12/15 Engineering Professors’ Council: newsletter

this issue President’s report P.1 Our year so far… New report – the role of EU membership P.2 in science and engineering research Events . Annual Congress 2015 hosted by Spending Review 2015 P.3 the University of Salford Recruitment and Admissions Forum P.3 . Annual Recruitment and Admissions Forum IMEchE Design Challenge P.4 Working with the engineers of the future P.5 20th Anniversary Student Awards Congratulations to winner Addressing the Engineering Skills Challenge P.6 Tim Butterfield of the University of Future events and membership round -up P.7 Sheffield and runner-up, PhD candidate Adrian Mallory of the University of Edinburgh.

President’s Report Submitted responses and It’s been an eventful few months in the UK university sector since I took over as President at our very evidence to: successful annual Congress at the University of Salford’s Media City site in April. A major topic of . Royal Academy of Engineering’s discussion was as you might expect …the REF (I was a panel member, along with EPC Committee Dowling Review of Business colleagues Professors Alison Hodge, Sarah Spurgeon and Tony Unsworth , and so we were able to University Collaboration share our insights and experience). We also welcomed back Professor John Perkins to update us on . Department for Business, progress with the implementation of the recommendations of his 2013 Review – more of which later. Innovation and Skills’ Our student prize, which we award at Congress and give the winners the opportunity to present their consultation on Postgraduate work, was again popular this year and I’m delighted to say we’re repeating it in 2016, supported again study by the Incorporation of Hammermen of Glasgow – please do encourage your students to enter – the . House of Commons Science and closing date is 11th April 2016 and full details are available on the website.

Technology Committee’s inquiry Next year, we will be holding two major events: we will be separating our Annual General Meeting on the science budget from Congress, with the AGM being held on 6th April in London and Congress in September (5th/6th) in . HEFCE’s consultation on : Future Hull. The theme for Congress will be ‘Art and Engineering’ and will coincide with the Amy Johnson Approaches to Quality Festival commemorating 50 years since the death of this pioneering aviator. We’ll be in touch with the Assessment details in due course. . Department for Business, Innovation and Skills’ Inquiry Back in science policy world, there seemed little rest for civil servants over the summer when we, in into quality assessment in Higher common with our network of HE representative groups seemed to be dealing one major consultation Education per week – sometimes more! Of particular interest to us were the House of Commons Select . House of Commons Science and Committee Inquiry on the Science Budget and the HEFCE Quality Assessment consultation to which Technology Committee’s inquiry EPC responded on behalf of members (we’re always grateful for your input and you can read our on the influence of EU submissions here: http://epc.ac.uk/responses-to-consultations/). These were, however, but a mere membership on UK science rehearsal for the Green Paper and the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement. The Green Paper contains news of the much-anticipated Teaching Excellence Framework and the EPC’s Engineering Education, Published Employability and Skills sub committee has been leading a number of internal consultations with A report (in collaboration with the members with the aim of developing a position on this important issue. There’s still time to have your Campaign for Science and say and you may do so here: http://epc.ac.uk/the-teaching-excellence-framework-tef-have-your-say/ Engineering) on the role of EU membership on UK science and As I mentioned earlier, progress with the Perkins recommendations continues with a number of EPC engineering research – more of Committee members leading work on areas ranging from incorporation of work experience into which on page 2. degree programmes and the implications for professional accreditation to working with UCAS and others on the provision of better information for teachers and schools. Currently underway My very grateful thanks to Simon Hodgson for leaving the Council in such good shape – new members, . Working groups on developing new projects and an even stronger profile - and our congratulations as he takes up his promotion to new models in contextual learning in response to Perkins Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation) at Teesside University. It only remains for me to say Review recommendations that I’m very much looking forward to a strong turn-out at our Annual General Meeting in April, when I . Developing a position statement will have the honour of presenting this year’s President’s Prize for outstanding contribution to for the Teaching excellence engineering education to Professor Sir William Wakeham who will be sharing with us his hot-off-the - Framework proposals press recommendations from his review of STEM degree provision and graduate employability. . Participating in grant award Until then, may I wish you a restful Christmas break. panel for HEFCE Conversion funding pilot Professor Stephanie Haywood

The report in

In September, Dr short…

Joanna Scales joined . The UK receives a significant amount of money (€8.8bn the EPC and CaSE on between 2007 and 2013) from the EU for science and a 3 month policy engineering research.

internship to explore . Some regions of the UK are more dependent than others on the role of EU funding to maintain research capacity and infrastructure, and membership of the as a result could suffer disproportionate adverse European Union on impacts if this source were to be withdrawn. UK science and . The ability to attract academic engineering research staff to the UK through free movement of labour is important, particularly in Said Joanna, the report contains “Ahead of the UK’s upcoming EU science and engineering.

evidence and insight gained referendum, we hope that this report will from our data analysis and . The role and benefits of EU membership to UK research is interactions with the science add to the growing body of research on the role that EU membership plays in UK considered by researchers to be and engineering community. broader than just the funding We also used the report to science and engineering research. This for research that EU projects make our contribution to the role is complex, ranging from the funding bring to the UK. The House of Lords Inquiry into EU the EU provides for UK research through improvement in quality, reach membership and UK research – and impact, facilitated by EU the first of the evidence to the reach and impact that is facilitated collaboration and coordination, through ease of movement of skilled helps to solve “Grand sessions was being held as we Challenge” problems in a way went to print with this people and industry-university that would be much harder for newsletter - and we will watch collaboration.” any one country to achieve with interest to see the Dr Joanna Scales, EPC-CaSE policy intern alone. outcomes of the inquiry. . Engineering received 15% of all Examining the figures, overall, the research grants and contracts UK is a net contributor to the EU, to UK HEIs, but 20% of the but it is a net receiver of EU funding from EU sources, in funding for research; receiving 2013/14. €8.8bn between 2007 and 2013. Moreover, the importance of EU . The income to HEIs through funding to research is growing research grants and contracts for engineering research (Figure 1), with half of the increase increased by 22% between in UK university engineering 2007/08 and 2013/14. Nearly research funding over this period half (48%) of the increase in coming from EU government income for engineering research sources. In an environment of can be attributed to EU sources. financial strain it is clear that the EU has provided a valuable source of funding for a . Considering ALL subjects, 8.5% sector which provides a significant contribution to the resilience of the UK economy of academic staff on fixed term and to the benefit of the wider public. As part of this project we also conducted a contracts were funded by EU survey to capture the views of the research community. We were delighted with the government bodies, and 2.1% number of responses we received: many thanks to those EPC members who by other EU sources but in contributed. The results of the survey were overwhelmingly positive, with 93% of all engineering, EU funding appears to be particularly important as respondents agreeing that EU membership benefits UK science and engineering 18% of FTE engineering research. The report finishes with a number of case studies which really bring the academic staff on fixed term numbers to life. Sincere thanks go to colleagues from the universities of Kent, contracts were funded by EU Leicester, Aston, Plymouth, Birmingham and Coventry for sharing their experiences. government sources and 4% by other EU sources.

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Spending

EPC Enrolments Review 2015 Survey 2015/16

Another fantastic response to our call for early enrolment Among the headline figures, numbers – this year 62 the Government has member institutions responded covering 91 committed to protecting the engineering departments. £4.7 billion science budget in real terms up to 2019/20. What the survey told us was

slightly less encouraging – if 25th November saw the much-anticipated revealing of the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement and not unexpected – particularly the announcement that the government will protect the £4.7 billion science budget in real in respect of postgraduate terms over the Parliament – good news. Also for higher education: student numbers given that 2015/16 is the first year that . HE maintenance grants will be switched to loans undergraduates who had paid . There will be real terms protection for the overall budget for STEM subjects in higher £9k tuition fees would have education and also for STEM subjects, tuition loans will be extended to students wishing to do a second degree from 2017-18. been available to study at . The government will provide new financial support through maintenance loans for part time Master’s level. Over four fifths HE students, tuition fee loans for higher level skills in Further Education and new loans for of respondent departments postgraduate Master’s degrees said that their postgraduate (taught) intake was about the Of particular interest to engineers: same or lower than for 2014/15 (for both home and . Support will be provided to secure launch funding to create a new university in Hereford overseas students). Nearly a focused on engineering in 2016 fifth said their postgraduate . Commitment of £18 million to the Excellence in Precision Agriculture Innovation Centre, which will be partly headquartered in Shropshire. This will be one of four agri-tech centres, overseas student numbers which will develop new engineering technologies to increase the productivity and were more than 10% lower. sustainability of UK agriculture That said, Russell Group institutions seem to have been For more – see the Universities UK blog more resilient to this down- turn, particularly in relation to Recruitment and overseas postgraduate students, with over three Admissions Forum quarters reporting an increase or “about the same”. 2015 The annual Recruitment and Admissions Forum took place at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers on 11th November convened by Professor Mike Bramhall from Sheffield Hallam University. Colleagues from Primary Engineer, IMechE, the Baker Dearing Trust and Sheffield Hallam University joined delegates to share details of their activities to encourage the study of engineering. We then spent some time considering the emerging routes and alternatives to the "traditional" undergraduate Members can access the full degree, ably stimulated by a presentation on Higher Apprenticeships at JCB, given by Miles Pixley, survey presentation (along JCB’s General Manager - Technical and Professional Development . This was followed by an update with the other presentations on the Royal Academy of Engineering's Engineering Talent Project presented by Dr Rhys Morgan and from the Recruitment and Fiona Samson. Last but by no means least, Dr Geoff Parks of the University of Cambridge and Chair of Admissions Forum) at: the EPC's Entry to Engineering in HE Advisory Panel gave a presentation on numerous and complex http://epc.ac.uk/recruitment- changes planned across the devolved administrations on Entry Level Qualifications. As is customary and-admissions-forum-2015/ now, Executive Director Susan Kay delivered a presentation on the results of the EPC's 2015/16 early survey of enrolments (both postgraduate taught and undergraduate) to engineering at member and access all the latest data institutions. You can see a summary of the results in the panel and the presentations of all the on applications and student speakers may be downloaded from the Members' Portal on the website. numbers at: http://epc.ac.uk/services-2/. 3

A thrilling day of competition took place between seven universities at The IMechE Design Institution of One Birdcage Walk on Friday 2nd October 2015. Four regions were Challenge represented by teams of students from Southampton, Teesside, The Institution of Mechanical Mechanical Sunderland, Central Lancashire, Liverpool John Moores (LJMU), Brunel and Middlesex universities in the final of the IMechE Design Challenge. Engineers run a Design Challenge Engineers for first year Engineering According to a strict technical brief, each team had designed and built a Undergraduates which simulates Design device to climb a pipe carrying a section of chain (an increasing load) and the requirements of a descend in the fastest time. After scrutineering, scores for this dynamic professional Engineer and helps Challenge test were accompanied by those awarded for a design review and each team’s poster and presentation. In a dramatic photo-finish between them to learn how to apply the Final, 2015 Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) and Teesside University, LJMU knowledge they are absorbing at emerged victorious. The team was presented with the David Ball Trophy, University. There are Regional named after the founder and Chairman of the Design Challenge. Competitions each year and the Dr David Ball CEng winning team from each Region FIMechE Eur Ing, who compete in the National posed questions to teams Competition. at the final along with Dr Colin Brown, IMechE Since it began in 2007/2008 it has Director of Engineering, grown considerably and there are explained the premise of now 8 regions of the UK involved creating a mechanical with some 30 Universities engineering competition for first-year students: participating, and it is also taking on an international dimension. “We set up the IMechE Earlier this year the first Design Design Challenge to Challenge in Shanghai took place, complement university which is due to be repeated in education, and because first-years lacked a tailored 2016. IMechE competition to engage with. The Challenge provides an opportunity for practical application of the theoretical “We want to encourage knowledge that students gain at university. We want to encourage graduates to be people who can graduates to be people who think for themselves, and find effective engineering solutions when faced with a challenge or problem.” can think for themselves, and find effective Members of the winning team from LJMU, Huw Davies-Cooke and Jamie Bowers, said, “The competition required us to be creative and think outside the box. We will need such skills to engineering solutions when solve the engineering problems that we will face in our careers. Also, we were pushed out of our faced with a challenge or comfort zones, doing a formal presentation in front of the other universities, judges and members problem.” of industry, to justify our decisions and calculations. We really enjoyed the competition socially and academically, and also observed how people from other universities approached the same problem but with different outcomes.” The competition is open to teams of up to five 1st year engineering The judges included Dr Helen Meese, IMechE Head of Engineering in Society and Neil Hinchliffe, students and introduces them to Business Development Executive and Defence Liaison Officer. Dr Jack Mullett, Senior Lecturer, problems where the solution is Department of Maritime and Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, LJMU, was the team’s academic supervisor. He said the Design Challenge provides “an excellent limited by both cost and time. It learning experience for all those who participate”. also encourages team-building He praised the technical ambition of the competition, as well as the demands of the design, and exposure to the real world of presentation and poster, and the value of peer-to-peer learning and teaching across teams and engineering. regions, adding:

“I believe that this is all part of being a great engineer: the ability to take on difficult or unsolved A competition for second-years is engineering problems that require the application of fundamental scientific principles and being piloted in the Greater theoretical understanding. Then figuring out how everything works together in the system through London Region in March 2016. an engineering design process to produce real, unique, practical and reliable solutions.” Following feedback from that event, it is expected to be rolled David Ball continues to work hard to extend the reach of the Design Challenge. More UK regions will be taking part in the 2016 regional heats, enabling additional universities to participate. David out nationwide. said that the winners of regional heats displayed a consistently high standard, but that making mistakes simply provided further opportunities for learning. If your university is not yet “When you speak to the teams after the event, when you ask them if they could start again with involved, you can find out more the benefit of hindsight, you find that they have observed and gained knowledge from their actions about the IMechE Design and choices. If they had the chance to do it again they would do things differently – and that’s Challenge at learning.” http://www.imeche.org/knowle dge/industries/manufacturing/d esign-challenge-competition 4

Starting them As the Scottish Engineering Special Leaders Award opens its Primary doors to entries for the fourth successive year, The Leaders young… Award and the University of Strathclyde’s Department of Engineer and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering have teamed up to showcase to children aged 5-19 how their ideas can become the Scottish Recognising that many young reality through the engineering process. The Scottish people in the UK don't really Engineering Special Leaders Award asks children to respond to Engineering know what an engineer is and the question: “If you were an Engineer in Scotland, what would have not considered engineering you do?” Having researched engineering and interviewed a Special as a career option, Dr Emma professional engineer, participants find a problem and offer Carter, who has just secured her their solution – writing a ‘Pitch’ letter to support their entry. Leaders Award first lectureship at Sheffield Final year MEng students at the Hallam University, set about University of Strathclyde must making her contribution to fixing the problem… complete a group project, working with a client to agree a brief, often As one of the 2014 winners of the to design and manufacture EPC’s public engagement award something for a specific purpose. scheme, Engaging in Engineering, This project is designed to assess Emma has now completed a both how the students work series of 11 short films which together, and also with a third- feature real engineers explaining party, as well as their ability to some fascinating areas of plan and deliver a complex engineering. project.

For the first time this year, The “The aim of the films is to University of Strathclyde has been encourage children, especially able to offer a project working young women, to consider with The Leaders Award, one of engineering as a career and the Primary Engineer Programmes. Having chosen this project, five students from the Department can be used in schools as of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering have been tasked with selecting, developing, and lesson starters, at home or as manufacturing one of the ideas from last year’s competition, ready for a grand unveiling at the material for university awards evening of The Scottish Engineering Special Leaders Award 2016. Throughout the project, engineering outreach events. the students will engage with a variety of audiences, complementing presentations to pupils, They’re aimed at older parents and industry with regular online updates across social media and via a dedicated area of primary school (Key stage 2) The Leaders Award website. A key and younger secondary challenge and development opportunity school (Key stage 3) but a lot for the students is the need to explain the design process to school children in of adults seem to enjoy an engaging way. This will hone their watching them too!” communication skills and give them an opportunity to explore innovative ways Each film is between 3 and 5 to communicate what inspires them minutes long. They are freely about engineering to a varied audience. available to view, embed into another website, or download If you want to find out more about from the following links: Primary Engineer and its range of programmes or find out about how you YouTube or your students can get involved email: http://bit.ly/1P2mOKc [email protected]

Vimeo: good for downloading https://vimeo.com/engeniusfilms EPC 20th Anniversary Student Awards 2016 in collaboration with the Facebook: good for spreading the Incorporation of Hammermen of Glasgow word– just hit Share ! As Steph said in her President’s Report, we’re once again offering our https://www.facebook.com/Enge niusFilms student prize for 2016. Your representative should have received details. Please do encourage your students to enter (there’s both a team and an Twitter: @EngeniusFilms will individual prize). More details from: tweet new film uploads and http://epc.ac.uk/20th-anniversary-awards-2016-back-to-the-future/ related re-tweets

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We know that many EPC members are Perkins Review of An engineering involved in defence engineering research Engineering Skills and of challenges associated with that, deep dive: particularly in relation to recruitment of It’s now just over two years addressing the staff and students. Wing Commander since Professor John Perkins Defence Andy Willis C Eng FIMechE of the Defence published his review of Engineering Champion’s Team talks about engineering skills and Engineering Skills the impact of a shortage of engineering established four task and finish talent on the armed services…and what groups to take forward his Challenge they’re doing about it… recommendations.

Recognising the criticality of the The EPC has been leading on a situation, the Defence Board, in number of the the latter part 2014, instituted a recommendations arising and review of engineering across the we were delighted to be four services, the so called acknowledged by the Minister ‘Engineering Deep Dive.’ The Deep for Higher Education, Jo Dive identified numerous activities Johnson in response to a related to engineering across the question in the Commons in four services; however, further work was required to improve co- the summer:

ordination of this activity. More “Employer engagement in could be done by Defence to higher education is also a inspire young people in the study, matter for the engineering of STEM subjects recruiting performance could be improved, and more done to retain personnel once recruited. Greater effort was also required in ensuring that the make-up of the services sector itself and I applaud the represents the society we serve, which coupled with the right inspiration could go some way to initiative shown by the addressing the skills shortage. In order to take forward these recommendations a Defence engineering profession, in Engineering Champion, Air Vice-Marshal Julian Young, was appointed, supported by a quad- particular through the work of Service team of six. The work of the team is broken down into six work-streams covering the Education4Engineering and the employment cycle and beyond of our engineers: attract, recruit, train, develop, retain and Engineering Professors’ transition. The “attract” work-stream seeks to inspire Council. Both…have brought “The STEM skills shortage is young people to study STEM subjects irrespective of now well known; however, its engineering employers and whether they are later employed in Defence. Having universities to work together in impact upon Defence may be identified and shared good practice we are in the final throes of completing the Defence STEM Engagement response to the Perkins Review less well understood. The of Engineering Skills, for challenge to Defence is Strategy which aims to increase support by Service personnel for STEM activities in consort with our example to improve the compounded by myriad factors: strategic partners: STEMNET, Tomorrow’s Engineers, visibility of employers on nationality requirements, and Primary Engineer. Other activities have been campus to ensure that students physical fitness, security focused on a review of engineering governance, are aware of the exciting clearance, and leadership identifying the measures in place, sharing good practice opportunities available in the and identifying the gaps. The past few years has seen a ability, all resulting in a reduced engineering sector.” push to ‘professionalise’ our engineering cadres through pool of talent from which we greater emphasis on the attainment of professional Our work continues, can draw. ” registration. Originally financed by the individual, the particularly on developing and plan is for the services to pay for these in the future. Additional work, currently in the conceptual sharing innovative approaches phase, is focused on a Defence Skills Passport aligned with a more flexible career pathway, to contextual learning and this allowing personnel across the Defence Enterprise – military, civil servant, industry and academia – is being carried out through to pursue more diverse careers in the future, where employment in one part of the enterprise is two task groups led by subsequently recognised within the others. There’s still much more to be done. For example, we Professors Simon Hodgson and will be undertaking a comprehensive review of the Defence Technical Officers and Engineer Entry Mike Sutcliffe. Scheme and reviewing our policy with respect to the employment of engineers in the Reserves. We have initiated research in order to better understand the motivations of our Service engineers: We were also pleased to see in why they joined, what their motivations are, and what we can do to keep them in the Service for September, the results of the longer? Meanwhile, work related to the train, develop and transition workstreams are yet to be HEFCE postgraduate funding fully scoped. While we will not have addressed all of the issues in the currently funded two year life of the team, our aim is to have laid the foundations required to deliver a resilient, agile, pilot and will be working to engineering human capability to meet the Defence requirements of the future. share excellent results of the engineering-focused programmes it encompassed.

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Date Venue Location Notes Get involved… 13th January, PHEE/ IET, Savoy Mechanical and 2016 PHOMME Place electrical/electronic (EPC Sectoral sectors Groups) Joint To register: Conference http://epc.ac.uk/phee/

6th April, Engineering Senate All welcome 2016 Professors’ House Council AGM University of London

…there’s a number of ways in which you can get involved… Members The following universities/organisations are all current members of the Engineering Higher Education Professors’ Council. For university members, membership provides all academic staff in Green Paper engineering departments with access to EPC resources and initiatives. Our team of only 2 You still have until 8th part-time but highly flexible staff collaborate with you and a whole host of other January to have your say on organisations to ensure we’re delivering value for your subscription. If you have ideas the proposals contained in about other information and support you’d like to receive from us, please let us know. the HE Green Paper published back in Royal Academy of Engineering University of Greenwich The University of Oxford November. In particular, if University of Aberdeen Harper Adams University The University of Plymouth Aston University Heriot-Watt University The University of Portsmouth you have views on the Bangor University University of Hertfordshire Queen Mary University of London Teaching Excellence University of Bath The University of Huddersfield The University of Reading Framework, please let us University of Bedfordshire The University of Hull The Robert Gordon University have them at: Queen's University of Belfast Imperial College of Science, The University of Salford University of Birmingham Technology and Medicine Sheffield Hallam University http://epc.ac.uk/the- Birmingham City University Keele University The University of Sheffield teaching-excellence- Bournemouth University The The University of Southampton framework-tef-have-your- University of Bradford Kingston University Southampton Solent University say/ University of Brighton The University of Lancaster University of South Wales University of Bristol Leeds Beckett University Staffordshire University Brunel University The University of Leeds The University of Strathclyde Vacancies on The University of Cambridge The The University of Surrey Cardiff University The University of Lincoln The University of Sussex Committee for University of Chester The University of Liverpool Teesside University 2016/17 City University London South Bank University University of Wales, Trinity St Coventry University David There will be two positions University of Derby Manchester Metropolitan University of Ulster on the EPC Executive University of Durham University University College London Committee coming up for University of East London The University of Manchester The University of Warwick election in April. Please do University of East Anglia The University of Newcastle-upon- University of the West of England, Edinburgh Napier University Tyne Bristol consider standing and play a University of Edinburgh The University of Northumbria at The University of the West of part in shaping our future. University of Essex Newcastle Scotland For details of how to put University of Exeter The University of Nottingham The University of Westminster forward a nomination, Glasgow Caledonian University The Nottingham Trent University The University of Wolverhampton The University of Glasgow The Open University The please see Glyndŵr University Oxford Brookes University http://epc.ac.uk/our- committee/ Engineering Professors’ Council Please contact us if PO Box 789 Godalming you have forgotten the password for the Surrey Members’ Portal on GU7 9FW http//: epc.ac.uk Tel: 07786 176 028 7