Stories
Professor Katrina Thompson
A chartered engineer and graduate in Aeronautical Engineering, she has over 30 years of industrial experience across the aerospace, telecommunications, and maritime sectors.
Our current Innovator in FocusMuseum of Innovation
Date
Permanent Exhibition
Our 'Museum of Innovation' exhibition showcases the most innovative objects from our collections, and explores how their inventors have contributed to Northern Ireland's long and illustrious legacy of innovation.
Discover the stories behind the development of the first portable defibrillator, and how the Short brothers began their career in aviation. Learn how Harry Ferguson revolutionised agriculture across the globe with his invention of the 3-point linkage, and find out the origins of the infamous DeLorean DMC-12 car!
You'll have the chance to learn more about the personal stories of achievement and advancement associated with our objects, and to explore why these innovations are so important for the engineers and scientists of the future. We have worked with our partners from across the field of science and technology to reinterpret our collections in a new and dynamic space, dedicated to innovation.
New Display: Ferguson Black Tractor
Ferguson Black returns! We're delighted to have the tractor that revolutionised farming now on display at the Ulster Transport Museum. This iconic prototype, engineered in Belfast, truly expresses the genius of Harry Ferguson. It brought together Ferguson’s unique innovations for the first time and is arguably the most important tractor ever built.
The ‘Ferguson System’, as it came to be known, revolutionised global agriculture. On loan to the museum by Harry Ferguson's family, the tractor offers visitors a unique opportunity to explore the origins of the Ferguson System, a technology that continues to shape agricultural practices today.
You can now see the Ferguson Black Tractor on display in the Museum of Innovation at Ulster Transport Museum!
The Museum of Innovation allows us to tell the stories of Irish and Northern Irish ingenuity and invention and show how these innovations are relevant to the engineers and scientists of the future.
Innovator in Focus
These individuals pushed the boundaries of what was thought achievable in pursuit of their dreams. Their machines had a global impact in their respective fields inspiring generations of future scientists and engineers in the process. Explore the stories of our featured innovators in focus.
