The annual FIBE Conference titled "Resilience in a Changing World" was a huge success!
From the choice of the stunningly beautiful Victorian Gothic surroundings at the Old Divinity School at St John’s College to the meticulously planned talks and animated conversations in the various workshop groups, the entire day ran like well-oiled machinery, perhaps, befitting for the participants of this engineering discipline. The event garnered attendance from both academics and industry partners alike and provided a rich tapestry of civil engineering backgrounds and stimulating conversations throughout the day.
The conference showcased how multidisciplinary FIBE research is. It's aim is to create discussion around the implications and impact of the different projects."
-Melanie Jans Singh, Cohort 2 PhD student.
Titled “Resilience in a changing world” as all the research projects tackle the pressures infrastructure is facing today and tomorrow, the conference presented the students’ research under three themes:
1) Prepare for the Inevitable – Natural disasters will inevitably continue to threaten the built environment. How do we prepare for the earthquakes, heatwaves, and storms that are certain to come on an indefinite day?
2) Rise to the Occasion – How can we incorporate the digital and technological revolution into today’s architectural and engineering demands in the built environment?
3) Plan for the Best – Good infrastructure leaves lasting legacies. How do we optimise our designs today to make our infrastructure durable yet adaptable for the decades to come?
Cohort 1 and 2 presented their PhD research in 20 minute sessions and Cohort 3 had the opportunity to display their MRes research through a quick-fire Pecha-Kucha style.
After a hearty warm lunch buffet, participants broke out into workshops made of 11 timed discussion groups that people could dip in and out of. Each workshop was led by two students around a prepared discussion topic linking their research with the theme through their multidisciplinary thread. Students, academics and industry partners enjoyed lively discussions sharing experiences, opinions and research, a true testament to how the FIBE-CDT is a platform for future infrastructure ideas.
Keynote speaker was Julian Huppert, former MP for Cambridge and University Lecturer in Physics who spoke on how to influence policy and industry through academia followed by an open discussion with a panel comprising academics and industry partners.
Cohort 2 outdid themselves in the conference planning stakes on this purely student-led conference. This is already giving Cohort 3 much food for thought, a “throwdown” or challenge for them as they will be organising the next conference in 2018. Watch this space.