Cafe Scientifique: How Engineers Are Managing The Future

We’re delighted to welcome Professor Michael Short to the Café this month.

Please come along and bring a friend; our Café audience and the interesting questions you always have for our speakers make the Café what it is!Michael says: ‘from artificial intelligence and robotics to alternative fuels, cleaner energy, and smarter factories, engineering is transforming the way we make, move and power the world.

This talk explores how engineers are tackling some of society’s biggest challenges while aiming to improve everyday life.

Along the way we’ll answer an important question: can we still enjoy our favourite crisps and snacks with a pint in a net zero future? Drawing on real industrial research, including work with KP Snacks in Billingham, we’ll see that we’re not quite at net zero McCoy’s just yet – but we’re getting closer.

With a little more innovation, they’ll taste just as good, be cooked using clean, green fuels and be produced in factories with smart robots working safely alongside smarter people.

And they’ll arrive in recyclable/biodegradable packaging.

So will the nice pint of Guinness you enjoy them with, happy in the knowledge you’re doing your bit for sustainability.

That’s the future engineers are building the foundations for today.’