Communications Briefing: 21 to 27 April 2018

Institution in the News

Dr Lucy Rogers, Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, appeared on BBC Radio 2 to discuss inventions and ideas that could make our lives better. The Institution’s air quality report which was published earlier in the year is quoted in an Evening Standard article on the 89% drop in air pollution during the London Marathon.

Dr Jenifer Baxter’s thoughts on whether diversity helps or hinders innovation are featured in an article on the financial implications of diversity for companies. She also presented at a seminar on the environmental performance of battery electric vehicles, which was picked up by the trade press, as was her response to Chris Grayling’s comments regarding the Welsh electrification programme.

• 24/04/18 Josh Widdicombe Will Make Your Life Better, BBC Radio 2

  Panel radio show in which celebrity guests suggest inventions, which are then interrogated by the rest of the panel. Dr Lucy Rogers appeared as an expert to provide feedback. Also mentioned in the Daily Mail (print only).

• 23/04/18 London Marathon: Figures show massive 89 per cent drop in air pollution – Evening Standard

  News that a section of the London Marathon route saw an 89% drop in air pollution on race day. The article states that a “leading engineering organisation recently called for more research to be done on the effects of commuters breathing in dust on the London Underground. The Institution of Mechanical Engineers called for "urgent action" to tackle the capital's "dangerous" levels of air pollution, including blackspots on the Tube network.”

• Decision to scrap rail electrification schemes was taken on a “simple basis” – Infrastructure Intelligence

  Chris Grayling has received criticism after he once again defended his decision to scrap a rail electrification program between Cardiff and Swansea, after claiming going ahead with the plans was “not the sensible thing to do”. Dr Jenifer Baxter is quoted as claiming that the government has wrongly claimed that similar benefits of electrification programmes can be delivered by bi-mode trains. Also featured in West Wales Chronicle.

• 24/04/18 Is Diversity Key to Innovation? 9 Professionals Weigh In – TechX365

  Response to a new study which analysed data on US firms to measure diversity’s financial impact on corporate America and found that companies with pro-diversity policies “are rewarded with a richer pipeline of innovative products and a stronger financial position”. The article features Dr Jenifer Baxter’s thoughts, along with eight other senior level professionals from sectors as varied as life sciences, engineering and the automotive industry, who outlined their experiences.

• 24/04/18 Environmental Performance of Battery Electric Vehicles Questioned at APC Seminar – Net Composites

  The environmental credentials of battery electric vehicles were questioned at the latest Future of Technology seminar organised by the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) and Innovate UK. Dr Jenifer Baxter’s appears in a photo accompanying the article and is quoted as raising some serious questions about the sustainability of electric vehicles.  

• 26/04/18 Race team on track for new race season – The Phoenix Newspaper

  News that the University of Wolverhampton Race Team engineering students have unveiled their 2018 MSVR Formula 3 Cup racing car at the £10 million Telford Innovation Campus. Includes Formula Student as one of the competitions that the team takes part in. Also featured in The Engineer and Environment Guru.

• 23/04/2018 Sheffield University urged to be radical to boost women in engineering – The Star

  The boss of a top South Yorkshire manufacturing firm is demanding Sheffield University make radical changes to combat a huge shortage of women in engineering. Features a photo of Carolyn Griffiths and the comments she made at a speech in which she highlights that the number of girls taking physics “fell off a cliff”, because they were put off by male dominated classrooms. Also featured in the Sheffield Telegraph.