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Research Seminar from Creative Technology Research Centre, DEC

Date:  Wed, 5/12/2012

Time: 14:00

Venue: P302 (Poole House)

Topic: Animation – an Overview and Computer Assisted Technology

Abstract:

Animation production is a labor intensive and time consuming process. Animators have to spend hours at the drawing board tracing, sketching, and coloring each frame. The labor intensive nature of the work has resulted in much of the outsource market shifting from developed countries such as UK and Japan to developing countries where wages and living standards are lower. To tackle the difficulties and challenges mentioned above, in this presentation some novel technologies to automatically generate motion will be discussed, aiming to significantly cut down production time and cost. Apart from the technical aspects, during the presentation, I will also briefly talk about the UK, Japan and the global animation industry. Some of my current animation or game related research projects will be shared as well.

Bio:

Dr Tian is an Associate Professor in Media Technology in the School of Design, Engineering & Computing (DEC), Bournemouth University. He has been working for years, in the areas of Computer Graphics, Computer Animation, Augmented Reality, etc., and has published well over 50 papers in peer reviewed international journals and conferences. Prior to joining in Bournemouth University, he was an assistant professor in the School of Computer Engineering, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. As a visiting scholar, he has been attached or collaborating with a number of universities, including Paris University XI, France, New South-Wales University, Australia, LSiiT, Louis Pasteur University, France, MIT, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan, Waseda University, Japan, etc.

Editorial Board @ BU

The Advances in Media Management (AiMM) research group are delighted to announce that the Editorial team for one of the leading journals in the field of Media Management, will hold their annual board meeting at BU in 2013.

The International Journal on Media Management (IJMM) publishes original research on the management aspects of the media and communications industries. The content is both interdisciplinary, combining a number of different academic disciplines (strategy, technology, marketing, finance, etc.) and multi-sectoral, exploring the interrelationship between developments in related industries.

If you would like to meet with members of the board to discuss your current and future research plans in this area – then please let Dr John Oliver, Media School, and he will arrange for you to meet with them.

Ant Colony Optimization for Dynamic Optimization Problems

Research themes

This interesting talk will take place next Wednesday the 5th of December, 16:00-17:00 at P302.
Our external guest is Dr Michalis Mavrovouniotis from the University of Leicester, an specialists in evolutionary algorithms, ant colony optimization, memetic computation and dynamic optimization.

Dr Mavrovouniotis will discuss very recent advances in nature-inspired computational intelligence. These ideas have also relevant implications for optimization problems, knowledge transfer and meta-learning; thus I think may be of great interest of many students, PhD candidates and senior researchers of the three centres in our school.
Abstract: In the last decade, there is a growing interest to apply nature-inspired metaheuristics in optimization problems with dynamic environments. Usually, dynamic optimization problems (DOPs) are addressed using evolutionary algorithms. Recently, ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithms proved that they are also good methods to address DOPs.

However, conventional ACO algorithms have difficulty in addressing DOPs. This is because once the algorithm converges to a solution and a dynamic change occurs, it is difficult for the population to adapt to a new environment since high levels of pheromone will be generated to a single trail and force the ants to follow it even after a dynamic change. A good solution to address this problem is to increase the diversity of solutions via transferring knowledge from previous environments to the pheromone trails of the new environment.

Best wishes, Emili

Emili Balaguer-Ballester, PhD

School of Engineering & Computing, Bournemouth University

Center for Computational Neuroscience, University of Heidelberg

British Library’s Doctoral Open Days

PG research

Some free events are being held by the Bristish Library for the chance to discover their unique research materials. From newspapers to maps, datasets to manuscripts, ships’ logs to websites, their collections cover every format and language and span the last 3,000 years. The events are aimed at first year PhD students who are new to the Library. At the events you will learn about their collections, find out how to access them and meet the the Library’s expert staff and other researchers in your field.

Event dates:

18 January History

25 January History 2

1 February Social Sciences

11 February Social Sciences 2

18 February Media, Cultural Studies & Journalism

22 February Art & Design

 The main focus of these events is towards the arts, humanities and social sciences, however, science students can of course apply for a free Reader Pass – useful if you’re already planning a research trip to London. 

To find out more please visit their website.

 

Jonathan Parker’s Keynote address at the International Social Work Conference 2012

Professor Jonathan Parker, Deputy Dean (Research & Knowledge Exchange) delivered the Keynote address at the “International Social Work Conference 2012: Crafting Symbiotic Collaboration and Partnership in the Asia-Pacific Region”, held in Penang, Malaysia last week.

This international conference, jointly organised by the Institut Sosial Malaysia, the government Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development and the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Penang, Malaysia, with the support of government Department of Social Welfare, Malaysia and the Malaysian Association of Social Workers. Professor Parker’s invitation to deliver the keynote was made in recognition of the important work that he and Dr Ashencaen Crabtree conducted in developing partnerships and collaboration in cross-cultural learning for social work students.

Professor Parker spoke about the three-year British Council funded research project promoting UK student mobility to Malaysia. It involved developing partnerships at organisational levels between UK (BU) and Malaysian universities (Uuniversiti Sains Malaysia and Universiti Malaysia Sarawak), but was only possible because of prior personal and collegiate relationships – the substrate, or foundations, of symbiotic partnership and collaboration.

The positive results of the collaboration and enhanced cross-cultural understanding were presented, including enhanced employment prospects for UK students – something found as part of a follow-up Fusion Investment Fund study last year. However, Professor Parker’s keynote also problematised the mode of learning and the collaboration and partnerships evolved to facilitate the work, drawing attention to:

  • Isomorphic tendencies in social work education globally (a move towards a common state)
  • Hegemonies of nation-states (in which one assumes a position of power)
  • Hegemonies of social work: practice & values
  • Tyrannies of received ideas

He posed the question for the conference, what future is there for international collaboration and partnerships in social work education? The importance of criticality and reflexivity in analysing collaboration types, power balances and differentials was stressed, recognising that not all relationships are top-down, bottom-up or even equal but are likely to be fuzzy and plural in meanings and directions. Accepting this allows for change and diversity as partnership relationships develop, and demands that we become more comfortable with the places and spaces we occupy as actors in mutual collaborations.

Professor Parker’s keynote was warmly welcomed and further research collaboration is planned with a wider network of Malaysian universities and potential support from the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development and Department of Social Welfare.

BU Creative & Digital Economies Research Theme

This theme has started to develop and has grown in  interest and critical mass over the past 12  months. Previous theme meetings have discussed the focus and direction of BU’s engagement in these important areas of economic and societal activity.

Another theme meeting is being arranged for 16th January (12-2pm) and in preparation for this I’d like to present the latest draft of theme. I’d be grateful if you could have a look at comment accordingly.

This theme brings together two emerging growth areas of economic and societal importance. The ‘Creative Economy’ is a significant contributor to economic wealth and growth in Europe and provides millions of jobs in the creative industries.  Closely aligned to this, the ‘Digital Economy’ represents the composite interaction of people, processes and digital technologies. By fusing both the creative and digital economies, this research theme aims to engage with the big socio-economic questions, not only of today, but into the future.

Scope of theme: what is included?

This theme would cover any area of investigation where the creative and digital economies have relevance, meaning and potential socio-economic impact.

How does this theme interlink with the other BU themes currently under consideration?

Since the digital world is increasingly embedded in all areas of life, we would see this theme linking with all other BU research themes. The drive toward multi-disciplinary research should encourage theme leaders and members to collaborate on the important social and economic questions of our time.

What are the big questions?

This theme aims to address a number of both societal and economic issues and questions.

Societal

  • How will digital technologies transform the way we work and communicate?
  • How do people engage with digital technologies?
  • How will stories be created and conveyed through digital media in the future?
  • What roles do trust, data protection and privacy play in a digital society?
  • What are inclusive communities and how best can we achieve them?
  • How do individuals and communities most effectively make their voices heard?
  • What is the role of social innovation and exchange in a digital world?

 

Economic

  • What are the determinants of economic performance and sustainable growth?
  • How can new digital products and services generate growth, jobs and help address social challenges?
  • How can the environment be improved to allow for early stage ideas and ventures to grow?
  • How do you building the case for investment in emerging digital infrastructure and platforms?
  • How has the digital world transformed new business models?
  • How are new business opportunities in and across new digital value networks and communities created?
  • What is economic value of intellectual property and who owns it?
  • How is the economic value of information and content exploited?

How does this link to the priorities of the major funding bodies?

Having reviewed the strategic funding priorities of various funders, it is clear that they are taking a more strategic approach to target investment where they believe impact will be greatest. Whilst producing research outputs with ‘societal impact’ has gained traction within academia the idea that research outputs should have an ‘economic impact’ suggests that funders will make strategic investments in ‘market driven’ research. Key words like creativity, innovation, and exploitation act like beacons in many funders strategic plans where the notion of the ‘transformative’ effects of digital technologies need to be understood. Broadly, funders investing in this theme are looking for research that;

  • Focuses on the transformational impact of digital technologies on aspects of community life, cultural, future society, and the economy.

 

  • Emphasises  the impact of digital technologies on how cultural products are made, distributed, and accessed, as well as transforming revenue streams and business models.

 

  • Contributes toward the creation of innovative new products and services that generate economic growth and jobs.

 

  • Is multi-disciplinary and collaborative research in order to better understand and find solutions to problems.

 

  • Engages with the business community in terms of co-created outputs and knowledge transfer.

 

  • Identifies impact goals, strategies for achieving them, and recording, measuring and communicating impact.

Business Law Seminars

Research themes

You are warmly invited to attend a series of business law seminars being organised by a group of academics in the Department of Law researching in Business Regulation & Institutions, Trade & Entrepreneurship (cBRITE), who will be working closely with the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Economic Growth:

Stephen Copp “The codification of directors’ duties: raising or lowering standards?” 11.00 – 12.00pm Wednesday 5th December 2012 in PG142

Alison Cronin “White Collar Crime – Why the light touch?  The case for a robust criminal law to reinforce ethical conduct in the commercial world” 1.00 – 2.00pm Wednesday 12th December 2012 in PG146

Sarah McKeown “A Common European Sales Law: Facilitating Cross-Border Trade for SMEs” 11.00 – 12.00pm Wednesday 19th December 2012 in PG142

For further details contact Dr Stephen Copp, Associate Professor, Department of Law, The Business School at scopp@bournemouth.ac.uk

BUDI Internal Conference – final call for abstracts

This serves as the final call for abstracts for the BUDI internal conference taking place on 31st January 2013. If you are interested in highlighting an idea that might have links with dementia or a piece of work you have done that could have relevance in the field of dementia then send us an abstract. Abstracts should be no longer than 250 words, presentations will be 10 mins duration with five minutes allowed for questions and posters should be of A0 portrait size and an award will be given for the best poster on the day. Abstracts for poster and paper presentations should be forwarded to Patricia McParland. Further details can be found on the staff development page.

BUDI continues to work towards a truly collaborative approach to dementia and with this in mind our first internal conference will take place on the 31st January 2013. The theme of this conference is creative collaboration. We are keen to explore new innovative approaches to all aspects of living with dementia and caring for people with dementia. To register, please visit the staff development page.

For more information, please contact Patricia McParland, Project Manager BUDI.

Invitation for Participant Applications: Advancing European Traditions of Entrepreneurship Studies

Research themes

Applications are invited to attend a unique research development workshop Advancing European Traditions of Entrepreneurship Studies A Research Development Workshop. This may be of particular interest to researchers in entrepreneurship, organisation studies or broader social sciences and humanities disciplines who are interested in looking at the phenomena of entrepreneurship from a variety of contexts and perspectives. Please note that the closing date for applications is 15 December 2012 and places are limited.

The aim of this meeting is to provide a creative space to consider experimental and novel approaches which advance theoretical understanding of the domain of entrepreneurship and its real-life practices, contexts and impacts. Drawing on multi-disciplinary perspectives, including social sciences and humanities approaches, opportunities are sought to expose conceptual anomalies in current entrepreneurship research, while developing debate in dialogue with the mainstream of entrepreneurship science.

Organised by the Universities of Leeds and Sheffield, the workshop will take place at an out-of-town retreat venue to ensure opportunities for fruitful discussion. Doctoral candidates and early-career researchers who share questions and concerns related to enterprise and entrepreneurship, are particularly invited to apply to attend. This event is supported by the Society for the Advancement of Management Studies (SAMS) and the Institute of Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ISBE).

The workshop will take place 18th-19th March 2013 at Weetwood Hall Hotel, Leeds, UK

Confirmed Speakers

Prof. Bill Gartner (Clemson, USA); Prof. Friederike Welter (Jönköping, Sweden); Prof. Susan Marlow (Nottingham); Prof. Sara Carter (Strathclyde); Prof. Joep Cornelissen (Leeds); Prof. Simon Down (Anglia Ruskin); Prof. Denise Fletcher (Luxembourg); Prof. Helle Neergaard (Aarhus, Denmark); Dr Ellie Hamilton (Lancaster); Prof. Daniel Hjorth (Copenhagen Business School, Denmark); Prof. Robin Holt (Liverpool); Prof. Sarah Jack (Lancaster); Prof. Nelson Phillips (Imperial); Prof. Tony Watson (Nottingham); Prof. Chris Stayaert (St.Gallen, Switzerland); Dr Paul Tracey (Cambridge); Prof. David Rae (Lincoln); Prof. Ossie Jones (Liverpool); Prof. Colin Williams (Sheffield).

For more details and to apply, please visit: http://www.eventsforce.net/entrepstudies

Closing Date for Applications: 15 December 2012 Limited Places Available

Sustainable Design Research Centre Research Seminar # 2

Research themes

Date: 10/12/2012

Time: 15:30 (usually 40 minutes presentation followed by 20 informal discussions)

Venue: Coyne Lecture Theatre

 Topic: Water and Sediment Flow Simulations through Reservoirs and Tunnels

Abstract:

Tarbela dam is one of the largest earth filled dams in the world. It is used for water storage and electric power generation. It comprises of six tunnels, three of which are used for power generation and three for irrigation purposes. Sediments inflow in Tarbela reservoir has resulted in reduction in water storage capacity and damage to the tunnels and plant equipment. It is also the backbone of Pakistan (water, food and energy). In this presentation, results of numerical simulations carried out for the very first time to study sediment and cavitation erosion rate through reservoir and tunnels for different seasons (summer, winter and average), for different outflow combinations and sediment delta movement in the reservoir. In addition, studies regarding velocity and pressure profiles vary with and without sediments. Sediment and cavitation erosion with one way and two way coupling at all heads, for different turbulence models (K-ε and RSM) and injection techniques with two way coupling are carried out. More results will be in the presentation.

The above seminar will be delivered by Professor M. Abid who is visiting the School of Design, Engineering & Computing at BU on Monday 10th and Tuesday 11th December. His visit to BU is externally funded by the British Council Knowledge Exchange Grants for International Strategic Partnerships in Research and Education. Prof. M. Abid received his PhD degree from University of Strathclyde, Glasgow and presently working as Dean Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, GIK Institute, Pakistan. His research interests are in the areas of Renewable Energy Systems, Structural Mechanics, Welding Mechanics and Computational Fluid Dynamics. During his two day visit he will be meeting several staff to identify opportunities of research collaborations and exchanges, staff/students mobility in education related activities and will be participating in teaching activities within the Design & Engineering Framework at Level C, I and H.

Dr Andrew Mayers’ research on children’s sleep receives excellent media coverage

Throughout November, the work that Dr Andrew Mayers (a Senior Lecturer in Psychology, in the school of Design, Engineering and Computing) has been doing with children’s sleep has been receiving a great deal of attention on national television and on national and local radio. Over the last few years, Andrew has been running a series of sleep workshops with parents, in a unique partnership with Winton Primary School and Barnardo’s Bournemouth Children’s Centres. Over that time, there have been several reports in the local press about the work, but it is only in the last six months that this has received national attention, starting in July with articles in the Times Educational Supplement (TES: http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6264998) and Daily Mail (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2180003/Parents-offered-child-sleep-classes-pupils-turn-lessons-tired.html) and a live interview with Talk Radio Europe (http://www.talkradioeurope.com/clients/amayers.mp3). However, it is this last month that the attention has become more intense, with two features on national television and four live interviews on BBC radio (including one session at 12.30am!).

ITV Daybreak, November 1st: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd_OaMieSks

BBC Radio 5 Live, Drive show, November 16th http://www.andrewmayers.info/Radio5Nov162012.mp3

BBC Radio 5 Live, Tony Livesey late night show, November 21st http://www.andrewmayers.info/Radio5Nov212012.mp3

BBC1 Breakfast/BBC News Channel, November 21st http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-20423289

BBC Radio Sheffield, November 21st http://www.andrewmayers.info/RadioSheffieldNov212012.mp3

BBC Radio Solent, November 21st http://www.andrewmayers.info/RadioSolentNov212012.mp3

Andrew has been reflecting on these experiences. He said “I am extremely grateful for the incredibly hard work put in to these workshops by Pat Bate at Winton Primary School and Patrick Ives at Barnardo’s – without them this would not have happened. It is also testimony to the effectiveness of a good personal web page. Much of the initial media attention came about because a journalist was conducting research online about children’s sleep, and found my web page. The rest is history!”

Andrew’s website can be found at: www.andrewmayers.info

Andrew also said “Once a website like this is established, it is important to keep it updated, especially when there is a chance of media attention. A few days after the BBC features, I noticed that visits to my website increased six-fold in the first day, and is still well above normal levels of traffic. As a result of the media attention and increased web site visits, I have established several potentially very lucrative new partnerships with leading academics in the field, some with a very high profile media presence. I also received support and requests for collaboration with several educational psychologists and other professionals across the UK”.

UK Research Office (UKRO) visit to BU on 27th November 2012

Funding opportunities, Guidance, R & KE Operations, Research themes

BU welcomed Jo Frost, BU’s named contact for the UK Research Office (UKRO). Jo’s presentation was wide-ranging and hugely informative, outlining the current FP7 scheme and the forthcoming Horizon 2020 scheme, which is still going through the consultation process. It is expected that Horizon 2020 will focus on three priorities: ‘Excellent Science’, ‘Industrial Leadership’ and ‘Societal Challenges’. Jo also introduced the new Erasmus for All scheme.

All the slides from the day are available to BU staff only. These slides include many links to useful sources of information, if you would like to take part in the Horizon 2020 consultation or are planning ahead and want to prepare a submission to the many funding streams within this framework. Jo stressed the need to build networks and many suggestions are included in her presentation. These slides also give detailed information on the proposed budget allocations and themes within the three priority areas.

If you would like to enhance your knowledge of changes to EU funding, please refer to Jo’s slides. You can also contact Corrina Dickson, Paul Lynch, Sarah Katon or Emily Cieciura, who can help you develop your EU submissions.

BU staff can view the slides at: I:\R&KEO\Public\RDU\European Related\UKRO 2012 Presentation.

Working with the European Media Management Association

At the recent BU EU Funding day, I was asked if I would write a short blog post reflecting on my first 6 months working as the Deputy President of the European Media Management Association (EMMA). So here it is!

My first observation is that over the past few years BU has become more aware of the need to become more externally focussed and integrated into a range of high quality networks. As far as my field of Media Management is concerned, EMMA provides a great platform. It also provides an excellent network to develop a range of collaborative activities at institutional and individual level, and to gain different cultural perspectives on the subject domain.  

Being active in such an organisation requires commitment, but the rewards have been excellent in terms of working with European Board members, getting access to a new network and the ‘local’ knowledge that each person brings to the table. BU also bid for and won the right to host the EMMA Annual Conference, which has traditionally been held in major European or capital cities. Being a part of a European association has now moved the conversation from “where is Bournemouth…is it near London?” to “we’re looking forward to working with BU”. From my perspective that’s a quantum leap in our profile!

BU now has an EU Network Fund and I’d encourage you to use this as a springboard to engage with a range of European stakeholders.

My term as Deputy President has another 18 months to run and I’m looking forward to the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead!

London 2012 – BU Creative & Digital Economies Exhibition

Whilst the excitement of the London 2012 Olympics fades into the memory, many stakeholders are turning their attention to idea of ‘Legacy’.

A successful application to the BU Small Grants Scheme enabled a small team in the Media School to promote our Creative & Digital Economies Research Theme at the Olympic venue in Weymouth. Working in partnership with UK Trade & Investment, we curated an exhibition of work by leading South West based creative businesses.  This project provided a unique opportunity to associate BU with an enviable and well-respected collection of successful innovators, whilst showcasing our engagement with the Creative & Digital Economies.

The exhibition was very successful and attracted over 100 local and national Creative Industries businesses. One of the recurring themes during conversations with these companies was the need for a greater understanding of appropriate business models, and in particular, how to develop new media technologies that translate into products and services.

The exhibition undoubtedly provided a unique opportunity associate BU with a once in a life time event, but there were more tangible outputs in the form of;

  • Exploring the potential for a KTP project with Entertainment One.
  • Scoping the potential for a joint Cisco Olympic legacy project.
  • Developing a dialogue with two local authorities for them to be involved in the BU Festival of Learning next year.
  • Using the local creative business network for a grant application to the Creative Industries iNets