Public lecture podcasts

In this talk, Professor Mott from the Faculty of Engineering and Design, debates the impact that COVID is having on engineering and technology businesses and how they need to adapt to rapidly changing circumstances.

Three students; Rachelle, Georgia and Millie talk about the assessment period and share tips and experiences they use to look after their wellbeing during this time of year. Views in this podcast are those of the students and do not necessarily represent or are endorsed by the University.

In this online lecture, former Cabinet Secretary and National Security Advisor, Lord Mark Sedwill, discusses global governance in the Covid era. He sets out the global challenges and opportunities we face in 2021 following the Covid-19 crisis in 2020; as the Biden Administration takes office, and the UK takes on the G7 presidency and hosts the COP26 climate change summit. This lecture took place on 14 January 2021.

Additive manufacturing allows us to produce parts at a reduced size and weight. For amputees, this means we can create powered prosthetics that are both durable and a more comfortable fit. Working alongside Moog and Blatchford we set out to bring our powered prosthetics research to the commercial market. Professor Andrew Plummer discusses how this could be game-changing for the prosthetics industry. Transcript: "Imagine you got ill, maybe diabetes or had an accident and had to have a leg amputated. In days gone by, you could get a wooden leg, but that wasn't a great substitute particularly for above the knee amputees. Nowadays you might get a leg made from carbon fibre or light alloys, and subtly designed joints incorporating springs and shock absorbers to give a fairly natural and pleasant walking experience. They might even be computer-controlled. But you'll still be a long way from the league of a bionic man or bionic woman. Walking up slopes or stairs will still be slow and tiring because your new leg will have no muscle power. Your trailing leg really needs to push off every time it leaves the ground to propel you up and along, but building in muscle power into prosthetic legs is a formidable engineering challenge. Using existing technology, the leg ends up being too bulky, too heavy or using too much energy, not to mention the challenge of controlling the leg to automatically synchronise with your movements. I'm Andrew Plummer, Professor in the mechanical engineering department, so I lead the Power Transmission Motion Control research centre here at Bath and we have considerable experience in hydraulic actuation, this provides very high-power density by using pressurised oil, which means we can generate significant muscle power in a light and compact leg. And using additive manufacture we can further integrate these powerful hydraulic actuation components into incredibly light titanium prosthetic joints. At Bath we have been fortunate in having world-leading industrial partners. We were working with Moog and Renishaw on additive manufacture for hydraulic components and independently with Blatchford on smart powered prosthetics. Bringing the two strands of work together was, as they say, 'a no brainer'. I'm convinced this is a game-changer for future prosthetics technology."

Bath, like the rest of the UK, was dramatically impacted by the restrictions imposed by COVID-19. The Institute for Policy Research (IPR), in cooperation with The Good Economy, launched a brief project to find out what the "on the ground" situation was for anchor institutions in Bath and how to rebuild a more sustainable and inclusive economy. In this launch event, co-hosted by the IPR and The Good Economy, co-authors Professor James Copestake, Dr Charlie Larkin and Mark Hepworth discuss their findings, outlined in the new report 'Bath beyond 2020: Creating a resilient economy together'. Featuring contributions from Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bath, Professor Ian White; Chair of RUH Bath, Alison Ryan; and Director of Partnerships and Corporate Services at BANES, David Trethewey. This launch took place online on 14 December 2020. Read the full report: https://zenodo.org/record/4304207#.X9jY1en7Rz-

Human capital theory, or the notion that there is a direct relationship between educational investment and individual and national prosperity, has dominated public policy on education and labor for the past fifty years. In this book launch, chaired by Professor Nick Pearce (University of Bath), and featuring contributions from Ewart Keep (University of Oxford) and Leesa Wheelahan (University of Toronto), authors Phillip Brown (Cardiff University), Hugh Lauder (University of Bath), and Sin Yi Cheung (Cardiff University) discuss their new book 'The Death of Human Capital? Its failed promise and how to renew it in an age of disruption'. They argue that the human capital story is one of false promise: investing in learning isn’t the road to higher earnings and national prosperity. Rather than abandoning human capital theory, however, they redefine human capital in an age of smart machines. This book launch took place online on 26 November 2020.

In this online lecture, Dr Matt Dickson and Professor Harry Rutter are joined by Deputy Director of Population Health and Wellbeing at Public Health England, Tracy Daszkiewicz, who shares her thoughts and experience on public health leadership through times of crises. This lecture took place on 10 November 2020.

In this special, in-conversation event, Professor Nick Pearce chats to US National Editor and Columnist at the Financial Times, Edward Luce. They discuss the 2020 US election, the reshaping of US politics, and the consequences for the US and beyond. This event took place on 22 October 2020.

In this online lecture, chaired by Professor Nick Pearce, Professor of Food Policy at City, University of London, Tim Lang, discusses the challenge now facing Brexit Britain over food security. Featuring a response from Director of Policy and Strategy at the Soil Association, Joanna Lewis, and an introduction from Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bath, Professor Ian White. This lecture took place on 21 October 2020.

In this online lecture, chaired by Professor Nick Pearce, author and environmentalist campaigner, Guy Shrubsole, discusses land ownership and land use in a time of climate and ecological emergency. This lecture took place on 7 October 2020.