CEB Focus 4, Oct 2011

In this issueMessage from HoD 2

Editorial 2

Front Cover Article 3

Undergraduate Focus 5

Graduate Hub 6

Teaching Matters 7

Research Highlights 11

Research Feature 13

Departments Events 15

Industry Business 16

Alumni Corner 17

Staff Room 19

Arrivals and Departures 21

Dear Dr Sarah 22

Tea-Time Teaser 23

CEBFocusDepartment of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology

BUCT Summer School takes over CEB p.3

ChemEng Tripos Explained p.7 Astrobiology: Science Fiction or p.11Next Frontier

NEW! Staff Room p.19

Michaelmas 2011Issue 4

www.ceb.cam.ac.uk

©M

ikeCam

eron

CEB Focus 4 Michaelmas:_Layout 1 5/10/11 11:29

Welcome

e summer months are usuallyquiet for academics in Cambridge asstudents leave and the city fills upwith tourists more intent onexploring the colleges. For CEBthese months have seen muchactivity as the New Building project

received ‘green light’ status and the process ofdesigning, building and paying for this landmarkproject moved into top gear. e University releasedthe first tranche of funding, which is to be used for thedetailed design of the building. Numerous companiestendered for this prestigious project, from which theArchitects, Project Managers, Structural and Civilconsultants and M&E consultants have beenappointed. CEB will now engage closely with theseprofessionals to ensure that our needs and aspirations,now and for the foreseeable future, are realised withinthe final designs. is process is critical if, as we hope,the new building is to provide an environment thatconnects and intensifies CEB’s academic andcommercial activities to exploit their potential to thefull, creating a new training and research-to-exploitation hub that will:

− enhance the student learning environment in waysthat integrate modern e-learning methods withtraditional lecture and informal classroomtechniques;

− provide an environment in which new research ideasthat cut across traditional discipline boundaries canbe nurtured, and where scientists are encouraged towork together on imaginative new concepts;

− provide state-of-the-art facilities to attract the beststaff and students from across the world;

− establish space in which teams with innovative newconcepts for business innovation can incubate theirideas in a safe and nurturing environment prior tospin-out;

− provide the department with long term flexibility torespond to an evolving research programme inresponse to evolving global challenges.

But this all comes at a cost, which two stages ofconceptual design and validation have indicated to bein the region of £57M. To reduce the drain onUniversity capital CEB has been working closely withthe Cambridge University Development Office(CUDO) and a group of advisors from amongst ouralumni to develop a fundraising strategy. is process iswell advanced and further details will be announcedlater in the year.

While walking through Islington with my familyrecently I was struck by an unattributed quotation in anempty shop window, which read ‘e best way to achievesomething is to begin’. Well, I can report that CEB hasbegun the New Building with completion planned forAutumn 2015.

2 | www.ceb.cam.ac.uk

Notes from the Editorial Teame CEB Focus Editorial Team is led by Elena Gonzalezwho is assisted by fellow editors Alastair Clarke, MarijkeFagan and Nick Ramskill. We wish to thank RashmiTripathi, who is leaving the team as her studies come toan end. We are also grateful to Vanessa Blake and BarrieGoddard for their photography.

Over the summer, the Editorial Team with ourDesigner, Paul Walford revamped CEB Focus. e frontcover has been re-designed, typeface altered and a newsection named ‘Staff Room’ added, which will providenews on all members of staff, both academic and non-academic. e old ‘Postgrad/Postdoc Hub’ has nowbeen replaced by ‘Graduate Hub’. We hope that thenew look of CEB Focus will appeal to its readers.

CEB Focus is an opportunity for you to support andenhance the CEB community at Cambridge.Contributions from department members, alumni andcorporate partners are always welcome. Please send usyour comments or suggestions for articles [email protected] you wish to receive aregular e-copy of CEBFocus please subscribe bysending a message [email protected] with‘Subscribe’ as the subjectof the message. We lookforward to hearing fromyou in the future!

Editorial Team: From left to rightMarijke Fagan, Elena Gonzalez andRashmi Tripathi; back row: NickRamskill and Alastair Clarke

Message from HoD Professor Nigel Slater


Front Cover Article

For the secondconsecutive time a groupof students from BeijingUniversity of ChemicalTechnology (BUCT)attended a two weekCambridge-BUCT 2011Summer Academics and

Students Visiting Program. July saw the arrival of 30visitors from BUCT for the annual BUCT-DepartmentSummer School. e delegation included 27undergraduate students studying courses in science andengineering at BUCT. e Summer School programmegave students a broad range of information about livingand studying abroad for a PhD. During their stay thestudents visited colleges, science and engineeringdepartments and received a selection of lectures fromUniversity staff and industrialists. e course also gavestudents the chance to network with groups and peoplealready studying in Cambridge through a series of socialevents.

BUCT is one of China’s key institutions of higherlearning affiliated to the Ministry of Education and is acomprehensive university with a core curriculum ofscience, engineering, economic management, languageand other liberal arts. It has a wide focus on nationaleducation and scientific research and plays an importantrole in the development of the national economy.BUCT is dedicated to establishing long termcollaboration/cooperation with other universities andorganisations in China and abroad; it aims to becomeone of the top level universities in the world.

In 2009, a group of academic delegates led by vicepresident Prof Biaohua Chen visited CEB and met withmany members of the department. A long termcomprehensive and constructive collaboration startedback then culminating with an MoU signing betweenthe Universities this June.

Since 2009 both parties have gained a mutualunderstanding of culture, education, research andstudent experience within the two institutions. isyear’s summer visiting program again focused on

cultivating research interests, and gaining experienceand expertise. On the last day BUCT studentspresented their design projects to Dr Adrian Fisher andDr Kamram Yunus, CEB academics and BUCTSummer School organisers.

BUCT academic Dr Yuan Pu commented “You havearranged a fantastic BUCT-Cambridge Summer School.I was very impressed by the subjects and all the otheractivities organised. Almost every student told me theyhad a very good experience. We really hope it will beeven better next year!”

BUCT students told the Focus Team about theirexperience of the CEB-BUCT Summer School andCambridge city:

Hongkai Ma, a Biological Engineering student fromBeijing College of Life Sciences and Technologycommented “I am impressed by the hospitality offaculties and also the students as well as Dr Fisher, DrGu and also senior Zeng. Cambridge is a very small,beautiful and peaceful place, it differs greatly fromBeijing, a big capital city with a large population.”She added “Cambridge is a better place to live andstudy though I have to admit that I prefer Chinesecuisine! It is different from what I had imagined. All Iknew is that Cambridge is a top university in the world.But after spending two weeks there, it became muchmore than a far-off, cold name because of the beautifulcolleges, great history, helpful teachers and energeticstudents.”

Yuan Li is a student from Hefei City in the AnhuiProvince with a degree in Biological Engineering. Sheexpects that the Summer School will also get betterovertime by increasing the level of lectures as “thecurrent syllabus seems a little easy at times.” However,she admits she did “learn a lot whilst in CEB andparticularly enjoyed the lab tour in the biotechnologysite.” Yuan Li explained “e tour was not part of theplan but Dr Yunus arranged this for me as I hadpreviously expressed my wish to further my studies inthe area of cancer biology. e tour was reallyimpressive and I am very grateful to Dr Yunus,Professor Lisa Hall, who allowed me to look around in

www.ceb.cam.ac.uk | 3

BUCT Summer School takes over CEB


Front Cover Article


her labs, as well as PhD Student, Jamie Walters, whotook his time to explain the research undertaken there.”

“I spent most time listening to lectures and seminarspresented by teachers from Cambridge and other well-known universities getting to know more about thedepartment and its current research. I also took part ina very challenging case study. Our college focuses moreon research of industrial scale doing much work withfactor control in manufacture and purification ofproducts. Some CEB researchers are doing similar workwith cell biology and molecular biology andnanoparticles but at a smaller scale. I have neverexperienced this before but it really felt that CEB isreally doing something that will somehow change thefuture of our daily life” says Yuan.

T. Zhong Guan, from Henan province in centralChina, added “e best moment for me was thepresentation of our case study on the last day. I learnt alot about the nano-particle science and marketinganalysis.”

Wei Xiaoxiao, another BUCT environmentalengineering graduate also thoroughly enjoyed theSummer School’s curriculum as well as “eating fish andchips, looking at the typical British red mailbox andbuses, walking around the streets, punting on the river

Cam.” She added “Cambridge was better than Iimagined. e lab experiment was very enjoyable. Inoted that Health and Safety in labs is hugelyimportant in the UK with more standard safetymeasures to follow here than in China.” After thesummer Wei will be preparing for the Graduate RecordExamination and continue with her studies.

Summer School organiser Dr Kam Yunus summed upthe experience “is year the CEB Summer Schoolonce again was a real success, and was well receivedboth by the BUCT delegates and members in thedepartment. We found the course had gained muchmomentum and was being reviewed as a long termstrategic event between BUCT-Cambridge. It isanticipated that the Summer School will continue toprovide a great porthole for outreach activities withleading academic institutes in the East and SoutheastAsian subcontinent.”

CEB is also expected to be accommodating a largernumber of BUCT students at future Summer Schools.

BUCT students presenting Elena Gonzalez (PA to Professor Slater) with apainting of a Lotus Flower by talented BUCT student Wei. From left toright Wei Xiaoxiao, Luo Zhuohui, Guan Zhong, Gao Simiao, Yuan Li

“I have never experienced this before but itreally felt that CEB is really doing somethingthat will somehow change the future of ourdaily life”


Undergraduate Focus


Welcome from CUCES Committee

CUCES is a student run committee and our purpose isto be there for Chem Eng students. We have a longtradition of organising great careers and social events forall Chem Engers and it is a pleasure to serve such anacademic yet sociable department. We really enjoyworking as part of one of the best performing (ranked5th in the UK for 2010/11) and friendliest societiesaround, so let the excitement continue!

Don’t forget to check out our website regularly to stayinformed with the latest news and happenings. If youhave any suggestions, ideas or questions, don’t hesitateto get in touch. Stay tuned with CUCES atwww.srcf.ucam.org/cuces

Undergraduate SummerInternship HighlightsOver the summer vacation some of the undergraduateshave completed internships and two students haveshared their experience with us.

Worsley Parsons, Laurence Tonna (Part 1)During the period July/August ’11, I had the fortune toundertake an internship in the process engineeringdepartment of Worley Parsons, a global engineeringservice contractor, in Muscat, the capital of theSultanate of Oman. e placement involved mefollowing a selection of modules from their graduatetraining scheme, and through a series of mentors I wasgiven a grounding in what is essentially Oil and Gas101: from its exploration and production, to treatmentand refining.

It was very interesting to note the difference betweenbeing a practicing process engineer, and a very theory-

conscious student. Rest assured, you won’t be writingmany integral signs as part of your jobs! e ‘science’ ofit all is, without doubt, crucial, but being in theprofessional workplace certainly put the theoreticalcourses into perspective!

Being abroad, in particular being in a very culturally-different, oil-dominated part of the world, offered atremendous insight into what global chemicalengineering is all about: everything from driving on theother side of the road, to picking up the odd Arabicphrase in the office, to jet-skiing past coastal plants allmade for a fantastic experience.

Laurence enjoying some downtime during his placement in Muscat.

Exxon Mobil, Carl Tilbury (Part 2A)Exxon's summer vacation course is extremely wellorganised. ey go out of their way to help Cambridgestudents apply by fast tracking you through theinterview process and coming to Cambridge tointerview you. Once you get to Fawley, this continuesin the breadth of the activities they organise such as freedinners and bowling nights to name a few.

You get exposure to the largest oil refinery in the UKand you will get real work to do that has tangibleeconomic or safety benefits. e size of the course (16students in 2011) is great for eight weeks and you alllive together in halls, which is great for getting to knoweveryone. On top of that, you’ve got a social budget toorganise events (we did go-karting, bowling, campingtrip to the Isle of Wight, orpe Park and BBQs) andan end of internship black tie ball. is is a highlymature internship - I met someone who did it in ‘76 -and the result is a finely tuned course that is pitched atexactly the right level to give you an incredible summerand an unparalleled insight into the industry.


Graduate Hub


Manny’s Three Peaks ChallengeFundraising CampaignImmanuel (Manny) Kemp gained his BA and MEngwith us and stayed on at the department to study for aPhD with Dr Dennis, working on Fischer Tropschreactions. e last issue of CEB Focus featured an articleon Manny’s preparation and fundraising for the reePeaks Challenge which he has now completed this pastJune for a paediatric cancer charity called KidsCan(www.kidscan.org.uk).

e challenge involved climbing to the tops of BenNevis, Scafell Pike and Mount Snowdon, the highestpeaks in Scotland, England and Wales respectively, inonly 15 hours of climbing, commencing in themid-afternoon on June 18th. e group managed this in15 and a half hours because of bad weather and poorvisibility on Scafell Pike. e total distance covered onfoot was about 26 miles. e challenge would normallybe conducted with a 24 hour time limit includingdriving between the Peaks, but the organisers opted totime the actual climbing and not the driving as teams inprevious years have been known to ignore the speedlimit on the M6 when the clock was running.

Manny has so far collected £2120 and it is not too lateto donate via his Just Giving page atwww.justgiving.com/kidscan-manny-threepeaks or by acheque payable to A. I. Kemp to his pigeonhole.

Amy Chesterton’s Media FellowshipAmy Chesterton has taken time-out from her PhD thissummer to become a Media Fellow at the NakedScientists. She describes what she’s up to ...

e British Science Association is a charity which aimsto advance the public understanding of science. Eachyear they organise Media Fellowships to allow practisingscientists to gain experience of working in the media.e aim is to give scientists a better understanding ofhow the media works, leaving them better equipped forpositive experiences in the future while improvingscientist-journalist relations. is year there were 10media fellows, from universities and research institutesacross the UK. Placements included newspapers, suchas e Guardian, online news, such as the BBC, andradio, such as my placement at the Naked Scientists.e Naked Scientists are a group of media-savvyscientists who promote science to the general public.ey do this through many media outlets, includingonline podcasts, online news and kitchen scienceexperiments to try at home. A weekly radio show alsobroadcasts from BBC Cambridgeshire across the southeast of England.

My placement lasted sixweeks where I learnt theembargo system, wrote newsarticles, interviewedscientists and edited audiointo podcasts. e climax ofmy placement was theBritish Science Associationscience festival in Bradfordin September. e eventcomprised of two sides:science outreach for thepublic and science newsconferences for the media.Along with the other fellows, I had ‘access all areas’ tothe press rooms, organised conferences and embargoednews. My job was to source the most news-worthystories, and gain recorded interviews and contact detailsfor my return. My final responsibility was to producemy own radio show which aired from the BBC studiosacross the South East on the 25th September.

Amy in BBC studio booth

Manny (second from right) with his fellow climbers on the top of BenNevis


Teaching Matters


ChemEngTripos ExplainedDr David ScottDirector of Teaching

e aim of the Chemical Engineering Tripos is toprepare our students for a professional lifetime oftechnical activity. One of the strengths of the course -recognised by many outsiders - is the emphasis onfundamental principles, and one of the learningoutcomes we wish to achieve is an ability to use thefundamentals of physics, chemistry and biology,together with mathematics, to solve new problems inthe discipline, and to find new solutions to oldproblems. Skills in the fundamentals arecomplemented by activities in design and engineeringpractice.

e course has a flexible first year, with the NaturalSciences route being ideal for those who like purescience and want to understand how things work at afundamental level, and the Engineering route giving abroad background and an emphasis on applying scienceto real-world problems. In years two and three,students are taught the core topics of ChemicalEngineering and are introduced to Biotechnology. eyare taken to professional level in well-established areasof the discipline, giving them the knowledge and skillsto deal with many problems in modern processindustries. At the end of year three, students undertakea project on the design of a modern industrial process.

is design project brings together much of thematerial they have been taught, while giving them theopportunity to work in teams on an open-endedproblem to which there is no single ‘right’ answer. Inmany ways, it is the design project that transforms themfrom students into people capable of practisingengineering.

In year four, students are exposed to Master’s Levelmaterial at or near the leading edge of ChemicalEngineering and Biotechnology research. is includesoptional modules proposed by lecturers, allowingacademic staff to communicate their enthusiasm fortheir research interests. A hallmark of our course is thatstudents gain experience of real research in the final-year research projects. is is genuine research -running for longer than in most other universities - andit is not uncommon for students to become authors ofpapers in leading international journals.

We work to make our students understand material andto think for themselves, rather than just followingrecipes. We do this not just by setting challengingproblem sheets and exam questions, but also by settingassessed coursework (exercises). Cambridge Collegesupervision system enables us to put students on thespot and test their ability. Emphasis on understandingand thinking is becoming increasingly important in thisage of instant electronic information.

Great support staff (IT, laboratories, workshops,secretarial, administration, tea room and domestic) andmembers of the research school assist us withdemonstrating and teaching. We must also thank ourmany talented students, who question us, point out ourerrors, and come up with new solutions (and alsoproblems). is improves our understanding and helpsus to develop the course.

Dr David Scott (back row far right) at Pilkington Teaching Prize AwardsCeremony hosted by University Vice Chancellor Professor Sir LeszekBorysiewicz

©M

ikeCam

eron

“We work to make our students understandmaterial and to think for themselves.”


Teaching Matters


Farewell to MBEs 2011Dr Linda AllanMBE Directore Master’s in Bioscience Enterprise students’ yearconcluded in style with two events: a formalSymposium was held at e Nucleus, ChesterfordResearch Park, during which the students presentedtheir research findings to an audience including theUniversity’s Examiners and business executivesresponsible for hosting students during the companyinternship component of the course. Professor GrahamRichards, Emeritus Professor of Chemistry fromOxford, together with Professor Chris Lowe, Directorof the Institute of Biotechnology, provided the studentswith a plethora of stiff questions on a diversity ofinternship topics, ranging from the commercialisationof adjuvants for stem cell delivery to the healthcarevalue chain for the medical device industry in China.

A quick change into party mode was then called for,especially by the five students whose day was enhancedby a call for a viva voce in the late afternoon. etransition is one that apparently has been practicedfrequently by the students during the year and wentwithout a hitch, leaving plenty of time for socialising atthe celebratory Farewell Dinner later in the evening.e guests who joined the festivities at Jesus Collegeincluded many of the programme tutors and mentorsfrom academia and industry. e event was anopportunity to thank these contributors as well as tobid farewell to the students.

Guest of Honour Mark Trusheim, Executive inResidence & Visiting Scientist at MIT, generously madethe second of two journeys from the USA this year tospeak to the current ‘MBEs’. Earlier in the year Marklectured together with Dr Eddie Blair on the theme ofcurrent initiatives and opportunities for business in thepersonalised and stratified medicine space. At thedinner Mark reflected more personally on insightsgained in founding and developing several successfullife science companies in the USA, whilst offeringsound advice on taking life’s inevitable disappointmentswith courage and good humour.

He acknowledged having the good fortune to haveaccess to education, which struck a sound note with the

members of the department concerned with raisingfunds for bursaries to enable students of allbackgrounds to study here in the future. We extendour sincere thanks to Mark for making a generousallocation of time and expertise available to thestudents. Also to the two technology companies whofinancially supported the dinner, Pharming and IMLLtd., and recruitment company RSA, for the donationof an award for excellence in the dissertation aspect ofthe course.

Since formally graduating in July the students havejourneyed far and wide across the globe, some back totheir own countries, others to take up business andacademic roles in entirely new geographies. Happilymost of 2010-11 MBEs have already secured positionsand we wish them every success in these engagements.

Despite modestly resisting, Professor Chris Lowe was eventually prevailedupon to display his recently awarded OBE to members of the MBE classduring the Symposium.

“Since formally graduating in July thestudents have journeyed far and wide acrossthe globe, some back to their own countries,others to take up business and academicroles in entirely new geographies.”


Teaching Matters


Professor Sabine BahnProfessor Bahn is apractisingclinician (sheholds anHonoraryConsultant

position in General Adult Psychiatryat Addenbrookes Hospital,Cambridge); she is also a leadingresearch scientist, Director of theCambridge Centre forNeuropsychiatric Research atCambridge University and a fellowof Lucy Cavendish College. Hermain research interests are tounderstand the molecular basis ofneuropsychiatric/neurodevelopmental disorders, witha focus on the major psychoticdisorders, schizophrenia and bipolardisorder. Professor Bahn haspublished numerous articles in highimpact journals over the last years.

She is dedicated to translating herresearch into clinical practice to thebenefit of patients. To this end, in2005 she co-founded PsynovaNeurotech Ltd., which, togetherwith Rules Based Medicine haslaunched the first blood test aidingin the early diagnosis ofSchizophrenia.

Among several of her achievementsin 2010 she was appointed Professorfor Translational Neuroscience atErasmus University Medical Centre,Department of Neuroscience,Rotterdam. In February 2011Psynova Neurotech and S. Bahnwere announced winner of theACES best European Life Sciencespin-out award.

Dr Graham ChristieDr Christie’sacademicbackground isvery much in thefield ofmicrobiology and

biotechnology, having studied for aBSc in Microbiology at theUniversity of Strathclyde. is wasfollowed by a PhD at the Universityof Warwick, during which heconducted research relating to thereal-time monitoring of thephysiological status of micro-organisms in various fermentationprocesses. After a period working inindustry, which included a spell asthe Deputy Section Head ofMicrobiology at Rank HovisMcDougall Technology, Dr Christiejoined Professor Chris Lowe’s groupat the former Institute ofBiotechnology. Initial work on thedevelopment of holographic-basedsensors for the detection of bacterialspores led to the initiation of aprogram of research aimed atelucidating fundamental aspects ofthe spore germination process. is,and other areas of spore-relatedresearch – the outputs of whichcould lead to applications withinthe healthcare and foodmanufacturing sectors – continuesto form the focus for researchconducted by Dr Christie’s groupwithin the Department of ChemicalEngineering and Biotechnology.

Dr Daniel HollandDr Holland hasbeen appointed asa UniversityLecturer inSustainableReaction

Engineering. Daniel graduated fromthe University of Canterbury, NewZealand, with a B.Eng(Hons). Aftera brief period working at IndustrialResearch Ltd, he came toCambridge where he studiedprotein chromatography usingmagnetic resonance. After his PhD,he continued to work in theMagnetic Resonance ResearchCentre on the development of newmagnetic resonance (MR)techniques to study complexmultiphase flows, in particularpioneering dynamic studies of gas-solid flows. He then began toexplore how signal processing canbe used to dramatically improveMR measurements. is researchhas led to at least an order ofmagnitude reduction in theacquisition time and spatialresolution of MR measurements,therefore enabling the use of cheap,portable MR systems. He is nowexploring how these ideas can beapplied to electron tomography,electrical capacitance tomographyand NMR spectroscopy. e newcapabilities that these techniquesprovide will be used to providedetailed measurements ofmultiphase flows to aid thedevelopment of numericalmodelling techniques andultimately to design moresustainable and efficient processes.

Three New Lecturers on BoardMichaelmas Term 2011 welcomes three new academics


Teaching Matters


Design Project 2011Dr Bart HallmarkCEB Lectureris year’s CET IIA design project was based aroundthe scenario of retrofitting a carbon capture unit to agas fired power station; the hypothetical location of theunit was at the Saltend chemical park due toHumberside having been designated a UK carbon hub.e project was generously supported by Jacobs andAker Clean Carbon, who provided valuable technicalinput to both staff and students and a prize fund for thebest design. Once the project was completed, Jacobswas also able to make internship offers to two of thebest-performing students.

e project started with a one-day workshop, an‘industry day’, which was given by representatives fromthe British Chemical Engineering ContractorsAssociation (BCECA). A class of 46 students werereminded of the key stages of the design process,spanning bidding to commissioning, in the context of acryogenic separation unit. It was felt that this was auseful exercise to remind everyone of the open-endednature of design since the start of the project fell onlythree days after the end of the CET IIA Tripos exams.

e class of 46 students was divided into eight teams,which were organised to satisfy the constraints ofeducational background (natural sciences or generalengineering), CET I results and gender. Each team then

had five weeks to produce a complete plant designreport, which had to include a full technical design forthe plant and its control systems, a safety, health andenvironmental appraisal, an economic analysis andinitial plot layout drawings.

Once the final plant design report had been submitted,the student teams then had to present their findings toa panel of judges, which comprised the academic staffdesign team and external guests. In addition to IanSalmon, representing Aker Clean Carbon and Jacobs,representatives from the East Anglian branch ofIChemE along with staff from local engineeringcompanies kindly gave their time to appraise thestudents’ work. e presentation winners were group‘G’. e departmental design prize, awarded for thebest individual performance, was shared betweenAlexander Smith and Carl Tilbury.

Speaking after the event, Ian Salmon said that he wasvery impressed with the technical quality of the resultsfrom all of the student groups along with the highstandard of the presentations. is feeling was shared byAlan Stanford, secretary of the East Anglian branch ofIChemE, and by Latoja Jack, who was attending onbehalf of AVEVA group plc. Professor Slater, HoD, wasdelighted with Jacob’s offers of student internshipsbased on design project performance; hopefully, thisroute to provide students with industrial experience canbe repeated in future projects.

Ian Salmon (left) from Jacobs Process Ltd with this year’s winning design project group. From left to right: Helen Breewood, Calvin Cheung, AlexanderSmith, Vinayak Rajendran (Henry Chan absent)


Research Highlights


e question of whether we are alone in the Universehas been asked since the dawn of civilisation andinspired great works of science fiction and art. But whatis the science behind it? Astrobiology is an inter-disciplinary science that investigates the origin andevolution of life in the Universe. It is mainly built onadvances made in the areas of astronomy, biology andthe physical sciences. Major western governments valueresearch in the field. For example, NASA (NationalAeronautical Space Agency, U.S.A) and the ESA(European Space Agency) have launched exo-planetdetection programs that aim to identify ‘earth-like’planets in other planetary systems by analyzing theiratmospheric spectra. Frank Drake famously estimatedthat there could be 10 communicating civilisations inour own galaxy, the Milky Way. But so far evidence forextra-terrestrial life has been hard to find.

NASA and the Planetary Sciences Unit, at the OpenUnit, Milton Keynes have discovered organic materialin the Martian meteorite EETA 79001 which waslocated in the Antarctic, hinting towards the existenceof possible biological activity in this extra-terrestrialpiece of rock millions of years ago1. Potentialnanofossils have also been reported in another Martianmeteorite ALH840012. Sceptics say that these areprobably artefacts rather than evidence for extra-terrestrial life. It is also believed that one might not beable to prove the existence of life until an actual ‘cellcavity’ is detected.

Recent media coverage of ‘astrobiological discoveries’has focused on reporting the existence of organisms inhabitats previously thought to be devoid of life on ourplanet, thereby raising the possibility of detecting lifeforms on other similarly harsh celestial habitats. Lastyear NASA reported the existence of microorganismscapable of substituting arsenic in place of phosphates intheir DNA and other bio-molecules, thus being able tosurvive under conditions that were until then believedto be toxic to all life forms3. Similarly, the discovery ofecosystems solely powered by energy released byradioactive decay of elements, several kilometres below

the Earth’s surface, raises the titillating possibility ofhidden life beneath other planetary surfaces4.

Currently the attention of astrobiologists is shiftingfrom the discovery of life to the creation of it. With theadvent of synthetic biology it is now possible to createorganisms with novel capabilities and functions. Byengineering the genetic and metabolic circuits in livingsystems, we might one day be able to devise life formsthat could survive in extra-terrestrial habitats. Manyearthly organisms already possess this uncanny ability.For example, Polypedilum vanderplanki larvae have beensent out to space in their anhydrobiotic state and haveremarkably revived after two and a half years, albeitwith diminished reproductive capacity5. eir nextmission will to be Mars! Understanding howanhydrobiotic organisms such as Polypedilum androtifers (Figure 1) Adineta ricciae survive in extremeconditions might enable the creation of other space-tolerant life forms. e latter is currently under study inthe Cell and Organism Engineering Laboratory in thedepartment.

Are there anyadvantages tointroducing life onother planets? Onemight argue thatwith the humanpopulationpredicted toburgeon in the nextfew centuries,conversion of other

planets to a more earth-like state might hold the key toour long-term survival as a species. Plants and otherphotosynthetic organisms could allow the conversion ofwater to oxygen in temperature-regulated greenhousesmaking it possible to build homes on the Moon andMars! Microorganisms could also be used for bio-leaching of precious minerals and rare elements on theseplanets. Besides the economic benefits, shaping theevolution of ecosystems on a planetary scale is a

Astrobiology: Science Fiction or the Next Frontier?Rashmi TripathiPhD Student, Cell and Organism Engineering

Figure 1. Rotifer image taken from scientificblogs.



Research Highlights

fascinating challenge in its own right. is is anexceedingly rare feat that took place on our planet whenbacterial life first evolved roughly 3.8 billion years ago.However, given the enormous cost to space research anddevelopment, it remains to be seen how far into thefuture this might actually happen. Who knows wemight one day be able to engineer living organisms tosurvive anywhere in the Universe (including black holesand quasars!).

Acknowledgements: I would like to thank AlastairClarke for his comments and Dr. Alan Tunnacliffe forhis encouragement.

References1. Wright,I.P.; Grady, M.M.;Pillinger, C.T. Organic materials in a Martian

Meteorite. Nature. 340, 220-222.19892. McKay, D.S.; Gibson, E.K. Jr; omas-Keprta, K.L.; Vali, H.; Romanek,

C.S.; Clemett, S.J.; Chillier, X.D.; Maechling, C.R.; Zare, R.N. Search forpast life on Mars: possible relic biogenic activity in martian meteoriteALH84001. Science. 273(5277), 924-30. 1996

3. Wolfe-Simon, F.,; Switzer Blum, J.; Kulp, T.R.; Gordon, G.W.; Hoeft, S.E.;Pett-Ridge J, Stolz, J.F.;Webb, S.M.; Weber, P.K.; Davies, P.C.; Anbar, A.D.;Oremland, R.S. A bacterium that can grow by using arsenic instead ofphosphorus. Science. 332(6034):1163-6. 2010

4. Lin, L.H.; Wang, P.L.; Rumble, D.; Lippmann-Pipke, J.; Boice, E.; Pratt,L.M.; Sherwood Lollar, B.; Brodie, E.L.; Hazen, T.C.; Andersen, G.L.;DeSantis, T.Z.; Moser, D.P.; Kershaw, D.; Onstott, T.C. Long-termsustainability of a high-energy, low-diversity crustal biome. Science. 314(5798): 479-82. 2006

5. Gusev,O.; Nakahara, Y.; Cornette, R.; Iwata, K.; Sakashita, T.; Hamada, N.;Kikawada, T.; Kobayashi, Y.; Majima, H.; Takashi, O. DNA Damage andRepair upon anhydrobiosis in the sleeping chironomid, Polypedilumvanderplanki. ISEPEP4. 2011.

DevelopingMicrowave Pyrolysisfor Recycling Engine OilSu Shiung Lam and Prof Howard A. ChaseBiochemical and Environmental Engineering GroupUsed automobile engine oil is an environmentallyhazardous waste that is difficult to dispose of due to thepresence of undesirable species such as soot, metals, andsulfur compounds. Existing treatment processes such asincineration, combustion, and catalytic hydro-treatment, are becoming increasingly impracticable dueto concerns of environmental pollution (with associatedtoxic emissions and greenhouse gas release) and thedifficulties of disposing of the sludge generated by theseprocesses.

e project investigates the feasibility of usingmicrowave heating to generate a pyrolysis process for

recycling and transforming the used oil into valuablehydrocarbon feedstocks. By pyrolysing the used oil in amodified microwave oven in the presence of particulatecarbon, hydrocarbons of smaller molecular size thanthose present in the waste oil are generated and thesehave potential for use as a liquid fuel. Hence anenvironmentally unfriendly waste material can betransformed into a useful resource and serves as analternative source of hydrocarbon energy.

e recovered pyrolysis oil demonstrated a calorificvalue comparable to transport-grade fuels, and the oilwas found to contain substantial concentrations of lightaliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons that could also beused as a chemical feedstock1. e oil product showedhigh recovery (~90%) of the energy present in the wasteoil, and is also relatively contaminant free with lowsulfur, oxygen, residue, toxic PAH and metal content2.e microwave-heated pyrolysis can be performed in acontinuous operation, and the apparatus describedwhich is fitted with magnetrons capable of delivering5 kW of microwave power is capable of treating wasteoil at a feed rate of 5 kg/h with a positive energy ratio of8 (energy content of hydrocarbon products/electricalenergy supplied for microwave heating)3. Our resultsindicate that microwave-heated pyrolysis showsexceptional promise as a means for recycling andtreating problematic waste oil.

References1. S. S. Lam, A. D. Russell and H. A. Chase, Energy, 2010, 35, 2985-2991.2. S. S. Lam, A. D. Russell and H. A. Chase, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 2010, 49,

10845-10851.3. S. S. Lam, A. D. Russell, C. L. Lee and H. A. Chase, Fuel, 2011, doi:

10.1016/j.fuel.2011.1007.1027 (Article in Press)

Figure 1. Used automotive engine oil (left) can be transformed intovaluable fuel (right) using the microwave-heated pyrolysis method3.


Research Feature


Alistair McCormick , Alex Driver and Paolo BombelliElectro Chemical and Micro Engineering Groupe sun is the ultimate source of life on Earth. Itsupplies us with vast amounts of energy and is thesource of all traditional fossil fuels used today. However,fossil fuel usage has several drawbacks: it is consideredenvironmentally unfriendly (burning fossil fuels is themain contributor to the greenhouse effect), usage issubject to political risk and fossil fuel resources aredestined to run out. erefore there is an urgent needto develop new energy technologies that can provide arenewable, carbon neutral source of power and directlyharnessing solar energy is seen as an attractive option.As such development of efficient solar cell systems tocapture even a small fraction of our enormous solarreserve is currently an important scientific andengineering challenge.

Nature has been harvesting energy from the sun formillennia through the process of photosynthesis.However, botanical species have a notorious reputationfor photosynthetic inefficiency - most plants onlyconvert about 0.25% of the sunlight that falls on theminto biomass. Despite this seemingly meagre effort, it isestimated that photosynthetic organisms (includingalgae and plants) together harvest ten times as muchenergy from the sun as we utilise through fossil fuelconsumption.

Several technologies have been developed to emulatethe photosynthetic process. e most successful of theseare synthetic solar cells based on the photovoltaic effect(e.g. silicon solar cells). Unlike photosyntheticorganisms, these devices are able to convert energy witha much higher efficiency (10-15%). However, thosetechnologies are based on the use of expensive, highpurity semi-conductor materials. An ideal solar energytechnology would attain the high energy conversionefficiency of synthetic systems whilst keeping theinherent merits of a low-cost biological approach. Withthis aim in mind, a recent collaboration between fourdepartments in the University of Cambridge has led tothe development of a new hybrid technology forharnessing solar energy, called Biophotovoltaics (BPV).

BPV devices are biological solar cells that can generateelectricity. is is achieved by harvesting energy fromthe photosynthetic activity of living organisms, such asalgae. When light falls on algae cells, a series of internalreactions take place which split water into protons,electrons and oxygen. ese three products are vitalingredients for transforming carbon dioxide and otherinorganic materials into food for the algae to grow. BPVexploits this process to generate electrical energy in asystem very similar to a battery (Figure 1). e firstBPV devices have recently been constructed and tested

Figure 1. Biophotovoltaic cells are a new hybrid technology that usesphotosynthetic organisms to produce electricity. Living algal cells can beplaced inside the anodic chamber of a two electrode system separatedby a membrane that allows only protons to pass through. Electronsproduced during photosynthesis flow through an external circuit andthen re-combine with protons and oxygen in the cathode chamber toform water. The resulting current flowing in the external circuit can beused for electrical power.

Biophotovoltaics – Solar Energy Produced by Living Organisms

Figure 2. Current BPV prototypes produced at the University ofCambridge. Algae (top left and right) and moss (bottom left) designs canpresently produce enough energy to power small electronic devices.


Research Feature


in the laboratory. So far, they have shown great promisefor powering small electronic devices (Figure 2).Although preliminary results are exciting, there is still agreat deal of research required before Biophotovoltaicscan be developed into a commercially viable technology.For example, currently no one fully understands thebiological pathways involved in power outputs. Solarconversion efficiencies are also still much lower thanthose for synthetic solar cells. To tackle such problems,the BPV consortium in Cambridge uses a uniqueinterdisciplinary approach. A wide range of techniquesand skills from a variety of fields are employedincluding electrochemistry, micro-fabrication, chemicalsynthesis, molecular biology, and mathematicalmodelling. eir work is currently focussed ondeveloping a better understanding of the processesoccurring within these ‘biological batteries’.

e long term target for BPV research is to produce aneconomical device with low manufacturing costs andcompetitive energy conversion efficiencies within thenext two decades. Although BPV cells may be destinedto remain less efficient than synthetic silicone cells, theirbiological advantages, such as renewability and abilityfor self-repair, may lead to BPV systems becoming ahighly useful alternative energy resource. Other possibleuses of BPV technology include the co-generation ofchemicals (e.g. formic acid which can be used as a fuel)and the production of hydrogen.

With this in mind, scientists in the BPV consortiumscientific agreed to take part in a collaborative projectwith designers from the University’s Institute forManufacturing to look into the future and examinesome possible applications for BPV technology(Figure 3).

A brainstorming session led to a range of concepts forpotential products, including a BPV solar panel array, anear-shore generator that harvests desalinated water,and a garden table that generates and stores energyduring the day that can be used in the evening (thelatter is currently under construction). e team alsoconsidered the idea of an off-shore BPV power stationconsisting of several vast floating ‘lily pads’ coated inalgae. e power output per unit area of such a BPVpower station would ideally match that of anequivalently sized offshore wind farm (5-6 W/m2),which will be enough to exploit this technology at acommercial level. Such a power station would evengenerate energy during the night as a result of thenatural excess energy stored inside the alga cells duringdaylight hours.

Following this, the scientific team asked the designers tobuild a prototype for the BPV solar panel array. A 3Dcomputer model was produced which was then used tomanufacture and assemble the components in theengineering Department of Engineering workshop(Figure 4).

e working device is shown in Figure 2, and hasproved invaluable in communicating the potential ofthe technology to colleagues, potential investors andmembers of the public. An array of these devices couldbe placed on a rooftop to provide a portion of thebuilding’s power requirements. e advantages of thisdevice are that it is environmentally friendly and easy tomanufacture compared with conventional solar panels.Furthermore the algal bio-electrical catalysts requireonly water and sunlight to survive and generate energy.e oxygen produced at the anode escapes into theatmosphere whilst the water produced at the cathode

Figure 3. Futuristic designs for BPV technology include a floating seawater desalination generator (left). BPVs do not require land and thuscould be up-scaled as off shore power stations (centre). A moss-poweredtable that stores solar energy is currently under construction (right).

Figure 4. A BPV solar panel array (right) could be a useful householdpower supplement. Based on designs from the Cambridge Institute forManufacture (left), prototypes are currently being tested (see Figure 2)


Research Feature Department Events


could either be harvested or left to evaporate. Noharmful chemical wastes are produced during theprocess and once exhausted the devices are easy torecycle. Our green future has certainly never lookedbrighter!

e BPV consortium has also recently had twomanuscripts accepted in the journal Energy &Environmental Science;

P. J. Bombelli, R. W. Bradley, A. M. Scott, A. J. Philips,A. J. McCormick, S. M. Cruz, A. Anderson, K. Yunus,D. S. Bendall, P. Cameron, J. Davies, A. G. Smith, C. J.Howe and A. C. Fisher. Quantitative analysis of thefactors limiting solar power transduction bySyechocystis sp. PCC 6803 in biological photovoltaicdevices. Energy & Environmental Science, In Press.

A. J. McCormick, P. J. Bombelli, A. M. Scott, A. J.Philips, A. G. Smith, A. C. Fisher, C. J. Howe.Photosynthetic biofilms in pure culture harness solarenergy in a mediatorless bio-photovoltaic (BPV) cellsystem. Energy & Environmental Science, In Press.

e BPV consortium:Alexander Anderson3, Derek Bendall2, Paolo Bombelli1,Robert Bradley2, Petra Cameron5, Sonia Cruz3, JuliaDavies3, Alex Driver4, Adrian Fisher1, Chris Howe2,Anuphon Laohavisit3, Alistair McCormick2, JamesMoultrie4, Carlos Peralta4, James Phillips1, AmiraRedissi1, Alison Smith3, Rebecca orne5.

1. Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University ofCambridge, New Museums Site, Pembroke Street., Cambridge CB2 3RA;

2. Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Building O,Downing Site, Cambridge CB2 1QW;

3. Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street,Cambridge CB2 3EA;

4. Institute for Manufacturing, Department of Engineering, University ofCambridge, 17 Charles Babbage Road, Cambridge CB3 0FS;

5. Department of Chemistry, University of Bath, 1 South 1.20, Bath BA2 7AY.

CEB Alumni Speaker Seriese 2011-12 series will kick off with a talk byalumnus Dr Les Bolton, Advisor in ReactionEngineering at BP on ‘e Chemical EngineeringChallenges of Developing Novel Biofuels’.

When: ursday 27th October, 4pmWhere: Lecture eatre 1, Shell Building, NewMuseums Site.

ese talks will take place on ursdays at 4pmunless otherwise stated. Other talks on:

24th November 201126th January 201226th February 201226th April 201224th May 2012

Talk titles and speakers will be confirmed in futureissues.

‘Welcome to the department’ Pub NightA chance for all department members, new andold, to talk, drink and be merry.Friday October 14th, 5pm at the Eagle Pub.Department Pub Nights will then be on the secondFriday of every month (venue and details to beannounced).

CUEN Freshers’ SquashCambridge University Energy Network will host aFreshers’ Squash on Friday 21st October, at 6.30pm– 8.30pm in the Common Room, GraduateUnion.Contact: [email protected]

Want to learn more about the exploitation andcommercialisation of research?Essential Skills for Research Entrepreneurs is a freetransferable skills training course open to PhDstudents and post-docs from the CEB departmentfor the 2011-12 academic year. Contact Dr SarahRough ([email protected]) for details.



Industry Business

Career Opportunities with StroudBen WilsonStroud Associate

Who we areStroud Consulting has been recognized as the ‘BestSmall Firm to Work For’ in 2008 and 2010 byConsulting Magazine (runner-up in 2009). Stroud’sconsultants are smart, driven, energetic, motivated, andfun. We are a young company, growing to ~75consultants in 2011, while holding fast to our dynamicculture and collegial, entrepreneurial spirit.

We are a small, rapidly growing, management andoperational improvement firm. We are experts inunleashing potential from existing assets, delivering stepchange results and driving significant cultural changewithin organisations.

We achieve this by applying our highly structured,focused approach and methodology to tackle the toughtechnical problems that have become accepted normsand roadblocks to improved performance. We areabundance thinkers in that we believe there isopportunity to significantly improve everywhere – evenfor industry leaders. We do not constrain ourselves tobenchmarking. is approach addresses any deeplyheld beliefs that have caused unrecovered opportunityto exist. In this way it is additive to, and leverages ourclients own engineering technical capability.

Almost all of our growth comes via word of mouth anddirect referrals from previous clients which is testamentto the great results that we deliver. Where we really addvalue is in working alongside people to uncoveropportunities that they didn’t know existed and recoveropportunities they previously thought impossible. iscollaborative approach ensures that we deliver results atan exceptional rate whilst building capability andabundant thinking within the client organisation.

Our clients work with Stroud when they wantimmediate, breakthrough results. We love rolling upour sleeves and working alongside our clients to solvetheir toughest operational challenges. We work in manydifferent sectors including energy, food and beverage,agribusiness, chemicals, finance and more.

Working with StroudStroud welcomes applications from undergraduates andpostgraduates with the right to work in the UK andEurope.

Training: e Stroud development program providesunsurpassed personal growth. You will work face-to-facewith senior-level clients within days of joining anddramatically grow your leadership skills through leadingclient teams to generate tangible, head-turning results.

Off-the-job training includes:

• 15 days of induction training in your first 100 days• A dedicated coach to help you maximise your rate of

development• Annual Stroud International week-long conference to

share best practice• Six-monthly career-planning sessions with a Partner

or Principal

Total number of vacancies this year: Eight in London,20+ globally

Salary Range in 2011: £36,000 + £4,000 starting bonus

Method of application: To apply attend one of ourInformation Sessions at the end of which we willadminister a short aptitude test. Applicants passing thetest will be invited directly to interview.

Our main information session is:17th October, 7:00pm, Peterhouse.After the session there will be an informal buffet whereyou can meet some of our consultants.

Contact (for applications): Lisa PhillipsTelephone No.: +44 (0) 8700 102 106Email Address: [email protected]: www.stroudconsulting.com


Alumni Corner


Trials andTribulations of Lookingfor a New JobDr Robin Chrystie (2001 – 2010)

‘e World is your oyster – see laterally’

e juggling act of livingindependently andapplying for jobs indifferent fields requiredorganisation and tenacity.Practice does make better,in respect of attendingassessment centres - itreally is advisable to beyourself, within limits –this is to ensure that youare more relaxed and that

there is a good match between you and the organisationlong term.

After marathon-like patience, I finally landed a positionat PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) as a Tax Associate. Itwas a steep learning curve in many respects, namely interms of learning something of very different character,becoming accustomed to London life and becomingfamiliar with the commercial environment. e latterwas quite a challenge in that colleagues from a variety ofbackgrounds can result in interesting office politics.After some time, it transpired that I was finding taxwork more and more unsatisfying with little room tovent my creative streak, which proved invaluable forengineering research. e moral of the story here is topursue a career that you excel in and enjoy! Time tomigrate to greener pastures.

More lateral reflection resulted in Engineering,Management Consulting or Whitehall Civil Service asfurther possibilities. is was a ripe time toamalgamate my ambition to work overseas at somepoint along with looking for a more fulfilling career. Iconsidered Silicon Valley, Melbourne, Washington DCand Saudi Arabia. e latter caught my eye, and since Irealised that tax is not my forté, Saudi Arabia was thenatural choice. Meanwhile, I am pursuing veryinteresting research in clean combustion as a

Postdoctoral Fellow at King Abdullah University ofScience and Technology (KAUST) at Jeddah. is lineof research is similar to my Doctoral studies usinglasers, optics and electronics, and explosive substances.In my spare time, I look forward to making the most ofthe recreational opportunities available here at KAUST,such as jet skiing and deep sea diving in the Red Sea,and learning a little Arabic.

In conclusion, when directing your own journey,remain open minded and light-footed, especially at thebeginning of your career. Hunting for a good positionis tricky but well worth the investment – so remaintenacious, and most importantly, be true to yourselfand follow your natural interests.Adios, or in Arabic: ةلفح ميركتل نالف

Reminiscing the PastBarry Hedley ChEng Alumnus 1964-1968Fellow, Judge Business SchoolEmeritus Fellow, Gonville & Caius College

Dear friendsLike the other long-graduated alumni, I very muchenjoyed returning to the department recently tocelebrate our ‘roughly forty year’ reunion. Following thereunion – possibly sensing I was a soft touch – ElenaGonzalez, Professor Slater’s redoubtable assistant andpowerful right hand person, asked me for a fewpersonal reminiscences of my days in the department inthe late 60s, hence my letter:

My class was one of around twenty blokes, no womensadly, but small enough for everyone to know everyoneelse and there is no doubt we all got on very well andfelt like a fortunate small brotherhood within the largerUniversity. I was one of those who came across from theMechanical Sciences Tripos, which meant there wassome hard work to be done the first year on theChemical Engineering Tripos learning some Chemistry.I particularly recall the physical rigours this imposed, asit seemed that almost every day there was timetablingtyranny, which would have a lecture ending in theChem Eng Department at the same time as the nextlecture was starting in the Chemistry Labs. is meanta lot of furious pedaling to cycle the length of Tennis


Alumni Corner


Court Road both rapidly and perilously only in order –invariably – to arrive late and panting under thedisapproving gaze of whoever was delivering theChemistry lecture that day. But there werecompensations. e Chemistry lectures – especially, as Irecall, those on reaction mechanics delivered by ProfDenbigh – enjoyed the benefits of one of those exoticmiracles of modern technology, an overhead projector.We did not have these in the Engineering labs; nor didwe, as I recall, in the Chem Eng Dept., both relying ongood old fashioned blackboards and chalk. But thoughimpressive, the projectors held drawbacks for thelecturer. Usually someone would have sneaked into thelecture theatre in advance of the lecture, wound thetransparent film forward on the projector, and inscribedon it suitably witty cartoons or comments on thelecture (or lecturer) and usually the odd licentiouslimerick as well. And then, of course, scrolled the filmback so that the insertions would be encountered atrandom moments during the lecture. Try as he might,when he encountered these insertions, poor ProfDenbigh was not able to roll past them fast enough toprevent his audience deriving full enjoyment from theirscurrility. Somehow, despite these distractions, we learntenough chemistry to stay on the Chem Eng straightand narrow…

My strongest recollections are of the research project mypartner Peter Whalley (now sadly deceased) and Icarried out under the supervision of Professor JohnDavidson. Ever since, when hearing the theme song ofWest Ham United – ‘I’m forever blowing bubbles’ – Iremember that work. On our recent reunion, visitingthe Chem Eng workshops, I was acutely reminded ofthe practical wisdom and advice that department wasable to dispense regarding the design of equipment andconduct of the experiments. Our project involvedtaking a mass of pressure readings along a verticalbubble column, under many varying conditions of gasand liquid flow, in order to see which theoreticalequations best described the voidage that resulted in thegas/liquid mixture. Processing these data was really onlypracticable using the department’s already venerableIBM computer. Peter and I typed out massively lengthypunched tapes, one containing our analysis program,the others the actual data. We nervously inserted theseinto the computer’s optical reader. (Seemingly

impossibly esoteric technology to us at the time, I’msure it would accord equal amazement today to ageneration more used to iPhones, iPads and laptopPCs!) Actually getting the computer to do anythingseemed to require the manual entry of incredibly longstrings of machine code – all binary, shapeless sequencesof 0s and 1s – and any clumsiness on entry producederror messages that were even less comprehensible thanour original data, and not infrequently, high pitchedwhizzings and whirrings from the infeasibly large harddisk stacks that dominated the end of the computerroom like giant juke boxes. Again, miraculously anddespite all these cruel and unnatural punishments, wesomehow managed to complete our project and get ourtheses accepted by Prof JFD…

Over the years, I’ve thought about these happy days andthe wonderful teaching we received, more often thanthe faculty in the department would imagine. Myclassmates and I owe them all a great debt, and therecent reunion was a delightful opportunity to comeback and relive those early and formative experiences aswell as to learn more about the department’s newdirections and continued success and globalrecognition. Many thanks to Professor Slater and allinvolved in organizing it!

Yours,Barry

Professor Slater with at Reunion Lunch with 1962-72 Alumni at SidneySussex College, 8 July



Staff Room

TouchWorld CupDr Daniel Holland

In June 2011 I was part ofthe England Men’s Openside competing at theTouch World Cup inEdinburgh, Scotland.Touch started in Australiain the early 1960s and isderived from rugby league.It is a fast paced gamewhere the goal is to scoretouch downs as in rugby. It

emphasises speed and ball handling skills over strengthor power.

I have been playing for the England Men’s Open sidesince 2009, but the World Cup was by far the mostexhilarating tournament I have been involved in. Wewere a new side with a mix of young players to bringexuberance and a few older heads to keep them incheck. Our tournament began well with wins overIreland and Germany, but we lost to a strong Japaneseside. ese results put us through to a round robincompetition with the top eight sides in the world. Webeat France but then narrowly lost our games againstJapan (again), the Cook Islands, Australia, and NewZealand. Our best performance was against SouthAfrica, ranked 3rd for the tournament. We managed toget ahead of them early on and held our lead until withabout 60 seconds left they managed to sneak atouchdown to tie the game. A final frustrating loss toScotland left us 7th. Overall the tournament was a hugesuccess. Australia and New Zealand dominated thefinals, with Australia winning five of the seven divisions.England’s best result was in the Men’s over 30s divisionwho finished 2nd.

e sport is rapidly growing in the UK, with over12000 people playing in leagues across the country.One of the reasons for this popularity is that it is one ofthe few sports where men and women competetogether. Cambridge is blessed with a particularlystrong league and players of any ability or experienceare welcome – so let me know if you are interested!

Receptionist Michaela McNeill’sHiddenTalentWho would have known long-serving member of staff,Michaela, receptionist at the Chemical Engineering site,has just got her first book published on Kindle throughAmazon. Keen reader and history lover Michaela hasjust revealed that her book A Question of Honour isavailable for purchase on the Amazon website. Onbeing asked how this book came about she replied:

“e idea for A Question of Honour came from watchingsword and sandal epics and thinking I could writesomething in a similar vein. e story first started wayback in my early teens after watching classic tv serialslike Robin of Sherwood and e Moon Stallion and Ihave always loved watching films like Quo Vadis, eRise and Fall of the Roman Empire and more recentlyGladiator. Four years ago I was recovering from a majoroperation and rather than succumb to daytime tv, Idecided to put pen to paper and A Question of Honourwas born.

It is an historical novel set at thetime of the Roman occupationof Britain. It tells the story ofAmena, a young British girl whois training to be a priestess whenthe Romans arrive and destroyher home. She finds herself soldinto slavery and joins a Romanfamily in Sicily. She then falls in

love with Marius, a member of the family but thesituation is complicated when she meets his brotherMarcus who also declares his love for her. is is acoming of age story telling us about the feelings of ayoung woman growing up in a strange situation andhow she adapts.”

You can read a Kindle book by having a Kindle readeror reading from a PC, iPad, iPhone, Touch or Android.Show Michaela your support by buying her book onwww.amazon.co.uk.

Dan in action against Japan


Staff Room


Local Music, Global ImpactElena Gonzalez and Oxjam Cambridge music festtake over the Citye Takeover is part of a charity national music festivalin aid of Oxfam coming to Cambridge for the first timeon Saturday 22nd October. Oxjam Cambridge launchedwith a beach party on Sunday 7th August at ‘CambridgeBeach’ @ e Emperor to kick-start its fundraisingcampaign. e charity gig with talented jazz singerJoanna Eden aboard the Riverside Georgina boat on24th September sold out within days. e festival willculminate with the Takeover music festival in October.

A keen and enthusiastic team of volunteer organisers ledby Mike Wilson (Strawberry Fair Vice-Chair) areworking together with other volunteers, establishedlocal artists and venues across the city to bring the bestof local music talent to your doorstep. One of these keyorganisers is our very own Elena Gonzalez, ProfessorSlater’s PA, who has spent her spare time since Mayacting as Marketing Co-ordinator for OxjamCambridge. She commented “e experience has beenbrilliant so far; very excited to be promoting music,which I love, as well as local artists and participatingvenues, all for a great cause. I am currently involved inpublicity and event organising at CEB but the thoughtof dealing with local media was daunting at thebeginning. However, it has been a very useful andrewarding experience so far. I have learnt a lot from itand made great contacts. is has also given meadditional skills that I can now put to practice in myday-to-day job.”

e team is taking one step at a time and is currentlybusy finalising details of the upcoming Takeover a

multi-venue charity music festival, an all-dayer in aid ofOxfam aimed at the local community includingstudents and regular gig-goers.

Help from local talented artists, ethical and greenvenues and businesses have been key in making thisevent happen. Takeover Manager Mike Wilsoncommented “Oxjam Cambridge Takeover could nottaken place without the help of our main sponsors. Wewould like to thank Cambridge Building Society andLocal Secrets for their generous donations as well as ourmain media partners Envision TV and Affinity Radio,who have been following our every move over thesummer helping us spread the message of our charitablework and helping us promote Oxjam Cambridgeevents. We are hoping to raise £3000 with the Takeovermusic festival, with all the proceeds going to Oxfamhelping save millions of lives across the world.”

is is certainly the sound of something big happeningnot to be missed with lots of surprises in store includingburlesque/cabaret acts on stage, short films and twolate-night venues to spice up things even more! All sixconfirmed venues are located on Hills Rd/Regent St:e Emperor, e Alma, Great Northern, e Q Club,De Luca Cucina and the Fountain will all be hostinggreat acts on the day. All in all, over 140 artistsperforming 40 hours of entertainment packed in a one-dayer with an amazing line-up so far including the greatBiojumino, Keltrix, Sunday Driver and the Best ofEzio’s Songsmith Sessions.

Advance tickets are available for just £8 online fromwww.wegottickets.com/f/2881 as well as fromparticipating venues for £10 on the day. For moreinformation you can find Oxjam Cambridge onwww.oxjamcambridge.org.uk andwww.oxfam.org.uk/Oxjam/whatis/oxjam as well asFacebook, Twitter and Myspace. To donate and help usreach our fundraising goal, please visitwww.justgiving.com/oxjamcambridge2011

‘Oxfam GB is a registered charity (England and Wales No202918,Scotland SCO039042) & a member of Oxfam International. Oxfamworks with others to find lasting solutions to poverty and suffering.’

Elena (right) with the Oxjam Takeover Team


Arrivals and Departures


A warmwelcometo…Dr Santanu BasuSimon JobstNora Backer

Goodbye to…Dr Damien VadilloFaysal Al-Khuleafi

Long-serviceLeaversCEB Focus sends a warmgoodbye to some key membersof staff, who are retiring aftermany years of service to thedepartment. We wish LindaCraft, Barrie Goddard, SurinderSall, Sabine Deering, ProfessorMalcolm Mackley and PhilSalway, a happy retirement andthe best of luck in their futureendeavours.

Baptiste SalleyMPhil ACE Student

I came to Cambridge inOctober 2010 to start an MPhildegree in Advanced ChemicalEngineering, as part of my finalyear with the EcolePolytechnique (France). With alarge international battalion ofMPhil students (‘the best so far’,Dr S. R****, 2011, personalcommunication), I attendedvarious courses in ChemEng,engineering and business. Inmid-March, I started a five-month research projectsupervised by Dr Ian Wilson onfluid dynamic gauging ofbiofilms, working with PatrickGordon and Dr A. McCormick.I developed a new technique tomeasure the thickness andstrength of biofilms which canbe used to monitor the growthof cyanobacteria on differentsubstrates.

e time I spent here has beenboth intellectually and sociallyrewarding. is year was thefinal chapter in my life as astudent and it was quite a niceway to end my studies! I amentering the working world inSeptember when I’ll be areservoir engineer for Total inParis La Défense.

Mark DeimundMPhil ACE Student

I first arrived in Cambridge asan MPhil student duringSeptember 2010, aftercompleting a research internshipwith ExxonMobil in New Jersey,USA.As part of the MPhilprogramme, I completed twoterms of courses in a variety ofsubjects, ranging fromMacroeconomics to ModernMetrology. During the researchportion of the programme, Iworked with Professor ClemensKaminski to further develop anew type of optical fluorescencemicroscopy, localisationmicroscopy, which can providelateral image resolution on theorder of tens of nanometres.While the MPhil programmetaught me quite a lot aboutengineering and business, mytime at Cambridge taught me alot about myself as well. Ienjoyed meeting students fromall over the world, as well astravelling to new places whenpossible. I also joined theChurchill College Boat Club,rowing for my college in boththe Lent and May Bumps races.

I will soon begin my doctoralstudies at the CaliforniaInstitute of Technology inPasadena, California.


Dear Dr Sarah,

You have supervised various courses and researchprojects in this department. Now that the newacademic year is here, what tips do you have for bothgraduate and undergraduate students for managing ourown projects? What do you think is the secret to being‘successful’?anks,Pablo Arias, PhD Student

Dr Sarah says…Ah, success. Can you smell that sweet aroma? Could bean ethyl ethanoate leak somewhere?

So, you want to know the secret? Well, here it is: it’s notabout being clever, although it does help and can savetime, but it’s not essential; it is about being efficient andknowing how the system works. Here are some pointersthat helped me find my feet when I was a PhD student(in the days of floppy disks). I hope you can attainresonance with some of them.

Know how to get the best out of your supervisors:ey are your ‘guides’ in the academic underworld; butremember, they too were once human. ey will havegood and bad days, just like everyone else – but don’ttake it personally. I find that a meeting with a studentwill tend to be particularly fruitful if I have somethingto look forward to, like a slice of organic carrot cake,say, or perhaps one of those hairy coconut puff pastries(you don’t see them much nowadays, do you? I couldn’teven find one on Google images). But that’s just me. Idon’t want to be prescriptive.

Be methodical but flexible: Better to be the reed thanthe oak tree.

Divide and conquer: Split up seemingly endless, mind-numbingly boring tasks into manageable bite-sizedchunks; then at least you can have some sense ofachievement after completing each chunk.

Learn to ‘get in the zone’: How can you tell if you arethere? Well, it’s a bit like e Matrix – no one can tellyou what it is, you have to experience it to know it.

Some say it’s a dangerousway to undertakeacademic research – pah! Isay – they are justscaremongers. I go therenow and again to checkout the landscape, but Istill manage to extractmyself in time to performmundane but necessarybodily functions.

If something can gowrong, it probably will:at’s known as Sod’s Law (or Murphy’s Law, if you’re aPuritan); so always have a Plan B.

Bad results are still results: I’m sure even Einstein hada look back at his notes to check which equations didn’twork out too well – ‘Und zhis is vhen I had E beingproportional to m2. Ho ho, I von’t be doing zhat again!’

Bear in mind Occam’s Razor: ‘pluralitas non estponenda sine necessitate’. Rough translation: ‘Don’t fuffabout’.

Step back now and again to look at the wholepicture: You don’t go travelling aimlessly for four hoursand then decide to look at the map to see if you’vereached your destination – well, women don’t anyway.

Learn to delegate: Now, some people think thatdelegation involves off-loading responsibilities ontoothers so that they get the blame when it all goeswrong. But I disagree with this pessimistic attitude.One should view it as you getting all the praise foreffective out-sourcing when it all goes right. But here’sthe rub…

…If you want something done, do it yourself:Unfortunately this maxim can only really beappreciated in hindsight.

And finally, but most importantly …

“…Have a positive attitude: Be the guy who getsthings done – don’t be the other guy.”

Dear Dr Sarah


Dr Sarah getting in the zone withher new hairstyle.


Teatime Teaser


Theorising over Spilt MilkAlastair ClarkePhD Student, Fluids and Environment Group

To make a lot of money quickly, chemical engineerswant to transfer materials with maximal speed andminimal loss. Fortunately, the daily routine ofcarrying a cup of tea around has given us an intuitionfor the physics of sloshing i.e. the motion of the tea’sfree surface when the cup is perturbed. We know thata large jolt to the cup will cause spillage but whathappens if the tea is forced to oscillate very quicklywith a small displacement? Will it spill? R. A.Ibrahim’s book1 describes some models which canhelp to answer these questions.

Consider a cup of height H and radius R which ish/H full of tea, as sketched in Figure 1. We assumethe fluid is inviscid, incompressible and irrotationaland our model will account for gravity effects butignore surface tension. e behaviour is governed byLaplace’s equation, ∆φ = 0, where φ is the velocitypotential and ∆, the Laplacian operator. To describethe fact that tea cannot flow through walls or out thebase of the cup, we say ∂φ/∂r = 0 at the cup wallsand ∂φ/∂z = 0 at the base of the cup. ere are twoboundary conditions at the free surface. e transferbetween kinetic energy and potential energy as thesurface swings to and fro is described by gη – ∂φ/∂t= 0, where g is acceleration due to gravity, η is theheight of the free-surface from the origin and trepresents time. Secondly, the surface velocity is givenby ∂φ/∂z = –∂η/∂t.

If you oscillate your cup of tea horizontally at afrequency, f, and amplitude, a, waves form on thesurface. According to our linear model the freesurface will resonate at a critical frequency of:

fr2 = [g e / R] tanh (h e / R) (1)

where e is a root of Bessel functions of the first kindtaken here as 3.832 to find the lowest resonantfrequency2.

Figure 1. Sketch of the cup. The z-coordinate originates at the initial freesurface position and the r-coordinate radiates from the centre of the cup.

e model also predicts the maximum surface height(η*) at the wall for a given amplitude:

η* = k a (2)

where k is a coefficient:

k = Fr [ 1 + 2 Fr / (e2 – 1)(Frr – Fr) ]

Fr is the Froude number (= f 2R / g) and Frr is theFroude number at the resonant frequency.

Let’s say that R = 4 cm, H = 10 cm and our cup isnine-tenths full (h/H = 0.9), then eq. (1) gives us fr =31 Hz (31 cycles per second!). At what frequency willour tea spill if a = 0.2 cm? Eq. (2) predicts 28 Hz.is is quite close to the resonant frequency soperhaps a linear model is not appropriate to predictthe exact surface height for this scenario.

Finally a tea-time teaser for you … why is itparticularly bad for clumsy people to have dirt on thesurface of their tea?

References1. Ibrahim, R. A., 2005. Liquid Sloshing Dynamics: eory and Applications.

Cambridge University Press. pp. 5-15, 90-92.2. DMS and HCSS, 2008. Data Book, Dept. of Chemical Engineering and

Biotechnology, University of Cambridge. pp. 17.


NewMuseums SitePembroke StreetCambridge CB2 3RA

Tel: +44 (0)1223 334777Fax: +44 (0)1223 334796

Design/production:w

ww

.cambridgedesigners.co.ukFor further information please visit www.ceb.cam.ac.uk or contact us at [email protected]

Department of Chemical Engineering and BiotechnologyInstitute of BiotechnologyTennis Court RoadCambridge CB2 1QT

Tel: +44 (0)1223 334160Fax: +44 (0)1223 334162

Magnetic Resonance Research CentreJ J Thomson AvenueCambridge CB3 0HE

Tel: +44 (0)1223 334777Fax: +44 (0)1223 334796

Letters to the editorWe welcome comments from our readership. Please email us your viewsand suggestions for future articles on [email protected]

Newsletter DisclaimerCEB Focus Newsletter Committee reserves the right to edit content before publishing. This newsletter is published for information purposesonly and while every effort has been made to ensure that info is accurate and up-to-date, the Committee is not responsible for any omissionsor liable for any damages in connection with the information published. The University of Cambridge does not accept liability for any contentpublished herein.

© Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge


CEB Focus 4, Oct 2011

Documents

Transcript of CEB Focus 4, Oct 2011