Experts target teaching to help win power struggle

Monday 11 July 2011

Speaking during a debate at the University of Surrey on the future of energy provision, a panel of academics and industry figures called for greater public understanding of the power-related challenges facing society over the next century.

And panel member Sir Bill Wakeham, president of the Institute of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), told the audience of Chemical Engineering graduates that responsibility for increasing awareness of energy issues lies with all scientists.

He said: “The biggest problem is public understanding and an appreciation that no solution is without some risk.

“In order to have them understand, we as scientists and engineers have an obligation to do rather better than we have done before.

“That’s a pretty tall order, but I think we need to educate the public and that starts with every one of us.”

Sir Bill was joined by ExxonMobil Global Service president Neil Chapman and academics Professor Roland Clift and Professor David Wood for the debate, which was held to mark the centenary of Chemical Engineering at Surrey.

Taking questions from the audience, the panel considered issues including the potential of nuclear fusion technology, the future role of thermodynamics and the implications of different political systems on energy legislation.

Prof Wood, a Battersea graduate and former head of the University of Melbourne’s Chemical Engineering Department, agreed that more work needed to be done on educating young people about energy issues.  

And he issued a rallying call for engineers to play their part in changing the attitudes of people from all walks of life.

He said: “The principles of thermodynamics and related material are very simple if you use simple examples to explain them.

“If we educate students about those basic principals, they will go home and educate their friends, parents and connections.

“Until engineers come out of the woodwork and are prepared to speak up and say their piece with conviction and scientific knowledge, we are in trouble.”

Surrey alumnus Mr Chapman argued that it would take a set of integrated strategies to solve the world’s “massive and complex” energy problems.

He stated his belief that technology has as big a role to play as education in any global solution and looked to the Far East for further inspiration.

He said: “There are three parts to it; first is protecting the environment for the future; second is to use energy more efficiently and more prudently than we have done historically; and thirdly we have to increase the amount of energy available because of the growth in developing economies.

“I have worked in China for ten years and was resident for three years. It’s not a democracy, we all know that, but it has a long-term planning process with a five-year plan which is very similar to the way big companies work.

“All of the senior leaders in Chinese political circles have to serve an apprenticeship running a big corporation. It’s not to say it’s a perfect system, but if you are approaching the energy business you need a long-term perspective and that is the great advantage they have.

Prof Clift, who is a former head of Surrey’s Chemical Engineering Department, agreed that technology has a vital role and stated the case for the importance of wider behavioural change among the general public.

He also told delegates that political reform – including giving greater responsibility to the House of Lords – may yield results.

He explained: “I think the House of Lords is a tremendous resource. What marks them out from MPs is that they don’t have to look to the next election – they have done something before they got in there and know what they are talking about.

“They don’t have the ego problem that in my experience comes with a lot of MPs. If you give them more airtime and policy influence, I think we would do ourselves a favour.”

As well as celebrating 100 years of continuous graduations, the event raised awareness of the University of Surrey’s Chemical Engineering Centenary Campaign which hopes to raise £150,000.

Pictured below: Battersea alumnus Professor David Wood cuts the Chemical Engineering centenary cake, watched by Surrey’s Undergraduate Programme Director Dr Alan Millington (centre) and Head of Chemical Engineering Professor Rex Thorpe.