Notes from Meetup #21: Sheffield Climate Tech
After a long dark winter, we were finally back in March, and this time hosted by our new sponsors, the Smart Computing subject group in the Computing Department at Sheffield Hallam University! The courses run by this group are designed to develop the next generation of designers and engineers able to combine hardware, software, networking and data analysis skills in new ways. Check out Alice Arnold’s introduction to the undergraduate course, below!
The theme of the meetup was of course Climate Tech, and we were treated to four excellent talks on the subject, each of which approached the topic from a different angle:
Ricky Barefield explained how applying digital technologies to address the climate crisis is just ine side of the coin, and that the other is to reduce the impact of the technologies we run for all other purposes as well!
Dr Jing Wang showed us how machine vision can be applied to measuring the properties of recycled fibres to determine whether they can be used to strengthen concrete.
Tom Carpenter talked about the current failings within climate accounting and how his team are building an open repository for organisations to share the data from their audits.
We were especially grateful to welcome Sheffield’s Director of Investment, Climate Change and Planning, Wil Stewart, who outlined the city’s plans to tackle the climate crisis, how the ambition is for not just the council but the entire city to be carbon neutral by 2030, and how firms, organisations and citizens can get involved in supporting these efforts.
I wrapped things up with the usual quick-fire SmartSheffield News roundup, and let everyone get to the food and beverages. Turn out was excellent once again, with around 60 registrations and over 40 in attendance on the night.
So, thanks once again to our speakers and to everyone who came, and to all our sponsors at SHU, TUoS, Arup and Sheffield Digital. Thanks as well to my son Flynn who filmed the talks and helped with the editing afterwards as well :)
Enjoy the talk videos below and the next event is already being planned for May at Arup in St Paul’s Place.
Ricky Barefield
"Green in technology - Creating a reliable carbon aware scheduler"
Ricky Barefield, Engineering Lead at technology consultancy BJSS, explains how green technology doesn't just mean using technology actively in carbon reduction applications, but also optimising all our technology to have as small an environmental footprint as possible!
Dr. Jing Wang
"Computer vision-based recycling fibres quality control to reinforce concretes"
Dr. Jing Wang, Senior Lecturer and MSc AI course leader in the Department of Computing at Sheffield Hallam University, explains how machine vision can be used to count and measure large collections of small objects, and how this can be used to make the recycling of fibres much more efficient and therefore cheaper.
Alice Arnold
"Introducing Sheffield Hallam's BSc Smart Computing Programme"
Alice Arnold, Course Leader for Smart Computing at Sheffield Hallam University, introduces the university's BSc Smart Computing Programme which will be welcoming its first intake in September of this year. Alice explains what concepts and technologies are going to be covered in the degree course and how local firms and organisations can get involved in research and project work.
Tom Carpenter
"Why the world needs an open-source emissions network"
Tom Carpenter, self-described "hype man for the environment" & founder of Mycelium Network explains how he got involved in Carbon Accounting and why there's a dire need for a way that organisations can publish their accounting data in an open, accessible format.
Wil Stewart
"How can data and digital solutions support our push for net zero?"
Wil Stewart, Director of Investment, Climate Change and Planning at Sheffield City Council explains the Local Authority's strategy for reaching Net Zero by 2030, not just as an organisation, but the city as a whole, and sets out how the council intends to engage with firms, academia and citizens in order to galvanise collective action towards this ambition.
Chris Dymond
SmartSheffield News for March 2023
As always, I presented the most recent smart city-related things that have crossed my radar recently…
See you at the next one!
