Issue 16 Autumn 2012 - Brunel University

FeATUre :: sTUdeNT ANd GrAdUATe NeWs :: eXPRess MAGAZINe
18
‘Journeys
fuelled by
ideas’
dame ellen MacArthur launches
Made in Brunel’s seventh
successful show
Dame Ellen MacArthur addressed an audience of students, staff and
industry specialists at this year’s Made in Brunel design and engineering
showcase in June.
Formerly a record-breaking sailor and circumnavigator, Dame Ellen
launched the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in 2012 to inspire a
generation to re-think, re-design and build a positive future, after five
years of research into the global economy and its reliance on finite
resources. She presented some of the Foundation’s ideas at Made in
Brunel’s Pecha Kucha event on Thursday 14 June, before which she
spoke to Express about her work and her lifelong interest in design
(see page 20).
Around 300 innovations were presented and demonstrated to
consumers, producers and service providers over the course of the
annual showcase, which is run by Brunel’s graduating design and
engineering students. Returning to the dramatic Bargehouse on
London’s Southbank, the exhibition also included: workshops such as
the Masters Creative Workshop, in which participants visualised and
solved design challenges using Lego; alumni networking events bringing
together students past and present; and numerous opportunities for
students to discuss their work through presentations and seminars.
Among the designs vying for attention this year were a chocolate
pen and 3D chocolate printer, a device which recycles water wasted
when running the hot tap, and an intelligent toy for cats which moves
away on approach. Other concepts included the development of new
sustainable roofing technology, a process which enables HIV positive
mothers in sub-Saharan Africa to see that their breast milk is safe before
feeding their babies, and a study looking at the potential construction
of a Thames Estuary airport.
Creator of Made in Brunel Paul Turnock revealed the thinking behind
this year’s theme, ‘journeys fuelled by ideas’. “The journeys our students
make through their degrees are what shape their outlook as graduate
designers and engineers,” he said. “For 2012, ‘journeys fuelled by ideas’
represented our aim of sharing the process and development that
goes into all of the projects, the progression of the students and Made
in Brunel itself. The students worked exceptionally hard to get their
products and concepts ready for public exhibition.”
Traditionally, Made in Brunel provides an excellent opportunity for
Brunel students to find employment. Last year’s cohort landed design
and engineering jobs at companies including Jaguar Land Rover, Porsche
Design, Dyson, Chanel, Hasbro, Burberry, Reiss and lastminute.com, with
some also setting up their own businesses upon graduation.