Reforming of methane to produce synthesis gas for the Fischer–Tropsch process provides an alternative to fossil fuels. Silica-encaged ceria–nickel hydroxide catalysts were produced by an in situ synthesis method to obtain ultrafine bimetallic species dispersed evenly within the mesoporous silica matrix. Dry reforming and reduction-oxidation cycling was undertaken with the materials. Catalysts with high content of nickel showed good activity during dry reforming, with conversions rates close to equilibrium in equimolar conditions. Insignificant deactivation of the catalysts was observed over 5 h and 50 h of reaction at 900 °C. Syngas production via reduction–oxidation cycling was shown to be insignificant as compared to continuous catalytic reforming.

Capstone projects have been an established vehicle of student–industry engagement in a university setting. In engineering, capstone projects are a point of transition from student to professional, as student engineers gain practical work experience and apply their technical skills and knowledge for an industry-proposed design, research, and/or development challenge. In this paper, we report on a supplementary program—the Technical Leadership Program (TLP)—which was designed and delivered for students to hone their technical leadership skills within a capstone project. To report on the outcomes of this case study, we use a student-as-partners philosophy to share the case study as a series of vignettes from co-authors who participated in the TLP. These have been collated into four key thematic areas including building awareness through technical leadership; building a personal repertoire of leadership; creating a common platform for collaboration; and transitioning into a professional workplace environment. The reflections are then shown to map to relevant competencies in technical leadership. Alongside these themes, the paper shares the design of the TLP delivery and reflects on the challenges and benefits of this mechanism to enhance student experience.