This is a recording of a November 2024 video session with my Cambridge ex Polymer Fluids Group researchers, on ‘Mapping’ my own life. It can be used as a template for ‘mapping’ your own life or organisation. The contents of your own map will of course be very different to my own in terms of […]
Reflections on my Education and Academic Experiences. By Malcolm Mackley This is a summary (written in 2023 and tweaked in 2024) of my schooling background and academic experiences at four different Universities. Writing this document has (belatedly) made me realise that the ‘whole’ education experience is very important in relation to what people do with […]
People are relying more and more on Engineering Technology and it has now reached the point where most human activity is supported by some aspect of it. Humans have used engineering technology to supplement their lifestyle whereas, stating something that is obvious, animals and plants have not! It is not easy to identify exactly when […]
In the past, engineers have been very good at core engineering areas such as Mechanical, Electrical, Electronic and Chemical Engineering, however we appear not to have been so adept at aligning this excellence with social economic and global sustainable needs. The last decade however has seen a steady shift in emphasis and for example the […]
The European Economic Community (EEC) was founded in 1957 and then in 1993 evolved into the EU. Of course the 1939-1945 war was a clear catalyst for much of the initial changes, however the reasons for the UK referendum vote going the way it did are both complex and conflicting. It is only now that […]
Fluid Mechanics is a core subject for Engineers, Applied Mathematicians and some Scientists. It is a subject that will be taught in every Technical University in the world. It is a beautiful subject that can be elegantly described using mathematics and it is a subject that touches the lives of everyone. In the 15th century […]
Scientists are often depicted as “people in white coats”. They are also thought of as being remote, clever, boffins and serious people who are somewhat removed from normal society. Much of this can be true, however there is another side to scientist and also engineers where they can be fun, extrovert, interesting and creative. This […]
The scientific understanding of polymers developed throughout the 20th century and that understanding has now fundamentally changed our lives. Synthetic polymers such as nylon and polyethylene were discovered in the 1930s and their discovery and subsequent understanding has resulted in the appreciation that many biological molecules are also polymers. Some of these biological polymers such […]
In the mid 1990s I wrote a book called “High Tension”. At the time I thought peoples perception of science and invention was tinged with the difficulties of mathematics, the language of scientist and the fact that scientist didn’t seem to be interesting people. Invention in particular can be very exciting and scientist are also […]