Induction Week 2014

We have welcomed 12 new CDT Bioenergy students from a range of different academic backgrounds, including Mechanical Engineering, Environmental Science, Physics and Systems Engineering.

A residential induction was held at Chevin Country Park Hotel in Otley, where academics and new students enjoyed a networking dinner followed by a full-day induction event. This was a great opportunity for the students to meet each other and the academics they will be working with. The induction day involved team building sessions, numerous presentations on research projects, group projects and discussions on research collaborations.

The Bioenergy students were given a list of potential PhD projects which they are already starting to think about. With a range of backgrounds, it is clear that their interests span across all four Bioenergy research themes.

Examples of PhD projects include the fundamentals of combustion and mechanisms of soot formation during biomass combustion; research into a novel gas cleaning system using plasma technology to remove tar from biomass gasification; and the potential impacts of biomass combustion on urban air quality.

During the induction, the students were split into four mini project groups, where they began to plan how they will research and present on the following topics: the energy return on energy invested; investigating nitrogen in biomass; urban bioenergy and air quality impacts; and conservation biomass.

The new students also had a full day of lab tours where they were given a tour of the facilities they will be using; followed by detailed lab inductions once teaching began. They also undertook a Health and Safety in the Workplace, Chartered Institute of Environmental Health Level 2 Award during induction week.

The feedback from the students during induction week was extremely positive and set the tone for an exciting few years to come!