Royal Institution (Faraday Laboratory)

On Monday evening, June 16, the EIL Students along with Profs. Berry and Dickerson visited the Royal Institution (Michael Faraday Museum) near Green Park. In addition to visiting Faraday's Laboratory, the students attended a (Friday) Discourse lecture entitled "How to Grow a House" by Professor Martyn Dade-Robertson (Northumbria University, UK). Several EIL students asked the speaker questions regarding the resilience, sustainability, and infrastructure that could be afforded by the proposed biotechnological organisms needed to build a home.  Prof. Dade-Robertson's lecture was given in the Royal institution's lecture hall, where Michael Faraday started the Christmas lectures in 1825. The RI today is known for its science education programs, a continuation of the tradition of scientific lectures as enlightened entertainment. The Friday Night Discourses were formal affairs with the audience in evening dress and the speaker by tradition had to start and stop his address as the auditorium clock struck consecutive hours. J. J. Thomson announced the discovery of the electron in his 1897 lecture in this room. The Christmas Lecture program, begun by Michael Faraday and continuing through today, is the oldest continuous science education program for young people.

Romeo and Juliet at the Globe Theatre

On Thursday evening, June 12, the EIL students accompanied by Profs. Berry and Dickerson went to see a performance of  Romeo and Juliet at the Globe Theatre on the banks of the Thames River.  Verona had an American country and western look and feel for both acts of the three-hour production.   A few photos taken before and after the performance are provided along with a group photo of all the EIL students on the bank of the Thames (with a view of St. Paul's Cathedral in the distance).

Bletchley Park and National Museum of Computing

On the afternoon of Tuesday, June 10, the EIL students along with Profs. Berry and Dickerson and Jacci Lawson (IES Abroad London Internship Manager) visited Bletchley Park (north of London). Bletchley Park (BP) is where Alan Turing and his colleagues in Hut 8 broke the (naval) Enigma code during World War II. The students witnessed demonstrations of working Enigma, Bombe, and Colossus machines. The Colossus was the world's first electric digital computer that was programmable. The Colossus computers were developed to help in the cryptanalysis of the Hitler's Lorenz cipher.  Between visiting Hut 8, the Bletchley Park Mansion, and the Turing archives in BP, many of the students found the time to enjoy a soft-serve ice cream cone.

Brunel Museum (Rotherhithe, London Borough of Southwark)

On Monday afternoon (June 9), the EIL students joined Professor Berry for a visit to the Brunel Museum at Rotherhithe on the bank of the Thames River.  In the original shaft of the tunnel (under the Thames River) that Marc and Isambard (Kingdom) Brunel designed and built, our guide (Sue Thomas) gave an excellent historical timeline for this great nineteenth century engineering achievement.  Completed in 1834, this was the world's first underwater tunnel.  Isambard Kingdom Brunel and his father, Marc Brunel, were considered by many to be the greatest engineers of Victorian England.

 

 

 

Sung Eucharist Service at Westminster Abbey

Four EIL students joined Professor Berry in attending the 11:15am Sung Eucharist service at Westminster Abbey (Church of England) on Sunday, June 8 (Pentecost Sunday).  In addition to the angelic voices of the choir and spiritual readings and prayers given by worship leaders, the students were able to see the tombs of both Sir Issac Newton, Robert Stephenson, Thomas Telford, and James Prescott Joule as they made their way through the halls of the Abbey. After the service, the group enjoyed a roast lunch followed by tea at the Abbey's Cellarium Cafe.

Morning Lectures and Afternoon Labs

Profs. Berry and Dickerson present their morning lectures and afternoon laboratory sessions for ECE 301 and ME 331 at the IES Centre near Gray's Inn in the High Holborn area of Central London.  Occasionally, lectures are moved to a classroom at nearby Fordham University to allow the IES Abroad staff to use their larger classrooms for orientation sessions.

London Water and Steam Museum (Kew Bridge)

On Thursday June 5, the EIL students along with Profs. Berry and Dickerson visited the London Museum of Water and Steam (formerly Kew Bridge Steam Museum) at Kew Bridge. They witnessed the startup of the three-story Boulton & Watt engine, the oldest engine on site (built in 1820) and ceased working in 1943 before being restored to working order in 1975. That engine was built by Boulton & Watt of the Soho Foundry, Birmingham in 1820, the year after the death of James Watt. In 1848 it was converted to work on the Cornish cycle, using higher pressure steam. Richard Albanese, chief engineer and our visit's host, allowed one of the EIL students to handle the shutdown of the engine (a first for the EIL program). Richard and his staff also started all four of the large rotative engines in the Steam Hall for the visit. The tour this year also included the boiler room, tool and parts shop, and the Victorian (belt-driven) tool workshop.  The students were also shown the 90-inch Grand Junction Engine (the largest working beam engine in the world) and the Boulton and Watt engine (built in 1820) that was moved to Kew Bridge from the Grand Junction Waterworks Company's Chelsea works in 1840.  The group photo was in front of the Hathorn Davey Triple Expansion Engine in the Steam Hall.  That engine was built in Leeds in 1910 by and was previously in service in a pumping station at Newmarket. It reflects the transition toward internal combustion engines in that the cylinders are inverted and placed in a line directly over the crankshaft in much the same way as a modern car engine.  Before leaving the Museum, the students competed in an outdoor bubble relay under very windy conditions.