19/01/2021

The first alumni eNewsletters of the year are now available. Click the links below to read about the latest news, research and thought-leadership from Cranfield University.

Aerospace, Transport and Manufacturing eNewsletter

Five key takeaways from the National Manufacturing Debate 2020
On 2 December, Cranfield’s 11th annual National Manufacturing Debate took place virtually. This year’s debate topic was: ‘Decarbonisation: opportunities for the manufacturing sector’. Featuring a panel of expert speakers from a range of sectors within the industry, the debate provided thought-provoking insights into the challenges and opportunities manufacturing faces in its bid to decarbonise.

The future of flight part 1: aircraft
What will the aircraft, airspace, airports and airlines of the future look like – and what research is Cranfield facilitating to get us there? This first article in a five-part series looks at the aircraft of the future.

Professor Helen Atkinson recognised as WISE20 award winner
Professor Helen Atkinson CBE, FREng, has been identified by WISE’s 1 of the Million campaign, chosen as “an incredible role model working to change the gender balance in STEM”.

An exciting new delivery for the National Flying Laboratory Centre
Here at Cranfield, we have a few milestones on the horizon to look forward to and one of them is the upcoming delivery of the all-new Flying Classroom, Saab 340B.

Cranfield Defence and Security eNewsletter

Cyber attacks and precision targeting of the vaccine supply chain
In December 2020, IBM uncovered a global phishing campaign targeting organisations associated with a Covid-19 cold chain. The precision targeting and well-crafted email content is what made this spear phishing campaign so effective – they look like emails the target is likely to receive and this makes them difficult to identify as malicious, whether by technology deployed to help defend an organisation or by the target themselves.

The importance of measuring time
Humans have been keeping time for millennia. It started with sticks in the ground and has advanced to caesium atomic clocks. Yet time is fragile – and the more integrated our systems become, the more we rely on timings.

Discover what’s new at the Cranfield Forensic Institute
In October 2020, we welcomed the first cohort of students to the CFI at Cranfield campus to take advantage of some of the new technologies, such as a virtual reality autopsy table and a digital forensics lab.

The chemistry behind bonfire night
In case you missed it: Cranfield’s Dr Lisa Humphreys chats about how the gun powder plot failed, what makes the different colours in fireworks and where pyrotechnics are used in everyday life.

Cranfield School of Management eNewsletter

Eyes on the horizon: Key competencies and skills for leaders and senior managers in 2021

It has been a turbulent 2020. The impact of Covid-19 is being felt by businesses and organisations around the world – from keeping their employees and customers safe, to the impact on supply chains and the organisation’s financial health. However, the pandemic has enabled organisations to collaborate in ways never seen and achieve years of innovation in just a few short months.

There is no doubt that 2021 will bring fresh challenges, so we asked faculty from across Cranfield School of Management, “What is the one key competency, intelligence, or skill you would urge leaders and senior managers to focus on and develop as we head into an equally challenging 2021?”

Logistics and supply chain will win the war
Delivering a mass vaccination programme on the scale needed will be one of the biggest logistical challenges we have faced this century. It relies on multiple factors.

Cranfield School of Management named in top ten UK business schools by the Financial Times
2020 has been a challenging year, but it’s a year the School can look back on with pride as there have been some major achievements.

How we experienced working from home during the pandemic
Following on from our webinar on 9 November 2020, your free Alumni Library Online has resources to help you stay up-to-date on the topics of flexible working and work-life balance.

Water, Energy and the Environment eNewsletter

Climate-Smart Agriculture in developing countries
Dr Trung Hieu Tran shares his insights into how Climate-Smart Agriculture can make farming more productive, more resilient and less vulnerable to climate change.

Predicting the ecological impacts of environmental change
An urgent challenge for scientists and decision-makers alike is to improve our ability to predict the consequences of climate change.

Steam power plant efficiency and Cold Thermal Energy Storage
Cold Thermal Energy Storage could offer a solution to the challenge of improving steam power plant efficiency, while also saving water.