tand
Human endeavour is particularly evident
EMESP is a local, 40-year-old, voluntary group of the leading
institutions representing some 35,000 chartered engineers and
scientists across the region. It operates at the very heart of the
businesses and organisations which create wealth and support the
physical, social and welfare infrastructures on which all our lives
depend (see Table 1 and www.emesp.org.uk).
Professor Geoff Kirk, President of the Institution of
Sixth formers address real-life problems
Engineering Designers, congratulates Andrew Hilton,
EESE, which is part of the Engineering Development Trust (EDT),
overall winner of the 2009 Masters Prizes
organised the 29 teams of four, year-12 students and arranged
industrial collaborators. Some resources and a designated project
engineer were provided to each team and, by way of preparation, work, the research must be of technical merit and motivated by
all teams attended a three-day, residential workshop at a local commercial potential, so, in practice, the prizes are awarded for any
university. On the celebration day, each team presented its solution branch of science, engineering or computing. There is an award for
to a problem set by their industrial partner and on which it had each university winner and a further award for the overall winner,
worked for fi ve months. decided at the event.
Countesthorpe Community College presented its project to Andy Hilton, this year’s overall winner from the University of
an audience of visitors and co-workers, revealing its successful Nottingham, was rewarded because of the realistic goals and highly-
efforts to measure the tilt of a control rod in a nuclear reactor pragmatic and patentable features of his project. His research is
for sponsoring company, BNS Nuclear Services Limited. Other into the design and manufacture of a rotary pump to supplement
projects ranged from the design of a cover for the coupling of a heart function in people with coronary disease. The material and
mainline train to the use of Bluetooth technology in a JCB cab and manufacturing costs of existing units are currently more than
the discerning of safe routes to school. 75% of the costs of £40,500 for each unit made. This is due to
Professor Geoff Kirk, President of the Institution of Engineering the bespoke nature of existing designs. Andy aims reduce these
Designers, congratulated all the participants on their work, which costs to £16,500 per unit by maximising the use of off-the-shelf
in some cases was comparable with the projects undertaken in components. His research is potentially signifi cant in an existing
degree courses. global market of £30 million which is increasing by 10% every year.
The other 2009 winners are listed in Table 2. They all
Researchers motivated by need demonstrate values which are both socially and economically
The Masters prizes were originally intended to provide an valuable.
additional incentive for the many hundreds of students studying for
a Masters degree and to promote commercially-relevant research Refl ecting on value
to a wider audience. But, over the years, the term ‘master’ has It is hard to fi nd a better example than this event for the whole
been re-interpreted as that in the expression ‘master class’ and any being greater than the sum of its parts. Each individual project is
postgraduate research is permitted, subject to key criteria. self-evidently of value to its participants. Sixth formers learn to
This extension of scope has enabled universities to put forward work as a team, to work with an industrial manager and to solve
their best candidates. Aside from being the candidates’ own real-life problems.
Winner Research area Potential benefi ts
Emrah Demirci Improvement of simulation of non-woven Cheaper fabrics ($1 for a lab coat!). New products for
Loughborough University fabrics global market already at $1.8 billion
Darren Ghent Simulation of carbon fl uxes across Africa Quantifi cation of challenge to survive climate change.
University of Leicester
Andrew Hilton Artifi cial heart design and manufacture Humanitarian and UK entry into a potential market of $
University of Nottingham billions
Elizabeth Massey Automated detection and diagnosis of Humanitarian and reduction in UK costs of retinal
University of Lincoln diabetic retinopathy screening for diabetes
Simon Miller Improvements to supply-chain planning Reductions in waste, transport and warehousing. Upwards
De Montfort University of £500 million savings in UK
Table 2: Winners of 2009 Masters Prizes
Engineering Designer July/August 2009
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