Aviation safety to be discussed by former Chief Scientist of National Air Traffic Services at Imperial College London

Former Chief Scientist for the National Air Traffic Services will discuss the potential impacts on global air traffic safety - News release

Imperial College London Media Invitation
For immediate release Friday 12 October 2007

With air traffic set to double in Europe in the next 20 years, the former Chief Scientist for the National Air Traffic Services will discuss the potential impacts on global air traffic safety, in a talk at Imperial College London.

Press are invited to attend next Wednesday (17 October) evening’s “Air traffic safety: continued evolution or a new paradigm” lecture, delivered by Professor Peter Brooker.

His lecture will focus on Air Traffic Management (ATM) systems and how they progressively reduce accident risk. He will explore past and current methodologies for ATM risk assessment, and discuss how these need to be adapted to tackle new safety issues generated by ATM systems currently under development.

In particular, he will cover the USA’s Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) and Europe’s Single European Sky Air Traffic Management Research Programme (SESAR). NextGen and SESAR are aimed at improving safety, increasing capacity and reducing running costs – they are being designed to be inter-operable.

Peter Brooker is currently a visiting Professor at Cranfield University. His lecture is part of the joint Imperial College London and Lloyd’s Register Educational Trust Annual Lecture – a rolling programme looking at transport risk management.

Professor Andrew Evans   , Imperial College London’s Chair of Transport Risk Management welcomed Professor Brooker’s lecture:

“We are delighted to have Professor Peter Brooker visit Imperial College London. His wealth of knowledge in relation to aviation risk management and his understanding of the key issues affecting air traffic safety will provide some very valuable insights into this industry.”

The “Air traffic safety: continued evolution or a new paradigm” lecture will be held at the Clore Lecture Theatre, Huxley Building, South Kensington Campus, from 17.30 to 18.30, 17 October 2007.

Journalists wishing to attend should contact:
Colin Smith
Press Officer
Imperial College London
Email: cd.smith@imperial.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)207 594 6712
Out of hours duty press officer: +44 (0)7803 886 248

Notes to editors:

1. About Peter Brooker Peter Brooker is currently Scientific Advisor to Helios Technology Ltd. He is a Visiting Professor at Cranfield University. Previously, he was Professor of Air Traffic Management and Environmental Policy at Cranfield University. Earlier posts were in DERA [now Qinetiq] (Head of Air Traffic Control Systems Research), National Air Traffic Services (Chief Scientist and Strategy & Development Director) and the Civil Aviation Authority (Planning & Corporate Director).

He was born in Derbyshire in 1946, and attended Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Ashbourne.

He has degrees from Birmingham University (B.Sc. Mathematical Physics - 1st Class hons), Oxford University (D.Phil. Theoretical Physics), and Imperial College (M.Phil., DIC Management Science). He is a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Navigation, the Royal Statistical Society, and the Institute of Acoustics.

His research and consultancy applies operational research and mathematical modelling techniques to aviation problems, covering safety, system capacity, noise and aviation cost benefit. Topics covered in his recent research papers include collision risk modelling, aviation safety targets, aviation benefits of the Galileo satellite system, air traffic control safety indicators, aviation safety and environmental restrictions. For his research papers, he had been awarded the Royal Aeronautical Society's Hodgson Prize, and the Royal Institute of Navigation's Bronze Medal.

2. About the Lloyd’s Register Educational Trust The Lloyd's Register Educational Trust was established in October 2004. The Trust is wholly funded by the international risk management organisation the Lloyd's Register Group. Its purpose is to support advances in transportation, engineering, science and technology education, training and research worldwide for the public benefit. It also funds work that enhances the safety of life and property at sea, on land and in the air. The Trust focuses on four categories:

*Pre-university education: promoting careers in transportation, science, engineering and technology to young people, their parents and teachers.

*University education: the provision of scholarships and awards at first degree/masters levels to students of proven ability.

*Vocational training and professional development: support for professional institutions, educational and training establishments working with people of all ages.

*Research: funding existing or new centres of excellence at institutes and universities. This category also includes specific support for individual academic posts. Website: www.lr.org

3. About Imperial College London Rated as the world's ninth best university in the 2006 Times Higher Education Supplement University Rankings, Imperial College London is a science-based institution with a reputation for excellence in teaching and research that attracts 11,500 students and 6,000 staff of the highest international quality. Innovative research at the College explores the interface between science, medicine, engineering and management and delivers practical solutions that improve quality of life and the environment - underpinned by a dynamic enterprise culture.

With 66 Fellows of the Royal Society among our current academic staff and distinguished past members of the College including 14 Nobel Laureates and two Fields Medallists, Imperial's contribution to society has been immense.

Inventions and innovations include the discovery of penicillin, the development of holography and the foundations of fibre optics. This commitment to the application of our research for the benefit of all continues today with current focuses including interdisciplinary collaborations to tackle climate change and mathematical modelling to predict and control the spread of infectious diseases.

The College's 100 years of living science will be celebrated throughout 2007 with a range of events to mark the Centenary of the signing of Imperial's founding charter on 8 July 1907.

Website: www.imperial.ac.uk