Professor Mark Price, head of theschoolofMechanicaland Aerospace Engineering at Queen’s University will be the latest speaker in the Frontiers in Science and Technology lecture series organised by the NISP CONNECT programme, which supports early stage companies.
The series aims to enhance dialogue between theNorthern Ireland’s business community and leading scientists, engineers and researchers by showcasing ground-breaking research efforts from the region’s research institutions.
Award-winning Professor Price, who has worked in aerospace engineering and financial software in the past, said that researching for answers to industrial problems could lead to huge benefits in other sectors, including health & transport.
He is a former employee of Bombardier Aerospace and now lectures in aircraft design.
The lecture will take place at the Northern Ireland Advanced Composites and Engineering Centre in the Titanic Quarter on Thursday January 30, where some ofNorthern Ireland’s biggest companies meet up with some of the regions’ brightest minds to drive forward new ideas.
Professor Price will also explain, while science explores the world as it is –engineers create the world as it has never been, solving problems and dreaming new futures.
“I’m really interested in seeing research having an impact and solving problems, for different audiences,” he said.
“The transition from research, transforming ideas into commercial success, is really difficult. A demonstration model or a prototype is very different to a final product. That’s why I think it is really important for academia, industry and science to work together to make ideas into tangible products. Engineers can make the real thing.
“My own Phd was about how to chop up solid models to make their behaviour easier to analyse, which at that time was radical and new, but now has many applications. That early research also had much frustration for myself and sponsoring companies, because when I look at things in detail, nothing connected and many models were poorly built. But from that frustration one company developed a new software package which it still sells successfully today.
“Engineering is not just about making nuts and bolts. We now have people in Queen’s making people’s lives better, they are working with Musgrave Hospital, helping to improve the design and composition of the materials used in hip replacements, they are designing the workings of the engine of the ‘Boris Bus’, made in Ballymena by Wrightbus and driving around the streets of London, they are helping Bombardier investigate new materials and manufacturing processes.”
Professor Price said that different sectors working together is important for growth.
“Engineering is a very good place to be, engineers are making stuff that is of use to people, engineers are economic drivers,” he said.
“People are opening their eyes up to entrepreneurial spirit, engineers are doing things with space, with health, with transport, with computing, the opportunities are endless.
“With improved precision and quality, we can make the same thing, thousands of times and make it exactly the same.
“My own path took me from traditional engineering, to software engineering, to financial technology then back to engineering again and I found that the knowledge I garnered working with financial companies has come back into my research, for instance being able to trade off the cost implications of putting a new material into the wing of an aircraft.
“Some of the stuff we have in our homes and in our hands is really advanced, people have their tablet computers and their mobile phones and they think that all problems in life are solved, but we all still have problems and we still need solutions, and some of them are really simple – yet they frustrate us – bringing the people with the ideas to the people who can make those ideas real has helped drive innovation. And it’s a fun place to be.
“We are always looking at different systems and ideas.”
He said that the lecture series can help firms make connections which enable them to realise their ‘lightbulb’ moment.
“I think that there are so many people out there trying to keep their heads above water and keep their companies afloat, and they don’t want to take risks,” he said.
“But without risk there can be stagnation instead of innovation, what is required is a stable environment, steadying influences and expert research and advice to back up those risks.
“Risk is generally not a good thing if you don’t feel comfortable, but theNorthern IrelandScienceParkis a satisfying and dynamic environment, hosting a network of entrepreneurs who are interested in taking risks.”
