Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) student, Jaime Lomeli Rodriguez, was among University students and graduates being honoured for their entrepreneurial spirit at SETsquared’s annual Student Enterprise Awards at St Mary’s Stadium.

SETsquared, a partnership of the universities of Southampton, Bath, Bristol, Exeter and Surrey, brought together its top student and graduate entrepreneurs for an evening of pitching and awards.

There was victory for the University as our students and graduates picked up a number of prizes on the night. They included:

• Metix Ltd (winner, Best Game Changing Enterprise) – a medical technology company that is developing a robust handheld vital signs monitor called COREMED® Aid. Metix includes Jaime Lomeli Rodriguez – Jaime has graduated with an MSc in Artificial Intelligence and is currently working towards his PhD in Computer Sciences.
• SanEco (winner, Best Student Enterprise) – SanEco is a social enterprise business that empowers communities using sanitation and empowers entrepreneurs to change their own lives and their communities forever.
• DividaBill (winner, Best Graduate Enterprise) – The graduate business was set up by Jon and Saumeel, who had trouble with dealing with their bills while studying at the University of Southampton. They decided to solve the problem by setting up a business where customers can sign up once and all their bills are set up and managed. The system saves over £100 a year compared to leading providers.

There was double victory for Metix Ltd as it picked up the coveted People’s Choice Award on the evening, which came with a £500 cash prize. The company’s marketing director, Peter Street, said: “It’s a huge honour to be voted the People’s Choice out of all of the companies that were pitching. Choosing entrepreneurship as a career path may seem daunting to some university students but there is so much support out there from organisations such as SETsquared, The University of Southampton and Fish on Toast, the University’s entrepreneurial society. Their advice and mentoring has helped us get our business off the ground and I’d urge any young person with a good business idea to take the leap and go for it.”

The evening also saw inspirational talks from local business leaders. Max Toti, managing director and chief technology officer of Captec Ltd, gave guests his advice on how to become a successful entrepreneur. An alumnus of ECS, he is a visiting lecturer for UK technology universities on innovation, entrepreneurship and wealth creation.

David Bream, director of SETsquared at the University of Southampton, said: “There is so much entrepreneurial talent in Southampton and we are immensely proud of all our students and graduates who pitched at the event. They have some fantastic business ideas with the potential to develop into significant companies that generate wealth and jobs for the local economy.”

The IEEE 2015 Electrical Insulation Conference (EIC) held recently in Seattle, Washington, USA featured 18 papers from staff and students of the Tony Davies High Voltage Laboratory. The conference attracted over 250 attendees (mainly from industry) and just under 150 papers were presented over three days. Approximately one paper in every 8 detailed research activity from Southampton.

This year’s conference was also organised by members of TDHVL, a process that started over two years ago. “It has been a significant challenge organising a large meeting that will take place 4800 miles away from Southampton” said Liz Tillotson, TDHVL administrator and EIC Registration Chair. Also notable was that this was the first time that the Conference Chair was not based in North America. “EIC started in 1959 and this is the 52nd meeting, so to be the very first Chair from outside of the USA and Canada is a honour and also reflects on the international standing of TDHVL”, said Prof Paul Lewin, Chair of Electrical Power Engineering, ECS.

A multimillion pound refurbishment of the University of Southampton’s Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) laboratories will ensure future students will be using the latest technology and state-of-the-art facilities to support their degree programmes.

The £4m investment, funded by the University and the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), will see the undergraduate and MSc labs for computing and for electrical and electronic engineering completely overhauled and equipped with state-of-the-art facilities.

A new 300m² project lab has been created for senior undergraduate and MSc students, and recently opened for the start of the summer term. Over the summer the existing labs in the Zepler building will be refurbished, expanded and re-equipped.

Professor Neil White, Head of ECS, said: “We are very excited to be creating a state-of-the-art facility for our current and future students. We are proud that we already have excellent facilities available to our students and this new work will ensure that these facilities remain up-to-date and in line with future industry requirements.

“Together with the HEFCE we are committed to increasing the flow of highly employable graduates into industry. We already have one of the best records for graduate employability in the UK but are determined to improve this still further.”

Professor Nick Jennings, forthcoming Head of Electronics and Computer Science adds: “Our new flexible facility will prepare students for industries of the future. The three laboratories will significantly increase capacity and enhance capability. A further £1.5m will be invested in advanced test, design build and computing equipment to support our broad range of degree programmes in Electronics and Computer Science."

The refurbishment work is set to take three months to complete and is scheduled to be ready for the start of the new autumn term. The work has been planned to cause minimal disruption for current students. The revamp will be carried out over the summer when most students are away from campus and the project is staged to allow MSc students access to the project lab over the holidays.

The University of Southampton is to play a major role in helping to boost the UK’s ability to develop and exploit the vast potential of robotics and autonomous systems.

Southampton is one of the founding partners of the EPSRC UK Robotics and Autonomous Systems Network (UK-RAS Network), which will bring together the country’s key academic capabilities in robotics innovation under national coordination for the first time. It will encourage academic and industry collaborations to accelerate the development and adoption of robotics and autonomous systems.

The Network was unveiled last week at the Science Museum in London following a public lecture on Robot Ethics, organised by IET Robotics and Mechatronics Network in association with the Science Museum Lates and supported by the EPSRC UK-RAS Network.

As the UK’s leading university for unmanned autonomous systems (UAS) research and education, the University of Southampton will be active in the Network across many areas. In particular, aerial vehicles through the DECODE (Decision Environment for COmplex DEsign) project to design, build and fly state-of-the-art unmanned air vehicles with full autonomous control systems and robotics for Earth Science as part of the ASTRA initiative, which develops cutting-edge low-cost robotic systems for observing the atmosphere.

Dr Stephen Prior, Reader in Unmanned Air Vehicles at the University of Southampton, says: “Our involvement in the EPSRC UK-RAS Network reflects our global reputation for robotics and autonomous systems research and development. We have the capabilities and resources to help the UK economy address the demands of this challenging technology across all sectors of industry, from transport and healthcare to manufacturing and unmanned systems.”

Professor Nick Jennings, forthcoming Head of Electronics and Computer Science added: “Our involvement reflects the quality of work on autonomous systems carried out in Southampton. This ranges from the hardware and novel manufacturing techniques to the advanced software required for decision making in complex and fast changing environments.” Professor Jennings leads the innovative ORCHID programme investigating how people and software agents, including those within UAVs, can effectively work together to improve disaster response operations and enable smart energy systems.

The EPSRC UK-RAS Network is funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) – the UK's main agency for funding research in engineering and the physical sciences. The Network’s mission is to provide academic leadership in Robotics and Autonomous Systems, expand collaboration with industry and integrate and coordinate activities at eight EPSRC-funded RAS dedicated facilities and Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs) across the UK.

The new network has already received strong support by major industrial partners, the Science Museum and the UK’s major professional engineering bodies including Royal Academy of Engineering, IET, and the Institute of Mechanical Engineers. The Network will expand to include broader stakeholders including key national laboratories in the UK and leading international collaborators in both academia and industry. The global market for service and industrial robots is estimated to reach $59.5 billion by 2020.

Kedar Pandya, Head of the Engineering Theme for the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, added: “Working with Innovate UK and other research council partners, EPSRC's mission is to support and invest in the world-leading research base that has earned the UK its deserved reputation for research excellence. Robotics and Autonomous Systems are one of the Eight Great Technologies in which the UK is set to be a global leader, and the technology being developed at these EPSRC-funded RAS facilities will deliver a significant impact on the research landscape, and attract the kind of industrial investment that will maximise the UK’s stake in the worldwide robotics market.”

The Network will organise a wide range of activities including network and strategic events such as the UK Robotics conference, symposia and focused workshops, public engagement and exhibitions. It will also have extensive online engagement activities using social media and web and user forums. The Network aims to strengthen the relationship with industry by supporting interdisciplinary mobility and industrial secondment and developing proof-of-concept (PoC) projects and running design challenges. There is also a strong emphasis on government policy and high-level engagement with international stakeholders.

Southampton’s MSc in Cyber Security is one of just six UK university degree programmes to receive certified status by GCHQ in 2015.

British intelligence agency GCHQ, as the National Technical Authority for Information Assurance, sets the standard for good cyber security education in the UK. Its certification programme recognises the MSc in Cyber Security from Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) as providing well-defined and appropriate degree content, delivered to the highest standard, based on GCHQ’s rigorous assessment criteria. This assessment included expert views of industry, academia, professional bodies, GCHQ and other government departments.

This endorsement further demonstrates the high quality of Southampton’s work in cyber security. The University’s’ Cyber Security Research Centre is one of only thirteen Academic Centres of Excellence status identified by 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.

Professor Vladimiro Sassone of ECS and leader of the Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security, said: “We are very pleased to have our Master's degree recognised through GCHQ’s certified status, which complements the world-leading research undertaken through our Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security. Students on this programme will benefit from a very high quality learning experience while future employers can be assured of their skills in cyber security.”

Dr Tim Chown of ECS and Programme leader for the MSc in Cyber Security, added: “Our Cyber Security MSc has proved to be very popular, with students enrolling from all around the world."

The MSC in Cyber Security has achieved provisional status. Provisional certification is for those Master’s degrees which are currently running but have not yet had a cohort complete in the current academic year. It is based on students’ module choice including Foundations of Cyber Security; Implementing Cyber Security; Software Engineering and Cyber Security; Cyber Crime, Insecurity and the Dark Web; Secure Systems; Cryptography.

This round of accreditation by GCHQ brings the total number of UK Master’s degrees in Cyber Security with certified status to 12.

Chris Ensor, Deputy Director for the National Technical Authority for Information Assurance at GCHQ, said: “As the National Technical Authority for Information Assurance, GCHQ recognises the critical role academia plays in developing the UK's skill and knowledge base. I am delighted that six more Master’s degrees in general cyber security have been certified.”

For more information on GCHQ’s work with universities see UK Cyber Security Research and Education.

Professor Dame Wendy Hall from the University of Southampton has co-authored a significant new report, which calls for a fresh start in the law for surveillance practices in the UK.

After a year of investigation and consultation, the Independent Surveillance Review (ISR) delivered its conclusions to the Prime Minister, and presented its report, ‘A Democratic Licence to Operate’ at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) yesterday (14 July).

The final report found that the present legal framework authorising the interception of communications is unclear, has not kept pace with developments in communications technology, and does not serve either the government or members of the public satisfactorily. The panel said that a new, comprehensive and clearer legal framework is required and called on government, civil society and industry to accept its recommendations and work together to put them into practice.

Professor Dame Wendy Hall from Electronics and Computer Science at the University, said: “This report represents a remarkable achievement in bringing together a diverse group of people with a breadth of expertise and experience, ensuring that the ISR Panel examined the full range of issues regarding privacy and security in Britain today. In particular, we – as a panel- are acutely aware of the rapid pace of technology and its impact on society. To that end, I am very keen that the Government support our recommendation to create a new Advisory Council for Digital Technology and Engineering. The Advisory Council will support politicians, policymakers and the public alike and will play a crucial role in supporting our digital future.”

Launching the report the Chairman of the Panel, Michael Clarke, said: “With our report, the third major study of this subject this year, the government has a golden opportunity to make a fresh start by introducing legislation that provides a clear and legally sound framework within which the police and intelligence agencies can confidently operate, knowing that at all times they will be respecting our human rights.

“There is at present no shortage of mechanisms that regulate the way the Government runs interception programmes, but they are complicated, overlapping and in some cases, creaky. There is a manifest need for new legislation. We have outlined ten tests that people in Britain should apply when they hear what the government proposes. If government proposals genuinely meet these criteria, the new legislation will be able to address justifiable public concerns, and also allow the police and intelligence agencies to get on with their job.”

The review was carried out by RUSI, a defence think-tank, at the request of the then Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, in response to the disclosures made by whistleblower Edward Snowden in 2013.

The Review panel drew on the broad experience of its members, from the fields of investigative journalism, the Internet, law, policing, political life, moral philosophy - and including former Heads of the three British Intelligence and Security Agencies.

Download a copy of the report here

Around 330 students from Electronics and Computer (ECS) Science attended Graduation at the University of Southampton last week, alongside leading business and engineering figures who received honorary degrees.

Baroness Martha Lane-Fox, businesswoman, philanthropist, and co-founder of Lastminute.com, and Professor William Webb, President of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) – Europe’s largest Professional Engineering body, joined this year’s graduates at ceremonies held on the University’s Highfield Campus.

The Graduation ceremonies took place in the Turner Sims Concert Hall and the Nuffield Theatre on Wednesday 15 July. This year, 109 Bachelor degrees were awarded, 164 Masters and 61 Doctorates.

Baroness Martha Lane-Fox, Doctor of Science

Martha Lane Fox co-founded Europe’s largest travel and leisure website lastminute.com with Brent Hoberman in 1998, they took it public in 2000 and sold it in 2005. In 2007 Martha founded her own charitable foundation Antigone.org.uk and also serves as a Patron of AbilityNet, Reprieve, Camfed and Just for Kids Law.

Martha co- founded and chairs LuckyVoice, revolutionising the karaoke industry. She chairs MakieLab. She is a Non-Executive Director at Marks & Spencer and the Women’s Prize for Fiction. She is currently chair of Go On UK, a coalition of public and private sector partners that are helping millions more people and organisations online.

In 2013 Martha was awarded a CBE and was appointed a crossbench peer in the House of Lords in March 2013. She was appointed Chancellor of the Open University in March 2014 and in 2015 Martha joined the board of the Creative Industries Federation and the Open Data Institute.

Professor William Webb, Doctor of Science

An alumnus of ECS, William is President of the Institution of Engineering and Technology – the IET. He is also CEO of the Weightless SIG, a body standardising new global machine to machine (M2M) technology.

He was one of the founding directors of Neul, a company developing M2M technologies and networks, which was formed at the start of 2011 and subsequently sold to Huawei. Prior to this William was a Director at Ofcom where he managed a team providing technical advice and performing research. He has worked for a range of communications consultancies and spent three years providing strategic management across Motorola’s entire communications portfolio, based in Chicago.

William has published 14 books, over 100 papers, and 18 patents. He is a Visiting Professor at Southampton, Surrey and Trinity College Universities, and a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, the IEEE and the IET.

A new book, recently presented at the Computer History Museum in Silicon Valley and at the Science Museum, London, explores the origins and foundations of computer science from the early days of computers in the 1930s to the cutting-edge research of the present day.

Co-authored by Dr Gyuri Pápay of the IT Innovations Centre and Professor Tony Hey, former Head of Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) at the University of Southampton, ‘The Computing Universe: A Journey Through a Revolution’ aims to stimulate interest in the wide range of career opportunities in computer science as well as giving an understandable and accessible account of how computers work.

Within the book, Pápay and Hey explain ideas behind developments from hardware, software and algorithms through to artificial intelligence machine learning and quantum computing. They also introduce scientists and engineers in this field such as Ada Lovelace, Alan Turing, Professor Sir Tim Berners Lee and Bill Gates.

Bill Gates himself has acclaimed The Computing Universe, saying: “Tony Hey has made significant contributions to both physics and computer science and with The Computing Universe he and his co-author share the knowledge and history that have inspired us all.”

Dr Gyuri Pápay is a senior research fellow at ECS research group, the IT Innovations Centre. Until last year Professor Tony Hey was Microsoft Research's vice president and he has held positions at the University of Southampton including Head of ECS and Dean of Engineering.

The Computing Universe is published by Cambridge University Press.

One hundred and thirty 16 and 17 year olds from across the UK and beyond took part in summer schools at the department of Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) at the University of Southampton.

Beginning on Monday 27 July, ECS offered eighty A Level students a taste of university life through lectures, lab work and group challenges at its annual ECS Summer School. The week-long residential course welcomed students from Dublin, Romania and Greece as well as the local area.

The Summer School included lectures by leading Southampton academics covering varied aspects of ECS, from electronic and electrical engineering to computer science and software engineering. Participants had the opportunity to tour the University of Southampton’s specialist facilities, such as the Tony Davies High Voltage Laboratory and the Southampton Nanofabrication Centre. Throughout the week students worked together on a team challenge, before giving presentations to parents at a prize-giving ceremony on the final day.

Sponsored by JP Morgan and Imagination Technologies, the Summer School’s strong links with industry helped participants to better understand career options. The course included a day trip to sponsors so students can see how specialised electronics and computer science skills are applied and valued in business and industry.

Dr Geoff Merrett, Senior Admissions Tutor for ECS, says: “We hope that by offering this Summer School we were able to engage the students in the subjects, inspire them to apply for a university place and open their eyes to the exciting breadth of careers a degree from ECS can lead to.”

One participant, Johanna from Dorset thanked the Summer School team, saying: “I think I can echo what everyone else is saying. Thank you so much to everyone that helped organise this and gave me the most amazing University experience; I am definitely doing a Bachelors in Computer Science!”

During the week the University of Southampton also welcomed a Computing and Microelectronics course from the Smallpeice Trust, sponsored by ARM. The course was open to 50 students from across the UK who had recently completed GCSEs or their first year of A-Levels.

ECS hosted the course and led the course content alongside Student Robotics, an independent organisation which runs robotics competitions for students. As part of the course, participants built and programmed (using Python) autonomous robots for an end-of-course competition. Students also attended lectures and toured the ECS facilities.

Attending the Computing and Microelectronics course was Professor William Webb who interacted with the students and delivered a speech at the last-night formal dinner. An alumnus of the university and Visiting Professor at ECS, William Webb is the President of the Institution of Engineering and Technology.

Next year’s ECS residential course will run from 25 to 29 July 2016. To find out more, or for any enquiries, visit www.summerschool.ecs.soton.ac.uk.

The seaside town of Ventnor on the Isle of Wight town has been re-created from life-sized 1m blocks, in Minecraft.

Minecraft Ventnor is a year-long personal interest project by Chris Gutteridge. A Computer Science graduate from Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) at the University of Southampton, Chris grew up in Ventnor and now works in the University’s Web and Data Innovation and Development Team.

The seafront model features distinctive details including Ventnor Haven – the town’s harbour, its ‘Isle of Wight’ outdoor pool, winter gardens and the Spyglass Inn. Constructed throughout from 1m blocks, Ventnor is made not just ‘life’ sized within Minecraft but also faithful to its topography and architecturally.

Minecraft Ventnor has been created entirely within ‘Survival’ mode, meaning that every single block within the beach, the Esplanade and all of its buildings has been ‘mined’ or ‘made’ by Chris Gutteridge. Added complications included the need to remove factors within the Minecraft environment such as trees and mountains to accommodate paces of interest. As Chris says: “It also means there were night-time zombie attacks and occasional repairs required due to Creeper damage. Why did I do it like this? Because I was having fun.”

Chris is the University’s Linked Open Data Architect and is using his expertise in this area in a new project inspired by Minecraft Ventnor. Using data from LIDAR remote sensing technology held at the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton, Chris has projected Open Street Map outlines into Minecraft Ventnor, covering cliffs and coastline as well as roads and buildings.

Minecraft Ventnor is on display on canvas as part of the Undecided on Dreams exhibition at the Ventnor Fringe Festival from 11 to 16 August 2015. Downloads for Minecraft users will be available from 15th August 2015 at ventnor.totl.net.