Minister of State for Universities visits the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering

Chris Skidmore paid the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering (EEE) a visit on 5 November, going on an exclusive tour of the Optical Networks Group (ONG) research lab as part of Tomorrow’s Engineers Week 2019.  

Tours were led by ONG research students, Thomas Gerard and Callum Deakin. Chris, along with the CEO of EngineeringUK, Hilary Leevers, were shown key experimental equipment, record breaking transmission experiments, novel optical processing techniques, optical switching and photonic integration, discussing how these can all be utilised to create a flexible and faster Internet.
 
Both Chris and Hilary questioned the students on ‘capacity crunch’, discussing ways in which engineers within the group are seeking to resolve this, including an overview of the ONG’s latest research programme, TRANSNET. 

On the opportunity to showcase the lab to Chris, Thomas and Callum commented:

It’s not every day we have the opportunity to lead a parliamentary dignitary around our research lab. We were pleased with the opportunity to demonstrate how our research impacts everyday life and enjoyed the engaging discussions that arose during the tour

Tomorrow’s Engineers Week is celebrated annually. It provides a unique opportunity for engineers, employers, universities and schools to showcase how engineers working in all sectors are on a mission to make the world a better place. 

For more images from the tour, click here.

To find more about the Optical Networks Group, click here. 

For more on the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) TRANSNET programme, click here. 

Follow the Department of EEE and TRANSNET twitter accounts for social media activity surrounding the event.