Professor Peter Ashburn is leading a team of University researchers who are developing low-cost, disposable blood-testing kits that can be made available in GPs' surgeries.

With funding of £1.33M from the EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council), Professor Ashburn, Head of the Nano Research Group in the School of Electronics and Computer Science, will work with colleagues in ECS, Medicine, Chemistry, to develop a unique method for fabricating nanowires, so that the blood-testing kits can be mass-produced. This will mean that routine blood tests can be carried out in GPs' surgeries, rather than needing to be sent to laboratories, with inevitable delays. The researchers are using nanotechnology similar to that commonly used in computer and television displays to develop this new application.

'Standard clinical laboratory tests currently have limitations outside the laboratory,' said Professor Ashburn. 'This can reduce the impact of new protein biomarkers for diagnosing complex conditions like cancer and chronic inflammation.

'However, one-dimensional nanostructures such as nanowires are ideal for the purposes of diagnosis, since they can be integrated into microfluidic chips that provide a complete sensor system.'

Because of the impact that new technology such as this would have on healthcare, a major part of the research project involves the School of Social Sciences at the University of Southampton in the assessment of sociological aspects involved in the take-up of nanotechnology in healthcare. 'We need to understand how this new mechanism for blood-testing sits in relation to established organizational forms, professional knowledge and inter-professional relations,' said Professor Susan Halford.

'In particular, replacing hospital lab tests with GP-administered tests requires a whole series of subtle and highly politicized changes to the organization of healthcare. Whilst the technology holds enormous potential, if it is to deliver the socially beneficial innovation so highly prioritized in public consultation, we need to develop in-depth understanding of how it can actually come into use.'

The funding award for this research comes from the EPSRC’s Nano Grand Challenge in Healthcare scheme.

Electrical engineers in ECS are part of a team developing new 'green' power cables which can be recycled at the end of their lives.

The new project, funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) is being undertaken by a multidisciplinary team drawn from the University of Southampton’s School of Electronics and Computer Science, GnoSys UK at the University of Surrey, National Grid and Dow Chemical Company.

It is in response to a move in the UK and across Europe to place more of the power network that provides electricity to our homes and industry underground, particularly in areas of outstanding beauty and in major cities.

It is also in response to questions such as whether such cables could ever be considered to be environmentally friendly or have a low carbon footprint.

‘Moreover, with the emphasis on ensuring security of supply and improving the amount of power that can be transported around the country with a cable that must operate reliably for 40 years or more, the challenge is to meet these needs and have an environmentally clean cable that can be recycled at the end of its life,’ said Professor Alun Vaughan of the University’s School of Electronics and Computer Science.

Issues like these are being addressed in this new project which is developing new power cable materials and the tools to evaluate the complex and often competing factors which need to go into a full life-cycle assessment. The aim is to determine the performance of a new design of plastic insulated cable and its impact on the environment over its complete life from raw materials, through manufacture and years of service, and finally recycling at the end of life. The outcomes of the project will allow utilities to choose the best solution for the environment and the power system.

Sir Tim Berners-Lee, Professor of Computer Science in ECS, has been elected to the US National Academy of Sciences (NAS).

Professor Berners-Lee was elected to the (NAS) for his excellence in original scientific research. Membership of the NAS is one of the highest honours given to a scientist or engineer in the United States - over 180 living members of the NAS have won Nobel Prizes.

Tim Berners-Lee is the 3COM Founders Professor of Engineering in the School of Engineering, with a joint appointment in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the Laboratory for Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence (CSAIL) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he also heads the Decentralized Information Group. He directs the World Wide Web Consortium, founded in 1994.

In 2006 he was appointed to a Chair of Computer Science at the University of Southampton, and launched the Web Science Research Initiative (WSRI) with co-founders Professor Dame Wendy Hall, Professor Nigel Shadbolt and Dr Daniel J Weitzner. He recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of the invention of the World Wide Web, at a special event at CERN, the European Particle Physics Laboratory. He also gave key-notes at the Web Science Conference held in Athens in March, and sponsored by ECS, and at the World Wide Web Conference held last week in Madrid.

Sir Tim Berners-Lee became a fellow of the Royal Society in 2001. He has been the recipient of several international awards including the Japan Prize, the Prince of Asturias Foundation Prize, the Millennium Technology Prize and Germany's Die Quadriga award. In 2004 he was knighted by HM Queen Elizabeth II and in 2007 he was awarded the Order of Merit. He is the author of "Weaving the Web".

Pictured: Professor Sir Tim Berners-Lee (right) at the Web Science 09 Conference in Athens, with Dr Les Carr of ECS

Final-year student Mayuran Anantharajan has won a national essay competition organized by the Higher Education Academy Subject Centre for Information and Computer Sciences.

The subject of the essay was ‘Who or what was the inspiration for choosing your current course of study?’ and the competition was open to all students in the UK studying Computing or Library and Information Sciences.

In his essay Mayuran provides an entertaining and persuasive account of the factors that led to his decision to study Software Engineering. He explains that in his case, the important reasons didn’t derive from ‘who or what’ but ‘who and what’. In particular, Mayuran cites his father and his dedication to his work as a Communications Engineer for London Underground as an inspirational influence. He writes:

‘Professionalism is one of the first things that struck me about being an engineer when I was younger. I saw my Dad updating a massive thick file (there’s so much work that files are used rather than books!) with work that had been carried out the night before. When I asked my Dad why he did this, my Dad explained that the log file was a record to show as proof to the IEEE (Institution of Electrical and Electronic Engineers) that work was being carried out worthy of an Incorporated Engineer. This is when I found out that institutions existed to help engineers carry out their roles in a professional manner.’

Mayuran’s father also provided decisive advice when the choice of course at university had to be made. Mayuran had decided to do Engineering, but his father encouraged him to follow his passion for computing technology, suggesting that Software Engineering would be a key discipline for the 21st century.

‘I took my Dad’s advice, and having nearly completed my course, I believe that software is a vital technology (without any software, a computer doesn’t do anything), which is why it will continue to develop to a level that will mean society will rely on using computing technology even more in the future. This is why I chose to do a Software Engineering degree; to help lay the foundations in my knowledge and prepare me for the future.’

Mayuran will complete his Master of Engineering course in the School of Electronics and Computer Science in just a few weeks. After graduation he will look for a job as a Software Engineer, or possibly continue his studies to postgraduate research.

‘I really enjoyed writing this essay,' he said, 'as it made me remember many wonderful memories. I hope people enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.’

Mayuran wins an Apple iPod Touch and will be invited to attend the Higher Education Academy 2009 Annual Conference at the University of Manchester in June.

The University of Southampton gained seven places in the Complete University Guide published in The Independent today (30 April), making it the leading university in the south-east after Oxford.

In this Guide Southampton is ranked 13th equal in the UK, a rise of seven places from last year. In the South-East, the top 10 universities were (in order): Oxford, Southampton, Royal Holloway, Sussex, Surrey, Reading, Kent, Oxford Brookes, Portsmouth, and Brighton. The Independent comments: 'In the South-east, the University of Southampton has begun closing the gap with world-leading Oxford, which inevitably leads the way in the region. The coastal campus rose by seven places to reach No 13 nationally, thanks to an improved ratio of students to staff and a boost in academic services spending of more than £150 per student.'

Electronics and Electrical Engineering in ECS was ranked 2nd in the UK and Computer Science was ranked 9th. The tables were compiled on a number of factors, including student satisfaction, research assessment, entry standards, graduate prospects, and facilities spending. The School urges caution on an over-reliance on league tables, since the methodology that is used to construct them can vary widely across league tables.

However, the Research Assessment Exercise, backed by the UK Government and held every seven years, provides a respected assessment of research in all universities in the United Kingdom. ECS has achieved outstanding success in previous RAEs, and was also exceptionally successful in the last exercise, held in 2008. Computer Science at ECS was ranked joint second in the UK for the quality of its research, with 85 per cent of its research work being graded world-leading or internationally excellent.

In Electronics and Electrical Engineering (in which ECS was assessed jointly with the Optoelectronics Research Centre), ECS (and the ORC) came second in the 'medals' tables, with 42 researchers rated as achieving research of either world-leading or internationally excellent quality. Overall ECS submitted 106 staff to the Research Assessment Exercise and 97.5 per cent of their research work was deemed to be of international standard.

As UK consumers aim to resurrect the ancient art of haggling to get more for their money, researchers in ECS are developing a program that will take on the hard work of negotiating prices down.

The BBC reports today (5 May 2009 - 'I'll give you a tenner for that') that consumers are increasingly hagglng over high-ticket consumer goods and rents, using knowledge of market conditions, including latest price comparisons, to bargain prices down with retailers and letting agencies.

'[M]ostly without realising it, the UK shopper has become more comfortable with haggling by asking stores to match the prices they have found online. Price comparison websites are now part of the armoury for any money-saving consumer,' writes Kevin Peachey, BBC Consumer Affairs Reporter.

But for those who find the whole process too embarrassing to contemplate, they will be relieved to hear that research in the School of Electronics and Computer Science at the University of Southampton aims to deliver the haggling capability to their mobile phone.

Professor Nick Jennings, Head of the IAM group (Intelligence, Agents, Multimedia), is developing a computer-based haggling program. The software, with an embedded algorithm, has the ability to adapt to the various bits of information it is fed by suppliers.

After telling the computer what to buy and the maximum price to pay, the consumer can then sit back and let the program investigate suppliers and prices and come back with the goods.

'It won't just try to knock 10 per cent off the price,' Nick told the BBC. 'It will be tough with some and easier with others, as well as taking into account reputation and trust.'

The software is currently in prototype but could be available for mobile phones as early as next year.

The new Committee for the Electronics and Computer Science Society is bigger than ever, with new plans for future events.

The Electronics and Computer Science Society (ECSS) is supported by the School and is affiliated with the University Students' Union. It is sponsored by IBM. It exists to provide a range of events for students in the School, all of whom are members of the Society. A new Committee was voted in last week, and is already planning activities for next year. The Society organizes social events, academic and careers talks, sports and gaming events, and hosts events during JumpStart, the ECS Induction Week for Freshers.

The new Committee are: (l-r) Gamesmaster - Oliver Lea; Sports Representative - Raluca Alina Laic; Vice-President & Social Secretary - Connie Blacklock; Treasurer & Welfare Officer - Antony Johnston; President - Darius Aliabadi; Publicity Officer - Ash Browning; Academic Secretary - Oliver Bills; Secretary & Marketing Officer - Anna Asanowicz; Sport Representative - Oliver Parson; Webmaster - Steven Hatton-Pocklington.

The new President, Darius Aliabadi said: 'I plan to help build and maintain an ECSS community that everyone can feel comfortable to get involved with!'

New Social Secretary Connie Blacklock said that one of her aims is to get students from all the courses in the School together, and she is planning a number of socials with that in mind.

There are still events being planned for this year, including the annual 6-a-side Football Tournament. Find out more on the Society web pages.

Student Robotics have received the accolade of ‘Best Student-Led Project’ at this year’s Excellence in Volunteering Awards (EVAs) organized by the University of Southampton Students’ Union.

EVAs are awarded for projects in which University of Southampton students give their time to work with the local community. Chris Cross, President of Student Robotics, who received the award, said: ‘We are really proud to accept this award which reflects upon the hard work of many students over a number of years. With two successful competitions behind us, plans are already well under way to make Student Robotics 2010 the best yet!’

This year’s programme ended with an enthusiastically contested final on Sunday 19 April. Teams taking part came from St Anne's School Southampton, Brockenhurst College, Alton College, Peter Symonds College Winchester (which provided the winning team), and Bedales School. Sponsors this year were the Motorola Foundation, Bitbox, the University of Southampton and ECS.

The challenge had begun last September, when teams from sixth-form colleges and schools across Hampshire received their equipment from Student Robotics. They were then mentored weekly in class by a Southampton engineering student from the Student Robotics team. The University students, the majority of whom are from ECS, actually design, build and develop the electronics themselves the previous summer, ensuring that the college students have custom-hardware tailored to their precise needs.

The challenge for the college students is to build robots that are programmed to complete a task. To do this successfully they are encouraged to produce robots which are sophisticated, capable of programmed movement to perform set tasks, able to ‘see’, and make best use of their own artificial intelligence.

'The organization and running of this activity is carried out solely by our students themselves,' said Professor Harvey Rutt, Head of the School of Electronics and Computer Science. 'We applaud their commitment to this event since it provides the sixth-form students with the chance to work on a real engineering problem, valuably supplementing their A level studies. It is an excellent example of outreach work in the community and I’m sure it will help inspire engineers of the future.’

In February this year, Lord Drayson, Minister for Science and Innovation, was particularly impressed by the Student Robotics project during his visit to the University (pictured).

Read Part 1 Electronics Engineering student Adam Malpass's account of the Student Robotics Final in his ECS blog.

Students wishing to find out more about taking part in Student Robotics should come along to the cake day on Wednesday 13 May.

MailScanner, the email security and anti-spam system developed and managed in ECS by Julian Field, now protects email in every country in the world.

Julian, Postmaster in the School of Electronics and Computer Science at the University of Southampton, began developing MailScanner in 2000 and now believes it is demonstrably the best email protection system in the world and the most widely used, protecting email for users in 226 countries.

'MailScanner now protects every country from the Vatican State to the United States, from North Korea to the South Pacific,’ he said.

Julian believes that MailScanner's success lies in its open source system which guarantees reliability, and the fact that its spam-handling technology is ahead of the competition.

He comments: ‘Our spam-handling features are much more flexible than other systems. Even if our system thinks a message is spam, it can still let it through but can wrap it up in another message so that if it is offensive, it won’t hit you in the face.’

The success of MailScanner can be judged from the fact that it is used in some of the world’s leading organizations, for example: the US Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, Harvard, MIT, and Cambridge universities, Vodafone Europe, Amnesty International, Friends Of The Earth and the British Antarctic Survey. The technology is fast becoming the standard email solution at many ISP sites for virus protection and spam filtering.

ECS comes in the top four in the UK for all its subject disciplines in The Guardian University Guide, published today (Tuesday 12 May).

The Guardian University Guide is particularly aimed at first-time students and concentrates heavily on teaching quality rankings and student satisfaction rather than research ratings.* Other elements used in constructing The Guardian rankings are employment prospects, spending per student and staff-student ratio – all aspects of student life which affect the quality of the student experience.

The School of Electronics and Computer Science at the University of Southampton comes third for Electronic and Electrical Engineering, after Glasgow and Edinburgh, and fourth in the UK for Computer Science and IT (after Oxford, St Andrews, and Cambridge). ECS scores well across the board, but receives particularly high ratings for job prospects, underlining the strength of its degree programmes and their appeal to graduate recruiters.

Dr Andrew Gravell, Director of Undergraduate Studies in the School, commented: ‘These rankings confirm our long-standing position as the premier School in the country offering, as we do, degrees in Computer Science, Electronic Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Electromechanical Engineering, Information Technology and Software Engineering.

‘The factors leading to this success are, I believe, are our hardworking, knowledgeable and enthusiastic staff and students, our leading-edge courses, and our excellent educational facilities. Our graduates are sought after by companies across a range of relevant engineering and technology sectors, and we are proud of their achievements not only in securing employment but also the contributions they make throughout their careers.’

The next University Open Day on 3 July provides the opportunity to see the School’s labs and teaching facilities, and to hear presentations on all our degree programmes, as well as to meet staff and students. Bookings are now open for the Open Day. There will also be further opportunities to visit the School during the September Open Days (4 and 5 September).

Find out more about student life in the School by reading our student blogs, and watching our video podcasts. All these are available on our Undergraduate Admissions web site, as well as full course listings and module information for all our courses.

*Find out more about ECS research rankings in the Research Assessment Exercise.