NNL held their Science and Technology Conference on Thursday, 4th May at the Concorde Conference Centre at Manchester Airport. The focus of the conference was innovation and collaboration in science and how this can power economic growth; the setting beneath the wings of a British Airways Concorde, itself a prime example of innovation and collaboration, was the perfect location.
Innovation was also reflected in the diverse delivery of the programme which included video and touch-screen presentations, and exhibition and demonstration zones. Throughout the day, 10 minute ‘TEK Talks’ were given on technical projects from across the organisation giving insight into the work that NNL is undertaking in a brief and accessible format.
Two panel sessions provided thought provoking discussions for all attending; the first, ‘Enhancing Britain’s Global Engagement in Nuclear Science and Innovation’ was made up of an international panel with representatives from the USA, Canada, Japan, France and the UK. The final panel session ‘Stay on Target’ brought out some excellent points from both the panel and through insightful audience questions that illustrated the need for new development in the nuclear industry.
It was also notable how gender diverse the conference was with a quarter of the TEK Talkers and panellists being female; this was also reflected in the video presentations and exhibition zones.
Lorraine McDermott who delivered a TEK Talk on the use of robotics in waste management, entitled ‘Robot Wars’, said: “The focus on innovation promoted reflection on the changing nuclear sector and the opportunities this brings; in particular there is opportunity to consider the way in which we communicate and learn from each other. The engaging delivery of the conference programme really captured the need to inspire and encourage discussion and debate.”