ceb focus 2, jan 2011

In this issueEditorial 2

Front cover article 3

Undergraduate Focus 5

Postgrad/Postdoc Hub 6

Teaching Matters 8

Research Highlights 11

Research Feature 13

Industry Business 15

Achievements 16

Alumni Corner 18

Department Events 20

Arrivals and Departures 21

Dear Dr Sarah 22

Tea-Time Teaser 23

CEB FocusDepartment of Chemical Engineering and BiotechnologyLent 2011 Issue 2

Cambridge Trusts support ourinternational students p.3

The Spirit of the Students p.5 NEW COLUMN!Dr Sarah answers your questions p.22

Terahertz applications in the field ofpharmaceutical sciences p.13

CEB’s international PhD students- left to right: Charlie Chen (China), Andrew Lynch and LeslieMann (USA) and Durga Madras Rajaraman Iyer (India)

CEB Focus 2-20Jan:_Layout 1 20/1/11 18:00

Welcome

On behalf of my colleagues and I in CEB I ampleased to wish all our readers a very happy andprosperous New Year. Amongst our thoughts at thistime is the provision of the support andinfrastructure that future generations of ourstudents will need to contribute successfully in theirchosen fields. We are conscious of the financial

pressures that students increasingly face and see aneed for CEB to build funds that it can use tomaintain access for the very brightest students,regardless of ability to pay. In this regard we areextremely grateful to a former student of theInstitute of Biotechnology who has pledgedgenerous personal funding to support access tocourses in biotechnology. We are also conscious ofthe need to continue the excellent work of mypredecessor, Lynn Gladden, and to secure theUniversity’s firm commitment to proceed with theplanned New Building on the West Cambridge Site.It now seems that part of the funding would be inthe form of a long-term loan to the Department,which we would need to pay-off throughsponsorship, donations and appeals. In addressingboth these aspirations we look forward to workingwith friends of CEB and our alumni throughout2011.

2 | www.ceb.cam.ac.uk

The Editorial teamwishes you all a Happy NewYear and welcomes you to the CEB Focus LentIssueIt has been of immense importance to us to get arepresentative newsletter started, ensuring that theinformation communicated reflects the newidentity of the merged department. We haverepresentatives from the Chemical Engineering,Biotechnology and MRRC sites generating ideas,providing input, and liaising with academics,research groups and students in order to make thispossible. We would also like to thank JeanneTherese Andres for her expert advice in getting thefirst issue together and her help at the proof-reading stage. Also, we ought to thank VanessaBlake, Webmaster, for department photography.

We also want to thank Sohini for her help with thefirst issue. She is sadly leaving the group and theDepartment in the New Year to focus on herresearch. Rashmi Tripathi, a Biotechnology PhDstudent, will be taking over then and we would liketo welcome her to the team.

Contributions from department members andcorporate partners are much appreciated and it ishoped that this will continue. We welcome ourreaders to contribute their research and ideas tohelp us carry on.

If you have any comments or suggestions forarticles to be included in the next issue, please getin touch with the Editorial Team [email protected]

We look forward to hearing from you in the future!

For those wishing to receive a regular copy of CEBFocus electronically please subscribe by sending amessage to [email protected] with‘subscribe’ as the subject of the message.

Left to right: Sohini Chakrabortee, Fernando Abegão, Elena Gonzalez,Alastair Clarke and Amy Chesterton

Message from HoD Professor Nigel Slater


Cambridge Trusts

Cambridge Trusts support CEBinternational studentsThe award of scholarships to talented and well-deserving international students is hugelyimportant. As stated by our new Vice Chancellor SirLeszek Borysiewicz recently in CAM magazine (Issue61), ‘Since post-graduate recruitment is global, theprovision of infrastructure for all disciplines, financialsupport through globally competitive scholarships andworld-class supervisory staff is vital’.

Cambridge international scholarships areprestigious and highly competitive. They areawarded to outstanding graduates outside the UKto study at Cambridge. Some of our current CEBstudents receive funding from the Gates Trust, theCambridge Commonwealth Trust (CCT) and theCambridge Overseas Trust (COT). The overall aim ofthe Gates Trust and Cambridge is to enablecandidates of outstanding academic merit, whowould not otherwise be able to take up places atCambridge, to pursue courses of study or research.The CCT and COT were established as charities bythe University in the 1980s in order to providefinancial support for international students ondegree courses in Cambridge. Professor Slater, HoDvalues the Trusts highly, ‘CEB is extremely grateful forthe generous support of the Cambridge Trusts infunding CEB international students. This fundingenables the Department to recruit and train extremelyable students from across the world, building upon ourreputation and that of the University’.

CEB Focus met with four of our internationalstudents to find out how they have benefited fromCambridge Trusts. Their statements below are proofof their worth.

Gates Trust

Lesley MannMBE studentApplying to the Gates-Cambridge scholarship was arigorous process that started for me with an internalreview process at the University of Kentucky, 18

months before my eventual start at Cambridge.After which, I spent a few months perfecting myapplication before being invited to the interview

process that happened inearly February. The entireprocess was surprisinglybeneficial for me, as itforced me to consider andclearly articulate myreasons for pursuing post-graduate education andmy hopes for itsapplication to my futurecareer. I was honoured to

be selected from a pool of exceptional people, andnow benefit immensely from being in the MBE(Master's in Bioscience Enterprise) programme andbelonging to the vibrant Gates society.

Andrew LynchBioscience Engineering PhD studentPursuing my PhD in chemical engineering atCambridge would simply not have been possiblewithout the generosity of the Gates CambridgeScholarship, an award granted to approximately 100aspiring graduate students worldwide each year.

After hearing about thescholarship throughadvisers at myundergraduate university, Ispent several weekspreparing to apply. I wasdelighted to be invited tointerview and impressedwith how straightforward

the proceedings were. I’ve had a great time here atCambridge, both academically and socially, and amincredibly grateful for the opportunity the GatesTrust gave me.

These scholarships are full-cost awards for graduate study andresearch in any subject available at the University ofCambridge. Application materials for Gates CambridgeScholarships and graduate admission to the University ofCambridge for 2011-12 entry is now available. For moreinformation visit www.gatesscholar.org/

www.ceb.cam.ac.uk | 3


Cambridge Trusts


Cambridge Overseas Trust

Charlie ChenMRRC, PhD student

Six months ago, choosingbetween offers fromCambridge and thosefrom Ivy leagueuniversities in UnitedStates was the toughestchoice I had to make in mylife. My dream has been tostudy and live inCambridge, but the US

universities were offering much better financialsupport. That is until I received a letter of financialassurance from the Cambridge Overseas Trust. Withthe generous donation from Sun Hung KaiProperties (SHKP)-Kwoks’ Foundation, I could finallymake my way to this magnificent city. When friendsfrom China saw my photos of sipping port in formalhall, rowing in the gorgeous River Cam, or workingwith fellow colleagues in MRRC, they joked that Iwas living in a childhood fantasy. Prof. Gladdenbrilliantly describes the PhD as a new start fromknowing nothing right after seemingly masteringeverything at undergraduate level. Due to thesupport I have received in recent months from bothcolleagues and the Trust, I am able to start a newadventure both in academia and in life.

Cambridge Commonwealth Trust

DurgaprasadMadras Rajaraman LyerACE student

I was delighted to beoffered admission to theMPhil (ACE) program at theUniversity of Cambridge.But, I knew that it wouldhave been very difficult topursue the degree withoutthe required funding, as theUniversity fee forinternational students is

very high. During the course of the applicationprocess, I came across the Cambridge Trustswebsite (www.cambridgetrusts.org).

I realised that the Cambridge Commonwealth Trustis one of the few organisations in the UK thatprovides complete funding for students from theCommonwealth Group of Nations pursuing theirMasters degrees. The application process to CCTwas simplified as it was integrated with theapplication for admission. The people at CCT wereextremely supportive throughout the process. Theycommunicated with me regularly and kept meinformed about the progress of the applicationfrom start to finish. I am grateful to the Trust forfunding my studies at one of the world’s top-rankedUniversities.

The Trusts offer scholarships to students from outside the EUwho are starting new courses at the University of Cambridge.The Trusts do not offer funding to students who are part-waythrough a course of study at Cambridge. Applications areencouraged a year prior to the commencement of studies.

‘Due to the support I have receivedin recent months from bothcolleagues and the Trust, I am ableto start a new adventure both inacademia and in life’


Undergraduate Focus

The Spirit of the Students: CUCES

Constantinos PittasCUCES PresidentMichaelmas term has been very exciting for CUCES(Cambridge University Chemical EngineeringSociety) with a whopping 15 events; most of whichhad a strong focus on careers. Every single one ofthe events was well received with recordattendance, which has immensely pleased both thecommittee and the companies alike.

The highlight of the term was the CUCES ChristmasDinner, which was held at the Anchor on the 25thNovember and kindly sponsored by BP. It is anevent that brings together a large portion of thedepartment from Part 1s and MPhils to PhDs andpost-doctoral researchers. The spirit of chemicalengineering was evident that night as thefriendships within and between year groupsstrengthened further.

At the end of last term, CUCES was named as one offive finalists in the category of Best UniversitySociety by the National Placement & InternshipAwards 2011 (ratemyplacement.co.uk). The awardsceremony will take place late in January.

During Lent term we hope to shift our efforts to thesocial aspects of CUCES. Our main events will be theFrank Morton Games in Nottingham in Februaryand the Annual CUCES Dinner at the end of term.

Results of UGs Survey on CUCEScareer programme

Anna KvarngrenCUCES Events and Careers OfficerIn order to represent a group of students, you haveto find out what they think and what they want. TheCUCES committee decided to carry out a surveyamongst the undergraduate student body duringMichaelmas term. With responses from nearly 70%of the undergraduates in the department somevery interesting results could be seen. These resultswill help us to make our future events more focusedon addressing specific student needs.

One of the main purposes of the survey was to findout what career aspirations the current studentshave. Approximately 60% of the students seethemselves working in the chemical engineering orbiotechnology field, either in industry or academia.However, biotechnology and academia clearly didnot draw as much interest as the chemicalengineering industry. A large portion of thestudents are undecided about where they seethemselves in the future, and for those that alreadyhave other career plans, popular alternativesinclude investment banking, consultancy andaccounting. Amongst the large portion of studentslooking to go into the chemical engineeringindustry, a relatively even spread was seen betweenmany different industries, such as petrochemicals,pharmaceuticals, food and engineeringconsultancy.

When asked about what types of events thestudents want to see organised by CUCES, over 90%of the students wanted more career-related events.In particular, they would like to see more companypresentations in the department and have moresite visits. On the social event side, there is a needfor more opportunities to spend time togetheroutside the department. Formal dinners were by farthe most popular option, followed by sportingevents and the reappearance of the Departmentsocial society, ‘The Plumbers’.


CEB undergraduates enjoying a CUCES Careers Event


Postgrad/Postdoc Hub

Back to (Grad) School ...Patrick Gordon and Min ZhangPhD studentsAs a PhD student, life tends to revolve around yourexperiments, simulations, or perhaps departmenttea. You don’t often get the chance to take a stepback, and ask yourself the questions everyonedreads – why am I doing it this way, what do I wantto get better at... and where next?! GradSchools(www.vitae.ac.uk) are run up and down the countryto help you do just that.

In October this year, we travelled up to Windermere,in the Lake District, to join 80 other PhD studentson a three-day GradSchool. You work in the sameeight-person group for the whole course, and workthrough a program of pretty intense workshopsand challenges. The emphasis is on getting you outof your comfort zone, doing things you wouldn’tnormally do, and then applying this to your workand career. There’s almost no writing or lectures, it’sall group work and isn’t dull!

One of the most useful sessions was an interviewworkshop. Rather than just having the practiceinterview, you also get a chance to be theinterviewer, and to watch how everyone else in thegroup handles theirs. Another session involvedworking as ‘interested parties’ for new legislation onstem cell research. As a group you’re given a role(e.g. Pharma company), and have to research,present and argue your case with the otherinterested parties, while also dealing with themedia. While they may not be for everyone, theseGradSchools are great fun. They’re funded by theUK research councils (RCUK), so they’re free foranyone who gets their funding (EPSRC, BBSRC, etc).Although it’s a cliché, you really do get out whatyou put in, and if you want to improve a few skillsand try something new then you’ll learn a lot.


Bio PhD students sprout 'stachesfor MovemberOllie Wright and Julian JarosPhD students

The Movembermovement has grownyear on year ever since,expanding to the UK,US, Canada, NewZealand, Ireland, Spain,South Africa, theNetherlands andFinland. In 2009, globalparticipation climbed tomore than 255,000 ‘MoBros’ with over onemillion donors raising

£26 million for Movember’s global beneficiarypartners. The funds raised through Movember’s UKcampaign benefit the Prostate Cancer Charity(TPCC), UK’s leading prostate cancer charity.Participants start clean shaven on 1st of Movemberand commit to growing a moustache for 30 days.

For the second year now, Julian Jaros (PhD studentat the Bahn lab, Tennis Court Road) was able to raiseinterest and money towards the charity. Julianraised £80, and you can see his various 'mo' pictureson his official Movember website:http://uk.movember.com/mospace/474025/.

Usually fully-bearded, Ollie Wright (PhD student inthe Tunnacliffe lab, Tennis Court Road) also wentclean shaven this month to grow a 'stache fromscratch. He'd like to thank all those in thedepartment that donated towards the cause. Ollieraised £103, and you can view his Movemberwebsite at:http://uk.movember.com/mospace/576528/.

Together their two teams raised a collective~£2,000, proving that Cambridge is willing tosupport such a noble cause (or at least pay toridicule colleagues!)

Julian Jaros


Postgrad/Postdoc Hub


MPhil ACE studentsupdatePrathibha (Micky) DissanayakeWith a record admission of 27students to the MPhil inAdvanced Chemical Engineering(ACE) course this year, I found myfirst day to be a swiftly passingblur of names and faces. In thepast two months, however, theconfusion has abated somewhat,despite most of my brain beingincapacitated by Matlab coding.The MPhil ACE class is one of themost culturally diverse I have everbeen in, with two UK studentsand the rest hailing from allacross the globe.

Mark Deimund undertook anExxonMobil summer internship inClinton, New Jersey, in 2010. Theresearch internship, at one ofExxonMobil’s Process ResearchLaboratories, is designedspecifically for students who havefinished their undergraduatedegrees and are intending tomove onto graduate level studies.Mark’s project involved testingdiesel hydrotreating catalystsusing a high-throughput reactorsystem that could test over thirtycatalyst configurationssimultaneously. ‘I really enjoyedindustrial research,’ says Mark, onhis experience, ‘and theopportunity to work in a laboratoryinstead of a refinery or processingplant as with typical internships.’

Anna Louise Smith carried out asix month traineeship in theInstitute for Transuranium

Elements (ITU), in Karlsruhe,Germany, in 2010. ITU, which is apart of the Joint Research Centreof the European Commission,works to further knowledge onthe risks associated with thehandling and storage ofradioactive materials. Anna’sresearch was focused in the areaof Sodium-cooled Fast Reactors(SFR) for which sodium acts as acoolant and (U, Pu)O2 fuel iscurrently considered as areference. A great challenge forthe development of thesereactors in the Generation IVproject in the future comes fromthe necessity to introduce minoractinides into the fuel mix.

Anna found her internship a ‘veryrich experience scientificallyspeaking as well as for my generalknowledge. I was able to use manydifferent characterizationtechniques and I discovered howpeople worked on a daily basis insuch an environment.’

Baptiste Salley and SylvainCaron carried out summerresearch at the Harvard School ofEngineering and Applied

Sciences in 2010. Their researchlooked at droplets of waterbouncing on nano-patternedsurfaces at varying temperatures.Developing surfaces with animproved ability to repel waterhas a variety of practicalapplications, a useful example ispreventing water from freezingon the outside of aeroplanes. ‘Theburgers were nice,’ they said ontheir experiences at Harvard. ‘Andthe chicks were friendly.’

Akin Ali was recently elected asDarwin College Green Officer,and is overseeing projects toreduce the environmentalfootprint of the college. The workincludes the use of solar powerfor electricity, reducing energywastage in the ventilationsystems and increasing recyclingand composting at the college, aswell as plans for a beehive in thecollege grounds.

‘Most students find the course a bitof a struggle to start with,’ saysSarah Rough, M.Phil. ACEProgramme Manager. ‘Weencourage them to apply theirknowledge in new and perhapsunfamiliar ways. This means thatanswers aren’t that obvious, or evendefinite.’

Despite the suffering thusinflicted, I find Sarah’s next wordsquite heartening: ‘I think thecourse would be pretty boring andmeaningless if the students weren’tchallenged in this way.’

MPhil ACE 2010-2011 intake


Teaching Matters

CEB’s Teaching Consortium ofCompanies: Strong links withindustry

The Department atCambridge has beenrunning a TeachingConsortium for over adecade. Originallyassembled to assist andadvise with the transitionbetween the two-year

(‘Old regulations’) and three-year (‘New regulations’)undergraduate MEng course in the late 1990s, theTeaching Consortium today forms our externalindustrial teaching advisory board. Consortiummembers actively support all aspects of processdesign teaching and professional skills training onthe undergraduate MEng course whilst alsoproviding regular advice on MEng curriculumdevelopment from an employer's point of view. Inaddition, Consortium members support graduateresearch by sponsoring projects and travel bursarieson the doctoral training programme as well as theMPhil ACE course.

In return for their assistance, the following benefitsare amongst some of those on offer to membercompanies:

● preferential access to talented undergraduates forrecruitment and internships;

● preferential access to MPhil and PhD students forresearch and recruitment opportunities;

● an accessible, confidential and free-of-chargepoint of contact within the Cambridgecommunity to enquire about specificservices,expertise or research requests;

● industry needs reflected in the undergraduateMEng curriculum;

● increased awareness of corporate profile bysupporting project work;

● positive publicity provided by association with theDepartment; for example, featuring in theindustrial section of CEB Focus.

Nigel Slater, HoD, highlighted that ‘CEB values thesupport it obtains from the industrial members of theTeaching Consortium, both in terms of the advice andguidance we obtain that enables us to educate ourstudents in the best possible way to meet the demandsof industry and through the financial support thatbenefits our teaching directly through the provision ofresources. By participating in the Teaching Consortium,companies gain the opportunity to present themselvesto our students and influence their educationalexperience so that our students can make betterinformed decisions about their career choices. In thisway the Teaching Consortium benefits both CEB andits industrial members.’

Bart Hallmark, CEB Design Lecturer added that‘The Teaching Consortium members are a vital part ofCEB. From a teaching perspective, they provide us withcomment and feedback on our undergraduate MEngcourse content, which forms part of our qualityassurance to ensure that the skills we teach our futuregraduates are those that are highly sought after byindustry. Very often, Consortium members have madeinvaluable resources available to supplement ourundergraduate teaching material; this has includedcontact with company experts on unit operations,provision of process flowsheets and supporting datafor design projects, supply of training material fordrafting design documentation and facilitating sitevisits.

In addition to this, our undergraduates have a uniqueopportunity to interact with members of the TeachingConsortium during recruitment evenings and othersocial events that are organised. This is universallyappreciated, as much for the opportunity to talkcandidly to active process engineers as for theopportunity to apply for summer internships andemployment opportunities.

Also, having a point of contact within the Cambridgecommunity opens up a wealth of resources andexpertise that may not be easily found in-house, withthe result that a number of MPhil and doctoralresearch projects, in addition to consultancy contracts,



Teaching Matters


have been formed with Consortium members over thepast few years.

I personally look forward to continuing andstrengthening the relationship that CEB has createdwith its existing Consortium members in addition tobuilding new relationships with future Consortiummembers.’

Further information on the Teaching Consortiumcan be obtained from Dr Bart Hallmark [email protected]. The statements below showhow both CEB and corporate members benefitfrom this relationship.

ExxonMobilSophie Clayton, Site Safety Advisor, FawleyThough the name ExxonMobilmay not be familiar, mostpeople will have heard of our famous brand names,Esso and Mobil. We are the world's largest privately-traded energy company, and every day we helpmeet the energy needs of millions of peoplearound the world.

ExxonMobil uses innovation and technology todeliver energy to a growing world. We explore for,produce and sell crude oil, natural gas andpetroleum products and we are committed tomeeting the world's growing demand for energy inan economically, environmentally and sociallyresponsible manner.

Meeting this challenge isn't going to be easy andsuccess will require the dedication and ingenuity oftalented men and women. This is where theTeaching Consortium at CEB comes into its own. Byenabling ExxonMobil to meet with staff andstudents, it provides unique access to some of thefinest minds in the chemical engineering world, andto future leaders of the energy industry.

The annual Teaching Consortium meeting gives usan insight into the research carried out in theDepartment and an opportunity to discuss thestructure of the undergraduate course.

We have worked with our partners in theconsortium to assist in strengthening the designelement of the course, which helps to preparestudents to tackle the challenges they will face inindustry. We also work with CEB to enable studentsto experience industry first hand, through visits toour refinery and chemicals site at Fawley.

It is a partnership in which both parties benefit -and we look forward to continuing it in future.

DowPeter Berns, Site Leader, Kings LynnThe Dow Chemical Company hasbeen a member of the teachingconsortium for three years. Our site at King’s Lynn isan hour’s drive from Cambridge and has proven tobe a convenient location for members of the CEBdepartment to undertake summer internships.

The Cambridge students who have takenplacements with us have been of a uniformly highstandard and contributed valuable projects whilstgaining worthwhile first hand experience of therealities of working in a chemical productionenvironment.

We were also very pleased to support the recentundergraduate design project at the department,which included hosting a visit by 70 students to seechemical plant at close quarters as part of theirproject work. It is important to us that wecontribute to the professional development ofChemical Engineers and of course this also gives usexposure to potential future recruits.

Dow welcomes the opportunity to be able toinfluence the content of the Chemical Engineeringcourse by giving our views along with the otherteaching consortium members on what weperceive as the needs of our industry, both in termsof chemical engineering knowledge but alsopersonal skills, whether this be thinking skills or thesoft skills required to be effective in modern teamenvironments.


Teaching Matters


Professor HowardChase – An AcademicProfile

Howard Chase joined theDepartment of ChemicalEngineering in 1981 from theDepartment of Biochemistry atCambridge where he hadundertaken his undergraduatestudies in Natural Sciences andhis PhD. in chemicalmicrobiology. The overall aimwas to build up the range ofresearch in biotechnology beingcarried out in the chemicalengineering department, byadding to the activities alreadybeing undertaken there by NigelSlater. Howard then became aresearch assistant sponsored by aScience and EngineeringResearch Council grant awardedto Dr Kenny. During this periodhe was awarded a Royal Society1983 University ResearchFellowship but in 1984 he wasappointed as an AssistantLecturer in the Department ofChemical Engineering.Promotion to Lecturer came in1986, followed by Reader in 1996and finally he became theProfessor of BiochemicalEngineering in 2000. He waselected to Fellowship of the RoyalAcademy of Engineering in 2005

and is a Fellow of the Institutionof Chemical Engineers. Initially hisresearch was solely in the area ofbiochemical engineering andfocused on the recovery of avariety of different classes ofbiomolecules from a variety ofdifferent biological sources. Inparticular, he has championedthe technique of expanded bedadsorption for a variety ofapplications. He also developeda parallel research theme in thearea of environmentalengineering, originally centred onnovel reactors that containedspecialised microorganismscapable of treating aqueouswastes by degrading the toxic orrecalcitrant molecules presenttherein.

The Environmental Engineeringtheme was also extended to non-biological processesconcentrating on the applicationof microwave heating for thetreatment of a variety of wastesthat cause environmentproblems. One such application,the recovery of aluminium andhydrocarbons from aluminium-laminate packaging, has becomethe business focus of the spin-outcompany Enval Limited where heis R&D Director.

Howard succeeded ProfessorJohn Bridgwater as Head ofDepartment in 1998, a post thathe held for a total of eight years.This was a busy time for theDepartment in terms ofrefurbishment of laboratoryspace to meet the department’srapidly expanding researchrequirements. During his tenurethe following research facilitieswere constructed in thedepartment: the Cambridge Unitfor Bioscience Engineering(CUBE), the Cambridge Unit forResponsive Biopolymers (CURB),the Centre for Research inElectrochemical Science andTechnology (CREST) and the laserlaboratory together withexpansion of research facilities atthe Magnetic ResonanceResearch Centre. At thebeginning of 2010 he wasappointed the Head of theSchool of Technology (one of thesix academic Schools inCambridge), a post that gives himthe responsibility for overseeingthe affairs of the constituentdepartments of that School.

In a parallel with hisdepartmental and academicactivities, he has held a variety oftutorial posts at MagdaleneCollege including its SeniorTutorship from 1993-96, a post hehad to relinquish uponappointment as a Reader. He waselected to a Fellowship of theCollege in which he undertookhis undergraduate and post-graduate studies in 1984.

Professor Howard Chase,Head of School of Technology

‘The overall aim was to buildup the range of research inbiotechnology being carriedout in the chemicalengineering department, byadding to the activitiesalready being undertakenthere by Nigel Slater’


Research Highlights


Bioresearch: Shaping the futureRashmi Tripathi, PhD studentWe live in an exciting time where emergingtechnologies continuously shape our lives. Thisreview highlights current research carried at theInstitute of Biotechnology (IoB, now part of CEB)where the potential to deliver new biotechnologiesis harnessed.

Bio-sensing for consumer electronics is perhaps thenext big breakthrough that will impact consumersworldwide. In Prof. Chris Lowe’s laboratory, researchis currently focused on developing holographicsensors for asthma and diabetes in convergencewith electronic devices such as mobile phones. Thiswill empower patients to take better control of theirhealth and well-being and make informed decisionsabout treatment.

The preservation of cells at ambient temperaturescan revolutionise the application of cell-basedtherapeutics by speeding-up processing,transportation and delivery of biomaterials topatients in emergency situations. Research in DrAlan Tunnacliffe’s laboratory is currently gearedtowards understanding the principles ofanhydrobiosis, or ‘life without water’, in organismslike rotifers, worms and tardigrades, and applyingthese principles to preserve cells grown in cultureoutside -80°C freezers or liquid nitrogen tanks.Proteins involved in anhydrobiosis have also beenfound to be intrinsically disordered, with specialprotein anti-aggregation functions. This propertycould be exploited in the treatment of diseases likeParkinson’s, Huntington’s and Alzheimer’s.

Schizophrenia is a neuropsychiatric disorder withpoorly understood disease etiology andprogression. The Bahn group is currently busyunravelling the molecular mechanisms of thedisease using a proteomics-based approach. Thediscovery of numerous biomarkers in the blood andcerebrospinal fluid of the patients is expected toresult in the development of more reliablediagnostic tests. Latest findings include the

evidence of impaired mitochondrial function andoxidative pathways in the brains of schizophrenicpatients and the discovery of N-glycans thatdistinguish first onset, unmedicated schizophreniapatients from healthy individuals. These findingsshould pave the way for better diagnosis andmanagement of schizophrenia.

The main umbrella ofresearch in the AnalyticalBiotechnology Group,lead by Prof. Lisa Hall isover heterogeneousanalytical systems, with afocus on interfacingbiology, electronics,mechanics and optics fornew diagnostic andmonitoring devices.

Current research ranges from fundamentalinvestigations to industry-driven applications.Fundamental bioelectronic and optical studiesinclude: electron and energy transfer betweenredox proteins and nanosystems; engineeringfluorescent biomaterials and studying theirinteraction with nanoparticles. Integrating anoptical transducer into mobile phone technology isat the heart of the lab-on-a-phone project forinstant disease diagnosis and monitoring. A furtherexciting part to the project is interfacingbiomaterials with nanowire devices.

Other good blends of academic and appliedresearch include the development of a mycobactinbiosensor for tuberculosis and novel drug deliveryand diagnostic systems using magnetic andultrasound contrasting agents.

Research at the Institute of Biotechnology clearlyhas the potential to shape our futures. For theingenious and passionate scientists at the Institutebenches, the sky is definitely the limit!

Acknowledgements: I would like to thank Dr. Colin Davidsonand Dr. Claudia Loechel for their inputs and Dr. AlanTunnacliffe for his comments.

Dr Tatsuya Yoshimi in Cell andOrganism Engineering lab



Enhancing ultrasound therapiesusingmagnetic Nano particlesVincent Ho, PhD StudentHigh intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is currentlybeing applied for non-invasive ablation of tumors.HIFU works by focusing an ultrasound beam into asmall volume inside the patient's body, causinginstant cell death within the targeted volume. Thedestructive effect of HIFU is due to thermal energydeposition or cavitational effects.

The BioScience Engineering group at CEB recentlymade several discoveries that could enhance theefficacy of HIFU therapies. Magnetite (Fe3O4) nano-particle agglomerates were shown to enhance thedegree of inertial cavitation induced by HIFU1. In afollow-on study using HeLa multicellular spheroidsas in vitro tumour models2, the magnetite particlessignificantly increased the HIFU-induced inertialcavitation, causing cell lysis and disintegration ofthe whole spheroid (Fig. 1). This suggests thatmagnetite nano-particle agglomerates canenhance the efficacy of HIFU in tumour ablationand other related therapies. Furthermore, as thesemagnetite particles can be easily magnetised in anapplied field, they could possibly be targeted totumours in vivo using external magnetic fieldgradients after systemic administration.

1M. J. Smith, V. H. B. Ho, N. J. Darton, N. K. H. Slater, Ultrasoundin Medicine and Biology, 2009, 35(6) : 1010-1014.2V. H. B. Ho, M. J. Smith, N. K. H. Slater, Ultrasound in Medicineand Biology, 2011, 37(1) : 169-175

Understanding CO2 geologicalsequestrationRehan Hussain, PhD studentGeological sequestration of CO2 in saline aquifers isa potential climate change mitigation technique.One possible sequestration mechanism is thecapillary trapping of discrete pore-scale CO2

bubbles in the rock. At the MRRC, we have beenstudying these phenomena on a laboratory scale byflowing carbonated brine through model porousmedia (e.g. random 100 μm glass bead packing andBentheimer sandstone).

Magnetic resonance (MR) techniques can quantifythe spatial distribution and pore environment of thetrapped CO2. MR images of water in the beadpacking revealed a macroscopically homogeneousCO2 entrapment. In order to spatially resolve thebubbles pore environment, a MR technique calledPFG was used to acquire probability distributions ofthe displacement of water, both before andfollowing CO2 entrapment. The mean displacementof the brine after CO2 entrapment increased 15%,corresponding with a reduction in brine-occupiedporosity of 15%. This observation was quantitativelysupported by 1D MR profiles of the water contentin the flow direction.

A numerical simulation strategy (based on theLattice Boltzmann method and random walks) wasused to aid the interpretation of the data. Byconsidering various pore environments in whichCO2 could become trapped, comparison betweensimulated and experimental data suggests that CO2

is preferentially entrapped in large pores (Fig. 1).

Research Highlights

a) b)a) b)

Figure 1. HeLa multicellular spheroids were radiated with high intensityfocused ultrasound (HIFU) in the absence (a) and presence (b) ofmagnetite nanoparticle agglomerates. The magnetite particles were ableto enhance the degree of HIFU induced inertial cavitation and caused thedisintegration of the entire spheroid (b). Viable cells are stained green,while non-viable cells are stained red.

Figure 1. Experimental (left) and simulated (right) probability distributionsof displacement for brine flow (20 ml/min) in Bentheimer sandstone,before and after CO2 entrapment.

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Research Feature


Dr Axel ZeitlerIt has been an exciting year for terahertz (THz)research at CEB. The field emerged in Cambridge afew years ago from the Semiconductor PhysicsGroup at the Cavendish Laboratory through Prof.Lynn Gladden. The Terahertz Applications Grouphas gained momentum and is rapidly expanding.The research is attracting interdisciplinary interestfrom across the university and industry.

Terahertz radiation is a part of the electromagneticspectrum between microwaves and infraredradiation. The term terahertz refers to the frequencyof the radiation, which centres around 1 THz (1012

Hz). This range was difficult to access until, in theearly ‘90s, researchers in Bell Lab managed to emitand detect pulses of THz radiation by firing near-infrared femtosecond lasers on a particular type ofsemiconductor. Ever since then the field has seenunprecedented growth with first commercialapplications emerging recently.

Terahertz radiation easily penetrates through mostpolymers and is therefore an exciting tool to studymaterials opaque to visible frequencies. Incrystalline materials, THz radiation interacts withvibration modes that extend across large domainsof the lattice. This makes it possible to selectivelyexcite crystal lattice vibrations and study theinteractions between molecules using low energyTHz radiation - qualities that are unique to THzspectroscopy.

The focus in our group is currently on techniquedevelopment and applications in pharmaceuticalsciences and catalysis. However the technique hasuseful applications spanning the fields frommedicine to art conservation.

One of the recent research highlights includes the3D analysis of the microstructure in polymer filmcoatings on pharmaceutical tablets. For these

measurements, a pulse of THz radiation is focusedonto the surface of a tablet and the reflected pulseis measured. The imaging principle is similar to aradar: while a fraction of the pulse is directlyreflected from the surface a good proportion of thepulse propagates into the transparent polymercoating. At each change in the refractive index areflection occurs, which leads to multiple returnpulses from a single incident pulse in the time-domain. From the time-of-flight between themultiple pulses the film thickness can be calculatedand thickness maps of the distribution of thecoating over the surface of a tablet can be obtained(Fig. 1)

These non-destructive THz images are a useful toolduring product development and quality testing inindustry. TeraView, a Cambridge company,developed one of the first commercial THz imagingsystems for this purpose. Our group is closelyinvolved in the development of this technology andrecent research has highlighted the versatility of theimaging approach, which goes far beyond theanalysis of coatings (Fig. 2). With the help of CEBand TeraView, we were able to purchase thisimaging system earlier this year (Fig. 3), which will

Figure 1. Thickness of the film coating layer on top of a tablet. Note themuch thicker film thickness on the top and bottom surfaces of the tabletin comparison to the centre band.

Terahertz as a new analytic tool in chemical engineering research:Applications in the field of pharmaceutical sciences


Research Feature


form the basis forthe future research.This is a prettyunique piece of kitand we areprobably the onlyacademicinstitution in theworld to have oneright now.

In addition to theimaging work, the

Terahertz Applications Group developed the first in-line sensor to measure in situ the coating thicknessof tablets during the coating process in an industrialunit (Fig. 4). This work was carried out in

collaboration with two industrial partners and theElectrical Engineering Department in Liverpool. Dueto the short measurement time, the instrument canmeasure the coating thickness of individual tabletsrather than a time average of a large number ofsamples. It is then possible to determine thethickness distribution of the product, which is a keyadvantage for applications in processunderstanding and control.

When used as a spectroscopic technique, THzradiation can be used as a very sensitive probe ofthe crystal structure in molecular crystals such asdrug molecules. In this field, the group has carriedout extensive studies into the stability and

dynamics of differentmolecular arrangements,so-called polymorphs,which are increasinglyused by pharmaceuticalcompanies to protectpatents but also toincrease the solubility ofpoorly soluble drugmolecules due to higherlattice energy (Fig. 5). Acollaboration with Dr Graeme Day at the ChemistryDepartment involves the comparison of theexperimental spectra with first principle calculationsto investigate the molecular nature of the vibrationmodes that form the basis of THz spectroscopy.

The group is also very active in the field of catalysis,together with Dr James McGregor at CEB. Here the

technique can be used tocharacterise the nature ofcoke formed during acatalytic reaction andhence to optimisecatalyst selectivity andlifetime.

The THz facility in thedepartment is unique:that it combinesfundamental researchinto THz science andtechnology with asystematic evaluation ofnew applications in fieldof chemical engineering.This is reflected by ourcollaborations within theuniversity and with other

internationally leading groups in the fields of THztechnology and its applications.

To find out more about what is going on at CEB inthis emerging technology please visit our websiteon www.ceb.cam.ac.uk/thz.php

Figure 2. Density distribution on thesurface of an uncoated tablet asmeasured by terahertz imaging. Red areasrepresent higher density while blue areasexhibit lower density.

Figure 4. Terahertz in-line processsensor

Figure 5. Terahertz spectra of fivepolymorphic forms of the drugmolecule sulfathiazole. Usingterahertz spectroscopy it ispossible to clearly distinguishbetween the different forms.

Figure 3. New THz imaging system, equipped with a robotic arm, at theTerahertz Research Group Lab


Industry Business


CEB at Cambridge PhenomenonConferenceElena Gonzalez

On Tuesday 5 October2010, three hundred globalbusiness leaders, policymakers, entrepreneurs,academics and mediaconverged on Cambridgefor ‘The Future Starts Here:The CambridgePhenomenon 50thAnniversary Conference’,which took place at

Wellcome Trust ConferenceCentre, Hinxton.

2010 marked the 50th anniversary of ‘TheCambridge Phenomenon’. Since 1960 and thefounding of Cambridge Consultants Ltd byChemical Engineering Alumni Tim Eiloart (sadlyrecently deceased) and David Southward, no end oftechnology, life sciences and service companieshave been established in and around Cambridge.The social and environmental impact of thesecompanies has been recognised and acclaimedglobally. In the ‘Silicon Fen finds its Feet’ article inthe Daily Telegraph (30 November 2010), editorAndrew Stone compared Cambridge technologycluster to the Silicon Valley in the US.

Professor Chris Lowe, CEB’s Director of the Instituteof Biotechnology and serial entrepreneur, gave atalk at the Conference (Novel Point of CareBiomedical Sensors: Future Trends in Technology atthe Interface of ICT, Materials Science and Biology).As an academic-entrepreneur, Chris achieves theperfect balance between running the Institutewhile spinning out a steady flow of successfulbiotech companies and delivering pragmaticsolutions to the problems facing biosciencecompanies around the world. He commented that‘The days are long gone when academics inhabitedivory towers; today, the knowledge-based economies

of the world are intensely competitive and we have todemonstrate that our work has a sustained andpractical impact on local, national and globalcommunities.’

Professor Lowe also contributed to the ‘Silicon ValleyComes to Cambridge’ event that took place onFriday 19 November 2010.

Theo Koutroukides, one of our Biotechnology PhDstudents researching on Schizophrenia biomarkers,is a Cambridge Phenomenon Board member whogot heavily involved in organising the Conference.

The main objectives of the conference were toproject the future of the worlds of IT andBiosciences including the new businessopportunities created as these sectors convergeand to provide inspiration and guidance to youngentrepreneurs.

The day was structured around four themes: IT;Biosciences; Funding; and the Future. Exhilaratingpresentations and challenging debates werepunctuated by one-minute pitches by the CEOs ofIT and Biotech companies competing for the title‘Cambridge Phenomenon 2010 Award’,

Charles Cotton, architect of the conference,commented, ‘I set up Cambridge Phenomenon Ltd tomark the 50th Anniversary of the CambridgePhenomenon and acknowledge the people,organisations and products behind Cambridge’sworld-famous Technology Cluster. The conference wasa huge success. During the day more than 350 peopleparticipated in the event. We had a great cast ofspeakers and panellists including two University ofCambridge Vice-Chancellors, Sir Leszek Borysiewiczand Lord Broers.’

Professor Lowe presenting atthe conference



Industry Business continued ...

CEO pitches from each of the IT and Biosciencescategories also took place and the audience casttheir votes before the end of the conference. DrDarrin Disley, one of our Biotechnology alumni anda former PhD student of Professor Lowe, was one ofthe stars of the day. His successful company,‘Horizons Discovery Ltd’, a local start-up, wasawarded the prize for ‘Bioscience Enterprise of theFuture’.

Dr Disley commented that ‘this award providesrecognition for the technical contribution Horizon ismaking in the pioneering stage of the personalisedmedicine field. It also recognises the ‘eye-opening’commercial performance of the company in what hasbeen challenging economic times’.

Incidentally, Chemical Engineering alumnus andFounder of the Cambridge Cluster Mr Southwardhanded Darrin his well-deserved award. The dayfinished on a great note with a ChampagneReception and 50th Anniversary Cake.

As a result of the conference there are plans underway to publish a book ‘The CambridgePhenomenon’ to celebrate 50 years of innovationand entrepreneurship in and around Cambridge.The book launch is expected in the last quarter of2011. For further information visitwww.cambridgephenomenon.com

Photography © cambridgephenomenon.com

Dr Alex Routh awarded theMcBainMedalAlex Routh was awarded the McBain medal for2010. This medal from the Royal Society ofChemistry and from the Society of ChemicalIndustry (SCI) is awarded to a researcher whohas made a meritorious contribution to thefield of colloid and interface science within 15years of starting his/her PhD. Alex received theaward on 8th December during a meeting atthe SCI which comprised of talks from Alex’scollaborators and colleagues. The meetingculminated in Alex giving a lecture entitled‘Watching paint dry: evaporation mediated selfassembly of nanoparticles’. Alex was reallymoved by the whole day and said, ‘To receivethis award is fantastic. In addition, to have ameeting with talks from friends and colleagues issimply amazing. I am so grateful’. The photosshow Alex with his group members just afterfinishing his lecture and with his medal,alongside Dr Pete Dowding who organised themeeting.

Alumnus Dr Disley receives his award

Dr Routh at the Award Ceremony

Achievements


Achievements


Kiwanuka shines at IChemE AwardsOn 4th November2010, Manchester’sPalace Hotelhosted the 2010IChemE Awards forInnovation andExcellence.Ssegawa-SsekintuKiwanuka, a PhDstudent with theLaser AnalyticsGroup receivedthird place in thecategory of Young

Engineer of the Year. It is a remarkable achievementgiven that he is the youngest nominee in the award’shistory. CEB Focus met with Ssegawa to find out whatthe achievement has meant to him.

Sseg, congratulations! When did you find out youwere nominated for the award?I got an email in September and of course it was ahuge surprise. I started the research project for myMEng and only decided after graduation that Iwanted to develop this project into a PhD thesis. Ididn’t expect 12 months down the line I would beeven considered for such a prestigious award.

Chemical engineers are not renowned for glitzand glamour. Did the IChemE put on a goodshow?As a football fan, I thought having Mark Lawrensonand Ray Stubbs as hosts was an inspired choice bythe IChemE. Their decision to host a champagnereception this year, instead of introductoryspeeches should also be credited. They really put ina lot of effort into everything.

What has been the response from your friends,family and colleagues?My fellow Laser Analytics Group members wereexceptionally pleased and as was my supervisor andHead of the Group, Dr Clemens Kaminski. The fact

that I was up against strong competition, four tofive years my senior reflects on the internationalcollaborations, responsibility and intellectualfreedom Dr Kaminski has given me at an incrediblyearly stage. Therefore I must thank him first andforemost.

I really hope this sends a strong message to stressthe importance of funding scientific research in theUK at all levels. PhD researchers are worth investingin and we can contribute significant work to thewider scientific community and industry. Myparents and family were of course really proud.

As for my friends, they too were thrilled and excited,although most think I just make laser discos. I wouldalso like to specially mention Dr Toni Laurila, wholed my undergraduate research project and mustbe credited for making even a simple chemicalengineer like myself understand opticsand laser physics.

Describe how you felt when they wereannouncing your category. Did you feel nervousand excited at that point?Given that the judges had a record number ofnominations, I was surprised to have beenshortlisted by the judges. To then see myDepartmental mug-shot on the big screenannouncing my 3rd place was another, lessflattering, surprise.

2010, was a great year for you - victorious varsityboxing, sell-out opera tour at the EdinburghFringe - what does 2011 have in store?(Laughs) Hopefully it will be a quiet one! Here is anexclusive for CEB Focus - I announce my retirementfrom boxing at age 23 (although if a call for London2012 comes up, I may delay this by one year).

Ssegawa with football pundit MarkLawrenson


Alumni Corner


Chemical Engineering and theCambridge PhenomenonAlumnus David SouthwardBy common consent the start of the CambridgeCluster or the Cambridge Phenomenon has beenlinked to Cambridge Consultants, which TimEiloart, who sadly died last year, and I started 50years ago. Any impression that there wasnothing, there was Cambridge Consultants andthen suddenly there were hundreds of newtechnical companies would be completelymisleading for there were plenty of scientificcompanies from all of the Pye Group, CambridgeInstruments, Metals Research etc. But there wereno such things as Science Parks.

However, to begin when we first met. At school, Iknew I wished to be an engineer because I wasalways making things. It could easily have beenany sort of engineer but in the end I waspersuaded that chemical engineers would alwaysbe in demand. Fortuitously the Ministry of Supplywas offering a 5 year student apprentice schemewhere I could study chemical engineering andafter getting a place at Cambridge this is what Ielected to do. Fortuitously also this avoidedNational Service. Tim Eiloart was a kindred spiriton the same course who also wished to go toCambridge. After a fairly tedious year making aset of tools at Woolwich Arsenal we both went upto our different colleges in 1955. The ChemicalEngineering Department in those days was in aseries of temporary buildings behind OldAddenbrookes in Tennis Court Rd . I still haveProfessor Davidson’s Lecture notes from that eraalthough their contents I am sure would nowmystify me completely.

Tim postponed his fourth year of ChemicalEngineering to cross the Atlantic in the ‘SmallWorld’ a hydrogen balloon with a small gondolabeneath it. They managed to get about halfwayacross before getting caught in such an updraftthat they had to jettison gas and so continue therest of the way in the gondola. Meanwhile Icompleted the course and then left theExplosives Factory to spend a year in the citystudying accountancy, which I found useful butnot really to my liking. In 1960 when castingaround for a career move, I spoke to Tim whopersuaded me to return to Cambridge. He wasworking at that time for the ExperimentalPsychology Laboratory for Richard Gregory but hehad started Cambridge Consultants, whichoperated from offices in Jesus Lane. Althoughthe concept of the company was to makeavailable the scientific expertise in the Universityto Industry, in fact the only work beingundertaken at that time was technical translation.

We decided that I should set up a small workshopand so Cambridge Prototypes was born with alittle funding from the Eiloart and Southwardfamilies. The workshop was at the back of a firmof printers run by Rodney Dale in Histon Road.We employed a few instrument makers andinitially we just manufactured items designedelsewhere for local companies such as MetalsResearch - then in King Street. Gradually thenature of the work changed and we were thenasked to design jobs of ever more complexity forexample equipment to investigate themechanical properties of insect muscles. Thissounds simple but it involved vibrating one endof the muscle at varying frequencies over varyingamplitudes whilst sensing the reaction at theother end. This had to work at pressures up to1000psi just to complicate it further. Of coursethis was in the days before transistors were incommon use.

We had no in house electronic expertise to startwith and had to rely part time on PhD studentssuch as Colin Fisher. As the nature of the workchanged then so we took on staff. Peter Raynerwas the first full time electronic engineer to joinus. He came to work on electronic petrol pumps.He was later to go back to an academic life taking

David at Class of 1957-59 reunion, July 2009


Alumni Corner


a PhD and subsequently became PhD supervisorto Mike Lynch of Autonomy – a $6 Billion per yearCambridge success story.

We had a large Research Contract to explore themanufacture of thin film capacitors. We made amicrobalance for a local company and TVaudience measuring equipment for AGB. Wemade typewriter training equipment. For thecarpet industry we made a machine forgenerating Axminster loom spools and produceda demonstration model of a new type of carpetmanufacture. There was little common theme tothe work we were asked to do.

Tim was extremely good at generating publicityfor the company both locally and nationally. Thisbrought us in touch with other groups wantingto start their own business. For example, IannBarron and a group of colleagues worked forElliott Automation and wished to start a companymanufacturing fast computers – to rival the DECPDP8. We took them onto our payroll and didmanage to help raise their finance. ThusComputer Technology which produced theModular One was born – we had a smallshareholding in it. Of more relevance to ourbackground we were also approached by a groupof engineers who wished to start a businessspecialising only in Heat Exchanger design. Thislead to the formation of Delta ThermalTechnology.

With the naivety and enthusiasm of youth therewas nothing we did which while hugelyenjoyable also put us back to the start of thelearning curve in each new field. Both our clientsand ourselves always underestimated thedevelopment cost of a project. Thus to have a‘bread and butter’ line manufacturing the sameitem was always something of a dream.

When Gordon Edge joined he produced designsfor modular electronic test equipment and so AIMElectronics was born. The premises at HistonRoad were now full to bursting and theexpansion of the company was straining ourfinancial resources. So we were pleased thatRobert Maxwell amongst others then invested inthe company and despite his reputation we neverhad cause to regret his involvement. Gordon alsodesigned the P40 hi-fi amplifier and this led to theformation of a further company Cambridge AudioLaboratories Ltd for which we obtained limitedexternal funding.

When Gordon left in 1970 he went on to start thePA Science and Technology Centre at Roystonand subsequently to found Sagentia.

But Aim Electronics and Cambridge Audio werenot the only fledgling off shoots, we had a raft ofother small ones including Draftmaster, AimBiosciences. Aim Physical Sciences, Durcam andpossibly others I have forgotten. To bring somesort of financial structure to these, the mothercompany of Cambridge Consultants became theGroup Holding Company – Aim Associates and allthe others with separate management –including a wholly owned new ‘CambridgeConsultants’ became operating divisions. Theconcept was that a failure of any one divisionwould not bring the whole House of Cards down– but in the event this is exactly what finally didhappen in 1971.

In 1968 we moved into new premises built for usin Bar Hill (now swept aside by Tescos). We alsothen took over the Mill at St Ives which became abase for our manufacturing arm – both hi fi andAim Electronics. The Working Capital demands –especially for the hi-fi side eventually proved ourundoing, but at least Cambridge Consultants stillthrives and I have never regretted the ‘jack of alltrades, master of none’ education I received – I amsure Tim would say the same. As a colleague saidto me the other day ‘Know one branch of Scienceand you know the lot!’ – well, not exactly true, butI see and agree with that sentiment.

‘We decided that I should set up a smallworkshop and so Cambridge Prototypeswas born with a little funding from theEiloart and Southward families’


Department Events


Return of Friday pub nightssocialsKyra Sedransk, PhD studentEver wonder who people areoutside of your group or officeare? Maybe you didn't even knowthat the department has THREEsites ... Or you are just tired andwant a chance to vent out yourfrustrations with people goingthrough the same thing.

We are kicking off the return ofDepartment Pub Nights!

When: 2nd Friday of the month at6pm (next one is on 11 February)Who: Masters, Grad students,Postdocs, and really anyoneinterested from CEBWhere: each month a differentpub (next one in The Anchorpub)Why: to get to meet and relax,simple as that.

See you all there!

FrankMorton Games

22 February 2011, at NottinghamUniversity.For further details contactNaveed Kayaam, CUCES FrankMorton rep ([email protected])

The Frank Morton Sports Day isan annual sporting competitionbetween the students ofchemical engineeringdepartments from UK universities.Some of the sports involvedinclude football, basketball,tennis, netball, squash, roundersand dodgeball. For the non-sports lovers there's a pub crawlfollowed by a night out after thesports. All in all it is a great day offand an opportunity to get toknow fellow chemical engineersfrom the UK.

Alumni Speaker Series: LentTerm‘Breaking with Tradition: CerealProcessing for the 21st Century’Dr Grant Campbell, Satake Centrefor Grain Process EngineeringSchool of Chemical Engineeringand Analytical Science, TheUniversity of ManchesterFriday 28 January 2011, 3.30pm.

‘Development and Manufactureof an Affinity Filter for theRemoval of vCJD from Bloodand Blood-Derived Products’Dr Steve Burton, Prometic LifeSciencesFriday 25 February 2011, 5.00pm

Seminars: Lent Term‘2nd Year PhD StudentPresentations and Posters’Posters from 2pm, Talks from3.15pmChemical Engineering Students,Wednesday 26 January, TennisCourt Road – Level 3Biotechnology Students,Wednesday 2 February, LectureTheatre 1, Pembroke St.Chemical Engineering Students,Wednesday 9 February, LectureTheatre 1, Pembroke St.

‘Technical context fordeepwater drilling and oil spillresponse’Dr Ellen Williams (Chief ScientistBP), Dr Andy Leonard (Cambridgecoordinator BP)Wednesday 23 February, 2-3pm,Lecture Theatre 1, Pembroke St.

‘Inventing apparatus andprocesses’Professor Malcolm Mackley, Dept.of Chemical Engineering andBiotechnology, University ofCambridgeWednesday 9 March, 2-3pm,Lecture Theatre 1, Pembroke St.


Arrivals and Departures


A warmwelcome to…

Research Associates:Dr Bob AmessMiss Eva BrombacherDr Man ChanDr Natacha Vanatto-SaifoudineDr Mikael Winters

Research Assistants:Miss Rebecca BarnerMiss Sonia Melendi

Visiting academics and researchstudents:Mr Edward AvezovProfessor Raul ConejerosProfessor Nevin SelcukDr Richard Shaobing

Goodbye to…

PhD Students:Tamaryn BrownYa Ying ChengSarah CreberSimon Schlachter

Visiting Research academics andstudents:Professor Edd BlekkanDr John FrankNuria Rodriguez GomezProfessor JoAnn LightlyChu LiuProfessor Houston Miller

Visiting Professor JoAnnLightly

I was on a six-month sabbatical fromthe University of Utah, where I amProfessor and Chair of ChemicalEngineering, and have been in thedepartment since June 2010. I wasalso a By-Fellow of Churchill Collegein Michaelmas 2010. During my timein the Department, I worked withProfessor Markus Kraft on sootoxidation and models that willpredict the experimental evidenceof particle fragmentation. I also havea research project in processmodelling of chemical looping, acommon interest with Dr JohnDennis.

I have enjoyed my time in theDepartment and Cambridge. My 15-year old daughter and husband havealso loved being here. My daughterhas attended ChestertonCommunity College and played forCambridge City Football Club. As afamily, we will miss the wonderfulpeople; our bike riding adventures;and the amazing history ofCambridge. These are uniquefeatures to someone from Utah. Aplace of too many cars and an age ofonly 164 years – young incomparison to Cambridge!

Tamaryn BrownPhD Student

I came to Cambridge in January2006, having just finished my studiesin Chemical Engineering at theUniversity of Cape Town, SouthAfrica. My research topic was onChemical-looping combustion (CLC)with solid fuels such as coal andbiomass. Chemical-looping is analternative combustion process forgenerating power whilst at the sametime producing a pure stream ofcarbon dioxide which can becaptured and stored underground.

Studying at Cambridge was both achallenging and rewardingexperience and I have learnt manylessons along the way. During mytime, I was a member of theCambridge University Yacht RacingTeam and sailed against Oxford inthe Varsity Regatta two yearsrunning, beating them in the firstyear. I also helped to organiseworkshops for Engineers withoutBorders. Since submitting mydissertation, I have begun a post docin the Policy group of the GranthamInstitute for Climate Change atImperial College in London. In mynew role as Mitigation ResearchAssistant, I am researchingtechnology pathways for low carboneconomies.


Dear Dr Sarah


Dr Sarah Rough, MPhil ACE Programmehas been listening to the concerns ofstudents and colleagues within theDepartment for over 10 years. She is a fullyqualified practitioner of the AdvancedRegression via Sleep Evolution technique,and is a regular contributor to the Bulletinof Social Hierarchies In Teaching.

Dear Dr Sarah,The research isn't going places. I had big plans butnothing seems to be working. What's the point DrSarah? Where am I going wrong? I hope you canhelp. Phil D

Dr Sarah says ...

First of all, stop worrying. It's perfectly natural to

have these types of feelings for your research.

Most of us go through what you're describing - it's

all part of developing as a researcher.

You probably feel like a little boat on a rough sea -

you're doing a lot of tossing about, but you're

getting nowhere. What you need to do is to lay

anchor and wait for the storm to pass.

One way of achieving this is by meditation - this

will focus the mind and invigorate the spirit, and

help you become one with your research.

Find a quiet, deserted place - try any of the

research labs before 11am. Sit comfortably and

start off with a simple one word mantra, e.g. the

word 'fugacity'. Say this word over and over in

your head. You will soon find that it becomes

quite meaningless. Try this for a few seconds every

morning.

Once you are comfortable with the whole

procedure, move up to the next level - meditation

upon an equation, e.g. a Bessel function

[Departmental Data book p.17]. Visualise the

equation in your mind's eye, and try to hold it

there as long as possible without distraction - not

as easy as it sounds! Gradually increase the

complexity - perhaps choose a set of your data

and think about each error bar. If you have no

data, then I hear that Excel has an excellent

random number generator function.

One can progress through a number of stages,

and some adepts can even attain the level of

meditation upon contour integration in the

complex plane*, but you should feel well-

grounded before that, and completely at one with

your research. The sea should now be calmer, so

weigh anchor and off you go!

*Warning: Do not try this at home.

If you have concerns that you would likeDr Rough to provide answers for in future issues,email the Editorial Team your questions [email protected] or leave us a note in thecomment boxes available in the Department.


Tea-time Teaser


Turbulence in a Tea-CupAlastair ClarkePhD studentThe last Tea-time Teaser causedquite a stir and hopefully this onewill also quench your thirst forengineering problems. We look atthe turbulent mixing of misciblefluids. When I add milk to my cupof tea-infused water, how longdoes it take for the two fluids tocompletely mix without the aidof a stirring spoon?

Figure 1 shows the geometry ofour problem. Milk is poured froma height (h) into a cup of water.The milk jet has a diameter d atthe water surface, the water has adepth H and the cup has an innerdiameter D. Initially the water isstagnant and we assume it has auniform density which is equal tothe density of milk (actually milkis ~5% denser). As the milk jetstreams down the centre of thecup, it drags the surroundingwater with it and the two fluidsmix. The water enters

perpendicularly to the directionof the jet and whilst this causesthe volumetric flow-rate (Q) toincrease, it does not alter themomentum flux (M). Figure 2 is aphoto taken about one secondafter milk was added to a cup oftea-infused water. When the jethits the bottom of the cup, itspreads laterally and forms a layerof milky tea. As more milk isadded, the tea layer grows. If weassume the velocities of the jetand the tea layer do not vary

along the radial direction, then avolume balance in the verticaldirection gives the rate of changeof the tea layer thickness (z) to be:

dz/dt = 4(Q-Q0)/πD2

where π = 3.14…, t is time and Q0

is the flow-rate of milk from thejug that arrives at the watersurface. This approach has alsobeen used in an old ChemicalEngineering Tripos question1. Wefurther assume that the depth offluid in the cup does not changemuch over time compared to theheights h and H. Now, Bernoulli’sequation gives the velocity of themilk at the surface (=√(2gh)) andthe plume equations2 give Q=2α(H – z)√(πM) + Q0 where α isthe entrainment coefficient for ajet (= 0.076), g is gravity and M =πd2gh/2. Combining theseequations and integrating thedifferential equation over thelimits z = 0 at t = 1 second to z =0.99H, gives the time taken forthe two fluids to mix. For a typicaltea-making scenario where D = 6cm, h = 4 cm and d = 0.5 cm, ourmodel predicts it will take 13seconds. Okay if you like cold,milky tea. In future, we may wishto consider buoyancy effects andthe overturning of the tea layer atthe walls.

References1 Cardoso, S.S.S., Scott, D.M., 2006. Paper5 (Fluid Mechanics and theEnvironment), Chemical EngineeringTripos. Question 3. University ofCambridge.2 Morton, B. R., Taylor, G. I., Turner, J. S.,1956. Turbulent gravitational convectionfrom maintained and instantaneoussources. Proc. R. Soc. London A, 234, 1-24.

Figure 1: Schematic diagram showing milkbeing poured from a jug into a cup partiallyfilled with water.

Figure 2: Photograph taken one second after milk was poured into a partially-filled cup of tea-infused boiled water. Here h = 4cm, H = 6cm and D = 6cm.


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