Speakers List

Jürgen Schleppi

The Moon has a variety of useful elements to offer and we need to find ways how we can utilise them, as they are key to future long term missions to the Moon and beyond. Currently a Heriot-Watt PhD Candidate in Cooperation with the European Space Agency - Jürgen first graduated with a B.Eng in Aeronautical Engineering, majoring in Space Engineering and subsequently an international M.Sc. in Space Science and Instrumentation in 2014. His Master’s thesis in Sydney, Australia, was analyzing the performance of astronauts and rovers in a Mars Analogue scenario in the Australian Outback.

For the two subsequent years after his Masters, he worked at the European Space Agency's Astronaut Centre in the field of Astronaut Training and Operations. Since 2016, he has been a Heriot-Watt PhD student in Cooperation with the ESA, researching ways in which silicon solar cells, or other solar conversion devices, could be 3D printed on the lunar surface with only the raw lunar material.

Jillian Haslam

It is incredibly difficult to move countries, jobs, understand different cultures, behavioural patterns, withstand weather conditions and so much more and yet want to succeed at everything initially set out to achieve. Jillian will examine aspects of the exponential change we're dealing with today and explore how we can manage this transition effectively using the power of our Irrepressible Mind.

Jillian has an amazing tale of a gritty climb to success, wealth, international fame and honour. Her book, Indian. English. A Memoir,  is an international bestseller with extensive rave reviews worldwide.
 

Prof. Stephen Salter

Professor Salter is Emeritus Professor of Engineering Design at Edinburgh University. Internationally renowned for his pragmatic approach to modern global challenges, Prof. Salter invented the Edinburgh Duck for harvesting wave energy. Now working on climate engineering, Salter has pioneered a  method of marine cloud brightening - wherein a fleet of vessels would spray a very fine mist of water into the air, help to bounce sunlight back into space, and thus mitigate the effects of increasing global temperatures due to climate change.

Professor Marc Desmulliez

Prof. Desmulliez is currently Deputy Head of the Institute of Signals, Sensors and Systems (ISSS) at Heriot-Watt. He is an expert in nature inspired design, sometimes known as biomimicry.

We live in a world in transition, where some natural resources are about to be depleted, traditional manufacturing processes show their limits and humankind is more conscious of its responsibility for our planet. There will be a discussion on how some scientists, engineers and architects are re-learning old lessons from nature to propose to the world a better future. Evolution has provided optimised methods of producing just about anything What inspiration can be taken from what nature does so well?

Dr. Sue Thomas

Buying a new dress or jacket is no longer a simple undertaking. The customer and the designer are both participants in the fashion supply chain, the garment life cycle and perhaps unconsciously linked by their ethical choices.

She is an advocate for ethics and sustainability within fashion the supply-chain and wrote the new MSc Ethics in Fashion programme. She has presented research in the USA, UK, Hong Kong and Australia. In 2014 she contributed a chapter to the Routledge Handbook of Sustainability and Fashion, and currently, she is finishing a book for Routledge on Fashion Ethics due in 2016.

Sharon Wallace

With almost 10 years in the financial services sector and a further 11 years in the Direct Selling arena, Sharon Wallace's passion is inspiring more women to seek leadership positions. By developing the conversations about this topic, Sharon wants to engage with organisations, businesses and society in general, looking at the challenges faced by women in leadership roles.  How does society perceive female leaders, and what we can collectively do to improve this?

Ben Twist

Climate Change is real, it is happening every passing minute, and it is going to change our closing future and the way we live. Culture and Arts then, are in the roots of this major social transition. Ben Twist, the director of Creative Carbon Scotland has been working in achieving a positive change through methods that touch our lives more intimately, and understands not just the physical and economic, but also the social impacts of the oncoming changes.

Dr. Richard Carter

Dr Carter's research interests revolve around high-power laser manufacturing processes and fibre optics. Recent research projects have included: high power beam delivery with novel hollow core fibres; fibre optic sensing; micro material processing including machining, drilling and welding; and most recently microwelding of highly dissimilar materials.

Ultrafast laser processing uses laser bursts on the femtosecond scale to effect join together two objects with heat. The use of ultrashort laser burst prevents the heat from spreading to the surroundings, and interfering with the material's properties. This allows for extreme precision, and allows materials such as glass and metal to be welded together.

Rossie Stone

Rossie Stone is the creator of Dekko Comics, an alternative learning resource. As a dyslexic artist, he used his own experience with education to create comics as an aid to learning. With enthusiasm and drive, he has managed a very successful crowd funding campaign to develop these comics further. The comics have been successful with children of varying ages and learning styles, including (if not especially) those with dyslexia and autism. This work has resonated with people all over the world and been featured on BBC News and STV.