The Materials Science and Engineering Seminar Series presents Jose Torero Cullen, Professor and Department Head of the Department of Civil, Environmental, & Geomatic Engineering at University College London.

Abstract

The modern world of science is a tug of war between drivers and constraints. Societal drivers that harness all the resources and constraints are only addressed when knowledge is required to remove them or circumvent them. Talent and resources flow towards the drivers and those who cannot make it in the exciting world of drivers are left behind to deal with the constraints. Governments, in their thirst for eternal economic growth, invest heavily in drivers and not in constraints. Instead governments remove constraints to avoid stifling much needed innovation. We forget that constraints are ultimately a tool to deliver wellbeing. At the core of wellbeing is a guarantee of safety, which is underpinned by constraints. Constraints have enabled us to assume that safety is guaranteed for all citizens. This presentation combines materials science, forensic studies, and regulatory constraints to discuss how government uses funds and the power of science to circumvent constraints. This delivers building regulations that actively promote an environment that delivers safety to the wealthy while being unsafe for the poor and marginalized. The underpinning science relates to the development of polymers for construction and the control of their combustibility.