage, which could and his team of researchers aim to teams, and achieving 2nd place programs that can be used in lead to better treatments. These develop refnements in industrial overall in the whole event. industry to check that computer computer algorithms are tuned processes, which could have a range The real winner has been the systems are able to respond in to detect biomarkers, which are of benefts from reducing the impact excellent fundraising total achieved a logical, consistent, reliable and characteristic biological properties of industry on the environment to for Médecins Sans Frontières, which timely manner, helping companies or molecules that may indicate savings on operational costs. is almost at the Faculty’s target of to determine in advance the normal or diseased processes in £10,000 for this worthy cause. performance of their systems. the body. The team aim for these

6 Imperial ENGINEER Autumn 2015 NEWS DEVELOPMENTS AROUND THE ENGINEERING FACULTY Bionic eye James Dyson Foundation Grantham Institute climate change projects A team of engineers from Imperial’s In our Spring issue, Professor Peter The year ahead will see international Power and industrial gas company Department of Electrical and Childs wrote about the School leaders negotiating the future of BOC, with Grantham Affliate Electronic Engineering are creating of Design Engineering that he is greenhouse gas emissions at the and chemical engineer Dr Niall an artifcial retina that captures light heading, the frst new engineering Paris 2015 UN Climate Change MacDowell studying the role that to build an image of its surrounding department to be established at Conference in December. carbon capture and storage (CCS) environment. The researchers Imperial in two decades. It was Scientists, engineers, and medical can play in the UK’s energy system. behind the EU-funded ‘SeeBetter’ subsequently announced that and business experts at Imperial are Improving research with project suggest that replicating the the James Dyson Foundation has beginning work to understand and fying laboratories retina on a single, specialised silicon donated £12 million to set up the predict the future of the climate, Imperial engineers are building a chip will enable more accurate new school, it’s largest ever single avert disastrous levels of change, and laboratory to design and test the artifcial visual sensing in industrial gift, and the Dyson School of Design fnd ways for humanity to adapt to next generation of Unmanned processes. Engineering was formally launched by an altered environment. Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Low-cost The team, working in James Dyson and George Osborne Details of the projects are fying ‘drones’ can be equipped conjunction with the Institute in March. The school will be housed published today in the Grantham with sensors to accurately map of Neuroinformatics in Zurich, in the former Post Offce building on Institute Outlook 2015-16. The environmental parameters like and international research centre Exhibition Road, which the College Grantham Institute is Imperial’s hub temperature, humidity and salinity, IMEC, aim to combine the artifcial recently purchased from the Science for research in climate change and or the distribution of bacteria retina with a simple software Museum, and will in future be known the environment: driving forward or vegetation. Aerial Robotics infrastructure, enabling information as the Dyson Building of Design discovery; translating innovations Laboratory Director, and Grantham to be processed in a way similar to Engineering. The frst students on into applications; and communicating Affliate, Dr Mirko Kovac foresees that in the brain. When applied in the new MEng in Design Engineering academic knowledge to businesses, many ways in which these robots will industry, this could allow a robot to have just started this term, and are industry and policymakers to help be used in upcoming environmental process and react to information, currently using existing facilities shape their decisions. The projects and climate research. which could for example, enable – teaching will move to the new include: Informing policymakers manufacturers to more quickly building in October 2017. Professor Generating power with no Chemical engineer, and Grantham recognise faults in their production. Childs said “We expect the School carbon-emissions alumnus, Dr Christoph Mazur, is In the long term, the team to galvanise […] ingenuity, becoming Engineers are building the world’s researching an Institute-funded predict that the technology could a manufacturing and design hub frst power plant that emits briefng paper on the future of road be adapted into a prosthetic to in the heart of South Kensington, no greenhouse gases, in North transport, providing a snapshot of restore vision. The technology could producing gadgets, experiences and Yorkshire, UK. The plant will be the latest developments in key low- interface with the human neural services that have the potential to fuelled by both biomass and coal, carbon transport technologies and system, conveying visual information transform our lives.” and include technologies capable analysing their costs. Aimed at policy directly into the wearer’s brain. Welcoming the announcement, of capturing 2 million tonnes, or makers at a local and national level, Dr Konstantin Nikolic, one of Bernard Taylor, Chairman of 90 per cent, of the plant’s carbon the paper will use case studies to the lead researchers, said: “The the Royal Commission for the dioxide emissions, which will be highlight the best policy choices for ultimate goal for this technology Exhibition of 1851, said, “The sale stored beneath the North Sea. the UK to support the development is in healthcare to restore sight of the Science Museum’s Post The White Rose CCS Project is an of these technologies and the uptake to people who are blind, but this Offce building to Imperial College, industrial collaboration between of low-emission vehicles. is still a long way off. In the short to become the Dyson School of energy companies Alstom and Drax term we see our technology being Design Engineering, is very exciting. extremely useful in improving We strongly support this initiative. Cryptocurrencies High speed trains machine vision in manufacturing. In Our Albertopolis cultural estate in The rise of cryptocurrencies Imperial has joined with China South order for a conventional camera to South Kensington was founded with especially Bitcoin, has prompted Railway (CSR) Sifang Corporation, capture and identify a faulty product the profts of the Great Exhibition the Faculty to spearhead further the world’s largest maker of on a manufacturing production line, and this new use of the building research by launching the Centre electric locomotives, to establish the conveyor belt must be moving fts perfectly with Prince Albert’s for Cryptocurrency Research the Sifang-Imperial Centre for fairly slowly. When you use a faster aim, and our objects, of increasing and Engineering, under Professor Rail Transportation Manufacturing image capturing and processing the infuence of science and art on William Knottenbelt. Technologies. system, such as our artifcial retina, productive industry. The new school Cryptocurrencies and their The new Centre will be based it could recognise a faulty product will become a major contributor to underlying technologies have the in the Department of Mechanical and react faster, saving money in the achieving this mission and I wish it potential to revolutionise the world Engineering and headed by manufacturing process.” every possible success.” of fnancial payments, offering an Professor Jianguo Lin. It will focus The technology combines an alternative to traditional currencies on developing rail technologies to off-the-shelf vision sensor with via a distributed, trustless, self- streamline the construction and software developed by the team. governing framework promising testing of high speed trains, so that This could make it cost effective to low-friction fnancial transactions they are safer, more cost effective manufacture and ultimately more while preserving the freedom and and environmentally friendly. Using affordable for industry. Dr Nikolic privacy inherent in cash. the latest manufacturing techniques, suggests that if industry were to The Centre’s launch follows the the researchers aim to create trains identify specifc potential uses, and successful Bitcoin Forum, set up to from advanced materials with fewer the relevant testing and assessment gauge the level of interest across components, making them lighter was carried out, the technology the College. With an overwhelming and more fuel effcient. could be in use within a year. response from staff and students, The Centre is part of the The next step will see the team the Centre will coordinate research Faculty’s initiative to promote multi- adapting the technology for other grants directed at designing and disciplinary manufacturing research, uses. For example, they plan to engineering improvements to the led by the Manufacturing Futures Lab. James Dyson with Jeff Magee develop a visual to auditory ‘sensory protocols that underpin blockchain The lab brings together academics in (Dean of Engineering), Peter substitution system’, in the form of technology. It will also coordinate future manufacturing technologies Childs (Director of the Dyson a smart phone app to convert visual application-based funding directed and underpinning science to develop School of Design Engineering) information into sound to enable at prototyping blockchain-based a more coherent and strategic and Imperial President Alice

Photographs: Imperial College Photographs: the user to ‘see’ with their ears. solutions across multiple domains. programme in manufacturing. Gast

Imperial ENGINEER Autumn 2015 7 FEATURES T e Road to Delhi: A journey

In July, an email arrived from Nick Fern (Mineral Tech. 1962-5,65-8) with a beguiling start: “50 years ago this morning, July 6th, 1965 four young men left Kent for India. We are now, older, wiser perhaps, though this is open to discussion and scattered across the world.” Nick went on to say that he would be writing up the trip in 16 weekly episodes to be emailed out to interested parties. We have included the f rst episode below and a couple of highlights as tasters of later episodes. If you want to read all Nick’s episodes, get in touch with him at [email protected].

ORIGINS & PREPARATIONS Diary entry: July 6th 1965 “Left West Malling at 10.10 – only 10 minutes late”

Not the most seductive of opening lines, but, even so, the reader may wonder what went on before. T is was the pre-internet age, well before low cost travel became the norm. Now, one can f nd a last-minute package on-line, leaving within a day or so and go. T ough, for those wishing to visit India today, which in 1965 was visa-free for Brits, the cost and hassle involved in getting a visa is worthy of its own travel narrative. So, some background. Mike and Richard were at school together, From left to right: Mike, Richard, Nick & Malcolm. Perhaps the Nick had met Mike on their f rst day at photograph was the reason for the delay. Imperial College and then a couple of years later on a plane on the way to Canada for be a long-wheelbase Land Rover; several were Malcolm was business manager, master summer vacation work. Mike & Malcolm seen and one f nally bought; ex-BBC Outside of budgets and f nancial records, who met through a mutual friend when both were Broadcast Vehicle. It had already done 70,000 masterminded the requests for support sent living in one of the IC halls of residence. miles but, built to last, seemed to be in good out to numerous organisations and companies, Sometime in the autumn of 1964, in a bed- condition. It cost us £400, with a 2 litre petrol many of whom provided supplies or gave sit in Turnham Green, was hatched the idea engine and, as a wonderful extra, a really good generous discounts on purchases. Slowly, of doing “something interesting” in the next winch on the front. T e LR went down to the replies from our begging letters came in, long vacation; the last for all but Malcolm, a Mike’s parents’ house in Kent to be f tted usually in the form of a box of goodies. We had year younger. T e original idea was to drive out. T at is, in between being driven up and sugar beyond any need and also tins of golden through Africa to Capetown, the f imsy reason down impossible slopes by all of us when time syrup. Some probably ended up in mothers’ being that Richard had considered working permitted; great fun. And, of course being store cupboards. T e Shredded Wheat was there after graduation. However after some winched up slopes when we felt the tree would carefully packed into the LR and returned, minor research (political problems in Ethiopia not suf er. T e modern LR Defender comes mainly unpacked, having had a 4 month and and the unpleasantness of driving through a with all mod cons as standard or available 15,000 mile storage trial. Loo rolls, hundreds central African rainy season) it was decided installed on order, but ours was pretty basic. of them, ended up almost as useful as scrip that Capetown was not the best destination, Malcolm went on a brief maintenance course currency as for their functional use. so the group decided to drive to Delhi at Land Rover and we had £40 to £50 of Nick had the responsibility of being Doc. instead. Why not? T e road was relatively well spares, not all as useful as expected, but that After a brief visit to the London School of travelled; in those days wars and revolutions is for later. Tyres were new; we probably had Hygiene & Tropical Medicine to f nd out had not interrupted the route and it seemed extra leaves on the springs and we had what the horrors of Asian travel, he debated with suf ciently adventurous to do without too we thought was a full tool-kit. In those days, himself for several minutes as to the sanity of much risk of not being doable. And, anyway, most things under the bonnet could be done continuing the plans. However the medicine we had all read First Overland, the classic story by amateurs without the aid of computers and chest was prepared, with the advice both of the of the drive to Singapore in the mid 50s and super-specialised tools. But then maintenance School of Tropical Medicine and his G.P., and we weren’t going beyond North-Central India, was an everyday activity, certainly if we had we had what inoculations were recommended. so felt well prepared. had a long drive over bad roads. T e roof rack Pure water being a health necessity, we bought Parent’s reactions? Well for Nick it was, at was cobbled together and we f tted jerry-can at what seemed an exorbitant cost a hand least from his mother, “How nice dear and holders at the front and built shelves into the pumped ceramic f lter (with added silver). So how’s your cold? For the others, the reaction, back of the car. preparations continued. perhaps a little less casual can’t have been Richard, de facto-f lm maker, had acquired a Mike was map master. T e AA provided negative and were it not for parents’ passive clockwork super-eight cine camera, so though a series of route descriptions starting at the support and, from Malcolm’s mother, hours we had no pretentions as to f lm making, we Hammersmith f y-over and ending in the of typing letters to those companies who we bought rolls of f lm with which, we hoped, to Raj Path in New Delhi. We had, no doubt, a thought would give some in-kind help, we amuse ourselves later on long winter evenings full set of maps to get us there and back, but wouldn’t have been able to leave “only 10 and bore all our friends to death in the process. the instructions were possibly the best guides minutes late”. We all had cameras with lots of colour f lm, we had. Looking back, we seemed woefully With three of us in our f nal year, two at to produce boxes of slides to add to the f lm unprepared as far as small scale geography was Imperial College, one in Oxford, there was shows. In this pre-digital age point, click and concerned. Politics across the countries were much to be done. First we had to f nd a send via social media was not yet even a weird of no interest and I don’t think we prepared vehicle. For us there was no choice: it had to science f ction fantasy. ourselves to be tourists in any way, though we

8 Imperial ENGINEER Autumn 2015 FEATURES must have had a “to see” list; getting there and the form of traveller’s cheques. back was the goal. Mike and Malcolm trudged So, over the f rst weekend of July, luggage From the next episode... the streets of London going from embassy to (we limited ourselves to one small suitcase Although Mike had driven to Greece in 1963, consulate in search of those vital visas. each) and supplies were loaded into what we none of the others had any experience of All this was being done with three working now called Abdul or VLW 119 (Very Long continental driving, so even their start was a on 3rd year projects, revision, then f nals and Way) as its number plate said. Gas cylinders new experience, as Nick’s diary entry suggests: job searches, whilst Malcolm was considering for the cooker took up more space than we third year options (and worried about coming liked, but none of us liked the idea of primus “...we were cruising comfortably at 45mph. back for a rather late start to his f nal year). stoves. We found space for a little multi- T e heavy lorries on the autobahn were quite Anyway, eventually Mike got his job of er band radio, over which the mellif uous BBC terrifying at times.” from Costains, a Civil Engineering Company, English newsreaders’ voices were of some Richard an of er from IBM and Nick an of er comfort when times were troubled, and a He explains: to stay on to do a Ph.D, subject to exam portable typewriter. Goodbye telephone calls After 3 hours on the ferry we juddered over success (a 2.1 or better). were made to parents and girlfriends; the last the cobbles, to the highway towards Brussels As May and June advanced, there must have minute check of papers and passports made and points east. Brussels, then without its been a hiatus in preparations, but a departure and, at 10.10 on Tuesday 6th July we headed outer ring road, must have been a driver’s date was set, based possibly on Nick’s need out of Mike’s home, towards the A2 and down nightmare negotiating trams, cobbles and to hand in an SRC grant application before towards Dover. notorious Belgian drivers for whom a driving leaving. As this application was contingent on test only became obligatory in the early 60’s. degree grade, which, of cially would not be COST NOTE However despite priorité a droite, we came known until later in the month, there was a T is was our original budget, based on the through unscathed and headed east towards problem. However, he was told to come in on added North African leg; we were somewhat Liege and the frontier with Germany. the 5th of July and if the Prof’s secretary said optimistic with our plan. there were some forms to complete certain Driving through (and camping in) Germany assumptions could be made. So he, at least, Vehicle Expenses: £ and Yugoslavia, they came to Bulgaria, where left with his results. T e others had to wait they eventually arrived in Sof a: Land-Rover Second Hand 500 until Teheran. We drove into the centre of Sof a on a hot London-end communication was easy, Insurance, taxes 100 and muggy late afternoon. As far as we could three of us were on the same campus, but with Spare parts 50 determine, we were the only foreigners and Richard in Oxford, keeping him involved became a somewhat unwelcome centre of Servicing, AA fees 10 was not so easy. However he set up of ce in attention. However, from the crowd came a a GPO telephone box near his digs. T ere, Petrol & Oil for 14000 miles 180 couple, she speaking French, he English, and juggling paper and pencil, a heavy receiver (at 27/6d per 100 miles) they gave us a brief tour of the centre of the and ensuring the pile of pennies was at hand Boat passages: city including the immense Alexander Nevski to top up the slot, work was not easy. Anyway, cathedral. We went in to hear the orthodox English Channel 12 somehow all were kept up to date. service for the eve of Sunday. No organ but T e political geography of Europe and the Beirut-Port Said 18 a large and sonorous male voice choir. Given Middle East in 1965 was somewhat dif erent Tunis-Sicily 20 our perception as to the lowly place of the from that of today. T e Iron Curtain divided Church in Communist political philosophy Local ferries 5 Europe, though the Hungarians had tried to we were surprised by this magnif cent singing, regain their freedom in 1956 and the Prague Maps & Information 5 the ceremonial and the ornate splendour of Spring was still in the future. Yugoslavia Subtotal: 900 decoration. However, the congregation was was Tito’s f ef, somewhat independent of small, old, with a preponderance of women, Resale value of L-Rover expected -300 Moscow-speak. T e Berlin Wall, constructed heads decorously covered with scarves. After in 1961, exemplif ed the physical divide, but Net expenditure on vehicle 600 a meal, our f rst Balkan/Turkish taste which Ceaușescu’s assumption of power in Romania, was to become very familiar when we ate early in 1965, indicated that the Soviet zone of out in these eastern Mediterranean lands, we Personal Expenses: £ control was not monolithic. found the campsite and set up for the night. Following a Coup d’état in 1960, Turkey was Boat passages per person 16 under military rule; the Shah reigned over Iran, Visas, etc 10 As they proceeded south east across Bulgaria, then relatively secular; Afghanistan, nominally their way was blocked by a village wedding, at a monarchy was, well, Afghanistan. India and Living: 14 weeks at £4 per week 56 which they were immediately treated as guests. Pakistan were at constant loggerheads, mainly Extras, sight-seeing, etc 25 Eventually, they headed of into Turkey, over Kashmir. Iraq was a somewhat unstable Photography 10 leaving Europe for Asia. republic; Saddam Hussein came to full power later. Jordan’s western frontier ran through the Subtotal 117 middle of Jerusalem, just to the west of the old Quarter share of Vehicle 150 city. Lebanon was still the land of milk and TOTAL COST PER PERSON 267 honey, at least on the surface, and Syria was under a Ba’athist quasi-military rule. T e vehicle cost a bit less than planned and we In the wider world, the Vietnam War did eventually resell it, but not for the budget continued and the USA and the USSR kept price. We were away for longer and drove our world relatively calm, through proxy cold somewhat further. A consensus, over 40 years and hot engagements throughout Africa and after the trip, was that we spent nearer £400 Asia. We were to see part of the “no hostilities” each. Looking at these cost estimates it seems engagement as we crossed Afghanistan. For impossible that we could have done what us, it was the Golden Sixties, with no student we did so cheaply, but a starting graduate in Malcolm and the bridal couple. Note debts to live with and fortunately no ongoing London was being paid about £1000 per year, the banknotes pinned to her dress: better Sterling Crises, so there were no problems in so in income terms we are talking half a year’s perhaps than the never-to-be-used toast leaving with the funds we needed, mostly in net salary for the trip. rack?

Imperial ENGINEER Autumn 2015 9 FEATURES Women in Engineering Hertha Ayrton – engineer, inventor, pioneer Over the last couple of years we have had some fascinating articles by and about women engineers. It was recently proposed that IE should take a look back into the early history of women in engineering at Imperial. Our f rst article, in what will hopefully be a series over subsequent issues, focuses on an amazing woman suggested as a subject by Roderick Rhys Jones (Civ. Eng. 1964). Hertha Ayrton was named by the Royal Society in March 2010 as one of the ten most inf uential British women in the history of science.

One of the f rst women to work in electrical physicist and gifted teacher, William had, in engineering in the UK – an engineer, physicist, 1881, been made professor of Applied Physics mathematician, inventor and pioneer in at the Finsbury Technical College, created as the application of science to the solving of a feeder college for the Central Institution. practical engineering problems – Hertha In 1884, he was made Professor of Electrical Ayrton was born in Portsea, Portsmouth, Engineering at the Central Institution, in its on April 28th, 1854, the third child of Levi new purpose-designed building adjacent to the and Alice Marks. Her father, a clockmaker, Royal School of Mines (RSM) and the Royal died when Hertha was only seven years old, College of Science (RCS) in South Kensington leaving her widowed mother, a seamstress, and, in 1892, he was appointed President of with seven children to care for and another on the Institution. In 1907 the RSM and the the way. In spite of these obvious dif culties, RCS were incorporated into Imperial College. Alice remained absolutely determined that T e Central Institution was renamed the City her daughter, a very bright girl, should not and Guilds College, and was incorporated into become overburdened with helping to care Imperial College in 1910. Finsbury College for her younger siblings at the expense of her closed in 1926, when it too was incorporated own education. Hertha was therefore sent into Imperial. to stay with her aunt, Marion Hartog, who Hertha and William married in 1885 ran a school in London. At her aunt’s school, and the demands of her new domestic Hertha received a good education and, by the responsibilities initially reduced the time age of sixteen, she was making her own way in that Hertha could devote to scientif c work. the world, working as a governess. However, in 1891, a legacy from her loyal It was during these teenage years that patent at least 26 of her inventions). She was sponsor, Barbara Bodichon, enabled Hertha Hertha, who had originally been named also involved in the founding of the college’s to employ a housekeeper and so continue Phoebe Sarah, now declared herself agnostic Fire Brigade and was a prominent member her own research. Her husband had been and adopted her new name: that of the fertility of its Choral Society. One contemporary researching the electric arc lamp. As he now goddess of Teutonic mythology, who had been described Hertha as “always the most striking moved into dif erent areas of research, Hertha described in the contemporary poem, Hertha, f gure among the students”. took over the project. by Algernon Swinburne. Examination nerves – which she herself Used for lighting in streets and public In 1873, an introduction to Barbara Leigh described as “a want of... presence of mind buildings, electric arc lamps operated by Smith Bodichon, one of the co-founders of in the exam room” – meant that Hertha means of passing an electric current between Girton College, Cambridge, led to Hertha was disappointed by her own academic two carbon rods. T rough her experiments, applying to read mathematics there. T rough performance at Cambridge. However, she Hertha showed that the hissing associated Bodichon, Hertha also met George Eliot who had completed her studies and had passed with this form of lighting, and the related was similarly keen to further the cause of the suf cient examinations. Despite this, she was reduction in performance, was due to oxygen education of women. At the time of their not awarded a degree at Cambridge since, at coming into contact with the rods. She meeting, the novelist was working on what that time, women were allowed only to attend, demonstrated that if the arc could be protected was to be her last completed novel: Daniel not graduate from, the university. Instead, on from direct contact with air, the hissing could Deronda. It has been suggested that Hertha returning to London to work as a teacher, be prevented. may have informed some of the physical Hertha was tested by the University of London When the Society of Telegraph Engineers and personal attributes given by Eliot to her and consequently awarded a BSc degree from (STE) had been set up, in 1872, it had thought f ctional protagonist, Mirah Lapidoth. that institution, in 1881. it inappropriate to allow women to become Ill-health caused Hertha to defer the taking Hertha worked as a tutor of mathematics members, despite the relatively large number up of an of er of a place at Girton, but her and related subjects. She also wrote and set of women who were then working as telegraph health improved and Bodichon, Eliot and mathematical problems for publication in the operators. However, in 1895, Hertha others helped to fund her, allowing her Educational Times, and became recognised as published a series of articles on her work, in to start her life as a student. During her a gifted mathematician particularly in spatial ‘T e Electrician’, which led to her becoming, time at Cambridge, Hertha was tutored and geometrical reasoning. Her interests in 1899, the f rst women to present a paper and encouraged by the physicist Richard began to turn towards science and she started to the STE – now renamed the Institution of Glazebrook, who later went on to be the f rst attending physics classes at Finsbury Technical Electrical Engineers (IEE) – and to her being Zaharof Professor of Aviation and Director of College. It was here that she met her future elected the IEE’s f rst woman member in that the Department of Aeronautics at Imperial. husband, William Ayrton. same year. Sadly, this enlightened approach Whilst still a student at Girton, Hertha Ayrton was a widower with a young from the IEE, was not matched when Hertha began to show her ability as a problem-solver: daughter, having previously been married to was later proposed as a Fellow of the Royal inventing a device to record pulse beats, and Matilda Chaplin, a member of the Edinburgh Society. Her husband, a Fellow since 1881, a line-divider for use in drafting, which she Seven campaign to open medical education up and several other male scientists supported later patented. (She would eventually go on to to women (see the side bar). An outstanding her candidature, but the Council of the Royal

10 Imperial ENGINEER Autumn 2015 FEATURES Society met and stated that, “We are of the opinion that married women are not eligible Matilda Chaplin Ayrton (1846-83) ‘man-midwives’ – male doctors who attended as Fellows of the Royal Society.” Tey went William Ayrton’s frst wife, Matilda Chaplin, births in place of female midwives. further: “Whether the Charters admit of the was, unusually for the time, a qualifed physician, Over the centuries, there have been a few, rare election of unmarried women appears to us to having studied medicine in London, Edinburgh exceptions to this male dominance. Dr Laura be very doubtful.” and Paris. Bassi, for example, was appointed Professor of Despite this, Hertha’s book, Te Electric She began her studies in 1867, passing the Anatomy at the University of Bologna in 1732. Arc, was published in 1902, to international preliminary examination at Apothecaries’ Hall, In addition to anatomy, Bassi went on to teach acclaim. London. However, in 1869, when she presented Newtonian physics for 28 years and publish 28 Subsequently, observations she made while herself for the later examination, the Society articles, mainly on physics and hydraulics, fnally at the seaside led Hertha to investigate the of Apothecaries refused her admission, on the becoming Professor of Experimental Physics at nature of the ripple motion on sand and water, grounds of her gender. the Institute of Sciences, in 1776. Tere have and she was even permitted to present a paper One of the Edinburgh Seven (see below), also been women who have successfully practiced describing her theories on this subject to the Chaplin eventually matriculated at the University medicine by the challenging expedient of Royal Society, in 1904. of Edinburgh, gaining high honours in anatomy pretending to be men. One such, Margaret Ann Tough it maintained its ban on female and surgery at the extramural examinations, but Bulkley, contrived, with the support of her family, members until 1923, the Royal Society she was barred from further instruction, and to train and graduate from Edinburgh medical acknowledged Hertha’s work by awarding her graduation, in medicine by the Court of Sessions school in 1812, as ‘James Barry’. After a brief spell its Hughes Medal, in 1906. Established in judgement of 1872, which fnally prohibited working at St Tomas’ Hospital in London, Barry 1902, and named in honour of David Hughes, women students. Undeterred, Chaplin went on joined the army as a surgeon in 1813 and had a inventor of the microphone, the Hughes Medal to study and earn her degrees at university in Paris. successful 46-year-long career in army medicine. is intended to recognise original discoveries in In 1872, she married Ayrton and, in 1873, As the 19th century progressed, women the physical sciences, particularly as applied obtained a certifcate in midwifery from the began to push for a greater role in medicine, to the generation, storage and use of energy. London Obstetric Society, the only medical battling against the opposition of the majority In Hertha’s case, the medal was awarded for qualifcation then obtainable by women in of male doctors and medical institutions. Several ‘her experimental investigations on the electric England. exceptional women made progress but each time arc, and also on sand ripples’. To this day, Accompanying her husband when he took up one of them found a loophole that allowed her Hertha remains the sole female recipient of an academic position in Tokyo, Matilda opened to progress in her career, the medical profession the Hughes Medal. a school for midwives – delivering lectures acted swiftly to change the rules to close that Following William Ayrton’s death, in through an interpreter – and was the author of loophole and stop it happening again. 1908, Hertha continued her research in fuid anthropological studies on the people of Japan. Te Edinburgh Seven dynamics. During WW1, she applied this Sadly, by 1877, Matilda was already exhibiting In 1869, seven determined women gained entry research to the development of a fan to expel symptoms of tuberculosis. for matriculation in medicine at the University poisonous gas from battlefeld trenches. After She returned to Europe and continued her of Edinburgh. Te seven were: Sophia Jex-Blake, an initial struggle to get the Ayrton Flapper studies, becoming a licentiate of the King and Isabel Torne, Edith Pechey, Matilda Chaplin, Fans accepted, thousands were produced Queen’s College of Physicians in Ireland (the Helen Evans, Mary Anderson and Emily Bovell. and issued to front line troops. Hertha also only female candidate, she won frst place in the All passed their frst term examinations, several worked to improve the design and efciency examination). In 1880, she was studying diseases with distinctions. Indeed, of the 152 students of search-lights. of the eye at the London School of Medicine for who sat the matriculation exam in October Hertha was an enthusiastic supporter of the Women (now the Royal Free Hospital). 1869, only fve were women, four of whom came campaign for women’s sufrage, taking part in Over the next two years, as her health steadily within the top seven results. Unfortunately, sufragette marches and caring for recuperating deteriorated, she strove to take advantage of her their success sowed resentment among many of hunger strikers in her home. She was also a need to spend the winters in warmer climates by their fellow students. Tis resentment erupted friend of Marie Curie, inviting Mme. Curie continuing her studies, at the hospital of Algiers into open hostility with the ‘Surgeon’s Hall Riot’ and her daughters to stay with her for several and then in the Physiological Laboratory in in November of 1870, when a large mob tried months in 1912 and vehemently refuting Montpellier. to intimidate and physically block the women’s suggestions that Curie’s work had in fact been Matilda died in London on 19 July 1883, aged path as they attempted to enter the hall to take carried out by her husband. On this issue, only 37. an anatomy exam. Hertha stated that, “an error that ascribes to a Women in Medicine Te riot was widely reported in the newspapers man what was actually the work of a woman While women have, throughout history, acted and engendered a great deal of support for has more lives than a cat.” as herbalists, midwives and carers – tending the women but, despite this, when, in 1872, After the war, she further improved the the young, aged and sick in both the domestic having completed their training, the seven design of the fan and continued her research and religious spheres – medicine as a recognised women challenged the Edinburgh University on vortices. Hertha died on 23rd August, profession remained an almost exclusively male Court’s decision that they could not graduate 1923, leaving a daughter and step-daughter preserve until relatively recent times. In Europe, with degrees, they failed. Te Court of Session and bequeathing the bulk of her estate to the the structuring of medicine as a profession supported the University’s right to refuse the IEE. began from about 1400, with the introduction women degrees and even went so far as to rule, of decrees restricting the formal practice of by a majority, that the women should never have medicine to those who had received their training been admitted in the frst place. in universities. Since women were not permitted What a diference a century makes... You ought, I say to attend university they were to be excluded, In 1911 there were only 495 women on the To work all day; and restricted to the roles of nurse or mid- Medical Register in Britain. Tis compares with And even go on working in the dark. wife. Additionally, women were barred from the situation in the UK today, a century later, membership of the medical guilds – forerunners where, after reaching an all-time peak of 61% in I will lend you with felicity, of today’s medical profession associations – which 2003, the percentage of female medical students My work on Electricity, set standards and protected their members. has settled to 55% of the total medical student And also Mrs Ayrton’s on the Arc. Tough not allowed to form guilds, midwives population in the UK. In time, these numbers were required to be licensed. However even this will be refected in the relative numbers of male Maurice Solomon female stronghold was threatened, in England and female doctors on the medical register; in President, Old Centralians, 1924-26 from the 1700s, by the rise in the number of 2012, 57% were male and 43% female.

Imperial ENGINEER Autumn 2015 11 FEATURES Taking a Leif out of Erikson’s book Nigel Fitzpatrick (Metallurgy 1962-65, 65-68) wrote to tell us that, half a century after gaining his PhD in the RSM, and although ostensibly retired, he had a paper accepted for the Engineering Institute of Canada’s Climate Change Technology Conference in Montreal in May. Te idea for his paper had accelerated when staf at Parks Canada located and sent a report on iron made by Norse settlers at L’Anse aux Meadows, the settlement established by Leif Erikson in Newfoundland (according to the Vinland Sagas). Pursuing that theme, Nigel also sent us a short report of his trip to see Erikson’s settlement in Newfoundland (below right) as well as a trip to Iceland where Erikson started out (opposite). Nigel’s paper can be downloaded from the CCTC website at http://bit.ly/IE23-NigelCCTC, but we have summarised it here (below left). Closer to home, Cluf Natural Resources announced in February fnding a potentially large source of metallurgical coal on its licences near the Solway Firth in Cumbria. Metallurgical coal replacement and vehicle weight reduction compared Low carbon in Newfoundland It has been suggested that 80% of coal reserves of today’s directly reduced low carbon iron Newfoundland, the closest point of the need to stay in the ground from 2010 to 2050 (DRI) processes from which the gangue is Americas to Europe, is a natural place for to hold the global average surface temperature removed in electric arc furnaces (EAF). new ideas to arrive. A Norse explorer, Leif to a rise of 2°C. Reserve estimates of coal For decades, the steel industry has been Erikson, established a temporary settlement range from 892 to 1052 billion tonnes. Total improving the efciency of its use of coke on the northern tip eleven hundred years ago, global coal production in 2013 was 7.8 billion and coke-oven gas made from the coal. Asia and from Signal Hill in the south, Guglielmo tonnes. Using 20% of the lower number for imported, and Europe and North America Marconi received the frst Trans-Atlantic radio reserves over 40 years is equivalent to cutting exported, scrap steel in 2013. When scrap is Morse code message, in 1901. annual coal usage to 4.5 billion tonnes or 42% melted in EAFs, operators seek lower carbon After spotting a mist-shrouded iceberg from less than 2013 usage. extra ‘iron units’ more compatible with scrap Leif’s settlement a few days before, Joan and I In 2013, 1.2 billion tonnes of metallurgical than the output of a blast furnace. Operations reached Signal Hill on a bright sunny Friday, grade coal went to the steel industry, mostly near markets major in scrap melting. One August lst. Out at sea a curious fat-top boat to make the coke used in blast furnace iron example is an operation in Contrecœur, was headed towards the St. John’s harbor production but a fraction was injected as Quebec, owned by the world’s largest steel entrance. It was a catamaran with an enormous powdered coal. Steel is made into a range of company, ArcelorMittal S.A. Another example deck covered in photovoltaic solar panels. We products in many countries, and the energy is the largest US steel company, Nucor were witnessing the arrival of the New Zealand to make and ship a product such as wire or Corporation. designed, Swiss registered, German, French automotive sheet difers hugely from that to Overall, the steel industry emits and Swiss funded, MS Tûranor PlanetSolar make a casting at an automotive plant. We are approximately 5% of global greenhouse at the most northerly point the boat had so not looking for the diferences between those gas (GHG) emissions. Te scale of GHG processes but between the routes to make the reduction that can be attained by reducing raw steel they consume. Helpfully, public data road vehicle weight is of the same order as that from the World Steel Association and the of moving present steel and iron production to International Energy Agency can be combined areas with low carbon power and natural gas. to explore the broad shape of a steel industry An automotive transition would be swifter. as greenhouse gas emissions are reduced. When less automotive steel scrap becomes Tûranor PlanetSolar seen from Signal Hill Te understanding of the history of available, the use of relatively pure DRI will alternative steel-making processes was recently allow lower grade (more impure) scrap to be far reached as it returned across the Atlantic enlivened in Canada with the analysis of used and the demand for DRI will increase. to Europe. iron made by Norse settlers at L’Anse aux Should there be an agreement to restrict ln the harbor, we admired the iconic naval Meadows, Newfoundland with a then coal use, iron and steel production will rise architecture. Te boat is 31m, extendible to standard technique. In Europe until the 14th in locations that have ore access, natural gas 35m, and has a beam of 15m, extendible to century iron ore was converted in the solid and low carbon electricity. Tere would be a 23m. It carries 11 tons of Gaia Lithium lon state directly to porous sponge iron in which tendency for steel and iron production to grow batteries with a voltage of 388V and capacity oxide impurities were entrapped as gangue. in Canada. of 2910Ah (485Ah/cell). Te 127 photovoltaic Tese were squeezed out by hammering. A coal limitation would slow the growth of panels have an efciency of 18.8%. Some of the resulting product had the range steel production where there is a reliance on GAIA Akkumulatorenwerk GmbH of carbon content that categorizes steel. Tis blast furnace iron. describes the battery as having “the world’s original solid state process was the progenitor largest Li-ion round cell”. GAIA elsewhere says, “Te diminished safety of these cathodes can be partly compensated by suitable intelligent battery management systems and innovative cell design.” Tey continue “Tanks to their high intrinsic safety, fast charging and long cycle life, LFP cells are expected to become the number one cell type for electric and hybrid vehicles of the future.” Change-makers would not now arrive from Europe using a hybridized mix of oars and sails or communicate with Morse code. Our civilization will choose ever more viable low carbon technologies. We applaud the August 1963 view of coal mining taken by Nigel from the Canadian war memorial at MS Tûranor PlanetSolar and the courage of Vimy Ridge when an IC club stopped there on the way home. The mines closed in the its developers and crew, and expect and look ’90s and Vimy was restored in 2007. The monument has also been restored and is no forward with them to technologies that bring longer likely to be blackened by coal dust. Nigel hopes that, a century from now, we will look back at 2015 as the year we came up with ways to cap coal use suffciently. the rise of carbon to heel.

12 Imperial ENGINEER Autumn 2015 FEATURES Recalling Geology at RSM When, in February 2014, Joan and I received an invitation to a UK family event, we heard also that Icelandair was initiating twice weekly fights to Europe from Vancouver via Reykjavik/Kefavik. Icelandair is very phone-friendly and explained that we could stop over in Iceland for up to seven nights with no extra fare. Tere was a fully cancellable/changeable ‘Economy Comfort’ fare that then had the edge on the lowest major carrier direct fares. We could change fights or cancel without cost and though it may not always work out thus, we were delighted to fnd our specifc fare came with use of airport lounges, free food and bar service as well as more space. On July 7th we departed Vancouver International on a Boeing 757-200 named Surtsey after the island that I recall rose from the sea in 1963, during my frst year at Mines. We had the luck to be in business seats with only the service downgraded to Economy Comfort. Nigel at Reynisfjara – southernmost beach in Iceland At 6 am local time, rested, we disembarked down steps into bright sunlight at Kefavik. All passengers went through a security check Rekjavik from the hill on which a stunning where we saw pufns both on clifs and in the on landing. With a two hour stopover we went church, Hallsgrimkirkja, stands. sea. through Passport Control, entered Iceland, Te capital enjoyed, on a wet second From Vik, we drove back west on a sunny, breakfasted and left again with two stamps in morning, a pre-arranged, ‘ash-insured’, 4WD glacier-spotting day, to Grindavik, the only our passports before heading on to Gatwick. was delivered to our obscure guesthouse. harbour on the south coast. Our last night Family events done, we returned to Iceland It was easy to leave the city and drive to the was in creative and very pleasant self-catering on July 16th from Heathrow’s Terminal 1. In spectacular rift at Tingvellir where the world’s accommodation. Excellent fsh soup was less than two and a half hours we were landing frst parliament met in 930 AD. Tat frst easy to fnd there, only twenty minutes from at cooler Kefavik. We had pre-booked on a meeting was in the open, the speaker’s voice Kefavik where we were to drop of the rental shuttle bus to take us ffty kilometers to two enhanced by the refection of sound from a clif car the next day. nights at a reasonably-priced guesthouse close at the edge of the North American continental On our fnal morning we hiked at no cost to the tourist centre of Reykjavik. On the plate. Grateful for waterproof clothing and around cool blue ponds surrounding the outskirts, we were transferred to a smaller boots, we enjoyed a short hike and lunched exotic ‘Blue Lagoon’ and saw a geothermal bus whose driver kindly hunted for our near this World Heritage UNESCO centre. exhibit and lighthouse. We went again from guesthouse. Ten we were two nights in self-catering one tectonic plate to another as we explored Iceland-born Leif Erikson is featured at the accommodation at Laugarvatn by a quiet lake, the lava fow that is the south-western corner Saga Museum where an exhibit illustrates how a good base for visits to the tour-bus-embattled of Iceland. his settlers made the frst iron to be produced sights beyond. Tere one can enjoy history, a With the car dropped at Kefavik we on the American continent. So enthused are geothermal spa, a public pool, tour-book rated visited the large duty-free shopping area citizens of the United States with Leif’s ‘before restaurants and, as always, pizza and beer. where the amazing 25% local tax is saved. Columbus’ discovery of Canada that they have You can stay longer in costly Reykjavik and Ten, remembering in time that we had to donated a striking statue; Leif now overlooks go around the Golden Circle in nine hours; go through Passport Control to leave Europe, your trip will include Tingvellir, the geysers we boarded our last Icelandair fight to enter at Geysir and the remarkable waterfall at Canada on time at Toronto. Gullfoss, more striking to us than Niagara A week or so later, we few back to Falls. Staying in more economical Laugarvatn, Vancouver both having fast-forwarded an we flled a day just quietly seeing the geysers onboard Russell Crowe movie Noah to where and falls, and leaving enough time to return the Ark lands on a beach near Vik. for a swim before dinner. Iceland, the last major piece of land to form Next morning we drove to Vik, the naturally on this planet, is a magnifcent, southernmost and wettest town in Iceland, peaceful place with splendid welcoming via easy stops including the beautifully located people. And where better to recall and enjoy former centre of Christianity at Skalholt, and some of what I learned half a century ago easily found waterfall, Selljalandsfoss. In Vik when aspiring metallurgists were required to Photographs by Nigel Fitzpatrick we stayed in our only two real hotels of the trip go on Geology feld trips in their frst year at and enjoyed hiking along scenic black beaches Mines? Nigel Fitzpatrick graduated from Imperial in Metallurgy in 1965 obtaining his PhD in 1968. He joined an Alcan plant in Banbury, Oxon. Moving to Kingston, Ontario, he helped start a continuous casting plant in Jonquière. Joining Alcan’s research team, he co-developed metal production processes before leading clean energy product projects. At BC Research Inc., Nigel worked on transportation projects and helped start a hybrid vehicle company. US donated Leif Erikson statue looks Nigel’s account of his trip to L’Anse aux Meadows and Signal Hill is a revised version of towards the continent he discovered – in an item that frst appeared in September 2013, in Volume 49 Number 9 of Advanced Battery front of Hallsgrimkirkja Technology, a monthly journal published by Seven Mountains Scientifc, Inc. (http://7ms.com/)

Imperial ENGINEER Autumn 2015 13 FEATURES Sitting in a Spitfire Our managing editor, Peter Buck, arranged for a visit to the home of an icon of design and engineering as a surprise to celebrate the birthday of his wife, our production editor, Alison. Alison has always been a fan of the design of Te Heritage Hangar of the background to many of the aircraft we the Spitfre, a beautiful plane with a distinctive Hangar 528, known since 2012 as the Biggin saw, as well as stories of some of the people silhouette in the sky. Living on high ground in Hill Heritage Hangar, was originally intended who originally few them. north Kent, we often see one of these splendid to be the home for TA805 Spitfre HF Mk IX Tis was a busy hangar where engineers were creations fying over us. Recently, of course, Spirit of Kent (FX-M), but now also houses a working on various of the planes as we were there has been a plethora, thanks to the various collection of airworthy Spitfres, as well as a making our way around. Unlike a museum events surrounding the 75th Anniversary of the Hurricane and other planes and various other there were no barriers between us and the Battle of Britain. A friend who lives even closer items from the planes’ heyday. Tere are a aircraft, allowing us to not only get close to to Biggin Hill mentioned that it is possible to number of Spitfres currently undergoing them, touch them and look at fne details of go up for a fight in a Spitfre. We investigated restoration as well as some that are frequent fuselage, wings, engines, propellers, control and found she was right, but it was beyond visitors for service and maintenance. When surfaces, but also the controls themselves, our budget. An option that we could aford, we were there, we were guided through the even to the extent of sitting in the cockpit of however, was to visit the Biggin Hill Heritage hangar by Paul Campbell, who told us much TA805. Hangar where they are permanently restoring Spitfres – and for a small additional fee you have the opportunity to sit in an airworthy Spitfre cockpit. How could we resist?

TA805, Spirit of Kent Paul Campbell was our guide Alison in the Cockpit of TA805

14 Imperial ENGINEER Autumn 2015 FEATURES For both of us the responsiveness of the controls and light touch required to operate them were an eye-opener – we were assured that, even at high speed with the airfow over the surfaces, the controls are still extremely easy to use. Tis was an unique experience, there is nowhere else ofering the chance to sit in a Spitfre.

Step up onto the wing ...

View in the cockpit Parked immediately behind TA805 in the hangar was a Messerschmitt ME109. This was its view of our plane – which also meant that when we looked in the rear-view mirror above the cockpit of TA805 we could see the front of the Messerschmitt!

We also saw TE184 Spitfre MkXVI (DU-N) and the two-seater MJ627 Spitfre TR9 (9G- ... and then into the cockpit over the Q). In various stages of restoration were EE602 door – which you’ll notice has a crowbar Spitfre Mk V (DV-V), LZ842 Spitfre Mk IX ftted in case the canopy is stuck and the (EF-F) and others including a Messerschmitt pilot needs to break their way out in an ME109 parked immediately behind TA805! emergency! D-Day markings under the wings Te hangar was crowded with aircraft, so much

Imperial ENGINEER Autumn 2015 15 FEATURES so that some of their permanent collection was in overfow hangars. But, they told us, they are soon moving to a larger hangar. Restoration Te restoration work in the hangar is carried out by engineers from Te Spitfre Company (Biggin Hill) Ltd. Project manager Paul Ager and chief engineer Franco Tambascia lead a team of engineers and contractors who undertake the restorations. Tey have restored three Spitfres and have another three currently underway. Where a previously scrapped Spitfre is restored, as much material as possible is recovered from the original airframe to be incorporated in the rebuild, for authenticity. Tey also have a large collection of original Spitfre parts, some still in their unopened boxes. The fuselage and tailplane come to Biggin Hill from Airframe Assemblies on the Isle of Wight, having already received the camoufage treatment from Vintage Fabrics, at Audley End. When they arrive, the fuselage and tailplane are just empty structures which require Paul Ager’s team to ft systems such as hydraulic, pneumatic, fuel, oil, coolant, instruments and fying controls. “We ft every item with the greatest attention to detail” says Paul, “using original drawings and photographs to make the aircraft operate and look as if it were straight off the production line. Once these systems are ftted it is then the turn of our electrician to rewire the aircraft to the original Supermarine drawings.”

Some parts still in their original unopened boxes, including a label that says “not to be opened until required for use”

Usually the wings will arrive about three to four months after the fuselage, again as empty structures for the engineers to install the systems, before ftting them to the fuselage. At this point Ian Ward, from VMI Engineering, supplies restored ailerons and faps and assists with reaming the wing spar attachments. “At the same time,” adds Paul, “we carry out one of the more diffcult tasks of assembling and ftting wing root panels, engine cowlings and other fnal metalwork details.”

“The Merlin engine is refurbished and zero timed by Retro Track and Air Ltd with the engine bearer manufactured by us here at the Spitfre Company. We then ft the bearer, engine and propeller, at which stage the Spitfre gets to look like a real warbird once again.” Even once they are restored and airworthy the Spitfres need servicing and maintenance

16 Imperial ENGINEER Autumn 2015 FEATURES

Some Spitfres, like the one above, are in a very sad condition when they frst arrive. But as much material as possible is recovered and cleaned up to be reused, keeping as much authenticity as possible.

MJ627 was built in 1943 as an LF Mk IX and entered service with the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1944 as 9G-Q. After damage sustained in a forced landing in the Orkneys, she was repaired and stored. Vickers Armstrong converted the airframe into a two-seat TR9 trainer. This involved removing the central fuel tank and moving the cockpit 12 inches forward to make room for the second cockpit. Sold to the Irish Air Corps, she stayed in service until 1960. In private hands after that , and used as a source of spare parts, she was restored in 1993, suffered some damage in 1998, but few again in 2002. Now owned by the Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar, she is used to offer fights over the Kent countryside.

If you want to restore a Spitfre yourself, there IS a Haynes manual!

TE184 was built as a Mk XVI with a Packard Merlin 266 engine in 1945. In 1946 she was loaned to the Belgian Air Force and on return was used as an instructional airframe. By 1967 she had become a museum exhibit until she was bought privately in the late 80s. She few again in 1990, but infrequently, until 2009 when she was recommissioned and in 2011 the current owner acquired her and bases her at the Heritage Hangar. Photographs by Alison and Peter Buck Alison and Peter by Photographs More details of the aircraft kept in the Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar can be found on their website at http://bit.ly/IE23-Spitfres EE602 was built as a Mk Vc, entering service in 1942. She hit an obstruction where you can also book a visit to Sit in a while fying low in 1943 and was abandoned. She is now privately owned and her Spitfre or even Fly a Spitfre! reconstruction has been recently completed, taking to the skies again in May this year.

Imperial ENGINEER Autumn 2015 17 FEATURES Hans and Matilda’s Over 20 years after completing an Electrical Engineering degree, Andy Clark (EE 1994) fnally put his EE skills to good use and won a trip to New York.

After leaving Imperial College in 1994, Andy swiftly moved into a software job and has “Te judges were impressed by the stayed there ever since. Earlier this year the content you produced and how you electronics distributor Element14 challenged blended mechanical functionality engineers from around the globe to add with the electronics/sensing aspect. ‘enchantment’ to an everyday object. Andy took an old style Black Forest What set you apart was how you stayed Weather House and swapped its inaccurate in the theme of it being ‘enchanted’ string-based mechanism for new electronics, with the storyline woven throughout.” 3D printed parts, a servo and WiFi-enabled micro controller. Te weather is requested As part of the project, the challengers were with a knock on the roof, a piezoelectric asked to produce weekly reports of progress. sensor triggers the boards to wake up and call So that these would be enchanting rather than a weather API on the internet. Te response dry technical reports, Andy incorporated a is parsed and the fgures move to indicate the storyline telling the tale of Hans and Matilda weather. If it is rainy the man appears and if who were helped by a range of other characters it is sunny the lady leaves the house. An RGB to rebuild their house. Te frst report is LED shows the temperature in colour form reproduced below, read more at: with a scale from blue for cold to red for hot. http://bit.ly/IE23-AndyClark.

Disaster strikes the Enchanted Cottage Once upon a time Deep in the forest is a small cottage owned by a timeless couple, Hans and Matilda who are doomed never to meet. When it is wet he goes outside but when it is dry she must leave the house. Tey lived a happy life in their cottage however and had regular visitors who were interested to know what they could tell them about the weather.

The storm One night there was a terrible storm and Matilda was scared and hid in the back of the cottage. Outside Hans was transfxed as the torrents of rain washed around him. Just before dawn, when the storm was at its wildest, the lightning struck. Fire raged around the house and their old-fashioned temperature and humidity sensors were destroyed.

Help was at hand Luckily Hans and Matilda has insured their house with a policy from Premier Farnell. As Hans was reading the conditions, he was pleased to see that it was a ‘new for old’ policy and they would have their sensors and displays replaced with modern electronic components. It was not going to be an easy challenge however as they had to complete all of the work themselves by Friday 26th June or their policy would be void. Matilda wrote up a plan of action and put together a shopping list of parts not covered by Farnell.

The Wolf Nearby in the forest lived a wolf, he danced with glee as he heard about the disaster that had befallen the enchanted cottage. He’d been selling weather reports to the locals and Hans and Matilda’s service was costing him dear. He planned to set up a fake weather server and provide the wrong information hence discrediting our weather-telling couple.

18 Imperial ENGINEER Autumn 2015 FEATURES excellent adventure T e project T e idea was to take an old fashioned ‘cat gut’ based weather house and use electronic components to bring it up to date. T e key features would be servo-driven mechanics, LED showing the temperature and the Arduino Yún for getting the weather from the internet.

I’ve been in software ever since then and just dif culty f nding space for the connectors so returned to electronics as a hobby in the last that they did not clash with the board and couple of years. mounting struts. Managing power became one of the key Technical issues and challenges topics as I wanted to run the house on T e build for the Enchanted Cottage was not batteries, I found what I needed online and Hans and Matilda’s new home all smooth progress. T ere were a selection of my experiments produced good results. technical challenges and mistakes along the T e Inf neon RGB shield was easy to use, T e project has stayed fairly true to its original way. and previous challengers had generated some idea, the LED bar graph for the temperature T e servo provided was a continuous good documentation and code libraries. I has been swapped with a coloured LED rotation servo; to use that would have made the knew I’d be at the lower current limits of the and the need to have a button to check project particularly challenging. T e tinkerkit board but, with the right settings and timings, the temperature has been eliminated. T e servo was also a bit large for my weather house the current was set correctly. mechanics have been 3D printed and f tted so I purchased a smaller positional servo. T e knock knock circuit was heavily together with magnets under the cottage so T e Arduino Yún provided its own set of researched before incorporating into the that the f gures move straight in and out of the challenges. First was making it connect to the project. T e circuit was straightforward to house with no obvious form of propulsion. Web API using a HTTPS connection, this understand and build, with just the lack of required installing certif cates and jumping a pull up resistor on the comparator output through some hoops to get the Python com- causing any delay. ponents needed. Luckily there was more than I’ve learnt a few bits of electronics along the one Python library to use so I managed to f nd way, such as driving MOSFETs and handling one that worked and validated the certif cates. the signal from the Piezo transducer, and I’ve T e mechanics to make the f gures move learnt lots about the Arduino Yún. took a few attempts, f rstly to get the correct motion, then to get something that could be Working project demo reliably 3D printed. A video of the house in action is available T e wiring took a couple of attempts to on the blog (bit.ly/IE23-CottageDemo). get right; I had initially put the cables too far T e demo mostly shows the long boot time into the sockets, leaving no room for the pins. of the Linino portion of the Arduino Yún. I also used solid core for these wires which It typically takes around 60 seconds to boot is all I really had spare. T is meant that the and, depending on the disk state, it could take wiring loom was quite stif and dif cult to longer. I did some research into how this time Andy’s mechanism showing the Watt’s manoeuvre; swapping this with f exible cable can be reduced, but did not have a chance to linkages used to approximate straight line would make sense. implement anything. movement for Hans and Matilda T ere were some physical issues too, the On power-up, the f gures move so that short cable on the LiPo battery is def nitely Matilda is just inside and Hans just outside. About me one to watch for. Generally f nding enough T is would indicate a slight chance of rain. Before the project, I knew a bit about Arduino, space for all of the components so that they A f ashing light at the start of the process nothing of the Linino portion of the Yún and did not clash, and issues, like the height of shows the system waiting for the boot. Once had not touched Linux for years. I also had the components on the Yún and dif erent it’s booted, the light changes to indicate that not coded in Python before or used RGB holes in the proto board, meant a few on- it’s processing the weather, and then changes LEDs and piezo sensors. I’d only just started the-f y changes were needed to the structure. again to a solid light with a slight movement of with 3D printing back in January. I do have Knowing what I know now, I would build the people to the middle position to show that some electronics background, having done the woodwork dif erently. T e proto board it’s going to be a ‘changeable day in Chicago’ GCSE and AS-Level electronics and then an inevitably ended up a little messy as the layout which is where I’ve conf gured the system to EE degree at Imperial back in the early 1990s. was revised a few times. Again, there was check for weather.

Imperial ENGINEER Autumn 2015 19 FEATURES Te grand prize: a trip to the Maker Faire in New York for Andy – Hans and Matilda went too, of course!

As part of the promotion for the competition Andy also got to see his name in lights. Te user experience Initial setup Te one time setup of the system is the out of the box experience provided by Arduino; you have to confgure the WiFi to point to your local network. Te Maker Faire is a massive event spread all over the site of the World’s Fair and New York Unless you live in Chicago, IL, you’ll also Hall of Science. Tere is a diverse range of projects and people, from massive robots to tiny need to set your location in the confguration intricate 3D printed castles. Andy said that he, Hans and Matilda all had a fantastic time fle. and have come back with some ideas for future projects. Below he tells us about the trip. User Operation Ten, all the user has to do to get the weather Tanks to a ‘gentleman’s fight’ I did not have is wait, the fgures will automatically adjust to rush to Heathrow and also had plenty of their positions and the light will change colour time when I was there. As the plane few into as new data become available. Newark, I took the train and subway over to Impatient users can simply knock on the Queens and got a view of the city. Te nearest roof to trigger a system wakeup and check for subway to the hotel (an overhead line) had a weather. view of the Unisphere, observation platforms Rather than needing to read small digits the and the science centre and rockets. user can quickly tell the temperature from the LED colour. Conclusions Te design challenge has defnitely lived up to its name; it was very challenging. I’ve learnt a lot about embedded systems during this Stilt-walking Jazz Band and Dancing project, from interrupts and low power options Cardboard Dinosaur on the Atmel microcontroller, to MOSFETs and drones. As we were waiting to go in, we and power control thanks to Infneon. I’ve also were serenaded by a stilt-walking band with learnt a lot about 3D printing, and designing a dancing cardboard dinosaur. I knew this models to make them print reliably. One of was a good sign of the great things to come. my key lessons learnt is to keep an eye on the I took a shortcut through the science centre physical space required for connectors so that gardens and said hi to the Atmel crew and also they don’t clash with other components. spotted Massimo Banzi, the co-founder of the I’m happy with the end result and enjoyed Arduino project. making the Enchanted Cottage, and I’d I also headed over to the Makershed to meet like to thank Element14 for giving me the Hans and Matilda stopped off to see the fellow Brit and laser cutting expert Dominic opportunity to participate. Unisphere on their way to the Faire who’d traded some of his time for free accommodation and was helping out Finale In the morning I had a bagel at a local with the Solarbotics stand. I also met And so our enchanting tale comes to its end. deli and headed over to the venue. I up with Andy Sigler from Patchbay. If you go down to the forest, there in a little have been to a few other Maker Faires IO who was unfortunately frustrated clearing you will fnd an Enchanted Cottage. such as the UK one up in Newcastle by a lack of power so I promised to If you knock on the door then a delightful and the mini makers faire that ran return later to see things in action. I couple will pop out to tell you the weather. at Elephant and Castle for a couple was impressed with the turn out in But be careful not to stay too long as you of years. I’ve also seen the Makers at the Maker Health Tent, a group of might bump into the wolf. Mex that were at Sandown last year. Makers dedicated to healthcare and However the Americans being the promoting democratised access to way they are, have a much bigger medical fabrication. Tere was a great faire, I knew this in advance but was example of a Lego MRI and proton still surprised by the sheer scale of beam machine that were used to show their setup. kids how they worked so they would Te Maker Faire was divided not be so scared when inside. I also into six zones, each focusing on a liked the add-ons for kids’ motorised rough topic area such as electronics, ride-on toys that meant that not only Hans and Matilda enjoyed the Faire maker spaces, education or robots were they easier for disabled children

20 Imperial ENGINEER Autumn 2015 FEATURES to use but they could also be used to help develop certain skills or muscles. Whilst I was there I also attended a few talks, some were thinly disguised sales promotions but others were from enthusiastic makers wanting to share their experiences and ideas. I managed to miss the start of the Les Machines de l’Île de Nantes but saw the slides of their fantastic ride-on motorised Elephant, factory/ gallery and next project, the Stork Tree, which is a giant metal tree with two ride-on storks that take 60 people at a time in huge baskets under the wings. Tey pay for their projects via grants, sponsorship and by charging an entrance fee to their gallery where they get the public to test out their latest prototypes. Tere were also some good talks on making, hacking and fxing.

Cardboard Formula One racing car Life Size Mousetrap

Tere were lots of fantastic projects inside the licensing model to me. Also I spotted another science centre too, and I got to see a work- celebrity, Eben Upton. in-progress cardboard Formula One car being Tere were a few announcements (that made, Stirling engines, a semaphore fag game I mostly missed) whilst I was at the show. with image processing to rate the fag user, Arduino has fnished their new WiFi shield magical 3D printed castles and another fellow with Atmel’s cyptography chip on it. Adafruit Brit, Ross Atkin from Crafty Robot, who is is bringing out a new board and Atmel were kickstarting his project shortly. Tere were talking about the new Atmel Studio and their a lot of people who were just about to run web-based IDE. kickstarter projects, and a lot of those were I did however manage to see the Life Size in the Startup zone. Here there were gadgets Mousetrap in action, watch drone racing, to show what mood your dog was in by how see experiments being done, talk to loads of he wagged his tail, giant building blocks, people and buy some presents. architecture kits, multi-headed 3D printer, I fnished my weekend by watching the laser cutting milling machines and some Eepybird chaps spraying coke zero all over the chaps from Dublin with a novel pin board for place, in time to music. holding circuits or projects in place whilst you solder them. I ended the frst day exhausted, so managed to miss the Menthos and Coke show over at the UniSphere. Te next day I decided to revisit the electronic section and say hi to Cadsoft. Tey were really friendly and explained the new

All photographs by Andy Clark by All photographs A big thanks again to Element14 for arranging Magical 3D Printed Castle Tiny Arcade Machines the trip and selecting me as the winner.

Imperial ENGINEER Autumn 2015 21 ALUMNI NEWS & VIEWS ICENAE Fortieth! DIARY

Friday, 27 November 2015 RSMA 131st Annual Dinner Venue: The Rembrandt Hotel, 11 Thurloe Place, Knightsbridge, London SW7 2RS 19:00 for 20:00

Saturday, 28 November 2015 CGCA/RSMA/RCSA Decade Reunion 2015 Venue: Queens Tower Room C, Sherfeld Building 12:30 for 13:00 Back L to R: Ian McWalter, Tony Richardson, Andrew Mongar, David Goodman, Andrew Jackson, Mike Barron, Richard Olley, Bill McAuley, Toby Gilsig, Tom Pugsley, David Hayes, Sandy Eames. Monday, 14 December 2015 Front L to R: Pam Olley (nee Horrocks), Jackie Richardson, Simone McWalter, Anne McAuley, Lil CGCA Jackson, Mary Goodman, Lily Mongar, Cherie Hayes, Clare Gilsig, Ros Rossetti, Claudette Sergerie Christmas Lunch (widow of Michael Evans), Teresa Pugsley. Seated on foor: Mike Osborn (husband of Ros Rossetti). Venue: 170 Queen’s Gate IC graduates are entire back row plus Pam Olley, Mary Goodman and Ros Rossetti. 12 for 12:30 Twenty-fve ageing but intrepid The frst two days were attended golf games to more modest versions souls gathered in the Adirondack by an advance party at the Woods of the same activities. However, the Friday, 26 February 2016 Mountains of the Empire State (aka Inn in Inlet, NY. Inlet was the site of social and bar activities were as CGCA New York) on the long weekend the frst 15 gatherings at the Rocky lively as ever, but more restrained Annual Dinner of September 29 to October 4, to Point Inn, until its proprietor Arch as befts a maturing group. Tributes Venue: Fishmongers’ Hall celebrate the fortieth gathering Delmarsh, sold his birthright for were paid to recently departed 18:45 to 22:45 of the ICENAE (Imperial College a mess of pottage and decamped members and best wishes to those Exiles North America East). The to Florida. (He’s now back in Inlet; unable to attend. Wednesday, 25 May 2016 acronym was coined as a somewhat when they are old, salmon swim The intent is to return to the CGCA laborious hat-tip to the gallant Essex back upstream. ) Woods Inn for further gatherings. AGM girl (well, Norfolk girl actually) who Our main event took place in the They have offered to take on the Venue: tbc gave Nero’s corrupt procurator more opulent surroundings of the organisational responsibilities for Catus Decianus a hell of a kicking, Crowne Plaza Resort in Lake Placid, these, which this year were nobly Thursday, 23 June 2016 until she was fnally overcome by where unseasonably chilly and windy and excellently undertaken by Sandy RSMA the governor Suetonius Paulinus. weather curtailed the ambitious Eames and Pam Olley. A very good AGM /Final Year BBQ But I digress. intentions of marathon hikes and show! Venue: tbc Bill McAuley (Chem E 60-65 ) London Walks Glossop Medal and Award WE WANT Next walk details not yet fnalised. Please see the website at: bit.ly/LondonWalks We received an email from John YOUR NEWS P. Harrison (Civil Eng 1976-9, 85) Let us know your For more information who’s now a Professor at the University of Toronto, alerting us news or stories or to book, contact to this year’s Glossop Medal and Contact Teresa Sergot Teresa Sergot Award from the Geological Society, (address and deadlines [email protected] to be presented on 4th November at Burlington House in London. on page two) or 020 7594 1184 The Glossop Medal goes to Dr. Tony Waltham (Mining 1960- Cave Junction update 63,66-68) ‘Control the Drainage: The Gospel according to Sinkholes’ and John Gardiner (Civil Eng 1966- “We are supposed to represent the Glossop Award to Yung Loo Tony Waltham, winner of this 70) sent us an update on life in the people of our community and (Geology 2006-10) ‘Engineering year’s Glossop Medal Cave Junction. As a city councillor when all but one (who show up at geological geological solutions for he was recently instrumental in the meeting) support this, we need CERN’s underground infrastructure’. the City Council taking a public to listen to them. There was a lot John pointed out that both Yung stance against a proposed nickel of good testimony. People are very Loo and Tony Waltham are RSM mine. The council voted to support concerned with the quality of our alumni, and he thinks this is the frst congressional legislation to protect city’s drinking water.” He added time in the history of the awards local watersheds from mining, that past councils might have taken that both Medal and Award winners such as a proposed strip mine in a more conservative stance on the have been Imperial alumni. John said a creek west of nearby O’Brien. issue, “Times are changing. What of Tony Waltham, “I also know that 34 of the 35 locals who attended can I say?” The letter was signed he was the Imperial College Caving the council meeting, were there by the mayor and the three other Club President in the late 1960s to propose a letter of support for city councillors who were at the or early 1970s, as I remember his the congressional Bill, as suggested meeting. It says, “We also support name being on the Club President’s by local business owners who the proposed fve year mineral pewter tankard held in the Union agree with a need for anti-mining withdrawal” and goes on to say Bar. I know this because it was a few legislation because of the potential “This is a botanical hotspot, with the entries up from the 1978-79 name for contamination of drinking water. highest concentration of rare plants Yung Loo, winner of this year’s of J.P. Harrison!” John is quoted in the Daily Courier, and a source for clean water to our Glossop Award the local newspaper, as saying, community.”

22 Imperial ENGINEER Autumn 2015 OBITUARIES ‘Unfailing enthusiasm’, a quirky take on life ...and a passion for sundials! Rosemary and settled down in West At various times, Maurice served when you have at least two sextants Wickham in Kent, in a house that as an Institution of Civil Engineers’ stowed in the boot!’ became their home for about 50 examiner, and as a member of Maurice also had a love of cars. years, and where they brought up the Water Engineering Group When he moved to Canada for four their two sons, Alan and Robert. Board, the Hydraulics and Public years, in the mid-50’s, it was with Maurice held various academic Health Engineering Board, the a certain amount of pride that he appointments in hydraulics at the British Section Committee of the sent home a photo of his new car: University of Toronto and at Kings International Commission on Large a 1930’s Buick with four doors, long College London, before moving to Dams, and the Watt Committee on running boards and a V8 engine. Imperial College in the 1960s. Small-scale Hydro. He also served Returning to England, Maurice At Imperial, Maurice served for 21 on various other technical advisory bought a car built in the year he years as a senior lecturer, spending panels for other associations. was born! This was an open-top his last 4½ years as Acting Head of Maurice held a particular expertise two-seater Alvis sports car with a Hydraulics. Paul Minton has written in resolving unusual problems streamlined tail and only one door, that, ‘During the period we were concerned with air and water on the passenger side; the driver MAURICE JOHN KENN (Lecturer without a professor of hydraulics, fows, and gained experience over couldn’t have a door because the & Senior Lecturer, Civ Eng 1954-83) Maurice led the section with great 40 years in feld and laboratory exhaust-pipe ran along the whole Maurice Kenn will have been skill... (he) never lost sight of the fact aspects of water supply, pumping, outside length of the bodywork just known to many alumni, from his role that, as teachers of civil engineering, hydro-electric power generation, below where his elbow rested on as a lecturer and senior lecturer in we were part of and responsible to model study analysis, ship mooring, the door-frame! Civil Engineering. He also joined the the profession.’ Another colleague ship anchoring and allied topics. He also had a great love of the Old Centralians (now CGCA) in the at Imperial, Chris Head, wrote: ‘We After taking early retirement from sea, enjoying sailing in the Scottish early 1970s, and was a life member shared many happy hours having Imperial in 1983, he was able to Hebrides, taking seaside camping of the Association. interesting discussions on a wide contribute to a number of legal holidays, or simply sketching a sea Maurice was born in Harlow, range of engineering and other cases as an expert witness. view. Essex, on February 21, 1926 and, subjects (e.g. sundials!) ... I shall Maurice had a very dry sense In 2007, Maurice and Rosemary after attending Colchester Royal always remember Maurice for his of humour and a slightly quirky moved to Brisbane, Australia, where Grammar School, graduated in Civil unfailing enthusiasm.’ take on life. Away from work, he they were able to spend much Engineering at Kings College London. Maurice’s personal research had a great interest in, and love of, time with their two sons and their He then studied in Canada, where topics included: cavitation; cavitation scientifc instruments, especially families. he obtained an MASc (Hydraulics) erosion of concrete; air entrainment; sundials about which he wrote Maurice died on April 1, 2015. from Toronto University. air regulation of siphonic water an informative article for Imperial His sons said of him: “He taught us: Maurice gained experience fows; and applications of dynamic College Engineer. His sons have how to treat everyone with respect with the London Metropolitan similarity to large-scale fow written of their father’s delight in regardless of their social standing Water Board, Toronto City Water phenomena. He wrote papers using a 19th Century sextant on or status; how to question things and the Ontario Hydro-Electric on these and other topics, and family trips: taking readings from and not just accept things on face- Power Commission. From 1952 lectured widely. In 1982, he shared the sun and the horizon, and then value, nor accept the status-quo; and onwards, he gave specialist advice the Institution of Civil Engineers’ drawing lines all over their road how to always be honest and speak to Water and River Authorities, Halcrow Premium with A D Garrod, maps to determine their precise your mind when things need to be Hydro-electric Boards, contractors, in recognition of their paper entitled location. As his son, Alan, explained, said.”As Paul Minton concluded, ‘We consultants and lawyers. ‘Cavitation Damage and the Tarbela ‘Sat-nav’s didn’t exist when we were have lost a good friend, a supportive In 1958, Maurice married tunnel collapse’. growing up … but who needs them colleague and a true engineer’.

An engineering life A Proud Old Centralian, in southern Africa with a love of railways JOHN ARTHUR WALTERS (Civil Finally, John returned to Salisbury GEOFFREY COPE (Civil Eng 1943- Railway Track: Design Construction Eng 1941-44) (now Harare, Zimbabwe) to work 45) and Maintenance’, published in 1993. John was born on October 6, with the Grain Marketing Board as Geoffrey Hulme Cope was born Geoffrey joined the British section 1924, in Wickford, Essex. Project Engineer. In this position, he on August 8, 1926. of the Ingenieurs et Scientifques de After attending Stowe School, was in charge of the construction of A proud alumnus of Imperial France (IESF) in June, 1996, and was he moved to City & Guilds, where grain silos and cotton granaries in an College, he was a member of the a regular attendee at IESF functions, he graduated in Civil Engineering in attempt to counteract the impact City & Guilds College Association almost always with his wife, Irene. June 1944 and became a life member of sanctions which were imposed for well over 60 years and not only Following Irene’s death two years of CGCA. in 1965. took every opportunity to be seen ago, Geoffrey’s fnal attendance at an During his time at Imperial, John John took early retirement in wearing his Old Centralians tie, but IESF event was in September, 2014, served in the Home Guard and, 1981, and he and Rosemary moved also missed very few of the alumni – accompanied to the event, in Aix-en- on graduating, entered the Royal to George in the Garden Route of now CGCA – Annual Meetings. Provence, by his son, Malcolm. Navy. He was demobilised in 1947 South Africa. No ‘retirement’ as Geoffrey spent most of his Geoffrey was also a Vice President and moved to Rhodesia and the such took place, as he continued career as an engineer with British of the Bluebell Railway Preservation Rhodesian Railways, where he with philately and woodworking. Rail. He became a Member of the Society, a representative of which remained until 1949, having spent John’s 90th birthday, in October Institution of Civil Engineers in 1956, described Geoffrey as: “a real some months in Mozambique, 2014, was celebrated with his local and a Fellow in 1981. He was also a gentlemen and a highly regarded gaining experience. family, as well as family members member of the Chartered Institute and much respected civil engineer... Subsequent to this, he worked for from the UK. of Transport (now the Chartered always willing to share his knowledge, the Salisbury Municipality, and then Sadly, John’s health deteriorated, Institute of Logistics and Transport), to encourage others and to provide for his father-in-law’s contracting and he passed away on November and of the Permanent Way advice. He was defnitely old school business, before moving on to 16, 2014, leaving Rosemary, his wife Institution (the Institution for Rail and had a no-nonsense approach, Rhodesian Iron & Steel Works in the of 65 years, a son, fve grandchildren Infrastructure Engineers). He was but there was never any malice”. midlands of Rhodesia. and two great-grandchildren. the editor of the Permanent Way Geoffrey died after a short illness, Institution’s 6th edition of ‘British on September 26, 2015, aged 89.

Imperial ENGINEER Autumn 2015 23 OBITUARIES ‘Fascinating and A life well lived

BRIAN SPENCER SOAN (Mech Eng on a number of novel aerodynamic complex jobs’ 1946-1948) problems including the Drax Power MELVILLE WALL (DIC Chem Eng lengthy visits to Monsanto divisions Station chimney, tallest in the UK. 1951-52) in the eastern states. For his family, In 1964, Brian transferred to Melville Arthur Gayton Wall this meant interesting things brought Atkins Planning, the management was born on January 24, 1924, in home in a tightly-packed suitcase, or consultancy division of WSAGC, Newport, Monmouthshire. After help with Physics prep coming over where he managed numerous attending Newport High School for the phone from Dundonald, as he studies in a wide spread of Boys, Melville studied for the joint was away so often (in one year, he industries, mostly overseas: iron and course in Mechanical Engineering at was away for 42 weeks out of 52). steelwork developments took him University College and Cardiff Tech, For Melville, it meant a fascinating to Brazil, Mexico, Germany, Norway, graduating in 1944 with an external and complex job as a project Denmark and Sweden, working for London degree, the award ceremony manager for the building and running both governments and corporations; for which was not held until June of plants for the manufacture of the Public Transport Commission of 1992, at the Royal Festival Hall. plastics and agri-chemicals. In 1963, NSW brought him back to Australia; Shortly after graduating, Melville he was appointed Chief Engineer the EC commissioned studies for R joined the Royal Naval Volunteer at a new subsidiary of Monsanto & D programmes on wind energy in Reserve as a Midshipman (E), in Croydon, Surrey. However, the UK; for the Marine Technology receiving a rigorous engineering before the family had even been Support Unit, Brian managed training at Chatham Dockyard, able to move from South Wales to offshore underwater studies; for before serving as a Sub-Lieutenant Purley, a new job in Central London BP, solid fuel demand by the steel (E) in HMS Marne and Leander. He awaited him. Having seen the industry; for London Transport was de-mobbed in late 1946, but not Monsanto Corporate Engineering Brian Soan followed his passion for and the Department of Energy, before HMS Leander was involved in Department grow from a few men engineering steadfastly throughout engineering management appraisals. the Corfu Channel Incident, in which in London, working on drawing his life. Born on October 11, 1925, In 1964/5, he was the inventor two British destroyers were severely boards propped on tea chests Brian spent his childhood years named on 6 patent specifcations for damaged by underwater mines. The before the new offces could be in Streatham, South London, and improvements to rotatable vessels, older he became, the more Melville properly and adequately furnished, gained a place at Dulwich College. travelling cranes and gasholders. He was struck by the good fortune of However in 1938, with the outbreak was appointed a Technical Director his having survived this. of war imminent, his family moved to at WSAGC in 1977. On leaving the Navy, he began Holmbury St Mary and his education In 1983, Brian left WSAGC his engineering apprenticeship continued at Dorking County School to establish his own consultancy with Babcock and Wilcox, in in Surrey. In 1941, at the age of 16, practice, and became closely Scotland. This involved postings to Brian started an apprenticeship with associated with Wind Energy other parts of the UK besides the Vickers Armstrong Aircraft Factory developments for the Department Glasgow area, including Ipswich and in Weybridge, where he worked of Energy and the EEC, in particular Deptford power stations, Prestwich, on the Wellington Bomber and the the resolution of defects in wind and Central London (Calder Hall production of other aircraft. turbines. project). Melville then joined ICl at In 1946, Brian was awarded a Brian was a member of The Northwich for a brief period. In the Vickers scholarship to Imperial Royal Aeronautical Society and summer of 1950, he embarked on the College where he read Mechanical of the Institute of Management major part of his career by joining Engineering. After graduating, Consultants, a Fellow of the Monsanto Chemicals, back home in in 1948, he worked at Vickers Institution of Mechanical Engineers Newport. A year’s post-graduate Armstrong as an Aircraft Stress and an Associate of the City and study of Chemical Engineering at Melville watched it gradually reduce Analyst and Instrumentation Guilds of London Institute. He was Imperial College followed, before as times changed. He continued Engineer, working on aircraft and a life member of the Old Centralians he returned to Newport to develop working with Monsanto until his missile design and development. (now CGCA). his experience. In 34 years with retirement in 1984, and thereafter During this time, at a Royal Brian offcially retired in 1989. Monsanto, Melville worked on applied his intelligence and acuity Aeronautical Society Dance, he met In his retirement, he embraced the projects in Fawley, Ludwigshafen, to undertakings even as old age, the young lady who would become computer age. He amused himself Dundonald, Coleraine, Swindon, and fnally illness, were catching up the love of his life, Joan. They were with crosswords, suduko, and Echternach (Luxembourg), Brussels, with him. Melville died in hospital soon married and less than a year wordplay – he was always the master Antwerp and Louvain-la-Neuve, to on December 29, 2014, at the age later, in 1952, they moved out to of the pun. He was an inventive and name but a few. During the few years of 90. He is survived by Rita, whom Australia with Vickers Armstrong, practical family man who passed on of President Kennedy’s tenure in the he married in July 1950, and by two where Brian was Deputy Chief Trials his love of problem-solving to his White House, Melville made two sons and two daughters. Engineer at the Woomera Test Range four daughters. near Adelaide in Southern Australia. In 2011, Brian and Joan celebrated Using small ‘gun’ cameras, Brian was their Diamond wedding anniversary. in charge of testing the trajectory of Blessed with 8 grandchildren, he both rockets and missiles above the lived to see his frst great-grandson Australian desert. come into this world. He held a With the closure of funding for strong Christian belief throughout the programme, Brian returned to his adult life and helped many others England in 1955 and joined Bristol on their journey of faith. After a long Aircraft Limited as an Assistant and busy life, Brian died peacefully Designer. In 1959 Bristol Aircraft at home, surrounded by his family, became part of British Aircraft on April 16, 2015, at the age of 89. Corporation and, anticipating this, A much loved husband and best Brian joined W.S.Atkins Group friend to his wife, Joan, a wonderful Consultants (WSAGC), where he father to Rosemary, Hazel, Mary and stayed until 1983. He was engaged Lucinda, a special grandfather and Chem Eng postgrads 1951-52, Melville 4th from the left, second as the Head of Process Planning in great-grandfather, he is very much row from the back the R & D division where he worked missed.

24 Imperial ENGINEER Autumn 2015 OBITUARIES ‘Work hard in life, but enjoy every minute of it’ Chambishi mine Following Steetley’s takeover, Mike respect for all. He and Angela made he was known as worked as an independent Safety friends easily and maintained those ‘Megaton Turner’ Consultant, acting as an advisor friendships over many years. His as a pastime of to a diverse number of companies college year had regular reunions in the miners when before retiring in 2004. During these different parts of the world over a blasting in the years, he remained active in rugby, ffty year period. pit seemed to be coaching Middlesbrough, and he also Mike’s tenacity on the sporting who could land a became a Yorkshire referee, where front was matched by a modesty and rock the furthest, his philosophy of “be reasonable, see humility off it. Apart from his love hopefully onto it my way” must have bemused a few of family, sport and travel, he had a the metallurgical teams. thirst for knowledge and developed offces roof! In Mike was diagnosed with a keen interest in philosophy, an Zambia, Mike Alzheimer’s in 2007 which ultimately absorbing subject around which suffered a serious resulted in his going into Victoria he read widely. He went on to neck injury which House Care Home, in 2014. pass an A level in religious studies allegedly brought Much can be said to celebrate as a mature student as part of his his rugby career Mike Turner but in September, at interest in a better understanding to an end, and a service to celebrate Mike’s life, of life. His own philosophy was to which required his old friend from school, Imperial work hard in life, but enjoy every a cervical fusion and life, Bill Davison, summed it up minute of it. MIKE ‘SNAGGER’ TURNER (Mining operation in Harare. best: “Mike was a good man – a true, Following his diagnosis with 1961-65) The frst of Mike and Angela’s traditional Englishman, both a great Alzheimer’s, devastating to all, he Mike Turner, affectionately known children, David (also an IC graduate), family man and a great sportsman. A continued to live life to the fullest as ‘Snagger’, passed away in May after was born in June 1972 in Kitwe on leader, both on and off the feld.” possible and was able to attend all a long battle with Alzheimer’s. Aside the Copperbelt. An abiding memory of those of his children’s weddings and meet from his love of family and travel, After returning to the UK in 1972, who played with or against him all ten of his grandchildren. He Mike will be best remembered by Mike studied for an MSc in Industrial was his rendering, after a few pints, remained very active until the last contemporaries as a lethal, hard- Management at Loughborough of the ‘The Lambton Worm’ which twelve months of his life. tackling wing forward who captained University and then returned to the confused Londoners, Zambians, His latter years were comforted IC Rugby in 1964-65. quarrying industry, culminating in Afrikaaners and many more. ‘Sung’ by his rock, Angela, who Brought up in Billingham, Mike a position of Regional Production in his best north-eastern accent demonstrated an immense strength was a product of Grangefeld GS Manager for Steetley, before its “Whist lads haad yor gobs” was and dignity in oft diffcult times. in Stockton. Initially, he applied to takeover by Redland in 1992. delivered with gusto. A true family man, minesman, study Geology at Loughborough During this time, Anne (1974), By all who worked with or for him, Chap, sportsman and gentleman, University, no doubt lured by its Katie (1976) and Ian (1980) were Mike was recognised as a good man- Mike ‘Snagger’ Turner will be sadly sporting reputation, but having born. manager, who maintained a strong missed by all, family and friends. missed an A level exam, due to appendicitis, he had to repeat his last school year and instead applied to do mining at the RSM. Loughborough’s loss was Imperial’s gain. Mike quickly established his reputation at IC on the rugby feld with his unremitting physical commitment, and also represented London University. Mike spent four years at RSM, graduating in mining and then completing a DIC in Mining Geology. Whist at RSM, he met Angela (nee Taylor), a Metallurgy graduate and, after marrying in 1966, they enjoyed a long and happy marriage of over 48 years. Following college, Mike commenced working for Hovering Gravels and was subsequently quarry manager at Hoveringham. During this time, he played rugby for Nottingham, captaining the 1st XV and also played for Notts/Lincs/ Derby. In 1969, Mike and Angela joined Roan Selection Trust on the Zambian Copperbelt. They spent three years enjoying the sporting life and travelling, including climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. Mike again excelled at rugby and represented the Zambian national side. He captained Chibuluma which included A Duke W Sheppeard R Aston R Chappell P Hammerton P Metcalf M Davies seven IC alumni in the team. To J O’Reilly D Howell M Turner(Capt) Prof Sparkes(Pres) C Molam(V-Capt) M Riley I Wiesner the concentrator metallurgists at D G Phillips L Mills W Davison P R Ray

Imperial ENGINEER Autumn 2015 25 OBITUARIES A long, successful and very active life in ‘The Unknown Industry’ ROGERS EVERT KNIGHT (Elec Eng on applications as diverse as the 1934-37, Mech Eng 1937-38) lubrication of one-metre bearings in Rogers Knight, who died on an aluminium mill, to the 2.4 metre/ March 29, 2015 at the age of 99, was min chains of drying ovens operating a life member of CGCA and was at 250°C, for Kellogg’s Cornfakes. its President in 1974-75. In 1965, The technology also led to vast Rogers became a founder member energy savings for industry; in one of the Old Centralians Trust, case a 5-stand cold mill in India was continuing for almost half a century, converted from hydro-dynamically and was its Chairman for 15 years lubricated sleeve bearings to Micro- 1980-1995. Fog, a power saving of 15 million Born in Hammersmith on megajoules a year. At the opposite December 6, 1915, to an American end of the size spectrum, Micro-Fog father and Scottish mother, Rogers technology also benefted dentistry, attended St Paul’s School then where spindle speeds increased studied Electrical Engineering at a small team tasked with locating, compressed air flters regulators and from 10,000 to 250,000 rpm and City & Guilds College, switching to procuring, purchasing and shipping lubricators in the UK at Shipston-on- (almost) painless drilling (these graduate in Mechanical Engineering essential war materials to war-torn Stour, becoming Technical Director in turn have been replaced by air in 1938. An enthusiastic member Britain. Rogers spent much time of C A Norgren Limited and working bearings requiring no lubrication). of the Artillery Battery, College in the New York docks, ensuring between London and Warwickshire. Rogers often asserted that Rugby and Tug-of-War teams, he the size of steel coils were not Traditional factories often featured Compressed Air was ‘The Unknown was a great friend of John Garland too large to be handled by UK the MD’s offce overlooking the Industry’, but one “without which no (Mech Eng 1932-35) a fellow car ports – US factories rolled in 10- factory gates. Curiosity as to ‘Who’s other modern industry could exist”. club devotee. The frst ‘Boanerges’ ton coils. The team’s 5 years of driving that Bentley?’ often resulted Norgren UK R&D – with their was a 1909 Rover 8 but it was too frenetic activity resulted in over in Rogers being shown straight to Denver counterpart – created young to qualify for the London 500 million tons of specialist steel the MD, rather than having to battle the Norgren Olympian Modular to Brighton Run so, in 1934, John products being shipped to Blighty, his way through the Purchasing system, which facilitated rapid Garland purchased the 1902 James and it was Rogers’ quiet boast that Department! replacement of faulty units. Later, & Browne Car that became the City they ‘Never lost a ton, except by At Rogers’ instigation, C A by use of a ‘tandem yoke’, air & Guilds College mascot, and with enemy action’. During this time, Norgren Limited created a Research supply could be switched instantly Rogers as co-driver did the annual someone in Whitehall decided that & Development Department, and – eliminating downtime completely London to Brighton run. At CGCA and saving industry millions. One Annual Dinners Rogers would vividly example was the Goonhilly describe the trials and tribulations Downs communications aerials, to Bo’ Drivers three quarters the maintenance for which cost of a century on, emphasising the £50K per hour but which could ‘modern’ luxury of a trailer for the be reduced to just nine hours a return journey! year. [Ref: ‘Compressed Air for In 1936, Rogers received a £100 Unconventional Applications’, R E legacy from his grandmother, and to Knight & S G Collins 1981] The 1974 his thrifty father’s dismay, purchased Design Council Award, presented to a second-hand 3-litre Red Label Rogers by HRH Prince Philip, was 4-seater open tourer Bentley. He but one of many accolades that the said of this time, “I was one of the Olympian innovation received. students who were lucky enough to North Sea oil platforms used own their own car. So I used to drive waste sour gas for power generation. to college, and I if could not park, But sulphur mercaptans within within 50 feet of the main College this fuel corroded the regulators, entrance, I felt very peaked indeed!” necessitating replacement every Upon graduation, Rogers spent six weeks. Norgren UK designed some time on the shop foor at a regulator machined from a Darwin’s Steel in Sheffeld. His solid block of stainless steel, with father, William E Knight, an importing neoprene O-rings, which lasted six agent for a variety of US engineering he would look better in uniform and funds were raised for the British months. BP purchased 3,000 of products, then despatched him to so Rogers was gazetted as a Captain Compressed Air Society to sponsor these upon seeing the prototype. America for work secondments to: in the Royal Engineers research into the elimination of Convinced of the need for Republic Steel, in Chicago, Baltimore Upon discharge, in 1946, Rogers lubricating oil from compressed air, sensible standardisation, Rogers and Youngstown; Bethlehem Steel; returned to London with his both at Imperial College [Tettmar’s was involved with a kaleidoscopic Bastion Blessing; the Chain Belt New York-born wife, Virginia – a 1964 Thesis] and at the Fluid Power list of organisations: BSI, ISO, SRC, Company, Milwaukee; and the Mayfower descendant through her Centre at Bath University, where BFPA, BRIMEC, IMechE, etc. He National Vulcanized Fibre Company, Cobb/Brewster forebears. They Rogers was Visiting Lecturer on served as President of both CETOP Wilmington. made their home in a mews off Eaton ‘Compressed Air Processing & the European Oil Hydraulic & Upon the outbreak of War in Square, with a garage suffciently Distribution’. His name was on the Pneumatic Association (of which 1939, and as a former Imperial sized for his Bentley. Rogers then patent for the Micro-Fog Lubricator, he was a founding member), and of College Offcer Cadet, Rogers took over the organisation of leading to greater effciency in the the British Compressed Air Society, reported for duty to the Embassy. his father’s manufacturing agency art of Tribology. In time he came during 1972-74. He expected to return to Britain business, William E Knight Limited. to be recognised as a worldwide Working with the CBI, Rogers but, to his surprise, he was posted Rogers secured the UK import authority on the lubrication of was an early proponent of sensible to what became the British Supply agency for C A Norgren Company steel mill bearings, where constant metrication to save double stocking Mission working in Washington and of Denver Colorado, and arranged motion, weight and immense heat by British Industry. He led a drive New York. There he was part of for the manufacture of Norgren can create havoc. He worked to preserve the ‘bar’ (14.5psi) as

26 Imperial ENGINEER Autumn 2015 OBITUARIES the safest unit of pressure – this has provided fnancial help to many was graphically illustrated in a hundreds of students at Imperial A true gentleman, of strong paper presented at the Institute of over nearly 50 years. He was Mechanical Engineers ‘S.I. Units: ‘The Chairman for 15 years until 1995 faith and courage dangers of the Killer-Pascal’. [R E when, at the age of 80, he felt it was REV. THOMAS RUSSELL in Mexico, and, after a short time Knight & S G Collins] time to pass on the mantle. HAWTHORN (Elec Eng 1938-39, serving the Church there, he retired In conjunction with the BCAS Widowed in 1996, Rogers was 45-48) to East Anglia. and Imperial College, Rogers able to take summer and Christmas Tom (also sometimes known as He served as a very dedicated instigated the fast-tracked standard breaks in Devon with his PA (since ‘Rusty’) was born on December assistant chaplain at HM Prison BS 6005 for polycarbonate bowls, to 1970) Susan, and husband Tony 16, 1918. He was the eldest of Blundeston, where his fuency in protect UK industry from inferior Collins, turning his skills to repairing three children, but sadly lost touch Spanish helped him to establish imports. His BSI and ISO committee paddock gates and their lawn with his younger sisters when their very good relationships with some work covered graphical symbols, tractor! At his London mews home parents’ marriage broke up; the of the inmates. Tom’s last 30 years vocabulary, nominal pressures, pipe he continued as a consummate girls were adopted, never to see were spent in Lowestoft, where he connectors and air dryer effciency, host to many fortunate people who each other again, and Tom remained was kept busy conducting services to mention but a few. enjoyed the delights of his superb with his father, who was mining tin in the many churches in the area. In 1990, Rogers was instrumental table and his cellar, preceded of in Bolivia, where Tom’s playmates With his second wife, Valerie, he in establishing a British Compressed course – for those of good stamina included local Quechua children. threw himself into social and church Air Society working party on British – by his fery ‘Old Fashions’ (triple Tom was fuent in Spanish by the life in Suffolk, and was awarded the industry recommendations and bourbon and bitters on ice)! time he was sent – unaccompanied MBE in 1991, ‘For services to the standards for the use of compressed Until close to his 99th birthday, – to England to attend school in Community in Lowestoft’. air for general industrial, medical bereft of his Bentleys and later Watchet, Somerset. He later went He was never reunited with the and emergency purposes. In Lancia Beta, he would explore the on to study electrical engineering at sisters from whom he had been City & Guilds College, his time there separated, and it was only after the being interrupted by WWII. death of one of his sisters that it was Tom became a pilot in the RAF, discovered that, for seven years until fying Hurricanes, and was a prisoner she died in 1991, they had lived only of war for three years, in camps in a few miles apart. Germany and Poland, but though he Tom was very much involved with was decorated for his war service, military organisations, serving as he rarely spoke of his experiences. a chaplain to various bodies, most Amazingly, seventy years later, when notably the Royal British Legion. Tom visited RAF Coningsby, in The clergy of Lowestoft were quite 2012, he was again able to sit in the content to leave the parade and cockpit of a Hurricane, one of the memorial services in Tom’s hands. WWII Memorial Flight. Tom died on December 15, 2014, Resuming his studies after the war, one day short of his 96th birthday, Tom graduated in 1948 and married leaving Valerie, to whom he was his frst wife, Enid. He subsequently married for 40 years, a son and worked in many locations around daughter, nine grandchildren and the world, and was involved in great-grandchildren. Venezuela with the lighting of Lake He was, one might say, a true Maracaibo. gentleman of strong faith and At the age of 64, Tom was courage. ordained as a deacon and priest conjunction with Professor Robert Pimlico Farmers’ Market aboard Schroter of Imperial’s Department his Breeze Mobility scooter, seeking of Bioengineering, this evolved into out eclectic produce to intrigue the European Standard BS EN 12021 and delight his guests. He survived Former President of CGCU (1999), which is the abiding Standard numerous set-backs – saved from a to which almost all use of breathable bedroom fre by house-guest Sharon PETER HENRY STOKES (Mech Eng career with the Simon Group, compressed air must comply. Keenan, he bore without complaint 1938-39, 1940-43) including Simon Engineering Ltd and Until well into his 90s, Rogers broken bones and the ministrations Peter was born on May 24, 1918 Simon Carves (Stockport). continued to represent the British of District Nurses. On the 4th and studied Mechanical Engineering The beloved father of Fiona, Judy, Industry view on pressure systems February 2015, emerging from a at Imperial. He was president of James and Iain, and a much loved legislation, fltration requirements, hip replacement under general the City & Guilds College Union grandfather and great-grandfather, S.I. units et al. Sadly this work anaesthetic at the age of 99, and in 1942-43 and was subsequently a Peter died peacefully on April 19, was eventually curtailed by his asked what he would like to eat, his member of CGCA for over seventy 2012, after a short illness, at the age increasing deafness. His written response was: “Like? Well I would years. of 93. contributions continued, however, like a dozen oysters and steak tartar, Peter worked for most of his acting as a consultant for Domnick but I doubt very much that I’ll get Hunter Filters until his 95th year, it!” Rogers responded well to and thereafter still assisting BCAS physiotherapy, and was hopeful of NOTICES IN BRIEF on a pro bono basis. In the words of returning home, but sadly was felled their Technical Offcer, Greg Bordiak, by a chest infection, and died eight DUDLEY CHOWN (Mech Eng CLAYTON RAYNER WILFRED “He continued to hurl down fre and weeks later, on March 29, 2015. 1961-64) (STEVE) STEPHENS (Civil Eng brimstone upon any sloppily-drawn Rogers and Virginia had no Dudley worked with John Brown 1951-52) standards”. children but he leaves a niece (later Kvaerner John Brown) in Born on November 16, 1932, Rogers was elected a Fellow of Ginny (Virginia) Roberts, and her London. Steve studied for a DIC in Civil the City & Guilds of London Institute husband Howard. Rogers is also He died on February 2, 2014, at Engineering at City & Guilds in 1980, and awarded the Joseph remembered fondly by his friends of the age of 70. between 1951 & 1952. He was a Bramah Medal by the Institute of over four decades, Susan Collins – member of CGCA for more than Mechanical Engineers in 1987 for his who prepared his obituary – and her 45 years and worked for Tarmac for services to the Fluid Power Industry. husband, Tony. much of his career. In 1965, he was a Founder Member Steve died on August 27, 2014, at of the ‘Old Centralians’ Trust’ which the age of 81.

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