The annual Sir Isaac Newton Lecture was given this year by Professor Mark Miodownik FREng.



An audience of around 500 Lincolnshire students, aged between 14 and 18, attended the prestigious lecture, held at the Whittle Hall, RAF College Cranwell.



The event is jointly organised by members of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), Institution of Engineering Technology (IET) and Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) with support from RAF College Cranwell. Schools liaison is by The Education Business Partnership, Lincolnshire and Rutland’s STEM partner. It was attended by President of the IET Naomi Climer FIET.



The audience was captivated by Professor Miodownik, Director of the Institute of Making at University College London, as he delivered a presentation which illustrated the importance of materials, and how they have shaped the development of the human race through the ages.



Entitled “Stuff Matters”, based on his successful publication and lectures, Mark took the audience through some of the pivotal developments in science, astronomy, medicine and social development brought about by one of the most mundane but intriguing of materials: glass. From spectacles and windows to test tubes and fiber optics, Mark showed how a hollow glass “scaffold” is used in medicine to allow stem-cells to reconstruct missing or damaged bones, effectively allowing the human body to reconstruct sections of missing structure.



Mark suggested that the young people in the audience would need to take up the reigns to solve current environmental, medical and social challenges using innovation, material science and engineering. He discussed how social migration housing needs could be solved by living structures, able to adapt, grow and repair. Futuristic scenarios – such as bionic clothing made using ferro-fluids to assist the paralysed to walk – are no longer in the realm of science fiction but are a pressing reality.



There were enthusiastic questions from the floor following the presentation, which Mark endeavored to answer, followed by a vote of thanks proposed by Naomi Climer.



Students from the Priory City of Lincoln Academy gave positive feedback about the insights they gained from the talk. 



Lilly Gavin said,

“I thought the lecture was very inspirational. It made me think of doing engineering as a career. I thought it put a fun spin on science.”



Phoebe Smith said,

“It was an amazing opportunity and I learnt so much. This information has made me more aware of my surroundings and it shows that our generation can make history.”



The Sir Isaac Newton Lecture has been hosted at RAF College Cranwell since 1988. Its aim is to increase awareness and inspire young people to further studies, and ultimately a rewarding and exciting career, in science and engineering.



Report by Phil Hill and Barrie Fitton