The only way is up for the University’s Engineering Department

The Engineering Department at the University of Northampton has had a busy start to the term with a series of workshops, research events and even the sixth annual lift symposium all taking place within the same week.

Leading passenger transportation company ThyssenKrupp Elevator AG and the University’s Graduate School teamed up to deliver a series of workshops on Tuesday 20 September. Over 20 research students, academic staff and contract researchers took part in the activities, which included presentations, practical project work, reflection and group discussion elements. Two lectures were also given by Dr Benedickt Meier, a visiting professor from ThyssenKrupp and David Cooper, a visiting fellow from LECS UK.

Dr Benedikt Meier, ThyssenKrupp Elevator AG, Visiting Professor at the University, presented a lecture entitled Under Pressure: Developing Engineering Solutions. The lecture was followed by a workshop on research project management facilitated and delivered by Thomas Ehrl (ThyssenKrupp Elevator AG). The afternoon activities involved a workshop on “Challenges in your R&D environment; interface management” led by Dr Meier. In the evening a lecture was given by David Cooper, a visiting fellow from LECS UK.

The aim of the workshops was for the delegates to obtain a better understanding of the fundamentals of research project management and to provide a forum for people to discuss the specific challenges in the context generic research environment, specifically selected areas of technology, such as Lift Technology.

Later in the week on Wednesday 21 and Thursday 22 September, the sixth Lift and Escalator Technologies Symposium took place at Highfield House. The annual event was organised in conjunction with the Chartered Institution of Building Service Engineers (CIBSE) Lifts Group and the Lift and Escalator Industry Association and over 120 delegates from far and wide attended. The event provided opportunities for students, practitioners and scientists from industry and academia worldwide to network and discuss the latest training, education, research and innovation developments in the industry.

Professor Stefan Kaczmarczyk from the University of Northampton and co-chair of the Symposium commented: “The workshop events gave an excellent opportunity for the University’s research community to engage with experienced industrial practitioners who shared their extensive knowledge based on the training programme carried out at ThyssenKrupp.

“We were delighted to welcome David Cooper, who is a well-known author, speaker, practitioner and academic in the industry with a keen interest in safety and training. His presentation took us through his entire career featuring major award winning projects he has been involved.

“The two-day lift symposium was a highlight of the week. Paper presentations covered a broad range of topics from within the area of Lift Engineering and Escalator Technology. The conference proved to be a great success and provided a platform for sharing the latest developments in research and innovation in Vertical Transportation.”

Dr Richard Peters of the CIBSE Lifts Group, Visiting Professor at the University of Northampton and co-chair of the Symposium commented: “The University’s Symposium was an excellent opportunity for the Lift Industry experts, academics and postgraduate students to present peer reviewed papers and disseminate their research and innovation.”