Royal Academy Autumn 2020 of Engineering Newsletter Pandemic service awards In August, the Royal Academy of Engineering awarded 19 individuals and teams of engineers with the President’s Special Awards for Pandemic Service, reflecting exceptional engineering achievements in tackling COVID-19 throughout the UK. The winners included four groups of engineers who had worked on ventilators: The VentilatorChallengeUK Consortium, an initiative combining the skills of 33 UK technology and engineering businesses to produce more than 13,000 Smiths and Penlon ventilators; University College London-Ventura continuous positive airway pressure breathing aids; University of Professor Zhanfeng Cui FREng and his team from the University Cambridge Open Ventilator System, a high- of Oxford performance ventilator for manufacture in low- and middle-income countries; and Babcock test for COVID-19 - their test can detect whether a International Group’s new medical ventilator person is infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus and product, Zephyr Plus. is still infectious, and does not require the use of specialist equipment. Manufacturers of personal protective equipment (PPE) were also awarded: the University of Professor Catherine Noakes, University of Leeds, Southampton for PeRSo, a respirator for received an award for her role in advising the healthcare workers providing a much higher level NHS and the government during the pandemic, of protection than surgical masks; and Dr Antony shaping life-saving guidance based on her Robotham for his design of an environmentally expertise in environmental and engineering friendly face shield. controls. Other winners included Tharsus for Bump, a Professor Sir Jim McDonald FREng FRSE, social-distancing system providing real-time alerts President of the Academy, said: “Engineering when wearers get too close, and Sewers4COVID expertise and innovation has been central to the from the University of Exeter, which applied global fight to save lives and protect livelihoods. I machine learning to sewer epidemiology to am also incredibly proud of engineers everywhere estimate the number of infected people in an area who have worked round the clock to maintain to track the spread of infection. essential services, critical supply chains and infrastructure in unprecedented circumstances, Two testing systems received awards: Professor using their training and skills to find innovative Chris Toumazou FREng FRS FMedSci for solutions to a host of problems and to help developing a rapid, affordable COVID-19 test based mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on our daily lives.” on a lab-in-a-cartridge technology that provides test results in just over an hour; and Professor To read more about the awards and for a full list of Zhanfeng Cui FREng and his team from the winners, please visit University of Oxford for the Oxford rapid viral RNA www.raeng.org.uk/pandemic-awards Contents Thought leadership 9 News of Fellows 15 Public engagement 11 Obituaries 16 President’s column 2 Education and skills 12 QuonsiResearch sil tatus and suliae innovation dis, tessultodiu 4 esAcademy conti, nenam roundup quem 14 www.raeng.org.uk/newsletters 1 President’s column These are just a few of the While we have further to go in Academy AGM goes online exceptional engineers and increasing the diversity of our engineering we’ve recognised Fellowship, this year we welcome On 22 September, the Academy’s 44th Annual and celebrated this year, and experts from an extraordinary General Meeting (AGM) took place at the such brief mentions cannot do variety of disciplines. University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, with only justice to them. More information the President and Professor Trish Connolly about the awardees can be In the meantime, I wish you all FREng FRSE in attendance due to the COVID-19 found later in this newsletter, on well, and thank you for the role pandemic and the social distancing restrictions the Academy’s website, and in you have played in nominating, in place at the time. Fellows were able to join the the September issue of Ingenia. reviewing, interviewing, and proceedings online and a recording of the event introducing new talent to our can be found on the Fellows’ area of the website We have also welcomed a new network. I hope that, in spite at www.raeng.org.uk/fellows-area/engage-with- cohort of Research Fellows, of restrictions, you find ways academy/agm-2020 The Academy has always Senior Research Fellows to connect to the exceptional been an organisation centred and Research Chairs, who people we support and bring After the official business of the AGM, Professor on exceptional people, and are pushing the frontiers of together, whether attending an Sir Jim McDonald FREng FRSE presented his Dame Julia Higgins DBE FREng FRS this autumn the Academy is engineering innovation at Academy event, as a mentor, or review of the Academy’s year. This AGM marked recognising, rewarding and universities across the UK, from simply by using the Fellows’ area the first year of his tenure as Academy President. developments in medical research, including adding to its community a Cardiff and Exeter, to Belfast, of the website to get in touch. Despite the unprecedented global challenge, the many from areas of emerging technology. The great number of exceptional Newcastle, and Glasgow. Academy has achieved much over the past 12 full list can be found at www.raeng.org.uk/new- people from all disciplines of Best wishes, months, not only in its response to the pandemic, fellows-2020 engineering, all corners of the One of our newest programmes Professor Sir Jim McDonald but also with the launch of a new five-year UK and, indeed, the world. is building a community in a FREng FRSE strategy, as well as the announcement of the The President went on to announce two Academy different sector entirely. The Fellowship Fit for the Future campaign. award winners. Dervilla Mitchell CBE FREng, Without our annual Awards Policy Fellowships programme, Executive Chair of Arup’s (UKIMEA) region, was Dinner in its traditional format, which has received excellent The Annual Report and Accounts for the year awarded the President’s Medal, given to an the announcement of an feedback from participants, ending 31 March 2020 were received, and Academy Fellow who has greatly contributed to outstanding group of Academy connects policymakers with Professor Stephen Young FREng, chair of the the Academy’s work and aims. She has made a awardees has been made Academy Fellows. It enables Finance Committee, gave the financial report. significant contribution to the Academy over a straight to media and online them to make rapid progress on Meetings and visitors prolonged period as member then Chair of the channels, although we will a chosen challenge, expand their The meeting also confirmed the newly elected Awards Committee; Academy Vice-President; be looking to celebrate their networks, and learn first-hand In his capacity as President, Trustees: Professor Peter Guthrie OBE FREng Chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee; achievements with a special how engineers solve problems. Sir Jim has met with: (who has been selected as the Vice-President and member of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for event once it is appropriate and The programme is an important ■ Sir Adrian Smith, incoming for Committee Coordination), Professor Eileen Engineering Search Group. She currently chairs feasible to do so. new effort to deepen our President of the Royal Society Harkin-Jones OBE FREng and Chris Earnshaw the National Engineering Policy Centre’s working relationships with government, ■ Peter Guthrie FREng OBE FREng (who was also elected as Chair of the group on decarbonisation. Two awardees, both Fellows, were and I encourage anyone with ■ Lord Browne FREng Audit and Risk Committee). celebrated at our recent AGM: connections in policymaking ■ Lynn Gladden FREng, EPSRC The second presentation on the evening was Dervilla Mitchell was awarded the bodies to raise awareness of the He attended the following events The election of 50 new Fellows and three new the Sir Frank Whittle Medal, which is presented President’s Medal and Professor scheme. It is also part of a much and meetings: International Fellows for 2020 was also ratified. to an engineer whose sustained achievements Dame Julia Higgins was awarded wider effort, and I am pleased to ■ National Academy President The new Fellows are from a variety of disciplines, have had a profound impact on their engineering the Sir Frank Whittle Medal. My report that the last few months and CEOs meetings from leaders in areas such as transport and our discipline. The 2020 recipient was Professor congratulations go to both, and have been an exceptionally ■ Council for Science and essential data infrastructure to lifesaving Dame Julia Higgins DBE FREng FRS. Dame Julia my thanks to all of you who joined productive period for policy Technology meetings, is internationally recognised as one of the pre- us – the meeting was hosted outputs and engagement with including a post-COVID-19 eminent polymer engineers of her generation. online for the first time and I was government. It has left me in subgroup She was recognised for her sustained excellence pleased to see that many of you no doubt that our expertise is ■ Net Zero meeting with the in polymer engineering over more than five who wouldn’t normally have been relevant and sought after, and Cabinet Office decades and the major impact she has had on able to join us in Prince Philip that the growth of the National ■ UKRI meeting with Academy engineering in general. House connected virtually. Engineering Policy Centre will Presidents In another recent virtual enable significant progress ■ Filming for the 2020 The evening concluded with a few words from celebration, we recognised against our strategic objectives. International Forum on Academy Chief Executive Dr Hayaatun Sillem CBE. exceptional international Innovation and Emerging engineering talent.