Profile

Emma Carter
still working on the GA (but getting out to enjoy the sun quite a lot too)
Curriculum Vitae
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Education
St. Hildas C. of E. High School (1985-1990); Liverpool Blue Coat School (1990-1992) -
Qualifications
1992-1996, University of Birmingham, MEng&Man degree (Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing and Management) – back again 2002-2006 for a PhD -
Work History
Churchfields Components (diesel tubes), Lloyds (gears), Universal Steel Tubes (steel tubes!!) -
Current Job
Research Fellow -
Employer
University of Birmingham in the Mechanical Engineering Department
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Favourite thing to do in my job: Helping a student or colleague understand something better
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My Work: I am an engineer and I do research into improving micro-engineering systems. Before that I was investigating how people are injured by cars and how the cars can be designed to be safer for pedestrians.
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Part of my work is about trying to design and make a device that uses the Casimir Force
. (This is a quantum effect that is only really noticable on the micro-scale but causes a strong attraction between two parallel plates). I am working along side Physicists to design the device
so that the Casimir Force causes part of it to move without being pushed. I am also writing a computer prgramme that will help optimise the design of a micro-artificial nose
. This is a device that can detect certain gases and has lots of different applications including illness diagnosis. I am trying to help make it smaller and cheaper but also detect more smells. I also did some work on making some periodic gold structures that were so small I created an artificial material (these are called ‘metamaterials’)
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My Typical Day: Cycle in, work on the computer, go swimming, help some students and make stuff in the clean room.
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I either cycle to work or drive my Smart Roadster depending on the weather. A lot of the work I do is on the computer – things like designing the masks I use to make the devices, writing computer code, developing a model to see what the device should do when I test it, and then analysing results and writing about them.
I sometimes go swimming at lunchtime and then have lunch in one of the cafes on campus either with a friend or on my own reading the paper.During term time I may have students popping in to discuss a project they are working on. If I am actually making something I need to put a special suit on and go into our clean room to use the equipment in there. -
What I'd do with the prize money: Make a series of short films explaining micro-engineering, nanotechnology and other science stuff in a fun way.
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I’ve got a digital hard drive camera, a very robust flash drive ‘action cam’ that I can wear on my helmet when I go skiing cycling etc. and some free editing software. What I’d like to do is use those and also rent a professional camera for a few days (about £80 per day) to make some short films (3 – 5min) explaining some science and engineering concepts like friction, pressure, van der waals forces, gravity and Newtons laws but using some familar activities like skiing, skate-boarding, scuba diving and windsurfing etc. and also musical instruments (these are great for explaining conspetc such as sound waves, frequency and harmonics). A lot of these things aren’t difficult to understand but a lot of people think they are because they haven’t been explained to them in a way they can relate to. So, I’d make these films (I’ve had a day of vodcasting training with a TV producer) and buy some good editing software (about £200) to finish them off, then put them on U-tube, on the Noisemake website that I have a profile on and also look at putting them on I-Tunes-U.
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Inquisitive, sporty, friendly
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Yes – for holding hands with a boy!
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Muse and Katy Melua
What is the most fun thing you've done?
Kayaking down a waterfall in New Zealand
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
To have children, play the drums really well and get some decent biceps
Tell us a joke.
A jump lead walks into a bar and asks for a drink. The bartender says ‘OK, but don’t start anything’
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My profile link:
https://ias.im/u.1459
Comments
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