Technically Speaking | a science and engineering discussion

What are nanobots for?

The last James Bond film to star Daniel Craig centred around the villain using nanobots to harm very specific people. Scary stuff! Although the film made them seem terrifying they can be used in medicine to do loads of helpful things. Emma S, Hara and Priyanka share their knowledge of biochemistry and pharmaceutical production with Aneeqa to explain what this technology is and what it can do for us.

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How easy is it to learn to code?

Coding helps make so many complex tasks in science and engineering easy. Laura, and Ghinwa are joined by Emma and Clea from The University of Manchester's society for Women in Science and Engineering to talk about how they learned to code. They discuss some coding skills as well as how they use coding in chemical engineering, computational chemistry, physics and robotics. They also discuss how coding gave them confidence in their work, how they built up their own confidence in coding, and how it helped them in their careers.

Read an article based on this episode by Laura Leay on medium.com

What could happen at COP26?

Decades of climate science have led to a critical moment where decisions must be made at COP26. Laura and Rwayda are joined by Rebecca, who will be an official observer at the conference. Rebecca explains how COP26 will run, and how it is influenced by science and engineering as well as by society, politics and economics. The team also talks about how science might feature in the negotiations, how it can be part of the actions that are agreed at the climate conference, and how you can become an influencer too.

Read a brilliant summary of this conversation on medium.com

Is plastic a good thing?

We've heard a lot about single use plastic and pollution from microplastics but are there any benefits to this material? Laura, Ghalia, Antonia and Ghinwa discuss plastic in the water industry, some chemistry and plastic engineering, and recycling.

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Questions? Comments? Email us techspeak.podcast@gmail.com 

Why can’t we suck carbon dioxide out of the air?

We may have stopped hearing about the carbon dioxide shortage, but its not gone away and its curiously at odds with what we hear about having too much of it in the atmosphere. Laura, Antonia and Ghinwa discuss some chemistry behind separating carbon dioxide from other gases, some industries that produce carbon dioxide and why they don't make use of it, buses that run on methane, home-brewed beer and popping candy(!)

Read an article based on this episode, by Laura Leay on medium.

Can we engineer a future of zero waste (part two)?

Continuing from the previous episode, Laura, Cara and Antonia discuss zero waste as one idea behind a concept known as the circular economy. The discussion dives straight into what might happen to a product once its no longer useful and then broadens out to talk about the need for a profound shift in how we do things. Are businesses and policy makers asking the right questions of scientists and engineers?

Read an article based on this two part episode on medium.com

Can we engineer a future of zero waste (part one)?

In a ideal world, everything that is no longer useful is given a new life. Laura, Cara and Antonia discuss this as one idea behind a concept known as the circular economy. In this two part episode, we introduce some ways in which we see waste being repurposed and talk about the first two stages in the life of a product: manufacture (and resource gathering), and; product use by the consumer. Can something be infinitely recycled? What is recyling anyway? How is our behaviour as consumers influenced by design, marketing, and  science?

Read an article based on this two part episode on medium.com

How do we talk about things we can’t see?

Why should you believe a scientist when they talk about climate or sustainability and how should they convey their expertise in a way that makes sense to you? Laura, Aneeqa and Rwayda discuss some aspects of science and engineering that you can't see with your own eyes and therefore can be difficult to describe.

Recorded over zoom with an audience from The University Of Manchester's Dalton Nuclear Institute supplying comments via the chat function, the team also come up with some ideas for how science communication could be improved. They don't have all of the answers, but its an interesting conversation.

Read the article based on this conversation on medium.com

How has science and engineering changed our lives?

Transport has shaped society, and society has shaped how we travel and connect with each other. In this chicken-and-egg story Laura, Rwayda, Amina, Cara and Antonia share stories about what transport means to them and look at how our transport options have evolved since ancient times. They look at some history and decision making, how atoms feature in materials science and engineering, and consider the future of space travel.

This special episode was recorded with an audience from the Engineering Development Trust's Insight into University summer programme.

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How do you build a bridge that lasts a long time?

Movies often use bridges to represent something, and they're often destroyed in the process. Antonia, Laura, Rwayda and Alex discuss the engineering behind some of the most iconic bridges as well as some of their favourite movie scenes featuring bridges: Spiderman, Indiana Jones and Shrek.

We explain how engineers consider the dynamic forces acting on a bridge and we mention this video of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, an example of what happens when the forces aren't fully taken into account.

Read the article that's based on this conversation on medium.com

 

Alex also produces her own podcast - Embracing Diversity: Diversity Diaries - all about how diverse engineering can be, how you can be an ally for diversity and celebrate our differences.

 

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