An international electric car championship has teamed up with Southampton researchers, including a Web and Internet Science (WAIS) professor, to explore the effect of climate change on the Arctic ice sheet.

Formula E, a global FIA race that only uses electric-powered cars, is working with Professor Kirk Martinez, from Electronics and Computer Science, and Professor Jane Hart, from Geography and Environment, to understand how climate change is affecting glaciers and their break up into icebergs.

The innovative collaboration has already successfully planted a tracking device on an iceberg off the coast of Greenland that has enabled the researchers to monitor the iceberg’s journey in real time.

Since the tracker was placed in the summer, researchers have been able to follow the iceberg down the coast of Greenland and are gaining greater understanding of the way these iceberg movements can contribute to rising sea levels.

Formula E has now committed a £25,000 donation to further develop this research.

Kirk said: “We are studying glacier response to climate change using an interconnected sensor system that monitors glacier retreat. This retreat is partly controlled by water from the glacier surface melting and allowing glacier sliding, and the information we gather from our research will help us predict future melt rates.

“This donation from Formula E will allow us to use the latest technology to investigate this glacier melting and velocity by devising smart GPS units that can be trialled on a set of glaciers in Iceland.

“The melting and movement of glaciers varies around the globe – some move a few metres a year, while others cover the same distance in a matter of days. Iceland provides a wide range of glaciers in one study area, so by positioning these low-cost, networkable positioning systems on these glaciers we will be able to access their data by satellite or radio links on a daily basis.”

Jane, a Professor in Geography, added: “Climate change and its effects require considerable technological advances in order for us to understand and counter them. This new donation means we will be able to monitor glacier activity for a year, analysing the resulting information to better understand glacier response to climate change.

“It will also enable us to develop robust sensing systems that could be used to monitor other remote environments. The exchange of information between ourselves and Formula E will benefit not only our research but also the public understanding of science and technology.”

This project builds on previous research carried out by the pair in Iceland and the Cairngorm Mountains that used cutting-edge sensing technology to study the environment. They implemented innovative combinations of technologies from the Internet of Things (IoT) – smart Internet connected devices - in a sensor network system to develop a concept for environmental sensing in remote mountain settings.

Funded by a £174,000 technology proof of concept grant from Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), the pair worked with colleagues at the University of Dundee on the year-long project in the Cairngorms observing hydrological peatland and frozen ground processes.

Kirk said: “IoT inspired sensor networks offer a revolutionary new way of investigating the environment. By embedding sensors into the landscape, many remote or hazardous environments can be measured live for the first time throughout the whole year.”

To find out more about the iceberg tracking research, visit the team's Glacsweb website

An ECS undergraduate student has presented his third year project results at the prestigious IEEE International Midwest Symposium on Circuits and Systems, held in Abu Dhabi in October.

Andrew Wightwick, a fourth year undergraduate student working towards an MEng degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, presented a paper titled “Secure communication interface design for IoT applications, using the GSM network”. The paper was based on a third year project and was supervised by Dr Basel Halak of the Electronics and Electrical Engineering research group.

Andrew's paper proposes a secure communication interface for IoT devices using GSM-based short messaging service; it also presents an implementation example of the scheme using field-programmable gate array (FPGA), which showcases a fully working prototype for remote control of a personal controller.

"To have a paper accepted for presentation in an international IEEE conference is an extraordinary achievement for Andrew,” said Dr Halak, "and a credit to the high quality education and support our students receive here in Electronics and Computer Science (ECS).”

The IEEE International Midwest Symposium on Circuits and Systems (MWSCAS) is the oldest circuits and systems symposium sponsored by the IEEE, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

Earlier this year, Andrew gained the best UK result in the International Microelectronics Olympiad, organised by Synopsys.

Subjects within the University’s Faculty of Physical Sciences and Engineering have been placed in the top 100 amongst the Best Global Universities for 2017, according to rankings published by US News and World Report.

Amongst the publication’s subject rankings, Southampton features in the top 100 for: Computer Science, 95th; Engineering, joint 89th; Physics, 95th; and Space Science, joint 95th – subjects on offer from the Faculty’s departments of Electronics and Computer Science, Physics and Astronomy, and the Optoelectronics Research Centre

The Best Global Universities rankings focus specifically on academic research and reputation, encompassing the top 1,000 institutions spread across 65 countries. US News bases its rankings on 12 indicators which focus on global research reputation through publications, books, conferences, citation impact, and international collaboration.

Overall, the University has placed 104th, climbing six places from joint 110th overall last year. The rankings, now in their third year, also place Southampton 36th in Europe and 10th amongst UK universities listed. Harvard University is ranked number one overall with the University of Oxford first in both Europe and the UK.

Click to find the full list of US News and World Report Best Global Universities 2017.