Manufacturing materials in “Science in the Classroom” in London

How much has the development of new materials influenced the history of humankind? What is the process of materials manufacturing? What advantages and disadvantages have the use of nuclear energy? The Industrial Engineer Miguel García López-Astilleros from Nuclear AMRC of the University of Sheffield visited students from the Spanish School Vicente Cañada Blanch in London in the sixth edition of “Science in the Classroom” to solve these and other questions.

Advanced manufacturing of materials under the scope

Miguel García started his talks telling his decisions through Sixth Form and University in order to become an Industrial Engineer. Next, he make students think about the materials of all the objects surrounding them, and that some of these materials named different ages of Humankind, such as the Age of Stone, the Age of Copper, Bronze or Iron. The engineer described the evolution of glass from its very beginnings as a luxury material to its different transformations through centuries. Thanks the knowledge of its properties, glass could be transformed into distinct functional objects—such as jars or glasses—and become the elementary material that caused the thriving of different knowledge fields—such as Astronomy, Biology, Physics, Chemistry or even Electronics.

Miguel also spoke about the cluster of advanced manufacturing centres of the University of Sheffield, where his working place, the Nuclear AMRC, is embedded. Next, he described each stage in the product manufacturing process from design and simulation using computing software, to the production of materials, automation of the process, assembly of elements, and final inspection. He paid special attention to the role he plays in the production of components of a nuclear reactor vessel, pressuriser and steam generators. To illustrate the manufacturing process, the engineer used different videos showing the simulation of the aerodynamics of an airplane model or the automatic process of helmet production. Additionally, he also brought a box full of items such as cutting tools, assembly pieces, orthopaedic devices, and products made by 3D printers…

Most of students, and not only those who had confirmed their interests in studying any Engineering Degree, ask many questions to Miguel. According to the engineer, “Although the name of the activity is ‘Science in the Classroom’, my main objective was motivate students to obtain an academic degree, regardless of whether this is related to science or humanities. I also intended to show them all the work and development behind any kind of object, from the pen they use to take notes to the components of a nuclear reactor vessel”. Among these anecdotes, Miguel also told the mistake in the manufacturing process of the steel that made the Titanic, and that this was one of the main reasons of its sinking. Miguel said that the ductil-fragile temperature of its steel, in other words, the temperature at which a material stop being malleable to become fragile, was above the temperature of the cold waters that the Titanic was meant to sail. This made the material to be extremely fragile.

Debates about planned obsolescence and energy sustainability

Miguel asked students their opinion as to how future generations would address our current times. The Information Age, the Globalisation Age, the Age of Silica, the Age of Graphene, all were some ideas given during these sessions. Miguel also opened debates regarding not only planned obsolescence, but also energy sustainability and energy sources. In regards to the first topic, students initially had a negative perception and Miguel told them about self-healing materials—such as the injection in concretes of a certain type of bacteria capable of healing any crack. Additionally Miguel stressed the importance of second-hand products or recycling materials that may have become obsolete due to the excessive pace of technological progress. In regards to the issue about energy sustainability, students wanted to know everything about the advantages and disadvantages of nuclear energy as well as about the delay in implementing the common use of renewable energies. Miguel replied that “I would like all the energy to be produced by renewable sources. The problem is that these kinds of energy production are neither efficient, nor are capable of adapting themselves to a variable energy demand. As long as the energy demand by the population is so high, I believe that nuclear energy is one of the most viable options to cover our energy needs, as it keeps emission levels lower than the use of fuel combustion.” The engineer wanted to send the message that “science and technology are required to further advance in their understanding about how to produce and store all the energy generated by renewable sources”. Noteworthy both debates make students remember some ideas from previous sessions of “Science in the Classroom” as for instance the technological and digital revolution or the use of biofuels as source of energy.

Miguel reckoned these debates were “very interesting and enjoyable. The term ‘nuclear’ often causes controversy between those that are in favour and those that are against it, so I did not want to focus the debate around this. I was interested in talking more about the amount of energy that we demand due our lifestyles and current needs. I was surprised to see that students were very aware of the environmental impact of our activities and, especially, about their will and conscience to recycle and extend the use of objects.”

The programme coordinator Dr Lorenzo Melchor was also in the sessions together with Miguel. Lorenzo, who is the FECYT International Scientific Coordinator in the Embassy of Spain in London, said that “Miguel knew very well how to engage with students and impress them with his anecdotes, videos and all the tools he brought to the classroom. Many students ended up very glad of this session and came to ask more questions and even, some advice about Engineering careers. Furthermore, now that the academic year is coming to an end and that we have held up to seven sessions of this programme, we all could note that students were able to relate concepts and debates from different speakers of the programme”. 

Fernando De la Cruz Pérez, Deputy Head Teacher of Secondary Studies in the Spanish School Vicente Cañada Blanch, attended and participated in some of the sessions. He said: “Miguel’s talk was very enriching both for students and for all teachers who attended. Miguel is a good example of the outstanding quality of Spanish scientists and engineers who develop their career in the United Kingdom. He comes from such a small Spanish university, the Universidad de Castilla La Mancha, which he is very proud of, but more importantly, it has allowed him to reach such a high professional level and to work nowadays with other researchers from foreign prestigious universities.” As Deputy Head Teacher, Fernando is in charge of scheduling the sessions of “Science in the Classroom” within the school timeframe and refers to the programme impact as follows: “’Science in the classroom’ adds an undeniable value to our teaching plan. It inspires students to pursue STEM careers, and it also generates different discussions of current issues in the classroom where both students and teachers participate. At the same time, it provides guidance to A-levels students in their transit to University.” 

After his experience in “Science in the Classroom”, Miguel said: “It has been a fantastic experience. Until now I had given very technical talks and targeted to clients who, in most cases, you already know what they are expecting to listen. These talks were, however, very different because I had to talk about my life and my progression as an Engineer to students who did not need to be interested at all in whatever I was telling them. Keeping their attention was the most challenging thing for me, and I have to thank Lorenzo for his support in this as he asked things either to me or to the students to keep them focused. Also, I have to acknowledge all teachers in the school for their participation in these sessions, and especially to recognize their difficult and demanding task they daily face. I was exhausted at the end of the day, but very willing to repeat it again”. 

Lastly, Miguel asked this programme to be extended to other teaching centres: “I believe that ‘Science in the Classroom’ ought to be develop in all 6^th Form Teaching Centres. This is an activity that provides very valuable information and a different perspective to the typical text books. Showing students the professional career of a scientist, as well as their daily job routine, can be both of help to take decisions that will influence their professional future. Additionally, I think that it would be interesting to develop this activity in the scientists’ workplace. Showing them either the labs or, as in my case, the studios would allow them not only to connect whatever they learn in text books with the real world, but also to remove any cliché about scientists.” 

About “Science in the Classroom”

“Science in the Classroom” is a programme organised by the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT) and the Office for Cultural and Scientific Affairs of the Embassy of Spain in London, by which a scientist or an engineer per month visits 14-18 years-old students in the Spanish School Vicente Cañada Blanch in London until the end of the term. This programme is also supported by the Spanish Education Office in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, the Spanish School Vicente Cañada Blanch, and the Society of Spanish Researchers in the United Kingdom (SRUK/CERU). “Science in the Classroom” is embedded in the FECYT line of action related to the promotion of scientific culture and dissemination, and support for internationalization of Spanish science. 

About Miguel García López-Astilleros

Miguel was born in Ciudad Real and studied Industrial Engineering in the Universidad de Castilla La Mancha from 2004 to 2010. During his engineering studies, he did a Erasmus stay in the University of Lyon in 2008. Since 2011, he works as a Senior Research Engineer in the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre of the University of Sheffield. His job is focused on the development and optimization of advanced manufacturing processes for nuclear energy industry. Miguel has taken different training courses and he is currently in the process of obtaining the Chartership by the Institute of Mechanical Engineering.