There's a lot of exciting news to update you on in this April's newsletter. Top of the list is our forthcoming international conference being held in London next week. We've received a massive response from attendees across our grants community and other friends of the Foundation, so we are looking forward to seeing some old and new faces and catching up. There's also an article and link in this newsletter to some valuable work the Foundation is supporting on investigating future engineering uses of the sea, as well as how we might be able to support making the global ferry and fishing industries safer. As always, there's lots more, plus links to all the articles.
Good reading.
Kind regards,
Professor Richard Clegg
Foundation Chief Executive
Foundation Conference 2018
Want to learn more about the work of the Lloyd's Register Foundation and its impact on society?
This two-day event will bring together our grant holders, members of the public, academia and industry, and is a fantastic opportunity to learn more about the work and impact of the Foundation. The conference will feature keynote speakers, presentations and early career 'master classes' spanning all areas of our grants funding. There will also be a presentation session for students. It is to be held at the Institute of Engineering and Technology, London, UK on 09-10 May 2018. For more details and registration please see here.
Ocean Engineering workshop
On 19-20 April in Singapore, the Foundation held the first of three workshops to evaluate the short and long-term challenges and trends associated with the safe and responsible use of the world's oceans. One of the objectives of the workshop was to provide expert input to the preparation of the Foundation's upcoming foresight review on Ocean Engineering. Interactive, breakout style sessions were led by the Foresight Review's author, Professor Mark Cassidy of the University of Western Australia and Dr Daryl Attwood of the Foundation. Input was received from Asia–based industry experts from companies such as BP, Woodside, Wartsila, and JTC, and academics from the National University of Singapore, Seoul National University, and Nanyang Technological University. Topics discussed included the effect of climate change on engineering design, ocean regulations, pollution, illegal fishing, and alternate uses of ocean space.
Another workshop is to be held on 06-07 June in St John's, Canada.
Related article here.
Fishing and Passenger Ferries, Improving safety records
Lloyd's Register Foundation held a workshop on March 19-20 to explore ways to improve safety in two of the world's most dangerous industries. The estimated number of annual fatalities in the fishing industry is 24,000, and in the passenger ferry industry, 3,000. Most of those deaths occur in relatively few countries in Asia and Africa. Input was received from industry experts either currently working in, or having extensive experience in, Canada, The United States, The United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Sweden, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, The Philippines, Australia, and New Zealand. For the full article see here
World's first 3D-printed steel bridge reaches milestone
The smarter bridge moves a step closer to completion. The full span of the world's first 3D-printed steel bridge is now complete and has undergone its first informal load tests. The pedestrian bridge, which will be installed over a canal in a busy district of Amsterdam, will now undergo full load testing before opening to the public later this year. In 2016, the Foundation provided funding to MX3D, the Amsterdam-based start-up behind the project, to make the world's first 3D-printed steel bridge into the world's most connected and interactive 3D-printed structure. Photo by Thijs Wolzak. Related article here.
South East Asia Training Plan (SEATP)
The Foundation's Board has just approved a new skills and education initiative, that aims to drive down the rate of fatal occupational accidents in SE Asia, and so contribute to saving more than 100,000 lives per year. The programme will be led by The Welding Institute (TWI), and delivered in two phases. Phase 1 will last two years and will provide bursaries to at least 4000 people for training that will enhance safety during construction of critical infrastructure in Indonesia and India. Robust, independent evaluation will establish if SEATP is meeting its objectives and can progress to the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.
Related website here.
Upcoming
Blockchain Expo, Europe
27-28 June 2018: Unlocking the Internet of Value. RAI, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Recognising excellence in blockchain technologies competition. More information on the Expo
The Alan Turing Institute
02-06 July 2018: British Library, London, UK. 38th International Workshop on Bayesian Inference and Maximum Entropy Methods in Science and Engineering. More information and tickets.
NSIRC conference
03-04 July 2018: Granta Centre - TWI Ltd, Cambridge, UK. More information and sign up.