Imagination Technologies, the leading multimedia and communications technologies company, has donated a set of embedded systems development kits to ECS-Electronics and Computer Science at the University of Southampton.

The development systems, called METAmorphs, are based on a single chip SoC (system-on-chip) that incorporates both a META HTP multi-threaded processor core from Imagination’s META family, as well as Imagination’s ENSIGMA UCCP (Universal Communications Core Platform) radio-processing unit (RPU) to provide programmable multi-standard broadcast receiver and Wi-Fi connectivity tasks.

The META processor is ideal for both running operating systems such as Linux and Imagination’s MeOS™ real-time OS, as well as advanced 32-bit signal processing. This unique highly integrated SoC based development system provides a uniquely powerful research and development platform for students.

“We very much value our relationship with Imagination Technologies, which is pioneering innovation in electronics in the UK and internationally," said Professor Neil White, Head of ECS-Electronics and Computer Science. "By supporting student projects using Imagination’s latest technology, providing advice on industry needs, and by employing our students on placements, Imagination is helping to ensure that ECS can continue to provide the high level of graduates needed for future UK industrial success.â€?

The METAmorph systems give students access to the same technologies which have been deployed in millions of shipping products across the TV, set-top-box, digital and FM radio and connected audio markets. They will be used in the third-year module 'Real-time Computing and Embedded Systems', which is taken both by Computer Science and Electronic Engineering students.

Tony King-Smith, VP marketing, Imagination commented: “META and ENSIGMA UCCP technologies are enabling a new wave of what we call ‘connected processors’ – embedded processors with highly integrated communications and connectivity capabilities that will form the backbone of tomorrow’s M2M “everything connectedâ€? world.

"Experience with embedded devices connected to the Cloud and the technologies needed to enable end-to-end cloud-based services to those devices are a vital area of study for students looking to be ready for the era of the connected home and machine-to-machine communication. We’re delighted to be working with the University of Southampton to help train the next generation of connectivity-based embedded systems engineers.â€?

Dr Denis Nicole, Course Leader, commented: "Third-year students at Southampton are very grateful for these cutting-edge connected processor development systems from Imagination Technologies. Providing these systems will enable students on the Real-Time Systems course to develop a broad range of multi-threaded DSP programs using Imagination’s Codescape tools which are tightly integrated with the METAmorph platforms.

"Students are particularly encouraged to be using the same components that are found in the latest high street connected digital radios, and to be associated with one of the world’s most successful UK-based electronics companies, where some hope to make their future careers."

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

A University of Southampton nanoscientist is working on a new microsystem for more efficient testing of pharmaceutical drugs to treat diseases such as cystic fibrosis, MG (myasthenia gravis) and epilepsy.

Dr Maurits de Planque of the Nano Research Group at ECS-Electronics and Computer Science will develop a new method to investigate the ion channels that underlie these serious disorders and that are used to test the effectiveness of new drugs.

"At the moment, commercial testing of new drugs is carried out using ion channels in living cell membranes. This is a slow and difficult process, not least because producing too many channels actually kills the cells," said Dr de Planque.

The researchers therefore plan to produce these ion channels without using cells, which is possible with so-called cell-free expression mixtures, and to insert the channels in a very stable artificial cell membrane which should enable faster, less expensive drug testing. "Researchers have experimented with cell-free mixtures before, but they found that this method was not economical due to the amount of expensive biochemicals required," said Dr de Planque. "Our proposal to develop a new platform, which uses a couple of microlitres instead of millilitres, will be a very cost-effective way of doing this, particularly when the produced channel is directly inserted in a membrane for drug testing."

Dr de Planque is conducting this research over a two-year period in collaboration with biological scientists at the University of Southampton. He is Principal Investigator for the project: Microsystems for Coupled Expression and Electrophysiology of Ion Channels, which has been awarded a grant of £125,000 from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

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

Over 1000 prospective students and parents visited ECS-Electronics and Computer Science during the two Open Days held on 8 and 9 July.

Tour and talks took place throughout the day providing prospective students with the opportunity to visit ECS labs for Electrical and Electromechanical Engineering, Electronics, and Computer Science and IT in Organisations. The tours were led by Admissions Tutors and ECS students. Parents talks were given by Eric Cooke and included latest information on Government changes to university funding.

During lunchtime Dr Klaus-Peter Zauner gave a talk on 'Robotics in ECS', and Admissions Tutors and students welcomed visitors to drop-in sessions in the Mountbatten Building which also included a Careers Talk and tours of the labs for parents.

Two further Open Days will be in held on 2 and 3 September 2011 and ECS will again be holding a full programme of talks and tours throughout the two days. To book a place, visit the University of Southampton Open Day website.

On each of those days ECS-Electronics and Computer Science will be holding a day of tours, presentations, demonstrations and drop-in sessions, highlighting the opportunities available on our degree programmes, and emphasizing the unique character of the School. Visitors will have the chance to see all our undergraduate labs, and to meet past and current students, as well as to find out about our students' excellent career prospects.

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

Professor Harvey Rutt, Rank Professor of Infrared Science and Technology, and former Head of ECS-Electronics and Computer Science, has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng).

The Academy comprises the most eminent names in the engineering profession in the UK and overseas and Professor Rutt is recognized for his contribution to electro-optical research and development in laser technology for industrial application. Professor Rutt was Head of ECS from 2007 to 2010, and played a significant role before that in planning and commissioning the new Mountbatten Building, the University’s £100M world-leading research facility for optoelectronics and micro- and nanotechnology.

“I am honoured by the award of this prestigious Fellowship,â€? said Professor Rutt. “An award of this kind also recognises many contributions - from colleagues, collaborators here and abroad, students and research assistants who all played a part. As an experimentalist I would highlight especially the contribution of the many laboratory technicians, workshop staff and indeed secretaries who have supported my work; without them it could not have happened.â€?

Professor Rutt is a graduate of the University of Southampton, taking both his BSc and PhD degrees in Electronics. He established his first laser research group in Brazil before returning to the UK in 1973 when he joined the Atomic Energy Authority at Culham Laboratory, working on novel infrared gas lasers for the sixteen micron region. He was appointed to the newly established Rank Chair of Infrared Science and Technology at the University of Southampton in January 1992. His group has established a broad range of work in novel sources, instruments and systems in the mid and far infrared. He edits the Journal Infrared Physics and Technology.

Professor Andy Keane, Director of the University’s Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre for Computational Engineering, was also elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. Professor Don Nutbeam, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Southampton, commented: “I am delighted for Andy Keane and Harvey Rutt. Their election as Fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering is well deserved recognition for long and distinguished careers in engineering. Both continue to ensure that Southampton remains a leading force for engineering research and education in the UK.â€?

New technology which makes it possible to study the finer details of some of the world’s greatest historical artefacts has been developed by computer scientists and archaeologists at the University of Southampton in conjunction with academics at the University of Oxford.

Dr Kirk Martinez of ECS–Electronics and Computer Science at the University of Southampton and the team have developed two Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) systems to capture images of documentary texts and archaeological material. The systems takes 76 pictures of artefacts with the light in different positions, then creates a new type of RTI image, which enables the viewer to move the virtual light around the image to focus on the detail.

The RTI technology systems developed by the project will allow researchers to study documentary and other artefacts remotely in great detail without being restricted by fixed lighting angles. The result will be to ensure that high-quality digital versions of these materials can be consulted by scholars worldwide.

This video is also available on the ECS News Channel on YouTube.

“Hewlett Packard Research Laboratories invented this technology a few years ago and it has been used sporadically around the world,â€? said Dr Martinez. “What we have done is develop the technology so that it is fast enough to be usable every day in a museum situation where you have lots of objects that need scanning."

During the course of the project, the teams scanned 100 clay tablets, most of which were typically about 5,000 years old.

“If you really wanted to look at a picture to investigate fine details at the moment without this technology, you would be hard pressed to see any detail on current archive photos – and may need to rephotograph,â€? said Dr Martinez.

This technology is currently being used in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford and it has recently been tested in the British Museum and in the National Gallery. The software developed for these systems will be available open source online this autumn together with a guide to making your own system.

The 12-month Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) System for Ancient Document Artefacts was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s Digital Equipment and Database for Impact.

The team members are: Dr Graeme Earl, Dr Kirk Martinez, Hembo Pagi, Leif Isaksen, PhD student Philip Basford, Michael Hodgson and Sascha Bischoff of the University of Southampton, and Professor Alan Bowman, Dr Charles Crowther, Dr Jacob Dahl and Dr Kathryn Piquette of the University of Oxford.

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

Over 200 students will attend Graduation ceremonies on Monday 25 July to receive University of Southampton degrees gained in ECS-Electronics and Computer Science.

The students will graduate at two ceremonies to be held in the Turner Sims Concert Hall on Monday 25 July: at 9.30 am for undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Electronic Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Electromechanical Engineering; and at 12.00 noon for degrees in Computer Science, Software Engineering and Information Technology in Organisations. The ceremonies will be followed at around 10.30 am and 1 pm by Graduation Receptions for graduates and their guests, to be held in the University's Reception Marquee, which is situated in front of the Students' Union.

Professor Neil White, Head of ECS, will tell graduates: "All of us who know ECS know that it is a unique place and that it is the members of our community who make it so. For the last three or four years you have been an integral part of that community as much as any of the researchers and teachers whose work contributes to our international reputation."

The majority of students graduating from ECS have already found jobs, despite the difficult economic conditions. Excellent employability figures for ECS graduates were a contributing factor in the School's outstanding league table results this year (Electronics and Electrical Engineering is ranked 1st and 3nd in the UK in recent league tables (The Guardian and The Times May/June 2010) and Computer Science and IT is ranked 5th and 8th), and with many companies already booking for the ECS Careers Fair on 7 February 2011, prospects for future graduates also look excellent.

Congratulations to all ECS students graduating this week!

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

Robot trading agents, which already dominate the foreign exchange markets, have now been definitively shown to beat human traders at the same game.

Results presented at a conference last Friday (22 July) showed beyond doubt that computerized trading agents, using the Adaptive Aggressiveness (AA) strategy developed at the University of Southampton in 2008, can beat both human traders and robot traders using any other strategy.

The new results were obtained after a re-run of the well-known IBM experiment (2001) where human traders competed against state-of-the-art computerised trading agents - and lost.

Ten years on, experiments carried out by Marco De Lucas and Professor Dave Cliff of the University of Bristol have shown that AA is now the leading strategy, able to beat both robot traders and humans. The academics presented their findings last Friday at the International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI 2011) held in Barcelona. Dr Krishnan Vytelingum, who designed the AA strategy along with Professor Dave Cliff and Professor Nick Jennings at the University of Southampton in 2008, commented: “Robot traders can analyse far larger datasets than human traders. They crunch the data faster and more efficiently and act on it faster. Robot trading is becoming more and more prominent in financial markets and currently dominates the foreign exchange market with 70 per cent of trade going through robot traders.â€?

Professor Jennings, Head of Agents, Interaction and Complexity research in ECS-Electronics and Computer Science at Southampton, commented: “AA was designed initially to outperform other automated trading strategies so it is very pleasing to see that it also outperforms human traders. We are now working on developing this strategy further.â€?

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

The University of Southampton student chapter of the IEEE, which is based in ECS-Electronics and Computer Science, has received a regional award (Europe, Middle East and Africa), for its outstanding programme and organization this year.

The Southampton branch, sponsored this year by Roke Manor Research, is one of 12 university branch winners of the ‘IEEE Regional Exemplary Student Branch Award’, and the only one in the UK. The prize recognizes in particular the efforts of the 2010/11 student committee.

James Snowdon, Branch Chairman, PhD student in the Institute of Complex Systems Simulation and an ECS alumnus, said: “Over the year our student branch organized an average of one event a week, ranging from academic and careers talks, from companies such as McLaren, Detica and Imagination Technologies, to workshops and guided tours of research facilities.

“Thanks to the enthusiasm and support of ECS students and staff we enjoyed very good attendance and levels of participation throughout the year, and the recently appointed new committee looks set to continue this success in the next academic year.â€?

Dr Geoff Merrett of the ECS Electronic and Software Systems group commented: “This is a great accomplishment for the branch, recognising their excellent efforts over the past year.

“The branch is run entirely by undergraduate and postgraduate students in ECS, and this achievement highlights the independence, self-motivation and broad skillset of our students.

“Being part of the branch committee has given the students the opportunity to gain experience in organising events, managing budgets, marketing, outreach and interacting with professionals outside of the University. Their efforts have allowed the whole student body to broaden their knowledge, connect with employers, and to interact with the IEEE - the world's largest professional association for the advancement of technology.â€?

The Software Sustainability Institute (SSI) will pay up to £3,000 a year to researchers who use software in their research, to enable them to attend conferences and report back on developments in their field.

The SSI - comprising the University of Southampton’s ECS – Electronics and Computer Science, the myGrid team at the University of Manchester and led by EPCC at the University of Edinburgh - is funded by the UK research councils to help researchers use and develop software for their research.

As part of an initiative designed to better understand the fields that most need the SSI’s expertise, the Institute is setting up a network of Agents. These Agents (researchers) will receive travelling expenses in return for a short report about the conference attended and views on the topics and software that look most promising in the future.

The benefits are: • Up to £3000 a year to attend conferences and events • Support for software development in the researchers’ fields • Add world-leading researchers to researchers’ professional network • Free attendance at training events for new tools and technologies • Improved knowledge of effective techniques for developing sustainable software • A great addition to researchers’ CVs

“You don’t have to be a professor or a principal investigator,â€? said Neil Chue Hong, Director of the SSI. “We are looking for UK-based researchers with a good knowledge of their field, who are keen to travel and to meet new people, and have experience of national and international collaborations. We are looking for applicants from all disciplines and especially from the fields that have been flagged as strategically important to UK research: the ageing population, environment and climate change, the digital economy, energy and food security.â€?

After a three-month trial period, Agents will be recruited for an initial term of one year, which is renewable each year.

The closing date is: 8 August 2011. For further information, please visit www.software.ac.uk/agents or email: Agents@software.ac.uk

The Software Sustainability Institute is a national facility for building better software. Working with projects from all disciplines – from nuclear fusion to climate change - the SSI provides the expertise and services needed to improve software and increase its growth and adoption. Further information at www.software.ac.uk.

The first Student Conference on Complexity Science which takes place this week (5-6 August)in Winchester will feature over 80 presentations demonstrating how the discipline is addressing challenges such as global sustainability, energy, climate, finance and technology.

The conference is being organised by PhD students from the University of Southampton’s Institute for Complex Systems Simulation (ICSS) and will bring together complexity science students from across the UK and particularly the UK’s three EPSRC Doctoral Training Centres at the Universities of Bristol, Southampton and Warwick.

The students will present their current work during the conference, addressing research problems spanning a broad range of scientific disciplines such as social science and economics, climate and earth science, biomedical and neural systems, ecosystems, biodiversity and sustainability, physical systems and materials science, cell biology, molecular biology and biochemical systems, the web, critical infrastructure and techno-social systems, networks science, evolution, and language.

Lord Robert May, distinguished professor, former president of the Royal Society and chief Government scientist, will deliver a keynote speech on Friday 5 August in which he will present his latest work with the Bank of England’s Executive Director for Financial Stability, Andy Haldane, on how techniques pioneered to model complex biological ecosystems can be used to deal with systemic risk in financial “ecosystemsâ€? in order to avoid financial disasters such as the ones experienced globally over the last half-decade.

The second keynote speaker on Saturday 6 August is Luis Amaral, Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Northwestern University, who is a world authority and pioneer in network science. His research aims to address some of the most pressing challenges facing human societies, including the mitigation of errors in healthcare settings, the characterisation of the conditions fostering innovation and creativity, and the growth limits imposed by sustainability.

The students will address a wide range of subjects. A public engagement study by James Crossley at Manchester Metropolitan University will look at how complexity science can be used to conduct studies of zombie, vampire and werewolf attacks on a population. Other interesting contributions involve using complexity science for mathematical modelling of cell fate regulatory networks by Sonya Ridden, University of Southampton; decoding the statistics of neural networks by Marc Box, University of Bristol, and game theoretic models of crime prevention by Hemant Pasi, University of Warwick.

The conference main themes are: • Core Research in Complexity Science • Physical and Engineered Complexity • Biological and Environmental Complexity • Socio-economic and Socio-technological Complexity.

Professor Seth Bullock, who directs the Institute for Complex Systems Simulation (ICSS) at the University of Southampton, said: “The UK is investing significant sums in training and supporting the next generation of complexity scientists because they are able to bring a new set of tools to bear on critically important interdisciplinary research challenges, such as those surrounding issues of global sustainability, energy, climate, finance and technology. This conference is the first chance for the UK’s complexity science PhD students to come together as a community and learn from each other.â€?

The first annual Student Conference on Complexity Science will be held at the Stripe Theatre, Winchester University, 5-6 August 2011.

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