The induction event 2015 for Cohort 2 was a two-day event held at the East Midlands Conference Centre in Nottingham.

After a warm welcome to the CDT and the event by the Centre Director Chris Moody, we were challenged to a number of indoor and outdoor team building activities requiring strategy and communication. The activity involving blindfolded pandas proved to be particular challenging and interesting. This was definitely a good start of the induction event as it helped us get to know each other better and feel as a group.

Next, the group was given a presentation by a number of industrial partners including Unilever, AstraZeneca, Buhler, GSK, Sygnature Discovery, Croda, Synthomer and UCB Celltech. Various areas were identified as high areas of interest for further research to decrease carbon footprint of these companies. This gave the group food for thought on possible projects of industrial importance.

The day ended with an evening meal where we were joined by a number of UoN academics. After a glass of wine, and a lot of interesting conversations, it was divulged that we had been given yet another challenging task, results of which were to be presented the following morning. This time, the task related to global sustainability problems.

The next morning, the students argued their sustainability solutions very well and Jonny Hunter’s presentation was voted the most convincing.

The main focus of the second day was seven minutes academic presentations from CDT partner schools: Chemistry, Biosciences and Engineering. The presentations were varied in topic from organic synthesis, chemical engineering to food science, all with the general theme of sustainability. Lots of different techniques were displayed from microwave technology, graphene synthesis and ionic liquids, to name a few! We found that meeting the academics and hearing about their potential projects was very useful and started sparking project ideas within the group.

We were also introduced to the sustainability issues faced by the University of Nottingham and the ways the University tackles them, in a interesting and interactive presentation by Andy Nolan, Sustainability Director.
 
This was the end of a long two days. Collectively, we were all very tired but at the same time excited to start the program as a group.

Jonathan Hunter and Teresa Ambrosio
CDT Students, Cohort 2