Ukraine's hidden threat: Tackling the landmine crisis
In this episode of E+T: Off the Page, the team explores the growing landmine crisis in Ukraine, now the most heavily mined country in the world after three years of war with Russia. Host Tim Fryerspeaks with Michael Nevard, director of capability at the Halo Trust, about the devastating impact of landmines on civilians and the long-term challenges of de-mining. The discussion focuses on how Halo employs local Ukrainians to safely clearmines to help communities reclaim their land. Nevard also explains how land mine technology has evolved, which can make detection and removal increasingly complex. The conversation also highlights the broader, global issue of landmine contamination, referencing Cambodia, Syria,and Afghanistan, where decades-old mines still maim civilians. In addition, the team explores the financial and logistical hurdles of de-mining, while stressing its humanitarian and economic benefits.
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42:33
Forever Chemicals - Are they an environmental disaster in progress?
Hosted by: Tim Fryer and Tanya WeaverSpecial Guest: Stephanie Metzger, Policy Advisor at the Royal Society of Chemistry.Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances - better known as PFAS or Forever Chemicals, are incredibly useful. They are so good at repelling water, oil and heat that they are used in a multitude of everyday applications. However, there is evidence linking them to serious health issues including cancers and, as the name Forever Chemicals suggests, they are very difficult to get rid of. So how are we going to engineer our way out of this problem?Regulars Tim Fryer and Tanya Weaver are joined by guest Stephanie Metzger, Policy Advisor at the Royal Society of Chemistry.
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50:08
Are we losing engineers due to burnout?
Hosted by: Tim Fryer, Jack Loughran and Tanya WeaverSpecial Guest: Simon Swales, Senior Consultant, Mindset PracticeEngineers don’t have it easy. Barely manageable workloads, zero tolerance towards making mistakes, frequently morphing into roles that go beyond their engineering roots - like management, finances, logistics etc - excessive travel and yet solitary nature of the task - all are contributorary factors in making engineering a mentally tough occupation. It is no surprise then that engineer burnout is not just a recognisable condition, but a growing problem. In this podcast we discuss why it is problem that can no longer be ignored.Regulars Tim Fryer, Jack Loughran and Tanya Weaver are joined by guest Simon Swales, Senior Consultant, Mindset Practice
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41:01
Is the AI bubble about to burst?
While Artificial Intelligence is on everyone's lips as the key to the development of just about everything, more practical issues are resulting in a re-evaluation of where the technology might take us. Public uptake and trepidation on the user side are added to by energy consumption, LLM limitations and profitability on the technology development side. All this and more is discussed in the latest E+T Off The Page podcast. Regulars Jack Loughran and Tanya Weaver are joined by guest Julie Wall, Professor of AI & Advanced Computing, University of West London.
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42:25
Trump's America - what does it mean for the global tech sector?
Few modern day politicians are as divisive as Donald Trump - but what does his forthcoming presidency mean for the tech sector, both in the US and around the world? Will import tariffs kill trade and result in hyper inflation? Or will they stimulate the tech manufacturing sector within the USA? Will removing red tape help innovation, particularly in areas such as AI, where a tech race is on with China? And will the climate change process take a hit if Trump pulls America out of the Paris Agreement.Regulars Tim Fryer and Tanya Weaver form the E+T editorial team discussed all this with Paul Dempsey, long-time American correspondent and geopolitical expert on the technology and engineering sector.
UK