News

The Welding Institute is proud to announce the winners of the Armourers and Brasiers’ Travel Awards 2020!

The Winners:

The Armourers and Brasiers’ Travel Award aims to support postgraduate students undertaking studies in materials joining and structural integrity to attend an international conference relevant to their studies. The opportunity allows them to gain experience in presenting and attending industry talks whilst being able to network with industry experts.

The Welding Institute congratulates these students for winning the Armourers and Brasiers’ Travel Award 2020.

To find out more about the Armourers and Brasiers’ Travel Awards click here!

The Welding Institute is pleased to announce that the winner of the Armourers and Brasiers’ BEng/BSc Award, 2020, is Konstantinos Chronopoulos!

Konstantinos Chronopoulos is an NSIRC student currently working towards his MSc in Structural Integrity (Asset Reliability Management) with Brunel University, London. He studied as an undergraduate in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Derby, graduating in 2019 with a first class Bachelors of Engineering (BEng) (Hons) in Mechanical Engineering and Design.

During his studies, Konstantinos demonstrated the key qualities for this award with practical work including designing and developing a modular wind tunnel that is able to serve a range of academic applications. Konstantinos also produced a dissertation project titled, “Design and Construction Management of Low-Speed Modular Wind Tunnel for Academic Purposes.” This has been implemented into the university’s laboratory and is used during lectures and lessons for practical demonstrations.

The Welding Institute congratulates Konstantinos Chronopoulos on his successful application and winning of this academic award!

To find out more about the Armourers and Brasiers’ BEng/BSc Award click here!

The Welding Institute is pleased to announce that the winner of the Armourers and Brasiers’ MSc Student Prize is Christian Camilo Sanchez Garcia.

Christian is a recent graduate from the Structural Integrity programme at Brunel University, London. He received an NSIRC Scholarship based on his academic profile and started the course in 2018.

During his studies, Christian was able to reflect and build on the knowledge gained during his undergraduate studies and also develop knowledge in new subjects, including fatigue and fracture analysis, structural health monitoring, plant inspection and codes for assessing structural integrity.

Under the guidance of his supervisors at TWI’s Arc Welding Section, Christian carried out his dissertation research project investigating the ‘Impact of Novel Wire in Additive Manufacturing Capabilities for Titanium Gas Metal Arc Deposition.’

His academic success and commitment throughout his studies as a Masters student has led to him being awarded the Armourers and Brasiers’ MSc Student Award 2020!

To find out more about the Armourers and Brasiers’ MSc Student Award click here!

The Welding Institute congratulates Matthew Wadge on being awarded the Armourers and Brasiers’ Final Year PhD Student Award, 2020!

Matthew Wadge is a final year PhD student in Biomedical Materials at the University of Nottingham, studying the manufacture and characterisation of solution-generated titanate structures for biomedical applications.

Matthew’s extensive academic background comprises knowledge of materials engineering, bioengineering and biomedical science, including further knowledge in cell and microbiology, mathematics and chemistry.

Along with his academic accomplishments, Matthew has also produced an impressive selection of published academic papers throughout his PhD, with multiple citations.

Whilst undertaking his PhD, Matthew has also been involved with the promotion of science through his role as a STEM Outreach Ambassador at the Pint of Science festivals (2017-2020). Through his role at this event, Matthew’s main aim has been to bridge the gap between society and research institutions by engaging with both science and non-science students and individuals.

Matthew’s work and experience throughout his studies as a final year PhD student illustrates his worthiness of being the recipient of the Armourers and Brasiers’ Final Year PhD Student Award 2020!

Read more about the Armourers and Brasiers’ Final Year PhD Student Award here!

As you are aware there are a number of new medical facilities being built at ExCel London as well as two other Field Hospitals in Manchester and Birmingham to treat patients with COVID-19.

Under normal operations, engineers and technicians work quietly in the background. With such unprecedented circumstances before us, this is no-longer the case. The effective delivery of clinical care will only be achieved if engineers and technicians work alongside their clinical counterparts.

We have been approached by The Royal Academy of Engineering and NHS England to ask for volunteers to help with a range of engineering requirements that will enable them to continue to deliver frontline services.

Time is of the essence and it is likely that volunteers will be needed on site and in the regional hospitals within the week, if not within the next few days. We have been asked to share this letter along with a job description. Within the letter is a link to a form which volunteers must complete to register their skills and offer. The Royal Academy of Engineering has agreed to maintain this database but selection will be made by the NHS Team based on need.

On behalf of NHS England and The Welding Institute, thank you for your commitment to our profession and all that is stands for, in these extraordinary times.

The Welding Institute would like to congratulate David Hews on his appointment as our new West Midlands Branch Secretary.

Branch Secretary is a vital role which ensures that our branches are able to operate effectively and productively. The role varies depending on the location of the branch, however, the position primarily entails supporting the Chairperson of the branch to ensure the smooth running of all branch related activities.

To find out more about what it means to be Branch Secretary or to find out about our branches click here.

The Welding Institute’s Northumbria Branch has welcomed its new chairman, Stuart Banks.

The Branch Chair plays a strategic role in representing the vision and purpose of The Welding Institute. They ensure that the committee functions effectively to allow the organisation of the branch to meet the needs of its Members. Overall, they hold a significant place in ensuring the success of Branches through allowing them to work cohesively with The Welding Institute.

To find out more about what it means to be a Branch Secretary or to find out more about our Branches click here.

The annual ‘Defect Detectives’ educational outreach event was hosted by TWI Ltd at its Cambridge site for a third year. The event was jointly organised, with Matt Haslett, our Younger Members Committee Chairman, representing The Welding Institute in inspiring the young minds of the year 5 pupils from Fulbourn Primary School by bringing STEM subjects to life.

The 50 year 5 pupils were tasked with an activity involving robotic inspection using Lego Mindstorms EV3 Kits and programming equipment. The students worked in small teams of 4 to 5 with volunteer experts from TWI Ltd and NSIRC helping them out. The aim was to build and program a robot which could detect defects along a simulated weld line.

Their work was put to the test at the end of the day with a final competition consisting of the students’ robots travelling along a simulated weld line, fitted with defects, to test how successfully and accurately the robots could detect the defects.

Categories and winners:

Best design – Dare to Create

Best teamwork – NEVFF

Top Team – Dixie

The Welding Institute congratulates all pupils who took part in the competition for their enthusiasm towards their work!

Educational outreach days like this allow young pupils to understand real life applications of engineering and what it actually means to be an engineer. It allows the stereotypes and misconceptions of the engineering industry to be challenged by young minds as they are given the opportunity to see the extent of the engineering industry, all whilst promoting teamwork and design skills.

The successful event was jointly organised by Catherine Condie, Matt Haslett, Gabriela Gallegos and Ameni Lounissi with the support of 20 volunteers from TWI.

The event was organised in association with TWI, Granta Centre, NSIRC volunteers, and the Tipper Group, including support from the UK Robogals series. Cambridge Launchpad, a movement that aims to inspire people into STEM careers, were responsible for organising the ‘Defect Detectives’ engineering challenge.

The Welding Institute is pleased to announce that TWI Team Manager, Miles Weston is the recipient of the Young Engineer Award 2020!

The Young Engineer Award is awarded to an individual aged under 40 who has contributed significantly to the advancement of welding technology throughout the five years preceding the year of the award. The annual award was introduced by ESAB (UK) in recognition of Leslie Lidstone, who was a managing director for the company and whose work significantly contributed towards the welding industry within the UK and Sweden.

TWI’s Miles Weston has been awarded the Young Engineer’s Award due to his work and experience within the past five years. This includes his progression from the role of Project Leader to Team Manager at TWI. Within these roles, Miles has led and managed the development of an advanced inspection technique, leading to the technique now being developed with multiple sector industrial collaborators to standardise and accept it. Miles has also contributed to the development of students through his involvement with students at Strathclyde University where he takes on the role of a PhD external examiner. This, combined with the 17 journal publications (with over 90 citations) that he has produced, exemplified Miles as a worthy recipient of the Young Engineer Award.

Find out more about the Young Engineer Award here.

The Richard Dolby Rolls-Royce Prize 2020 has been awarded to TWI Project Leader Madie Allen.

The Richard Dolby Rolls-Royce Prize is awarded biennially, by The Welding Institute’s Younger Members Committee, to an individual who has demonstrated success in, and enthusiasm for, welding, joining and/or materials engineering within the first five years of finishing their full time education.

The award is judged based upon a technical report that candidates have submitted, along with a short presentation on the project subject.

Madie Allen is a PhD student, in coordination with NSIRC and Brunel University and received the award for her project, ‘Predicting the microstructure of metal additively manufactured parts.’ This project looked at the wide-scale adoption of additive manufacturing and aimed to help address the associated issues with this technique through developing and validating numerical models that can predict the microstructure of metal additively manufactured parts.

The Welding Institute congratulates Madie Allen for her work and commitment in receiving the Richard Dolby Rolls-Royce Prize 2020.

To find out more about the Richard Dolby Rolls Royce Prize click here.