Loughborough physicist takes his science to Parliament

Photo: iStock Photography

Loughborough University research student and technician, Phil Sutton is attending Parliament to present his science to a range of politicians and a panel of expert judges, as part of SET for Britain on Monday 18 March.

Phil’s poster, covering research about a new accelerated mechanism for Moonlet formation in Saturn’s rings and its implications to planet formation, will be judged against dozens of other scientists’ research in the only national competition of its kind.

Phil was shortlisted from hundreds of applicants to appear in Parliament.

On presenting his science in Parliament, he said: “I applied to SET for Britain because it represents a unique opportunity to communicate my research to a broader audience, including an opportunity to network between different scientific disciplines with other scientists.

“Also the chance to connect with MP’s on some of the top research in the country is great.”

Andrew Miller MP, Chairman of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee, said, “This annual competition is an important date in the parliamentary calendar because it gives MPs an opportunity to speak to a wide range of the country’s best young researchers. 

“These early career scientists are the architects of our future and SET for Britain is politicians’ best opportunity to meet them and understand their work.”

Phil’s research has been entered into the Physics section of the competition, which will end in a gold, silver and bronze prize-giving ceremony.

Judged by leading academics, the gold medalist receives £3,000, while silver and bronze receive £2,000 and £1,000 respectively.

Tom Crotty, Director of INEOS Group AG, sponsors of the Gold Medal in the Physics Section, said, "It is crucial that there continues to be investment in skills to provide the next generation of engineers and scientists, particularly as the age profile of highly skilled engineers continues to increase.

“For manufacturing to thrive, the UK needs a large and growing reserve of people with the knowledge and skills to deliver world-class manufacturing and research & development.

“We’re delighted to support SET for Britain as an opportunity to celebrate the success of our early career scientists and we hope it will convince politicians to invest even greater effort to ensure the next generation of engineers and scientists come to the fore.”

The Parliamentary and Scientific Committee run the event in collaboration with the Institute of Physics, The Physiological Society, the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Society of Biology and the Society of Chemical Industry, with financial support from BP, Airbus/EADS, INEOS, AgChemAccess, Essar, the Institute of Biomedical Science, GAMBICA and WMG.

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