Technically Speaking | a science and engineering discussion

What can materials science learn from nature?

The natural world has evolved to give us some really cool stuff, stuff that inspires us to make better materials. Laura and Ellie discuss some of their favorite materials that mimic something from nature as well as some machines and other devices that are inspired by nature. They also speculate on what adaptations they might want, including retractable claws and something inspired by the Aliens movies.

 

The team discussed adaptable thermal insulation that is inspired by squid skin. Read abut this here.

Are solar cells the future for electricity generation?

Following on from the episode about the electricity grid, Aneeqa, Jennifer and Laura discuss how two types of solar cells, also known as photovoltaics, are made and how they work. The ability of these devices to convert sunlight into electricity should mean they're perfect for tackling climate change so the team also asks how sustainable they are to make and recycle, how long they last, and whether they produce enough electricity for our needs.

The points made in this conversation helped Laura decide whether she would get solar panels and you can read all about it.

What don’t we understand about electricity?

The UK's electricty grid started development about 100 years ago and originally accommodated steam driven turbines that are controlled by people. Ghalia, Antonia and Laura discuss whether the electricity grid can work with electricity generated from intermittent sources (like wind and solar) alone and what adaptations are being developed. They also struggle to remember lessons from high school about electricity, and provide insight from their careers which involve water engineering, energy analysis and particle accelerators.

Claim your T-shirt or bag and be part of our team's anniversary celebration. Take a look at our Twitter feed to see what these limited edition, exclusive items are like.

This episode was recorded as part of British Science Week and released a few days after International Women's Day. Read an article inspired by this episode.

Should we control the weather or get better at predicting it?

The UK has been severly affected by storms Dudley, Eunice and Franklin in less than seven days, which were predicted with startling accuracy for much of the UK. The weather forecast isn't always so accurate though. Ghalia, Aneeqa, Jennifer and Antonia discuss what weather predictions mean for transport, heating and air conditioning (AC) and why it may not always be accurate. Ghalia explains how the water industry needs to forecast the weather decades into the future so that agriculture and sanitation can be supported while Antonia references how renewable sources of electricity are dependent on wind and gas. The team also discuss how geoengineering can be used to control the weather and climate, and debate whether such control is good for humans and the environment.

Read about this episode here.

What’s so great about thermodynamics?

It's more than just the transfer of heat, thermodynamics explains a lot of things about life as we know it and leads to advances in technology that change society. Laura, Ghinwa, Antonia and Emma talk about how this fundamental set of principles influence their understanding of the world, and use their diverse backgrounds to illustrate these principles. They discuss heat pumps and refrigeration (aided by a diagram), hot potatoes and eggs, why we sweat, Captain America, probability, and a mind-bending movie about the arrow of time. The incredible importance of the Gibbs free energy (ΔG=ΔH-TΔS) for predicting things like what happens inside futuristic Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) is explained. A handy guide to statistical mechanics also helped them out.

 

Read all about this conversation.

How do you build a skyscraper?

Modern skyscrapers often reach heights taller than some mountains and some are built in places that are technically challenging. Laura and Rwayda discuss how it's possible to build such tall structures and why they are built. They also touch on future trends for building materials that are climate friendly and sustainable, and speculate on what the future might hold. The notable buildings that they mention are the Empire State Building in New York, the Buri Kalifa in Dubai, Taipei 101 and Voll Arkitekter’s Mjøstårne in Norway. They also discuss how to make a building that could withstand King Kong, and talk about 'Spook Central' from Ghostbusters.

You can now find the team on Instagram: technicallyspeaking.podcast

Read about this episode here.

How is fusion energy portrayed in Spider-man?

The fusion of atoms to create energy is actively being researched as a future, low carbon technology. It also features in the Spider-man films. Antonia, Laura and Aneeqa discuss the portayal of this technology in the movies and how this compares to real life. Aneeqa explains what a self-sustaining fusion reaction is and what the challenges are to achieving one. The team also discusses the scale of the technology and how the very energetic neutrons (14 MeV means they're moving at about 17% of the speed of light) that are produced as a by-product of the fusion reaction can lead to extra challenges for this, ahem, hot topic.

Read an article based on this episode which sumarises the conversation and gives some extra information.

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.

Read an article based on this conversation.

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