Over a hundred guests attended the lunch and Warren East, CEO of Rolls-Royce, spoke about the challenges facing complex manufacturing operations and the opportunities provided by digital transformation.
During the lunch, the ERA Foundation awarded the third annual Clark Prize prize and Fellowship to Jamie Costello, Sutton Grammar School. Neal Hammersley, Kingsway School, Cheadle and Tracy O’Connor, Bishop Challoner Catholic College, Birmingham were runners-up.
Sutton Grammar School is to the south of Greater London and over the last 20 years, Jamie has worked to teach and promote STEM subjects. Through his championing of enrichment activities, his students have created high altitude balloons, satellite-tracked ocean drifters, remote space weather stations, solid-state particle detectors and remotely operated underwater vehicles.
Last year 25% of Jamie’s Sutton Grammar school leavers went on to study engineering degrees. His exceptional engineering provision has also helped Sutton Grammar produce some of the country’s best young engineers.
In addition, the ERA awarded three other fellowships
- Royal Society ERA Translation Award – to Jonathan Rossiter from University of Bristol for his work on “Ultra-high strain electro-actuators and artificial muscles”.
- Royal Academy of Engineering ERA Enterprise Fellowship – To Jack Pearson, CEO of EngX and who is developing a tool for automating complex manufacturing, and which sprung out of a research project at the University of Bristol
- Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 ERA Industrial Fellowship – To Ben Janes for his project “Development of a practical method for manufacturing enhanced heat transfer surfaces on commercial heat exchangers.”
