THE NEXT GENERATION
Jon Bentley, a presenter on Channel 5’s The Gadget Show and a former producer of Top Gear and Fifth Gear, speaks to RTM about STEM, engineering innovation and high-speed rail.
J
on Bentley is perhaps better known as a petrolhead than a lover of the railways,
but he is as big an advocate as anyone of the importance of getting younger people into engineering and science.
RTM is a major backer of iRail, an industry event aimed at getting school-age pupils involved in rail engineering, so we asked Bentley what he thought of industry attempts to introduce pupils to science subjects.
He said: “I like the idea of specifi c industries getting more involved with science teaching in schools. I
feel the quality of school
science teaching generally leaves quite a bit to be desired. In my experience it is often treated as a colossal memory test, learning vast volumes of abstract defi nitions and labels. Introducing real world engineering would make science in schools seem much more relevant, fun and interesting. It will also encourage more pupils to take up science which will benefi t them and society.
“I really hope more of our top students choose science, technology, engineering and mathematics. But the early specialisation required by the UK educational system and my concerns about the quality of science teaching conspire against this.
“Pupils maybe should be able to continue studying just one or two science, engineering, technology and maths subjects at the same time as subjects from the arts and humanities, until they reach a higher age.”
But government funding cuts to the education system are not his top concern, he added, saying: “I think it’s a question of attitudes, not money.”
Staying ahead – the race to be green
Many in the rail industry fear that it could lose its inherent environmental advantage to cars, as far more time and money is being spent developing greener cars than greener trains.
Bentley said rail is right to be worried: “I think cars will get lighter and more fuel
effi cient, which could shift the balance in their favour. The real breakthrough needs to be quick charging batteries that give a range of 200 to 300 miles but that can be charged in the length of times that it currently takes to fi ll up at a petrol station, thereby making electric cars a true replacement for conventional ones.
“Recent research at the University of Illinois on fast-charging batteries suggests this may not be too far-fetched.
“Trains will still have the advantage that you can do things while in transit. Self- driving cars are further away I think.”
So what big science and technology advancements can we actually expect to see in the next few decades?
Bentley said: “I’m not sure my list of predictions would be vastly different to anyone else’s. However the things I’m looking forward to are as follows: self- driving cars, better brain-computer interfaces, robots in the home that are genuinely useful, retinal projection, holographic projection TVs domestic ‘3D printing’ of products.
and the
“Most of all I would love to see an instant translation device, something you can talk into in English that translates what you say accurately into another language of your choice in real time so others can hear it. A sort of Babel Fish from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy made reality.”
High Speed Need?
Bentley is sceptical about HS2, he said, but told RTM he would be listening closely in search of “further enlightenment” at the Rail Champions’ Intelligent City Debate, which he was due to host at The University of Birmingham just after RTM went to press at the end of May.
He said: “My instinctive reaction to HS2 is that it is too expensive, disruptive and environmentally harmful for the benefi ts that will be obtained from it. You can boost the capacity of a motorway by adding an extra lane or using the hard shoulder, or
improve traffi c fl ows on a major road with by-passes. I fi nd it hard to believe that there isn’t an equally cost effective solution to boosting the capacity and speed of existing railway lines.
“The actual journey time between London and Birmingham is, for me, less crucial than the time it takes to get to and from the stations at either end.”
On the Intelligent City Debate, Bentley praised the “remarkable group” of leading transport professionals from across rail, road, air and sea travel coming together to debate the big issues, from multi-modal links, hubs and stations and technological innovations.
He said: “Technology is revolutionising the way in which we work, communicate, travel and spend our free time. At the same time the world is becoming more urbanised. The result is that cities more than ever depend on a modern, effi cient infrastructure to function with quick, comfortable, safe and sustainable transport provision.
“I have a life-long interest in technology and transport, the latter mainly manifesting itself in a passion for cars. Like many I appreciate the comfort and convenience of jumping in a car to go from A to B but I also recognise the need to develop more technologically advanced and intelligent public transport to get around within and between cities, and integrate private and public transport effectively.
“We’ve seen a revolution in information tech- nology in recent years and I’m intrigued to discover what sort of new concepts are being developed to improve urban transport and be part of a forum which is discussing new ideas and thinking on the subject.”
Jon Bentley
FOR MORE INFORMATION There will be coverage of the conference in the next edition of RTM.
Also visit
www.rail-champions.com rail technology magazine Apr/May 11 | 83
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