Category: Research

Building a Greener Future: UWE Bristol Brings Together Sustainability Researchers

Author engineering | Posted on

In April, UWE Bristol welcomed early career researchers from across the UK for a vibrant day of collaboration and knowledge-sharing at the 3rd Sustainability Multidisciplinary Meet-Up: SHAPEing Net Zero. Hosted at the Bristol Business School and organised by Dr Jill Zhao from the School of Architecture and Environment, the event explored how research and innovation can drive an inclusive, just, and technologically enabled response to the climate crisis.

The event brought together early career researchers from over 30 universities to connect across disciplines and explore themes ranging from climate justice and community-led decarbonisation, to big data, retrofit, wellbeing, and the power of storytelling.

Spotlight on sustainable engineering and community engagement

One of the UWE researchers presenting at the event was Sarah Behenna, Project Coordinator in the School of Engineering and Science Communication Unit. She shared work from the award-winning public engagement programmes led by Dr Laura Fogg-Rogers and Dr Laura Hobbs, focused on engaging underrepresented children and young people in sustainability through the use of Minecraft.

Sarah’s presentation, titled “Empowering Youth: Communicating Sustainability and Green Skills through Minecraft”, explored how the platform is being used to introduce young people to engineering principles, sustainable development goals, and green career pathways. By designing their own sustainable communities in-game, participants gain hands-on experience of building a better future—while having fun and learning STEM skills in the process.

Forging partnerships and new ideas

Also attending from UWE Bristol was Dr Iwona Gajda, Associate Professor of Environmental Engineering and a mentor on the Women Like Me/Women in Industry programme. Dr Gajda joined discussions on interdisciplinary approaches to climate action, bringing her expertise in circular economy and environmental systems.

A key strength of the event was the space it created for building new relationships and sparking collaborative ideas. During the day, Sarah connected with several researchers, including Dr Lui Tam from Cardiff University, and together they began developing a potential future grant bid – demonstrating the immediate impact of cross-institutional and cross-disciplinary networking in driving forward collaborative research.

Looking ahead

Events like SHAPEing Net Zero underline the importance of empowering the next generation of researchers to lead change across academic, policy and community settings. With sustainability, equity and engagement at the heart of its ethos, the British Academy and UWE Bristol is proud to support early career researchers as they shape a more just and resilient future.

A big thank you to Dr Jill Zhao for her vision and dedication in creating and delivering such a valuable and inspiring event.

UWE Bristol Secures Funding from the Office for Students to Expand Diversity and Inclusion in Degree Apprenticeships

Author engineering | Posted on

UWE Bristol is excited to share our success in securing Wave 2 apprenticeship funding from the Office for Students (OfS). This funding allows us to build upon the work of our Wave 1 activities around Degree Apprenticeships and our Women Like Me mentoring programme, addressing diversity and inclusion gaps in the workplace across key sectors such as engineering, digital, architecture and the built environment. The Mentoring and Outreach programme is led by Associate Professor Laura Fogg-Rogers from the School of Engineering and coordinated by Sarah Behenna from the Science Communication Unit. Links with industry will be led by Dr Samantha Organ from the School of Architecture and the Built Environment, along with Inclusive HR practices by Dr Amina Hamoud from the School of Engineering and Professor Sue Durbin from the School of Business and Law. The project will be evaluated by the whole team alongside Senior Research Fellow Dr Laura Hobbs.

An added dimension to this phase of the project is expanding to work in partnership with:

  • WISE Campaign (Women into Science and Engineering), whose initiatives focus on encouraging women and girls to pursue careers in STEM through various programs, mentorship opportunities, and advocacy efforts. Partnering with WISE allows us to tap into their expertise and resources to further enhance our efforts in promoting diversity and inclusion, particularly in engineering and digital sectors.
  • Association for Black & Minority Ethnic Engineers, whose initiatives include networking events, mentorship programs, and advocacy for equal opportunities within the engineering profession. Collaborating with this association enables us to address diversity gaps and provide support tailored to BME individuals pursuing careers in engineering and related fields.
  • Babbasa is a social enterprise focused on empowering young people from diverse backgrounds to pursue fulfilling careers and make positive contributions to society. Their programs include mentoring, skills development workshops, and networking opportunities aimed at bridging the gap between education and employment for underrepresented groups. Partnering with Babbasa allows us to reach a wider audience of young people and provide them with the guidance and support needed to access apprenticeship opportunities and thrive in their chosen fields.
  • STEM Ambassadors are volunteers from a wide range of STEM backgrounds who engage with young people to inspire and encourage them to pursue careers in STEM subjects. They participate in activities such as school visits, workshops, and career fairs to showcase the opportunities available in STEM fields and provide guidance and inspiration to students. By collaborating with STEM Ambassadors, we can leverage their expertise and passion for STEM to inspire the next generation of apprentices and ensure a diverse and inclusive pipeline of talent into our apprenticeship programs.
  • STEMazing is a community organization dedicated to promoting STEM education and careers, particularly among underrepresented groups such as women and minorities. Their initiatives include outreach events, educational resources, and mentorship programs aimed at breaking down barriers and empowering individuals to pursue STEM pathways. Partnering with STEMazing allows us to access their network and resources to support our efforts in promoting diversity and inclusion within our apprenticeship programs and beyond.

By partnering with these organizations, we can leverage their expertise, resources, and networks to enhance our apprenticeship programs and foster diversity and inclusion in engineering, construction, digital, and other key sectors.

The OfS’s £12 million investment across 51 English universities and colleges underscores the significance of expanding apprenticeship offerings. David Barrett, UWE Bristol’s Director of Apprenticeships, conveyed his excitement about this opportunity, emphasizing our commitment to advancing diversity within Engineering, Construction, and Digital professions. He noted the transformative impact of apprenticeships in addressing skills shortages and promoting equality of opportunity:

“This second wave of Apprenticeship funding from the Office for Students is a fantastic opportunity for UWE Bristol to work with partners across the region to deepen and widen our work on increasing diversity in our Degree Apprenticeships across Engineering, Construction and Digital professions. Apprenticeships are a direct route into highly skilled professions and so there is huge positive impact, both for equality of opportunity, and in meeting the growing demand for skills from employers, in ensuring that we recruit talent that reflects the diversity of the population. We look forward to working with our Partner FE Colleges, partner organisations and employers on this exciting opportunity”.

The OfS funding will be invested in the following UWE Bristol degree apprenticeship programmes:

Additionally, we will collaborate with regional apprenticeship providers such as Weston College, Bridgwater & Taunton College, Gloucestershire College and the City of Bristol College to further this initiative.

To find out more, please contact Dr Laura Fogg-Rogers, Associate Professor for Engineering in Society, at Laura.Foggrogers@uwe.ac.uk

A toolkit and training for youth climate social action

Author engineering | Posted on

A toolkit and training for effective youth climate comms and social action

UWE Bristol’s Science Communication Unit (SCU) is launching a new Youth Climate Action Toolkit to empower young people to act on things that matter to them. The toolkit is suitable for 16-24-year-olds, and we encourage you to please download and share the kit with any (young) person you think may benefit from these tools!

The newly developed toolkit has been produced in partnership with young people from the Avon Schools Eco Network, following pilot training held with the DETI Inspire team in the School of Engineering.

The pilot involved 12 young climate activists who learnt how to be more effective with their own campaigning, whilst forming the foundations of this new toolkit to support other young people. As well as empowering young people to act, the toolkit aims to speak with and engage diverse audiences that may not otherwise take part (e.g., through filmmaking, persuasive writing and interactive stalls, etc).

What is inside the toolkit?

To allow any young person to use the materials independently of the training, the toolkit has been designed to stand-alone or complement the training. It consists of four sections:

  • Section one: lays the foundations for effective team working, with a skills audit for young people to assess their baseline entrepreneurial skills for sustainability, and time set aside to define their action project based on need
  • Section two: encourages readers to understand different worldviews – including those from different sides of the political spectrum, and people in positions of power and influence
  • Section three: drills down into the communication methods, allowing readers to select the right method for their audience and to prototype and test their communications
  • Section four: encourages readers to reflect on their learnings, re-assess their skills and evaluate the impact of their communications

Training in the community

The SCU team have also been delivering the Youth Climate Communications to local colleges and youth groups. The training is modular, which allows it to be adapted to suit the needs and interests of the organisations involved.

The training is already being modified to suit the needs of one college, where they have aims to support a more sustainable educational environment by delivering to their students over a two-week period at the end of term. Students will vote on a priority for action within their college and then work in teams, with the support of a coach, developing a communications and behaviour change campaign which could then be delivered in the following term.

The young people’s experience of the programme is being evaluated to better understand whether their attitudes, skills and behaviours relating to sustainability, change as a result of the training. Findings will be shared on this blog later this year.

For empowerment programmes

Meanwhile, aspects of the training are also being delivered to participants of more established empowerment programmes, such as this year’s Catalyse Change programme, Bristol Education Partnership’s Climate Challenge and The Global Goals Centre’s Groundbreakers awards, with the toolkit also featuring in the Groundbreakers’ action pack.

A future aim of the project is to deliver the training online to youth groups and educational establishments across the country, and beyond, with training provided to educators to deliver the programme themselves. For a taster of what this training could look like, head to our YouTube where you can access the social media component of the training.

Where it all began

The training emerged from conversations among the SCU and colleagues about the desire to share our knowledge on climate communications and active citizenship more broadly, so when a funding opportunity arose the Unit was quick to pull together a team to make their dream a reality. The all-female team consists of academics and researchers in disciplines ranging from human geography, engineering, and environmental anthropology – to building physics and entrepreneurship. What unites them is a common interest in supporting young people to develop the skills and confidence they need to take action about things that matter to them.

This training is the first offering from UWE’s Climate Action Hub, also established by the SCU. The Hub is a place for researchers and students to connect with communities for climate action. There is already some work on campus doing just this, such as the children’s workshops delivered by DETI Inspire and Inspire Sustainability, but this is the first time training has been put in place to support the University and communities to do more.

To find out more about the in-person and online toolkit or to connect to the Climate Action Hub, email project manager Sophie Laggan.

To download the toolkit click here.

How to make engineering for everyone

Author louisacockbill | Posted on

The Engineering workforce in the UK is made up of only 12% Women and 7% of people from black, Asian and minority ethnicity backgrounds – so no wonder the sector is experiencing an employee shortfall! Engineering Industries are missing out on over half of the population, as well as, the vast range of experiences and perspectives that a diverse employee base brings to the table.

Digital Engineering Technology and Innovation (DETI)’s Innovate team at UWE Bristol wants to address the shortfall of engineers by finding how to best enable these underrepresented groups to enter and progress in the world of Engineering.

We asked Women, those with Neurodiversity, and people from Black, Asian, Brown and dual-heritage backgrounds, in the West of England – to tell us what they needed – check out the summary doc below to find out more.

Listening- Worshops-Executive-SummaryDownload

DETI announces key research results

Author anabristow | Posted on

DETI has announced key research highlights and results from the partners collaborating on the programme, developed to help UK manufacturers achieve engineering leadership and better sustainability. 

Digital Now presents nine key research highlights; from a visualisation tool that displays carbon emissions, and an industry first with sustainable prototyping to a novel software system used to improve fault detection  –  these are just a snapshot of the digital technologies and research showcased.

The work of UWE Bristol research teams are featured, including our research into automating and digitalising the inspection process of composite materials using a novel software system and state-of-the-art machine learning techniques, and bringing digitalisation to the manufacturing process using immersive technologies such as augmented reality.

Our DETI Skills programme is also featured, highlighting the successful launch of our educational resource packs and recent outreach events including the Big Beam In.

Read the full results report here.

Providing space for social communication in a STEM engagement project

Author anabristow | Posted on

Neurodiversity Week celebrates our unique strengths and differences, while recognising that the many talents of people with ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other neurodiverse ways of thinking and learning are often not suited to traditional, formal learning environments.

Science Hunters is a Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) outreach and research programme that uses Minecraft to engage children from under-represented groups with STEM. Projects have covered a wide range of topics such as the Amazon rainforest, understanding diabetes, earth science and volcanoes and space, with the Building to Break Barriers project currently running at UWE Bristol engaging children with many aspects of engineering.

Minecraft is the second-best selling video game of all time and extremely popular with children. Players place and break blocks with a wide range of appearances and properties, to build a huge range of constructions. It can be played either as a single-player game or in a shared virtual world with multiple users playing together, and was chosen for Science Hunters because of its popularity (children want to play it!), particular appeal to children who learn differently, and suitability for explaining science.

A key target group for Science Hunters is children with Special Educational Needs (SEN), particularly through a dedicated Minecraft Club that has been running since 2015. It soon became clear that taking part in the club, alongside children with similar needs in an accepting environment, and playing a game which was a shared special interest, had more benefits for participants than STEM learning alone.

When face-to-face sessions are possible, as they were until the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Minecraft Club uses a dedicated server, so that children can play together in a safe social online space. Most of the children who attend have ADHD, autism and/or dyslexia. Spaces are limited to no more than 16 at a time, with simple guidelines to keep the club fun; children are not under pressure to conform to ‘neurotypical’ behaviour norms as may be expected in non-specific settings.

STEM topics are briefly introduced, and then participants are free to build in Minecraft in relation to that topic; while adults are there to guide and support, children are encouraged to follow their own interests and ideas to create their own unique designs. For four years, data were collected from participating children and their parents/carers, who attended with them, through surveys and interviews.

During this time, 101 children aged 5-17 years attended; responses were gathered from 29 children and 37 caregivers. Results indicated that children both enjoyed and learnt something from attending, and while their feedback understandably often focused on Minecraft, they also indicated that they had benefitted socially and emotionally from being in the shared space with other children with similar interests. This was supported by insights from parents and carers, who described benefits outside the club, such as improved confidence and wellbeing, improved social skills, and reduced need for formal learning support.

Interest in playing Minecraft is what motivates children to attend, and the game provides a range of opportunities for children to potentially develop social and educational skills. This is supported by the process of designing and completing builds, independently or collaboratively, and communicating with others within the shared virtual world. Playing in the same physical space enhances this, as communication can move between the virtual and real worlds and allow in-person peer support and the ‘safe space’ provided in our Minecraft Club supports children with SEN to interact naturally and spontaneously. While it was set up as part of STEM outreach, the social communication impacts of our Minecraft Club – such as making friends, fitting in, and feeling valued without judgement regardless of completing tasks or conforming to expected social behaviours – are at least as important.

Minecraft Club is currently running virtually as part of Building to Break Barriers. We’ve looked at earthquake-proof buildings, protecting against flooding, tunnels, drones and more, and are exploring the effects of the change to meeting online.

More information about Minecraft Club, and its impacts reported here, is available in Hobbs et al. (2020) Shared special interest play in a specific extra-curricular group setting: A Minecraft Club for children with Special Educational Needs, Educational and Child Psychology, 37(4), 81-95.

Dock-to-Dock project wins government funding

Author anabristow | Posted on

In an effort to build back better from COVID-19 and support innovative new enterprises, the government has announced funding to support projects harnessing the latest technology to support the fight against COVID-19 and other global challenges like climate change.

One of the winning projects recently announced to receive a share of the £33.5 million in funding from the UKRI Future Flight Challenge, was Dock-to-Dock, a project developed by UWE Bristol, Cardiff University, Neoptera Aero Ltd (based in BRL’s Hardware Incubator) and Smart Ports Ltd, which explores the delivery of goods between coastal cities using zero emission Hydrogen fuel technology.

Dock-to-Dock focuses on the combined aspects of route development, vehicle performance (air & sea) and the associated infrastructure (‘Smart-Multiports’) required for point-to-point delivery of goods and freight between coastal cities using eVTOL aircraft (electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing) and eAZE ships (electric Autonomous Zero Emission).

The project will launch on December 1st 2020, and will initially look at the delivery of goods by air, between Avonmouth Docks in Bristol and Cardiff Docks in Wales, using electric aircraft which take-off and land vertically, and therefore don’t require runways.

The objective of Dock-to-Dock is to repurpose port infrastructures to be an essential component of future Smart Cities in their drive towards zero emissions and energy efficient, integrated and sustainable transportation solutions. It will demonstrate a commercially competitive alternative to ground transportation between the two cities, offloading the already saturated ground transportation network between ports such as Swansea, Cardiff, Bristol and Bridgewater.

A team of four UWE researchers will deliver on the use case definition and evaluation, route characterisation and eVTOL assessment activities for the Dock-to-Dock project. State-of-the-art modelling and simulation knowledge and methods, nurtured within the Engineering Modelling and Simulation Group and the Centre for Transport and Society, will be employed to ensure the success of the study and future implementation of the concept. Both research groups are proud to be part of the UKRI Future Flight Challenge and be able to contribute towards more sustainable future of aviation.”

Dr. Vilius Portapas, Dock-to-Dock Project Lead, UWE Bristol

With further development, Dock-to-Dock and its Smart-Multiport infrastructure could be a major supplier of Green Hydrogen to Bristol, Cardiff and Swansea airports, a service eagerly awaited by commercial aircraft designers such as Airbus and Rolls Royce who are racing to develop Hydrogen-powered sub-regional aircraft.

Presently there are only 11 commercial Hydrogen Refuelling Stations in the UK, and none west of Swindon. Many more are urgently needed if the UK is to meet its zero emissions targets through the production and use of Hydrogen in heating, industry, power generation and transport. The Dock-to-Dock project and development of Smart-Multiport infrastructure will bring much needed access to Hydrogen Refuelling Stations in the South West of England and Wales.

If you would like more information about the Dock-to-Dock project please email the project lead, Dr Vilius Portapas at Vilius.Portapas@uwe.ac.uk

Launch of West of England Digital Engineering Technology initiative

Author engineering | Posted on

UWE Bristol is proud to announce the official launch of the region’s new Digital Engineering Technology & Innovation (DETI) initiative!

DETI is a research, innovation and skills initiative created to develop and accelerate digital engineering across multiple industry sectors, to ultimately benefit future generations of engineers and engineering products, and to help tackle global challenges.

UWE’s Engineering, Design and Mathematics department will play a central role in DETI, leading the Skills development branch of the centre. EDM will work with other DETI partners to:

  • Inspire the next generation of diverse engineers
  • Transform the further and higher education landscape
  • Innovate lifelong learning of specialised digital engineering skills

Dr Lisa Brodie, Head of UWE Bristol’s Department of Engineering Design and Mathematics (EDM), who led UWE’s bid, said: “This is a vitally important investment for our region and we are pleased to be leading on the skills and workforce development element of the centre’s work. It comes at a perfect time as we prepare to open our new engineering building where we will have state-of-the-art digital engineering facilities and an increased focus on digital engineering to train our graduates for emerging roles in the sector.”

For more details about this exciting new venture, please read the official press release launch of DETI and visit the new DETI website.

DETI is a strategic programme of the West of England Combined Authority (WECA), delivered by the National Composites Centre, in partnership with the Centre for Modelling & Simulation, Digital Catapult, the University of the West of England, the University of Bristol, and the University of Bath. DETI is funded by £5m from WECA, with co-investment from the High Value Manufacturing Catapult and industry.

Celebrate a PhD – fuel blends to reduce emissions

Author engineering | Posted on

With all the fantastically fascinating research going on in Engineering, Design and Mathematics, PhD student successes are a regular occurrence. We want to celebrate with the students as they pass their vivas, so may this post be the first of many!

Adriaan Van Niekerk passed his PhD viva in early February – Congratulations Doctor Van Niekerk! He’s kindly answered a few questions about his PhD project…

  • Can you summarize your research project?

I looked at how we can reduce diesel car emissions such as NOx by using fuel blends between diesel, biodiesel and ethanol and also increase the renewable content of the blend as per the government targets. I found that a fuel blend containing 2% biodiesel and 9% ethanol can reduce NOx by 10% and CO by 34%. 

  • What outcomes have there been from your project?

I managed to publish my results in two high impact journals, Applied Energy and Fuel, which is really great!

  • Were there any particularly tough stages during the PhD? How did you get through that?

The engine I used to do all my experimental testing on decided to break. All four of its fuel injectors got blocked up. It took me really long to figure out what was wrong with it, and it set me back approximately 6 months!

This was really tough as I had to change my planning completely. Luckily I could focus on writing up most of my PhD which helped a lot at the end as most of the writing and reviewing was done. 

  • What are your plans now the PhD has finished?

I have accepted a Lecturer position here at UWE with the Mechanical and Automotive cluster. I hope to build on my PhD research by looking at using renewable fuels together with hybrid technologies to speed up the uptake of more sustainable technologies for propulsion in automotive and aerospace applications.

Good luck in the new role Adriaan!

Steve Wright in the news

Author engineering | Posted on

UWE Aerospace’s Steve Wright has been popular in the news this month, most recently reassuring local Bristol businesses, Rolls Royce and Airbus, with his predictions of recovery after Covid-19. Read Steve’s expert opinion on how the pandemic will effect the aviation industry.

Other media appearances, included Steve commenting on a man vs AI drone race, in a BBC article late last year.

Steve was also the expert selected by the IMechE to comment on what the next 10 years will hold for aerospace engineering, and to enthral the audience at an IMechE lecture on Drone Technology in February.

Drones will take off in new and surprising ways, says Steve Wright from the University of the West of England, but other aerospace technology will fail to deliver.

Extract from “Soaring Twenties: Drones pick up tools, but electric planes a long way off“

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