When you're attending a conference, you know that having the right speakers can make the experience truly productive and memorable. A great speaker can inspire discussion and debate as well as teaching you about a new topic. Here are five of the best speakers for engineering conferences:

James McLurkin

James McLurkin is a Senior Hardware Engineer at Google and and teaches at the Department of Computer Science of Rice University. He speaks about the future of robotics, particularly the application of swarm systems which are inspired by the complex social structure of insects such as bees and ants. With a background in electrical engineering and computer science, he is able to convey not only a conceptual understanding of robotics issues, but also to talk about his personal experience with bringing robotics projects to fruition. His speeches include video clips of robots in action and sometimes even live robotics demonstrations which are highly entertaining and informative for the audience.

JB Straubel

JB Straubel is the co-founder and Chief Technical Office of Tesla, Inc., where he oversees the technical direction and engineering design of Tesla products. This includes a wide scope of products such as battery technology, motors, and software. He speaks about technological developments, not only in terms of how they can be engineered, but also how they can be presented to the public to make them desirable. With a background in energy engineering, he has thorough technical knowledge, but his unique strength as a speaker is an understanding of the world of business and how a great idea can be turned into a successful company.

Steve Goreham

Steve Goreham is a former engineer and business executive who has moved into research in the fields of energy and environmental policy. He is the Executive Director of the Climate Science Coalition of America and has made it his mission to inform the public about the evidence basis for climate change and the cultural importance of and energy policy. He gives talks on the ways in which we use energy and how this has changed over time, as well as about how climate change will affect businesses through droughts, floods, and other changing weather patterns. He has a relaxed, informal presenting style which is informative for both experts and non-experts.

Richard Noble

Entrepreneur Richard Noble was the leader of the Trust team that set the land speed record in 1997 and remains unbroken to this day. His presentations focus less on the practical engineering which was required to achieve this remarkable feat, and more on how teams of engineers and scientists can be inspired to perform at their best. Currently, his team is working on a project to design and built a car which can travel at over 1000 miles per hour on land. With his talks, he aims to promote interest in engineering and science among young people especially, and his presentations include clips of his fast-paced achievements and fun stories of his work with his team.

Ainissa G. Ramirez

Ainissa G. Ramirez is a science communicator and works as a lecturer of Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science at Yale University. She has particular expertise in smart materials and nanomaterials, and while she worked at Bell Labs she developed a new type of solder material that could be used to bond glass and ceramics. She presents her topic to the public through her video series, Material Marvels. She also founded the Yale science outreach program and presents a science show for kids called Science Saturdays. Her TED talk on the importance of science education made her a prominent figure in this area, and she has an enthusiasm and passion for her work which is clearly conveyed through her lively and fun talks.

If you'd like to attend an engineering conference, then have a look at our website CONFERENCEMONKEY.org. It includes a huge list of conferences in different fields as well as advice on attending a conference and tips on how to get the most out of your conference experience.

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