Three top performing MEng Electrical and Electronic Engineering students from the University’s Malaysia Campus (USMC) have each been awarded prestigious Lloyd’s Register Foundation (LRF) scholarships.

Tim Kent, Technical Director (Marine) from Lloyd’s Register joined Professor Paul Lewin, Head of Electronics and Computer Science (ECS), to present scholarships to the fourth year students Yiqian Hui, Aaron Pang and Wen Yee Tey. The students were honoured following their excellent academic and personal performance during the previous academic year. The scholarships cover each student’s tuition fees for the coming year. Not only have the three students been awarded with scholarships this year, they also all received scholarships last year which shows true hard work and dedication.

As with all USMC degree students, Yiqian, Aaron and Wen Yee spent the first two years of their studies in Malaysia before transferring to Southampton for the final two years, completing their degree alongside other Electrical and Electronic Engineering students in ECS.

Professor Tim Kent, a University of Southampton alumnus, congratulated the students on their scholarships and focused on the close relationship that Lloyd’s Register has with the university adding, “Lloyd’s Register Foundation is very pleased to be funding scholarships for the University’s Malaysia Campusâ€?. He talked about the international journey the students have embarked on, from Malaysia to the UK and the global presence of Lloyd’s Register around the world, including offices in Malaysia, the UK, throughout Europe, Asia and the Americas.

Professor Paul Lewin commented “it is fantastic to present these awards from Lloyd’s Register Foundation and it's a clear mark of the students’ hard work and successâ€?. He stressed the importance of the University’s relationship with Lloyd’s Register adding “we really are very keen that we work closely with Lloyd’s Register Foundation going forwardsâ€?.

The University of Southampton has enjoyed a close working relationship with Lloyd’s Register for over 40 years reinforced by the formal opening of the new Boldrewood Innovation Campus in Southampton in 2015 where Lloyd’s Register has established a Global Technology Centre alongside the University’s world-class engineering facilities.

A final year PhD student in the Nanoelectronics and Nanotechnology research group of Electronics and Computer Science (ECS), has received the 2nd place best paper award at the international IEEE-NIH Conference on Healthcare Innovations and Point of Care Technologies Conference (HI-POCT’16) held in Cancun, Mexico this month.

Nikolaos Vasilakis’ paper demonstrates an affordable manufacturing technology based on printed-circuit boards (PCBs) that enables the integration of electrochemical biosensors, microfluidics and electronics in a monolithic manner. The technology is very suitable for affordable Point-Of-Care implementations, enabling both quantitative and qualitative diagnostic tests that are a necessity for addressing global health challenges, particularly of low-income countries.

The work is sponsored by the A.G. Leventis Foundation and is part of a world-leading transdisciplinary research group, led by Dr Themis Prodromakis within ECS at the University of Southampton. The team is uniquely placed in delivering impactful innovations for Healthcare technologies through developing an end-to-end infrastructure for electronics-based diagnostics. The technology is developed in close collaboration with Newbury Electronics Ltd (a UK-based PCB manufacturer), Imperial College NHS (benchmarking of tests for TB) and the support of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC EP/L020920/1).

Dr Themis Prodromakis commented, “We are delighted that our research is acknowledged by world-leading healthcare organisations with this award. There is indeed great need in substantiating affordable point-of-care diagnostic solutions for those who need it the most. Our approach is unique in achieving this by optimizing well-established manufacturing processes used in consumer electronics applications and thus brings new prospects to mobile healthcare.â€?

The HI-POTC conference focused on healthcare innovations and point-of-care technologies and their clinical translation for global quality healthcare. The conference provided a unique platform for healthcare researchers to keep abreast of emerging technology trends in global heath by establishing collaborations and networking with pioneers in this remit and key stakeholders including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Health Organisation, the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

Undergraduate students from Electronics and Computer Science at the University of Southampton are playing a part in the development of the UK as a leading nation in Building Information Modelling (BIM).

BIM is a 3D model-based process that equips the engineering, construction and architectural industries with the ability to plan, design and construct buildings more efficiently. It is a global digital construction technology that will soon be deployed in every country in the world, incorporating the digital representations of the physical and functional characteristics of buildings and places. The UK’s Cabinet Office and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills are running an internationally respected programme to embed the use of BIM across centrally procured public construction projects. They are implementing the long term programme to enable the adoption of BIM by individuals, businesses and government agencies who plan, design, construct, operate and maintain diverse physical infrastructures.

The participating students from the MEng Computer Science programme, are helping in this nationwide incorporation of BIM software by tackling innovative BIM ideas as part of their group design project in the Web and Internet Science research group.

Working with GroupBC – a leading company in the implementation of BIM – last year’s students have already explored the adaptation of BIM for their MSc project and this year’s cohort are facing a similar challenge.

This pioneering work came about through the research of programme leader and Strategic Partnership Manager at the University’s Web Science Institute, Dr Sepi Chakaveh.

Sepi has been working with GroupBC for the past three years on developing innovative ideas and projects.

One of her initiatives is the technology transfer of central information onto a localised server.

She said: “In order to ensure full usability of BIM, organisations need to be able to download specific sections of the BIM information. At the moment it is stored on huge central servers, but our students are developing prototype software tools that will enable people such as builders and architects to download a selected part of the BIM information on to a local server.

“Working with GroupBC they will apply data science to construction to come up with the best solution to localising this information, enabling industry to have an ‘on demand’ access across a variety of devices.

“There is a huge industry emerging from BIM and in the years to come every building will have, not just property assets, but digital assets as well. Our collaboration with GroupBC is ensuring our students are well positioned at the forefront of this evolving technology, gaining significant experience to maximise their employability when they graduate.â€?