The University of Southampton

Published: 27 April 2012
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A group of University of Southampton students are preparing to undertake a 10,000 mile journey this summer, with the aim of delivering two ambulances to the people of Mongolia.

The students - Alex Forward, Neil Howarth, Ian Cooper, Matt Lokes, and Richard Barlow (from ECS-Electronics and Computer Science) and Greg Dymond and Beresford Bernsen (both studying Geophysics), will travel across Europe, through Russia and into Mongolia, as they take part in the Mongolia Charity Rally. When they arrive in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia’s capital, in August, the team will donate the ambulances and other medical equipment to the rally organisers, Go Help, a charity which works with local communities in Central Asia to improve access to education and healthcare services.

The Vauxhall ambulances have already been acquired, and the team are now busy fundraising and planning the logistics of the journey. “We will be driving 10,000 miles through 22 countries on this journey," says Alex Forward, "so one of the challenges will be to keep the ambulances in good electronic and mechanical condition. Hopefully, with five engineers on board any problems encountered will be quickly solved!”

The total cost of the trip is around £22,000 and the team’s website provides an account of the costs involved, as well as a wish list of equipment needed for the journey, including sleeping bags, cooking utensils, engine oil and maps!

The Mongolian Health Services are in desperate need of vehicles like the ambulances that the team will be delivering. “Useful patient transport in Mongolia is in incredibly short supply," says Alex, "made worse by the country’s poor road conditions. We are working directly with the charity Go Help to ensure the vehicles are put to immediate use after we deliver them.”

En route to Mongolia, the students will also be undertaking various projects, including digital CB-radio communication, high-output LED lighting and modifying the ambulances to survive the harsh road conditions.

"We expect plenty of challenges along the way”, said Alex, “but no other University of Southampton team has ever finished the Rally to our knowledge, so we aim to be the first!"

The students are supported by generous donations from alumni of Electronics and Computer Science and by a growing number of individuals. If you would like to donate to the team, or to offer any sponsorship (there are plenty of opportunities!) visit the team’s website at: www.sixdegreesofprocrastination.com

For further information on this story contact Joyce Lewis; tel.+44(0)23 8059 5453.

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Published: 1 May 2012
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Over 200 former students of ECS-Electronics and Computer Science are expected to attend an Alumni Reception at the Institution of Engineering and Technology, London, on 16 May.

The event, which takes place from 6 pm to 8.30 pm, is the first ECS Alumni Reception since 2007. Graduates from the last 40 years will be in attendance, along with staff and current students from ECS and members of the University's Alumni and Development Relations Office.

The event provides an opportunity for ECS alumni to catch up with recent developments in Electronics and Computer Science and to engage with new initiatives that will benefit current students and support the future development of ECS and the University. "ECS has a well-deserved reputation for innovation across all of its activities," says Professor Dame Wendy Hall, Dean of the Faculty of Physical and Applied Sciences at the University of Southampton and former Head of Electronics and Computer Science. "There have been many developments over recent years which we want to share with our alumni - including new research directions in Web Science and Bionanotechnology, which have been outstandingly successful, our careers and employability initiatives which we plan to expand with the support of alumni, and the establishment of our new cleanrooms in the Mountbatten Building.

"This will be a great opportunity for our alumni to catch up with their fellow students and to network with other ECS graduates who we know are playing leading roles in many of today's high-tech industries.

"We very much look forward to a splendid evening from which I'm sure there will be many positive outcomes."

This year is also the 60th anniversary of the foundation of the University of Southampton, and the ECS Alumni Reception is one of a number of events which mark the University’s Diamond Jubilee.

There are still tickets available for the reception (which is free of charge). To reserve a place contact alumni@soton.ac.uk by Wednesday 2 May. The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) is at Savoy Place, London.

For further information contact: Joyce Lewis; tel.+44(0)23 8059 5453

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Published: 21 May 2012
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Last week's ECS alumni reception in London was a huge success, with over 60 years of University and ECS history represented.

Around 250 ECS graduates attended the event, held at the IET, London. As the first ECS alumni reception since 2007, it was intended to provide a new focus for alumni activity in ECS, as well as offering the opportunity for former students of Electronic Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, and IT, to reconnect with each other, to celebrate ECS and its achievements, and to find out more about recent developments.

“The event exceeded all our expectations”, said Professor Neil White, Head of ECS. “There was an outstandingly positive atmosphere in the room and it was really great to see so many old and new connections being made.”

With an excellent showing of graduates from almost every year of the University's 50 year history, the earliest graduates in attendance were Alan Conway and Frederick Wise, who both graduated in 1953 from the Electronics Postgraduate Diploma course, and were taught by Professor Eric Zepler, who founded the UK’s first Electronics Department at Southampton in 1947.

In a short speech paying tribute to the spirit of ECS and its generations of students, Dame Wendy Hall, Dean of the Faculty of Physical and Applied Sciences, and former Head of ECS, said: “Throughout its history ECS has fostered a drive to discover new technologies, to explore their capabilities, and to put them to use for the benefit of industry and society.”

Among recent developments in ECS, Dame Wendy described the new £120M Mountbatten Building, with its suites of cleanrooms and research facilities for nanotechnology and photonics, the new Open Data Institute, led by Professor Nigel Shadbolt and Professor Sir Tim Berners-Lee, creator of the World Wide Web, which will shortly open at London’s ‘Tech City’ in Shoreditch, and the scale of the research and education activity in ECS, which currently numbers over 270 PhD students and 400 MSc students.

Affirming the central place of education in ECS activities, Dame Wendy paid tribute to Senior Tutor, Eric Cooke, for his support of generations of students, and outlined the ECS careers and employability initiatives which have led to the continuing and increasing success of the annual Careers Fair and the range of activities which support students as they enter their careers.

“This is one aspect of ECS life where we can really benefit from your help and support”, Dame Wendy told alumni. “We want to use your experience and expertise to help our students better understand the world of work and the choices open to them, to help them prepare for their careers, and to raise their knowledge and aspirations.

“We want to draw on your knowledge and enthusiasm to mentor our students, to advise on our activities like DevECS, a student-run enterprise which is undertaking development work for local companies, to support our outreach work like Student Robotics, or to support our students undertaking charitable or personal development projects outside their studies. In particular, we are keen to hear from you if you would like to employ ECS students as interns or graduates.”

Alumni were also able to hear from Adam Malpass, UK Electronics Skills Foundation Scholar of the Year 2011, who has won many awards throughout his years at ECS and will join Dialog Semiconductors when he graduates this summer. In considering what he had gained from ECS, Adam said that “the quality of the people and the opportunities created at ECS,” were what had made the experience unique for him.

Finally, before the networking began again, 1983 Electronics graduate Max Toti talked about the work that he has been involved with in the University in recent years, supporting entrepreneurial activities, and using his experience to mentor a group of ECS final-year students over recent months. He urged fellow alumni to get involved in supporting activities in ECS. Blogging about the event afterwards, Max writes: “Let’s aim to make the ECS Alumni community one of the best in the world for a technical faculty . . . Can it be achieved? Of course! But only with the support and engagement of the Alumni!”

For further information about this event, or to find out more about the ECS Careers and Employability initiative and ways of being involved, contact Joyce Lewis; tel. +44(0)23 8059 5453.

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Published: 22 May 2012
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ECS-Electronics and Computer Science has recorded its best-ever results in the UK’s university league tables. In the Guardian University Guide 2013, published today (Tuesday 22 May), the University of Southampton comes top of the table for Electronics and Electrical Engineering, and third for Computer Science and IT.

Although Electronics and Electrical Engineering at ECS has topped the subject table many times before, this is the best result achieved for Computer Science and IT in ECS, which has been steadily climbing the subject league-table over the last five years.

‘This is a terrific result for ECS,’ said Professor Neil White, Head of ECS. ‘It’s great news for our students and our staff, but also for students who are currently holding offers to come to Southampton to study for degrees in Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and IT in Organisations later this year. Internationally, our students from outside the UK have confirmation that they will be studying in one of the best places in the world.

‘ECS students can be sure that they will benefit from the highest-quality teaching and facilities, and that when they graduate they will be in demand by the leading high-tech companies in the world,’ he added.

The Guardian has traditionally put a strong emphasis on student-centred issues in the construction of their league table, which continues to be an important factor on student choice, particularly in the international market. One of the areas in which ECS has done particularly well in recent years is in its record for graduate employability, which is one of the strongest in the UK.

Our video - "Why I chose ECS" (below), gives some idea of the opportunities available to students at ECS. "I came here simply to be among the best,’ says MEng Electronic Engineering student Alex Forward. ‘You get taught by the best, you get to learn with the best. It’s a great place – the best in the country.”

University Open Days this year take place on 6 and 7 July and on 4 and 5 September. ECS will be providing tours of its facilities with the opportunity to speak to current students and staff, and to find out about student project work and our careers and employability activity. Full information is available on our University Open Day pages.

For further information on this news story contact: Joyce Lewis; tel.+44(0)23 8059 5453.

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Published: 22 May 2012
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In a major interview in this month’s Wired magazine, Professor Nigel Shadbolt outlines the future plans and potential value of the new Open Data Institute which will open in Shoreditch, London, later this year.

The new Institute has been developed with help from the Technology Strategy Board, and was a major element of the Government’s plans to drive economic growth through the application of open data.

"Open data is not just about transparency and accountability”, Professor Shadbolt tells Wired. “There is potential for economic innovation and value to come from it."

While the ODI’s remit is broad, it is intended to focus primarily on helping private and public organizations understand how to make the most of open data. It will also draw on the talent of UK students, focusing on engaging with universities to find graduates with startup ideas or very early-stage businesses. The institute will officially open in September, with a core team of six senior staff and 10-12 others working part time.

Professor Shadbolt tells Wired that he hopes that in five years time it will be a "sustainable institute with a great track record" that will carry on beyond its initial five years of funding. He mentions that representatives from other markets in Europe and Asia will be watching the Institute's performance closely.

For further information on this story contact Joyce Lewis; tel.+44(0)23 8059 5453

For further information on Professor Nigel Shadbolt and the Open Data Institute in ECS news stories, see our news archive.

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Published: 25 May 2012
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Professor Dame Wendy Hall, Dean of the Faculty of Physical and Applied Sciences, has been appointed to the Board of Dstl, the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory.

Dame Wendy is one of two new non-executive members appointed to the Board of Dstl, which is the largest scientific organisation within government, with around 3500 scientists, technologists and engineers at its three main sites: Porton Down, Portsdown West, and Fort Halstead. Dstl's annual turnover of around £550M is largely spent in industry and academia, with the aim of maximizing the impact of science and technology for the defence and security of the UK.

“I am delighted to be taking up this position on the Dstl Board," said Dame Wendy, "and, having worked with Dstl before, I am looking forward to furthering my relationship with the organisation’s science and technology community."

Dame Wendy has held many leadership roles in addition to her academic research in computer science, in the development of the World Wide Web and, more recently, in establishing and developing the new discipline of Web Science. She was President of the British Computer Society; the first non-North American to lead the Association of Computing Machinery, the world's largest organisation for computer professionals; a member of the Prime Ministers Council for Science and Technology; Senior Vice-President of the Royal Academy of Engineering; and a member of the Research Council of the European Research Council. She was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 2009.

The other new non-executive Board Member of Dstl is Dr David Grant, Vice-Chancellor of Cardiff University.

For further information on this news story contact Joyce Lewis; tel.+44(0)23 8059 5453.

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Published: 28 May 2012
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Research into ear biometrics by Professor Mark Nixon of ECS-Electronics and Computer Science has raised new potential for security systems.

The research is currently profiled on the leading website, All Analytics, where Mark is featured explaining the potential uses of his pioneering work into ear identification.

A Professor of Computer Vision in the ECS Communications, Signal Processing and Control research group, Mark believes that using photos of individual ears matched against a comparative database could be as distinctive a form of identification as fingerprints.

He said: “Using ears for identification has clear advantages over other kinds of biometric identification, as, once developed, the ear changes little throughout a person’s life. This provides a cradle-to-grave method of identification.”

Mark and his research colleagues believe that this form of non-contact identification could have a possible application in security systems.

“During walk-throughs at security checkpoints cameras could digitally photograph passers-by comparing their ears against others in a database. Used in combination with face recognition, ear recognition offers a second point of comparison in cases where all or part of a face might be obstructed, for example, by make-up,” he said.

“Keeping images of ears, as opposed to faces, might also raise fewer privacy concerns,” he added.

Read the All Analytics article.

For further information on this news story contact Joyce Lewis; tel.+44(0)23 8059 5453.

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Published: 28 May 2012
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The Cyber Security Research Centre, led by Professor Vladimiro Sassone of ECS-Electronics and Computer Science, has been awarded ‘Academic Centre of Excellence’ status by the British intelligence agency GCHQ.

The Centre is one of just eight at UK universities, which have been identified to help make the UK government, businesses and consumers more resilient to cyber-attack by extending knowledge through original research and providing top-quality graduates in the field of cyber security.

The Centre of Excellence status was awarded by GCHQ as part of the Government's national cyber security strategy in partnership with Research Council UK's Global Uncertainties Programme and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. Each Centre will receive a £50,000 capital investment and will benefit from closer collaboration with GCHQ, the UK cyber community and industry. The research conducted will support the drive for better cyber protection for the UK government and enable businesses and consumers to safely benefit from the huge opportunities offered in cyberspace.

"We are very pleased to have our world-leading research in cyber security recognised through the awarding of this 'Centre of Excellence' status," said Professor Vladimiro Sassone, Director of the Centre. "Our well-integrated research portfolio links together aspects of internet privacy and trust, super-identity and access control, and secure hardware devices in one full circle.

"This places us in a unique position. Online activities underpin a growing range of day-to-day activities and there is a real need to ensure that users are supported in their online transactions and behaviours. Issues span the robustness of our national security and economic processes, to the security of digital information held by government and public bodies, and recognise the technical, legal, ethical and social responsibilities around our own personal privacy," he added.

Minister for Cyber Security Francis Maude said that promoting academic excellence is at the heart of the Government's Security Strategy. "We want to make the UK one of the most secure places in the world to do business, by investing in the best expertise to keep pace with technological change," he emphasised. "These first eight Centres will play a vital role in boosting research, expanding our cyber skills base and fostering innovation in the field."

Universities and Science Minister David Willetts added: "Britain has one of the largest online economies in the world and a growing cyber security sector. Supporting universities to carry out more research and training skilled graduates to work in the cyber-security industry will help build further confidence in doing business online. There was strong competition among universities to be selected as a Centre of Excellence in cyber security research and I congratulate those who have been successful."

For further information on this news story contact Joyce Lewis; tel.+44(0)23 8059 5453.

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Published: 11 June 2012
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Second-year Electronics students in ECS-Electronics and Computer Science had a fittingly Olympic theme for this year’s D4 design exercise, traditionally a very competitive culmination to the series of testing exercises that runs throughout the Electronic Systems Design Module.

This year’s D4, sponsored as in past years by BAE Systems Detica, set the student teams the challenge of building an intelligent robot capable of playing football without human input to take part in the fictional ‘Robot Olympics’. The students had only three weeks to design, build, test, and demonstrate a complete electronic system. To test their entrepreneurial ability as well as their electronic skills, they were also asked to create a video commercial for their robot and pitch it to judges as a commercial product.

“Teams were named after countries, with my team being Team France,” said Arinze Ekwosimba, studying MEng Electronic Engineering with Wireless Communications. “We had effectively two weeks to design and implement our prototype – it was undoubtedly the most stressful, challenging, draining and demanding part of my degree thus far!”

Pressure on the students was intense as they worked round the clock to design their intelligent robots. Against a set of tough specifications, the students worked in groups, partitioning a large task amongst the individual team members. The students were expected to show initiative, creativity and innovation, to deploy good time management and trouble-shooting skills, and to undertake technical and market research, costing and budget analysis.

“The D4 design exercise is the culmination of two years of hands-on lab experience, requiring students to apply all of the skills and knowledge that they have learnt to solve a complex design problem,” said Dr Geoff Merrett, lecturer and coordinator of first-year labs.

During the final judging session, Dr Matt Sacker of BAE Systems Detica congratulated the students on the quality of what they had achieved. "The D4 design exercise provides students with a real-world experience of electronic system design. The exercise matches a product's development from requirements capture through to prototype development”, he said.

“This provides Electronics students with valuable practical experience that gives them a head-start when applying for jobs and working in industry". The winning team members were: Bryony Howard, Zachary Jelley, Henry Lovett, Thomas Smith, James Cooke, and Lewis Russell. Each received £100 from BAE Systems Detica as their prize. The exercise was run by Dr Geoff Merrett, Professor Steve Gunn and Dr Rob Maunder, with support from Dave Oakley, Jeff Hooker and David Kemmish.

For further information on this news story contact Joyce Lewis; tel.+44(0)23 8059 5453.

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Published: 25 June 2012
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University of Southampton Open Days for prospective students take place this year on Friday 6 and Saturday 7 July.

Prospective students are able to visit Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) throughout the two days, with tours and presentations demonstrating the unique opportunities available at the University of Southampton. Visitors will also be able to meet past and current students, visit our undergraduate labs and learn about ECS students’ excellent careers prospects.

Open Day presentations will include 'Robotics and Rehabilitation', '21st Century Computing' and 'The ECS Science Community'. Visitors will be able to tour the Nano and Photonic cleanrooms, the ECS computer labs and the electronic teaching labs. Careers talks, student showcase events and drop-in sessions will also be running throughout the two days. The University of Southampton’s Open Day website provides further information as well as booking opportunities (Saturday 7 July is already fully booked).

"Visiting universities is extremely important in enabling students to find the best place for their study," says ECS Professor Alun Vaughan. "There are many factors which make a difference to the kind of educational experience that will suit a particular student and we urge prospective students to take advantage of these visit days to find out as much as they can about what we can offer them."

Electronics and Electrical Engineering at the University of Southampton is currently ranked 1st and 2nd in subject league tables (The Guardian University Guide 2013/The Times University Guide 2013), while Computer Science and IT is currently ranked 3rd and 8th in the same league tables.

There are further University of Southampton Open Days on Thursday 4 and Friday 5 September - the University of Southampton’s Open Day website provides more information.

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