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Craig DurhamMaterial Matters is the regular Materials World column on topical issues, written (as of the June 2010 issue) by Craig Durham CEng MIMMM. Craig is a Senior Completion Engineer working in the UK upstream oil industry. He is President-elect of the Mining Institute of Scotland and sits on the IOM3 Petroleum and Drilling Engineering Division of the International Mining & Minerals Association.

The column was established by Jack Harris who penned it for many years until he passed away in February 2009.

Material matters

How could I get hurt? A safety conversation online

The Materials World columnist finds some invaluable advice on an IOM3 social networking site.

Materials World Magazine, 05 Feb 2012

Faster than the speed of light?

With CERN physicists pondering neutrinos apparently travelling faster than the speed of light, the assumption that hard-to-explain results might be wrong, rather than the presumption that they are fact, is everything that politics is not.

Materials World Magazine, 01 Jan 2012

You cannae change the laws of physics

Are electric cars really the ultimate answer to reducing emissions?

Materials World Magazine, 04 Dec 2011

Icons of industry

As the Scottish Engineering Hall of Fame is launched, the regular Materials World columnist praises engineering icons.

Materials World Magazine, 06 Nov 2011

The final frontier - what next for space?

Our regular columnist looks at the engineering legacy of the NASA space programme and welcomes its plans following the end of manned space missions.

Materials World Magazine, 02 Oct 2011

Mind the gap - the usefulness of conferences to experience

Attending a conference or presenting a paper of your own is one of the best ways to share experience, says Materials World's regular columnist.

Materials World Magazine, 02 Sep 2011

Form and function - electricity pylons

As a competition is launched to encourage a new generation of electricity pylons, the regular Materials World columnist ponders their materials and design requirements.

Materials World Magazine, 01 Aug 2011

Two out of three ain’t bad - is natural gas our best energy source?

Secure, cheap and green – the holy trinity of our 21st century demand for energy. Very few sources achieve all three, but natural gas comes close.

Materials World Magazine, 03 Jul 2011

Gold in them thar hills - British mining

As attention focuses on the Welsh gold used in the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's wedding rings, the regular Materials World columnist meditates on mining in the UK.

Materials World Magazine, 05 Jun 2011

Less is more - the economics of oil supply and demand

Rather than increasing the Supplementary Charge on oil and gas production, the Government should be reducing it to encourage the development of new fields and enhanced oil recovery from mature assets, says the regular Materials World columnist.

Materials World Magazine, 08 May 2011