public | Project Science and Reason

Matt Dickinson is Iron Man

Matt Dickinson entered the Autodesk community world design competition in June 2007, where the task was to design a non-lethal device for removing enemies from a room. After this the design was then converted into a toy. September 2008 Matthew Dickinson graduated from the University of Central Lancashire, with BEng(Hons) computer aided engineering. He was also nominated for the Malcolm Faulkner Student Prize for Sustainable Futures award for his final year project, which involved the investigation into recycled material for the production of prosthetic feet. Shortly afterwards Matthew began working for UCLan teaching Advanced CAD and simulation.

Matthew’s research interests are aimed at the heart of the combustion engine, the piston, rings and bore. His research also covers the inclusion of nano-composite coatings for wear applications.

Matthew is involved with many STEM events. He has been involved in the Big Bang 2010 and 2011 science event with a stand that showed the use of converting human to electrical energy. He also presents a fun lecturer called “The science of super heroes” which is aimed at the junior school children.

Research: Running-in plays an important part of the piston ring bedding process. During operation the ring material commonly gray cast iron will go through a large level of stress. The coating that is attached to the ring can cause the ring to suffer damage. Leaving a question how should rings be run into the system?

Presentation

The Science of Superheroes

Darwin Lecture Theatre, UCLan, Preston, UK, 6th June, 1700 – 2100 BOOK NOW

Dr Robert Asher

Dr Robert Asher is a paleontologist specializing in mammals. Raised in western New York State, he is a former Curator of Mammals at the Berlin Natural History Museum and Frick Postdoctoral Fellow at the American Museum of Natural History. Currently, he is the Curator of Vertebrates in the University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge. Over the past two decades, his research in paleobiology has taken him to Argentina, Britain, Canada, Kenya, Madagascar, Mongolia, South Africa, Spain, the United States and Venezuela. His regularly publishes scientific articles in leading journals including PNAS, Science and Nature.

Dr. Asher is currently studying mammalian paleobiology, in particular the evolution and development of endemic African and South American mammals, and how extinct vertebrates fit alongside living ones on the Tree of Life.

Dr. Asher has recently become interested in the intersection of science and religion, and in 2012 published Evolution and Belief: Confessions of a Religious Paleontologist (Cambridge University Press). He has an ongoing blog on the Huffington Post (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-j-asher) and has on occasion published reviews and essays on the subject in other venues such as The Times, Theology, and The Montreal Review.

Presentation

“Evolution, Reason, and Religion”

Darwin Lecture Theatre, UCLan, Preston, UK, 6th June, 1700 – 2100 BOOK NOW