‘Good Vibrations?’ – Café Science Extra on 11th March

Ways of potentially overcoming the problems associated with high-speed rail travel will be explored at a Café Science Extra event in Dundee next week. Dr Xueyu Geng will deliver a talk, entitled ‘Good Vibrations? – Engineering Safer and Quicker Railways & Roads’ at Dundee Science Centre at 6pm on Wednesday, 11th March.  Dr Geng, a researcher in the University of Warwick’s School of Engineering, said, “High-speed rail networks have become one of the most advanced and fast developing branches of transportation and are the focus of recent investment from UK government. “However, with the increasing of the train speed, the intensity of railway generated vibrations and noise become higher, which not only present major environmental problems, also potentially increase the maintenance costs for the rail-tracks in a long term. “I will explore some of the options for efficient and economical ground improvement techniques which could mean that the ground vibrations, and associated uneven settlement, caused by the high-speed trains can be reduced significantly.” Café Science was launched in January 2008, and has attracted more than 6000 visitors since then. The monthly events are informal discussions led by leading local researchers that allow members of the public the opportunity to learn more about the ground-breaking science happening locally. Café Science Extra allows members of the public to meet with up-and-coming scientists from the Universities of Dundee, St Andrews and Abertay, the James Hutton Institute, and Dundee Science Centre as well as occasional guests from institutions further afield. ‘Good Vibrations? – Engineering Safer and Quicker Railways & Roads’ takes place at Infusions Coffee Shop, Dundee Science Centre, on Wednesday, 11th March.  Doors open at 5.30pm, and the event is free and open to all. There is no need to book in advance but an early arrival is recommended. More information is available at www.cafesciencedundee.co.uk.            The lecture is part of International Women’s Day celebrations in the city and also marks the start of the 2015 Women in Science Festival which runs from 7th–28th March. Forty-five exhibitions, talks, film screenings, fun days and other events will take place across the city in March as part of the festival, a collaboration between the Universities of Dundee and Abertay, the James Hutton Institute, Hannah Maclure Centre and Dundee Science Centre. It is supported by many of the internationally acclaimed female scientists and researchers working in Dundee. To find out more about the festival, please visit http://www.womeninscience.org.uk.   For media enquiries contact: Grant Hill Press Officer University of Dundee Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN TEL: 01382 384768 E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk MOBILE: 07854 953277

» more

Loughborough College student named as national digital champion

After a country-wide search a Loughborough College student has been named as a national digital champion.

Andrew Carter-Smith impressed judges for the programme, launched by technology services company CAE and supported by World-leading ICT manufacturers, with a proposal showing how his knowledge of technology could help improve the college experience.

The 18 year old, who is studying BTEC IT at Loughborough College, is one of only 12 champions from across the UK set to receive benefits including exclusive access to demonstrations of the latest technology and its potential, support and collaboration by industry experts and references to support employment or university application. Andrew will also be eligible for an annual award and prize for the Student Digital Champion who has made the biggest impact in their college.

Andrew said: “Three of us applied for the programme and it would have been great if we had all been successful and could have done it as a team – but I was surprised, and thrilled, when I heard I had been selected.

“I love studying IT at Loughborough College and the staff have been so supportive throughout the application process. The idea was mine and I worked hard on putting it together but it was reassuring to have them backing us.

“I was inspired by a film called The Boy in the Plastic Bubble and came up with a proposal of how web cams and video conferencing could be used to support students and staff who were unable to make it into college, for example due to illness.

“My parents are absolutely over the moon and this has made me even more motivated and focused on making my dream of working in software development a reality.”

Loughborough College programme area lead for IT and Media Production Rachael Folds added: “Three of our BTEC IT students - Andrew Carter-Smith, Krishnan Hughes-Rai and Connor Adams - submitted high-calibre applications, supported by the ELearning team in College.

“We were delighted to hear CAE had selected Andrew as one of their 12 national Student Digital Champions. They said his application had been ‘a pleasure to review’ and that they were ‘extremely impressed with the enthusiastic approach to utilizing technology in Further Education.’

“We know Andrew will be brilliant at respresenting the Department of Technology at Loughborough College in his new role on the national stage. Our students really are an asset to us and we are very proud of them all.”

Pictured: Loughborough College Head of Technology Dr Martin Killeen with national Student Digital Champion Andrew Carter-Smith

Publish Date: 

18 hours ago

» more

Call for Papers: Critical Commentary

Critical Commentary is the Student Journal of Newman University published under the aegis of Newman University, in collaboration with the Consortium for Research Excellence, Support and Training (CREST). Critical Commentary exemplifies the development of student research and scholarship at Newman …

» more

Research Associate -SYNAPS (CT3022)

Type: Education & Research | Department: Electronic & Electrical Engineering | Location: Bath | Closing Date: 12 Apr 2015 | The Centre for Sustainable Power Distribution at the Department of Electronic & Electrical Engineering, University of Bath is researching all aspects of power system modelling and analyses that underpin the development of key technical and commercial innovation. We have a track record of working with industry, have undertaken significant research and consultancy for the UK government, direct international collaboration with top globally leading Universities, the energy regulator and all UK’s transmission and distribution licensees. Significant outputs of our research have been taken up by the electrical power industry. We have an excellent opportunity for a post-doctoral Research Associate, who will join a large industrial and academic consortium, including Intel and UCL, sponsored by Innovate UK (formally Technology Strategy Board). Project SYNAPS will directly address the largest source of lost customer minutes, LV cable faults, through greater automation and intelligence into the LV network through high sample-rate monitoring and the development and automation of LV solid state circuit breakers. The successful candidate will have experience in distribution system modelling and analysis, particularly in power system protection, automation and control. Secondary system knowledge and automation of LV industrial networks is of particular interest. During the project the successful candidate is expected to consolidate and develop new knowledge in LV distribution network modelling, LV network protection and hardware in the loop simulation using Bath’s RTDS system. Opportunities for contribution to publications are expected to be ample. This post is being offered on a Fixed Term Contract basis, with a likely expiry date of 23 February 2017.  The hours will be 36.5 per week (full time), Mon-Fri.

» more

KTP Recruitment and Administration Officer (CT3023)

Type: Management, Specialist and Administration | Department: Research and Innovation Services (RIS) | Location: Bath | Closing Date: 12 Apr 2015 | The University of Bath has an excellent reputation nationally for the delivery of Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) in collaboration with industry partners. We are looking for a proactive individual to join the Research & Innovation Services team to support our continued delivery of KTP. The role will be responsible for overseeing the recruitment process of Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) Associates at the University of Bath and supporting the delivery of Local Management Committees (LMCs) in awarded programmes. The postholder will be required to work with a diverse range of internal and external stakeholders to deliver the efficient recruitment of good quality candidates to KTP programmes. The KTP Recruitment and Administration Officer will need to ensure that the KTP recruitment process maintains all required standards and complies with all University processes. It is expected that the successful candidate will have worked in an HR administration role, ideally have previous experience of KTP administration and be CIPD (or equivalent) part or fully qualified. The role will require you to have excellent communication, interpersonal and negotiation skills and be comfortable working with academic and industry partners. This post is being offered on a full time basis of 36.5 hours per week, Mon-Fri. Interviews for this role will take place in week commencing 20 April 2015.  For an informal discussion about this post please contact Dr Miles Davis, Head of Research Development and Knowledge Exchange, Tel: 01225 384795 or email: m.davis@bath.ac.uk

» more

Lateral thinking about chromosome linking

Scientists led by a group at the University of Dundee have made a significant discovery about how our cells properly inherit their genetic information. The research team led by Wellcome Trust Principal Research Fellow Professor Tomo Tanaka and colleagues Dr Maria Kalantzaki and Dr Etsushi Kitamura in the College of Life Sciences at Dundee, working in collaboration with researchers at the University of Oxford, has studied a process of `lateral linking’ by which cells can properly multiply, one of the basic processes in all life. The researchers say their findings give an insight into how abnormal cell division ends up causing cancers and genetic diseases. Chromosomes carry genetic information in cells. When cells divide and multiply, a complete set of chromosomes must be duplicated and separated into each new cell with precision, as any error in this process might cause cell death, cancers and genetic diseases. Proper separation of chromosomes relies on their linking to wire-like structures in the cell. If chromosomes are linked to the wires incorrectly, that link must be removed and a correct one formed. Professor Tanaka said, “We have discovered that a chromosome is initially linked to the lateral side of a wire, before moving to its tip. The lateral linking allows a chromosome to catch a wire very efficiently. Once a chromosome reaches the tip of a wire, incorrect linkages are recognized and removed, whereas correct ones are retained. “As lateral thinking often helps us to find a bright idea, so lateral linking helps a chromosome to find a right wire quickly. Future research should address not only how genetic information is inherited during normal cell division but also should study how this process could go wrong.” The results of the research are published in the journal Nature Cell Biology. The research has been funded by The Wellcome Trust, the Medical Research Council, EU’s 7th Framework Programme for Research, the European Research Council, CR-UK, the Human Frontier Science Programme and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. NOTES TO EDITORS Life Sciences at Dundee Dundee was the UK’s top ranked university for Biological Sciences in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework. With more than 900 scientists, research students and support staff from 62 countries and external funding in excess of £50million per annum, the College of Life Sciences at the University of Dundee is one of the largest and most productive Life Sciences research institutes in Europe. The College has an international reputation for its basic and translational research. The University of Dundee is the central hub for a multi-million pound biotechnology sector in the east of Scotland, which now accounts for 16% of the local economy. www.dundee.ac.uk The Wellcome Trust is a global charitable foundation dedicated to improving health. We support bright minds in science, the humanities and the social sciences, as well as education, public engagement and the application of research to medicine. Our investment portfolio gives us the independence to support such transformative work as the sequencing and understanding of the human genome, research that established front-line drugs for malaria, and Wellcome Collection, our free venue for the incurably curious that explores medicine, life and art. The Medical Research Council has been at the forefront of scientific discovery to improve human health. Founded in 1913 to tackle tuberculosis, the MRC now invests taxpayers’ money in some of the best medical research in the world across every area of health. Thirty-one MRC-funded researchers have won Nobel prizes in a wide range of disciplines, and MRC scientists have been behind such diverse discoveries as vitamins, the structure of DNA and the link between smoking and cancer, as well as achievements such as pioneering the use of randomised controlled trials, the invention of MRI scanning, and the development of a group of antibodies used in the making of some of the most successful drugs ever developed. Today, MRC-funded scientists tackle some of the greatest health problems facing humanity in the 21st century, from the rising tide of chronic diseases associated with ageing to the threats posed by rapidly mutating micro-organisms. www.mrc.ac.uk About Cancer Research UK Cancer Research UK is the world’s leading cancer charity dedicated to saving lives through research. Cancer Research UK’s pioneering work into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer has helped save millions of lives. Cancer Research UK receives no government funding for its life-saving research. Every step it makes towards beating cancer relies on every pound donated. Cancer Research UK has been at the heart of the progress that has already seen survival rates in the UK double in the last forty years. Today, 2 in 4 people survive cancer for at least 10 years. Cancer Research UK’s ambition is to accelerate progress so that 3 in 4 people will survive cancer within the next 20 years. Cancer Research UK supports research into all aspects of cancer through the work of over 4,000 scientists, doctors and nurses. Together with its partners and supporters, Cancer Research UK's vision is to bring forward the day when all cancers are cured. For further information about Cancer Research UK's work or to find out how to support the charity, please call 0300 123 1022 or visit www.cancerresearchuk.org. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.   Roddy Isles Head of Press TEL: 01382 384910 MOBILE: 07800 581902 E-MAIL: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk

» more

Wellcome Trust-MRC Newton Fund Collaboration

The Newton Fund is a new UK government initiative intended to strengthen research and innovation partnerships between the UK and emerging knowledge economies. 

» more