Hat-trick of engineering celebrations as Prince Philip House reopens he reopening of the full facilities of Prince Philip House for the creation of digital imaging sensors were awarded the and the Enterprise Hub’s new Taylor Centre has seen the £1 million prize, which celebrates global engineering innovations. TAcademy’s home on Carlton House Terrace play host to a The announcement was made by Lord Browne of Madingley series of celebratory events in the first few months of 2017. The FREng FRS, in the presence of HRH The Princess Royal. official opening of the Taylor Centre, the announcement of the winners of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering (QEPrize) and The winners, Professor Eric Fossum and Dr George Smith Fellows’ Day saw the building filled with Fellows, entrepreneurs, from the USA, Professor Nobukazu Teranishi from Japan, and guests and media as the new year got off to a flying start. Dr Michael Tompsett from the UK, were awarded the prize for their contribution to revolutionising the way that visual information is The Taylor Centre is the new physical home of the Enterprise Hub, captured and analysed. Together, their innovations have made and was officially opened by Professor Dame Ann Dowling OM DBE an astounding social impact on the world: digital imaging sensors FREng FRS on 9 February. The centre will help transform the UK’s have enabled high-speed, low-cost colour imaging at a resolution best and brightest engineering and technology entrepreneurs into and sensitivity that can exceed that of the human eye. (Find out the business leaders of tomorrow by providing a new, inspiring set more about the winners on page 3). of spaces for networking, generating ideas and developing skills. Reflecting on the winning technologies, Professor Sir Christopher At the launch event, over 200 guests heard Shirin Dehghan, Snowden FREng FRS, Chair of Judges for the QEPrize, said: founder of telecoms company Arieso, give a keynote speech on “A picture is a universal form of communication. It can be shared the importance of building the capabilities of the next generation instantly with anyone around the world, no matter what language of technology entrepreneurs. Guests also had the opportunity to they speak.” meet some of the Hub entrepreneurs and take a closer look at the groundbreaking technologies they are developing. All of the events that have taken place in the newly reopened Prince Philip House have been supported by the Academy’s On Fellows’ Day, some 160 Fellows and their partners visited catering partner, Harbour & Jones. The redevelopment work the Academy to view the new Taylor Centre, learn about recent has also included complete refurbishment of the Academy’s Academy activities, and meet Trustees and Academy staff. catering facilities, as well as an additional lift and a new corridor at mezzanine level. The Taylor Centre was made possible by a The event was also an opportunity for Fellows to talk to staff and generous donation from distinguished inventor and entrepreneur other Fellows about how to get involved in leading and shaping Dr John C Taylor OBE FREng, as well as the support of the late Academy work, including policy, international activities and Geoffrey Argent FREng and the Wolfson Foundation, and the research. The ground floor of Prince Philip House and the Taylor kind donation of equipment for the new space from Toshiba UK. Centre were filled with displays, with Academy departments The Royal Academy of Engineering is grateful to them all for their showcasing their latest activities. Hub members also exhibited contribution and support. their innovations: Comp-A-Tent showcased a compostable tent, and Mo-Sys Engineering allowed guests to enjoy a virtual-reality experience. The Enterprise Hub’s new physical home, the Taylor Centre, was On 1 February, the Academy hosted the announcement of the officially opened on 9 February. The Taylor Centre offers Hub members 2017 QEPrize winners. The four engineers who were responsible a state-of-the-art space to work and network President’s column 2 New Year’s Honours 11 Newsletter People and talent 3 News of Fellows 11 Innovation and entrepreneurship 6 Obituaries 12 Spring 2017 Technology and society 8 Academy roundup 10 1 President's We have had a busy start to 2017 at optimistic about our contribution making the Academy, with the full facilities of a difference is the willingness of the column Prince Philip House reopening following Department for Business, Energy and the development of our terrific new Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to work with us. Taylor Centre. To that end, over the last couple of months I have met a number of government These state-of-the-art facilities have been ministers and officials to communicate our created to provide a new physical home eagerness to contribute, including Greg for the Enterprise Hub, its members and Clark MP, Secretary of State for Business, mentors. It recognises how important it Energy and Industrial Strategy, Lord Prior, is for entrepreneurs to get together to Parliamentary Under Secretary of State collaborate, share ideas and advice, and at BEIS, and Alex Chisholm, Permanent meet Academy Fellows and is designed Secretary in the same department. to help facilitate this. I was honoured to cut the ribbon at the official launch event I also spoke on the topic of Industrial on 9 February and to welcome the many strategy: the role for science and Fellows, entrepreneurs, investors and innovation at the annual reception of supporters who attended it. the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) on 26 January. I was also delighted to welcome Fellows to The event, which attracted an audience the newly refurbished Academy on Fellows’ of parliamentarians and leaders from day on 30 January. It was wonderful to see research and industry, prompted plenty of so many of you, hearing more about the discussion about the industrial strategy latest work of the Academy, meeting some Green Paper published just three days of the excellent people who we support, beforehand. A wide variety of views was Meetings and visitors and celebrating your own contributions. I heard on topics including how best to am always impressed and humbled by the In her capacity as President, Dame Ann commercialise ideas from research and how amount of time and expertise that Fellows has met with: to get young people interested in STEM. give to our Academy: the organisation’s Sinead Lynch, Chair of Shell UK Working with government to provide advice reputation is founded on this. Professor Tim Broyd FREng, President of the on issues that affect or should be informed Institution of Civil Engineers Partnership working with Fellows was also by engineering is one of the ways in which Professor Jeremy Watson CBE FREng, at the heart of a very productive day spent the Academy can truly lead the profession, President of the Institution of Engineering by the Academy’s Trustees and senior a critical partnership that we will continue and Technology leadership team on 16 February, discussing to foster. Vincent de Rivaz CBE FREng, CEO of the Academy’s strategy, priorities and EDF Energy Arguably one of the greatest testaments future areas for development. Between to the power of combined effort and Lord Prior of Brampton, Parliamentary us, we debated and deliberated what Under Secretary of State for Business, collaboration so far this year is the award needs to be done to achieve the Academy’s Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) of the QEPrize to four engineers who ambitious strategic goals – and we are now The Rt Hon Greg Clark MP, Secretary of transformed digital imaging. Like the first shaping those ideas that we hope to begin State for BEIS winners of the prize, whose combined sharing soon. Alex Chisholm, Permanent Secretary for BEIS contributions built the architecture of She attended the following events and We are collaborating again across the the internet and the World Wide Web, the meetings: profession to respond to the government’s discoveries and innovations of this year’s High-level stakeholder working group Green Paper on industrial strategy. winners have, in combination, transformed meetings on EU Exit: Universities, This follows the publication of our the way we live in the 21st century. Their Research and Innovation chaired by post-referendum report Engineering a innovations: the charge-coupled device Jo Johnson MP, Minister of State for future outside the EU, which was the (CCD); the pinned photodiode (PPD) Universities, Science, Research and product of unprecedented collaboration and the complementary metal oxide Innovation across the professional engineering semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor, Science, Innovation and the UK Industrial institutions (PEIs). This continues to span three decades and three continents, Strategy POST panel discussion be very well received at all levels of with many and diverse applications, from Fellows’ Day government and our discussions with Skyping and selfies, to frontline war Professional engineering institutions’ ministers and senior officials are ongoing reporting and medical diagnostics. reception to ensure that the engineering imperatives Engineering has teamwork at its heart QEPrize winners announcement are understood by those developing our and engineering innovations are rarely the QEPrize judges’ dinner negotiating positions. In January, I hosted product of a single individual or effort. The New Fellows’ lunch a reception for the Presidents and Chief same is true of the work of the Academy; Taylor Centre launch Executives of the PEIs where there was collaboration underpins everything Trustee Board strategy awayday a clear appetite for more joint working, we do. With 2017 off to a flying start, I Excellence Fund for Frontier Research panel particularly on areas of policy where our look forward to the many partnerships Delivered the Sir Bernard Crossland Annual combined voices will have a greater impact and collaborations the rest of the year Lecture at Queen’s University Belfast than a single organisation’s.