Attending a conference boosted the confidence I have in my research
September 27, 2021, by Postgraduate Placements Nottingham
Attending a conference boosted the confidence I have in my research
Alastair Stuart reflects on attending the IMechE’s online conference, ‘Emerging Technology for Heavy-Duty and Off-Highway Vehicle Development’, with help from the Researcher Academy’s Online Conference Fund.
Did you know that there is an estimated 84,000 refrigerated vehicles driving up and down UK roads supplying all our chilled and frozen food? Until a year ago I did not know this either but, due to my involvement in a project to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions of refrigerated trucks through the use of hydrogen, I do now. As funding for the hydrogen truck project is not due to start until this September I was very grateful to the Researcher Academy OCF fund for an award enabling me to attend, in June this year, the IMechE’s online conference, with the catchy title, ‘Emerging Technology for Heavy-Duty and Off-Highway Vehicle Development’.
“[Attending the conference] has boosted the confidence I have in both hydrogen technologies generally and, more importantly, in my own research activities here at UoN. ”
However, the most enlightening part of the conference was a presentation from Amanda Lyne who is the Managing Director of ULEMCo, a company established to commercialise hydrogen technology. ULEMCo has been actively developing real-world solutions that will enable organisations that operate a fleet of trucks to radically reduce their carbon dioxide emissions to ultra-low levels. Most notably, she was able to provide examples of the potential impact that existing hydrogen based innovation can have in reducing carbon dioxide emissions if adopted today. I found Amanda’s insights into hydrogen and the role it will play in a net-zero future to be hugely encouraging and this has boosted the confidence I have in both hydrogen technologies generally and, more importantly, in my own research activities here at UoN.