FIBE2 Conference

This year's Fibe2 conference, titled Resilience in a Changing World, was jointly organised by Cohorts 1 and 2 and they did a stellar job of it. Led by Cohort Rep Fania Christodoulides and Ioannis Zachos, both from Cohort 1, they cleverly planned and organised the conference team and tasks with the outcome that the conference ran with smooth precision to a resounding success. The conference showcases the cutting-edge research of FIBE2 students aimed at meeting the emerging challenges of the industry through the FIBE2 doctoral training programme. Those attending the conference included academics, students and FIBE2 industry partners sponsoring the research of the students. The conference was held in beautiful Newnham college, a women's college known for its stunning architecture and with grounds often called the ‘Secret Gardens’ of Cambridge.

Cohorts 1 and 2 students presented their research in 2 rooms in Newnham College based on 4 themes:  Datacentric Engineering, Engineering and Sustainable Development, Geotechnics and finally, Smart Roads and Green Buildings. Conference attendees which included industry partners, academics, Fibe2 staff, FIBE alumni and students were free to move between the 2 rooms and listen to any of the engaging student presentations. Each presentation was followed by a short Q&A session with many keen questions from industry partners among the attentive audience. After the presentations, the conference attendees reconvened and was treated to a fast-flowing elevator pitch competition from Cohort 3 with students Jamie Clarkson and El-Amin Ahmed voted the best 2 winning pitches.

A highlight of the conference was the panel of 4 keynote speakers from academia and industry: Dr Juan Canavera Herrera, FIBE alumnus now in AECOM, Dr Alexandra Clara-Saracho, FIBE alumna now an Assistant Professor in Geotechnical Engineering at the University of Texas, Austin, Dr Chrysoula Litina from National Highways and Dr Sam Hall from British Antartic Survey. Like Dr Hall, who presented on the RSS David Attenborough sailing on the north cap to collect survey data, all the keynote speakers presented very interesting and compelling research from the world of Engineering and had a very lively exchange with the captivated audience. The conference concluded with a delicious 3-course dinner in the stunning dining hall of Newham college.

It was an outstanding conference delivered with finesse. Well done Cohorts 1 and 2!