The UK economy is said to have clawed its way out of its deepest recession since the 1930s, but are we out of the woods yet? Gary Price and Rachel Connolly talk to representatives from various technical communities about the difficult financial year that has passed and what may lie ahead.
Materials Congress 2010 – Materials for Extreme Environments and
Times is inviting papers until 31 March. To be held from 20-23
September in Kuala Lumpur, the technical programme will explore materials and processes that can meet industry and society demand.
The World Packaging Organisation (WPO), The Packaging Society and the
Indian Institute of Packaging have arranged a residential training
programme on packaging principles, materials and systems. The event
will take place at the Indian Institute of Packaging in Mumbai, India,
from 3-4 May 2010.
Nanotechnology is of national importance to the UK but the methodology
for developing new technologies needs to be streamlined. These were
some of the conclusions from a survey which asked leading research
scientists about the opportunities and barriers for UK-based
nanotechnology.
Plastics in our marine and beach litter negatively affect the public and media views and perceptions of plastic products.
The British Plastics Federation has opened up dialogue with all stakeholders through the Plastics 2020 Challenge website.
A new publication on Good Practice Guidance on Health Impact Assessment (HIA) has been published by the International Council for Mining and Metals (ICMM)
The HIA is intended as a practical tool to assist companies in protecting the health and wellbeing of their workforce and local communities.
Published in February, this theme issue of Corrosion Engineering, Science and Technology is dedicated to examining the effect climate change and global warming may have on the corrosion of metals used in infrastructure. Guest editors, Professor B. Valdez Salas and Professor M. Schorr Wiener from the Institute of Engineering, University of Baja California, Mexico, commissioned a series of papers to review the range of research in this underexplored area.
A solar-powered implant could give sight to the blind, according to its developers at Stanford University, USA. Miniature photovoltaic (PV) cells are being used to power a chip placed behind the retina to process light and data through the eye to the brain.
Air hardened, mineral-bound foam concretes that can be produced cost effectively for load-bearing structures, are now available, say researchers at the Technische Universitaet Dortmund, Germany. Ultraporcrete is said to combine the strength, low density and good
heat insulation of cellular and foam concrete, without
the need for energy intensive autoclave manufacturing.
