For the past two years I have made very slow progress in attempting to convince Poole Hospital to open access to their MRI scanners for research purposes. Whilst I had originally responded to an email from them it seems there were not at all ready to deal with my requests. More recently there has been some positive movement on the issue. I am hoping that this technology might interest you. Poole Hospital has three scanners of two field strengths: two at 1.5T and one at 3T, the latter being the standard for neuroimaging, but the former being of use for high-resolution structural scans of people and objects. The applications for this type of technology are many; in psychological research it is used most commonly to get brain scans of patients or to measure brain activity as people perform tasks, but has been used effectively as an analytical tool in Archeology and Sports Science; you will know better than I how this technology has been used in your fields. I am trying to gauge the level of interest in this technology at BU so as to make a better case to BU and to the hospital. Please contact me on bparris@bournemouth.ac.uk if there is utility in the use of this technology in your research or teaching or if there could be in the future.
Category / Technology & Design
Jewel of India
Congratulations to Dr Venky Dubey who has received the Hind Rattan Award from the NRI Welfare Society of India in recognition of outstanding services, achievements and contributions to the chosen field.
Translated as “Jewel of India”, the award is one of the highest granted annually to a non-resident Indian (NRI) and is considered to be equivalent to an OBE.
Dr Dubey is an Associate Professor at BU who specialises in robots and medical applications of robotics in particular. He said: “To receive an award of this order is very satisfying in itself, but the international recognition is simply overwhelming. This external recognition keeps me motivated. I am privileged to have an excellent team of researchers around me without which it would not have happened.”
This is the latest in a series of accolades achieved by Dr Dubey, who’s epidural simulator project won the Information Technology category at the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Innovation Awards at the end of last year. The medical device developed by the BU research team and Poole Hospital, will make epidural injections safer and more effective. Read more about this particular project here.
Migration to Cloud Computing – The Impact on IT Management and Security
We would like to invite you to the next research seminar of the Creative Technology Research Centre that will be delivered by Adel Alkhalil.
Title: Migration to Cloud Computing – The Impact on IT Management and Security
Time: 2:00PM-3:00PM
Date: Wednesday 5th February 2014
Room: P302 (Poole House, Talbot Campus)
Abstract: Cloud computing is a new paradigm for emerging technology in computing and IT industries that has had a considerable impact on organisations, not only by increasing the efficiency of acquiring IT resources, but also on IT management roles, organisations strategies, IT projects management, and organisations’ security. This research explores the factors that influence the decision making for cloud migration and the impact on IT management roles through a series of in-depth interviews with cloud-users, security professionals and cloud providers. The main tasks that organisations should consider to successfully manage the process of cloud migration are identified. The impact of cloud computing on organisations’ security is investigated by comparing end users’ concerns against cloud computing security landscapes. A framework is proposed that supports the decision making process for cloud migration.
We hope to see you there.
CIM Dorset Event – Make the Most of Mobile – Duncan Cook from 3 Sided Cube
Duncan Cook of internationally-renowned, locally-based mobile app development agency 3 Sided Cube is the next speaker in the CIM Dorset series of Entrepreneurial Sessions. Having been invited to the White House because one of their apps helped save the lives of literally thousands of Americans and with their apps now being translated into more and more languages, 3 Sided Cube really are known all over the world for what they do.
Duncan will be sharing his insights on mobile, dispelling myths about what does and doesn’t work and generally enlightening the audience with his views on the future of this exciting industry.
We’ve all got smartphones and its people like Duncan that make them useful. As marketers, it’s incumbent upon is to understand their potential.
Arrival from 6pm for a 6:30pm start. Networking from 6pm until the event start. To book please visit http://bucfe.com/events/mobile/
Book early as we expect to sell out quickly!
Arrival from 6pm for a 6:30pm start. Networking from 6pm until the event start.
New research web pages and removal of old pages
On Monday 27 January the Digital Communications Team will integrate the new research web pages into the main BU site.
This will include a link from the homepage and from the School pages. (School copy has been developed with the Deans and DDRs to introduce the new site, provide an overview of the School’s research and outline the research themes the School is involved in).
The Digital Communications Team will also start removing the old research pages on Monday. This will include removing the research centre pages, which have either been moved to the new site, elsewhere, or identified as no longer required.
In addition to notification from Professor Matthew Bennett and the Schools, the research website team have tried to speak to all staff in person to ensure required content is moved across and outdated content is removed. This has been a massive exercise and apologies if we have missed anyone. If you do have any concerns regarding your pages, please email the website team as soon as possible. All old content will be moved onto an internal BU server, where it will be kept for a period of six months before being finally deleted.
Feedback from researchers already using the new site is that it is very flexible, quick and easy to use and allows easy integration of a variety of different media content types.
If you would like to find out more about using the new site or joining us for a training session, please read my blog post from earlier in the week.
Research website training sessions
BU’s new research website is an externally facing communications channel. It allows you to add and update research-related content quickly and easily. The site is flexible and accommodates a range of digital media content. You can login with your usual BU username and password and start creating content here.
We are hosting a series of 90 minute training sessions, which are open to all BU academic staff, post graduate research students and those supporting researchers in their communications activity.
During the session you will learn the following:
- Why BU has a new research website
- How you can upload content to the website
- How the site can be used most effectively to maximise exposure of BU research.
There are three sessions taking place next month on Talbot Campus and at the Lansdowne. These are hosted by the website designer Matt Northam and me. Sessions are informal and if they fall over lunchtime, do feel free to bring a sandwich!
To book on one of the following sessions please use the links below…
Friday 7 February 2014 12:00-13:30 – S103 Studland House, Lansdowne Campus
Friday 14 February 2014 10:00-11:30 – P131 Poole House, Talbot Campus
Friday 14 February 2014 14:30-16:00 – P131 Poole House, Talbot Campus
If you have any questions about the website or training sessions, please email the research website team.
SciTech Design Engineering Level C students’ study trip
Sustainable Design Research Centre (SDRC) within the University’s Faculty of Science & Technology (SciTech) has established significant research links through match funded PhD degree researches with The Tank Museum at Bovington and Defence Science & Technology Laboratory (DSTL) Ministry of Defence (MoD) [lead by Dr Zulfiqar Khan]. SDRC has been conducting research in structural integrity in terms of degradation through corrosion in large military vehicles of historic importance, corrosion condition monitoring and life prediction.
SDRC has been actively engaging Design & Engineering Framework students in research activities to enhance their experience of learning at BU. One of the models to facilitate research informed education is through students’ projects. Design Engineering Level C students will be working on their project (4th project of the unit and 50% of the total course work) within their Design Methods & Project unit (40 credit) [Dr Zulfiqar Khan, unit leader]. Students will have the opportunity to learn about the materials, manufacturing techniques, mechanics at the interface & degradation issues within the context of track and sprocket. The students are tasked to propose a design solution for reliability & durability of the tracks utilising alternative materials, geometrical configuration and/or manufacturing techniques. The students visited The Tank Museum to study various Tanks and gather specific information.
If you need further information on the above academic activity please contact
Dr Zulfiqar Khan
Associate Professor
Director SDRC
Email: zkhan@bournemouth.ac.uk
Atrium BRC stand
Emily Loring and I are in the Atrium, Poole House, Talbot Campus today giving out copies of the Bournemouth Research Chronicle (BRC) magazine to academic staff. Do come along and pick up a copy and have a cake with us!
We will be here until 4:30pm today (Tuesday) and again on Thursday between 9am-5pm.
Sustainable Design Research Centre: Research Seminar
Title – Understanding the corrosion of archaeological iron to better manage its conservation
Date: Wednesday 12-03-2014
Start: 12:00 Finish: 12:30
Venue: PG 22 (Poole House)
Abstract – Worldwide there are millions of archaeological iron objects stored in museums. Most are inherently unstable, with their chloride content being cited as being the main corrosion driver in conjunction with relative humidity. Attempts to prevent their corrosion are time consuming and costly, with limited numbers of evidence-based conservation options available to managers. The talk reports work examining relationships between chloride and relative humidity for archaeological iron. The outcomes of the study are discussed in relation to their potential for developing new approaches to managing preservation of the archaeological iron heritage.
The above seminar will be delivered by Professor David Watkinson. He is Head of Conservation at Cardiff University, where he teaches undergraduate and post-graduate conservation students and directs conservation research. The Cardiff University ferrous metals research group is quantifying the corrosion rate of archaeological iron and evaluating desalination treatments, as well as carrying out studies to quantify the performance of protective coatings for heritage wrought iron and steels. David’s corrosion research underpinned the design for the desiccated storage of Brunel’s iconic steamship ss Great Britain and in 2010 he was awarded the Plowden Medal for innovative research and services to conservation.
All BU staff and students, who have interest in this area in terms of research and education, are invited to this research seminar. Please feel free to forward this invitation to your external contacts who might have interest in corrosion, conservation, structural integrity and related area.
These seminars are organised by the University Sustainable Design Research Centre in the Faculty of Science & Technology to provide a platform for disseminating latest research activities and results. These seminars are good opportunity of networking for both BU staff and students.
If you would like further information on research activities in corrosion, corrosion simulation and corrosion monitoring please visit SDRC webpage. For any specific inquiries please contact
Dr Zulfiqar Khan (Associate Professor)
Director Sustainable Design Research Centre
Bournemouth Research Chronicle
The third edition of the Bournemouth Research Chronicle (BRC) is now published. Thank you very much to everyone who contributed.
This is a glossy ‘coffee table’ magazine with some lovely images. It is aimed at peer researchers and research collaborators, prospective funders and (perhaps most importantly) research users such businesses, government organisations, policy makers and charities.
We all know that communication is an integral part of the link between research and societal impact and this magazine is a great way to get the message heard by the right people.
Content is presented through BU’s eight research themes. This edition provides a snapshot of some of the work BU submitted to the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014. In particular it focuses on the societal impact of our research, which forms a key part of REF2014.
Distribution
Every BU academic will receive a copy of the BRC. My colleagues and I will be in the Atrium, Poole House on Tuesday and Thursday next week with a large stash so do pop along, say hello and pick up yours. Otherwise, we’ll put it in the internal post for you.
Throughout January I’ll be sending the BRC to an extensive list of research users, including policy makers, community figures, opinion leaders, businesses and journalists. I will be providing a supply to each School so please do send it to your contacts, collaborators, peers, prospective funders, industry partners or anyone else who has an interest in BU’s research.
R&KEO will keep a larger stock of the BRC. If you would like copies for an event or conference then email me (Sally Gates – Editor) to arrange a delivery.
Thank you again to everyone who contributed and happy reading!
ARTS in RESEARCH (AiR) Group Forming
We are pleased to announce the formation of the Arts in Research (AiR) Group. This effort grows out of the experience of HSC’s ReThink process and previous work at HSC in using tools from the Arts in carrying out research, disseminating findings and sharing them with students, colleagues and communities beyond the University. The Group is open to members of any School with an interest or even curiosity in how they might infuse their interest in the arts within more routine research and/or presentation practices.
The interest in Arts-based Research is international and growing. Areas such as video, film, photography, dance, drama, poetry, radio production, creative writing—even clowning—are becoming more mainstream. Conferences, for example, no longer routinely consist of hour-after-hour packed with 20-minute PowerPoint presentations. Young students balk at PPT and expect more creativity from lecturers in their learning experiences. Reaching wider audiences (including ‘service-users’ and the public) is now routinely demanded by funding bodies. Tools from the Arts can greatly enhance all of these efforts.
Using Arts-based approaches in research requires thinking about Method from novel viewpoints. Involving research participants in producing outputs frequently enlivens projects, for one example. Finding the right arts-based method for the research questions or findings is key to their use. Finding the right collaborator for your project can be central to its success.
The ARTS in RESEARCH (AiR) Group will begin meeting in January (watch for announcement by email, Facebook and Twitter). We will begin by exploring what interests group members have and what resources are already available. We will also explore the possibility of collaborations with working artists, so no need to feel that great personal skill is required, just enthusiasm.
Please contact Kip Jones (kipworld@gmail.com) if you are interested in joining the group.
Sustainable Design Research Centre (SDRC) – Research Seminar
Title
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN NOVEL ALTERNATIVE RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGY
Sustainable Design Research Centre (SDRC) – Research Seminar
Date: Wednesday 8th Jan
Venue: P 406
Time: 12:00 – 12:30
Abstract
Renewable Technology is a BU recognised sub-theme within Technology & Design. SDRC has significant portfolio of research within Renewable Technology, this include Cross-Channel Consortium in Mechanical Current Turbine (MCT) research , working closely with community interest groups such as Poole Tidal Energy Partnership in Tidal Energy, final year design projects in Tidal Energy, Heat Pumps & Retro-Fitted Micro Wind Turbines & cross-school activity within Fusion initiative.
Fossil fuels have become the main energy source for human after the Industrial Revolution. However, with ever-increasing energy consumption, they are not sustainable in terms of their finite reserves, environmental implications and contributions to climate change. Within the Energy 2020A strategy for competitive, sustainable and secure energy, the EU and UK have together set a mutual objective to generate renewable energy as 20% of the total energy supply by 2020, for further details please click here. The current research aims to develop low cost renewable technology systems with competitive efficiency and readily adaptable systems both for domestic and commercial applications. In this seminar, the study will present the project background and experimental methodology employed for recording thermodynamic attributes of the solar thermal system to be used in mathematical analyses. The presentation will also present some results and engineering design of key components for improving the overall thermal efficiency of the solar thermal system.
Biography
Bruce Wen is currently conducting research as a PhD student. This research project is fully funded by Future Energy Source Ltd [Dr Zulfiqar Khan PI]. The proposed programme is a direct response to the needs of developing novel alternative renewable technology solutions capable of converting solar energy into useful clean energy. Bruce has participated in the DEC PGR conference and currently planning to present at the BU Graduate School Annual Conference this month.
If you have interest in this research area or would like further information then please contact
Dr Zulfiqar Khan (Associate Professor)
Director SDRC
Email: zkhan@bournemouth.ac.uk
The “Spirit of 13”
The outcomes of CEMP’s Spirit of 13 inter-generational research project are now online.
The screening and forum event with Ken Loach, hosted by the British Film Institute, was the outcome of a project for which people aged 25 and under produced inter-generational documentary films in response to Loach’s ‘The Spirit of ’45’. CEMP collaborated with Sixteen Films, the BFI, the Media Education Association and Media Magazine.
We are grateful to Daniel Weissman and his production crew and to Trevor Hearing, for support.
Service Computing Seminar: Servicing Big Data
Title: Servicing Big Data
Time: 14:00-16:00 Wednesday, 18 Dec. 2013
Venue: PG143 (Thomas Hardy Suite, Talbot Campus)
Speaker: Prof. Athman Bouguettaya, Head of School of Computer Science and Information Technology at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia
Abstract
Big data is here and in a big way. Big data is coming from all sorts of sources and means, including sensors, deep space, social media, smartphones, genomic, etc. The cloud has been instrumental supporting the storage and processing of the ever increasing amount of data. “Domesticating” the data, i.e., making it useful, however, has been a major challenge. Service computing is the next major evolution of computing that aims at transforming massive data into artefacts that are acted upon, i.e., services. Service computing is increasingly being recognized as part of a broader agenda in Service Science. In that respect, service computing may be viewed as the “engineering” side of service science. Service computing broadly focuses at providing a foundational framework to support a service-centric view of designing, developing, and exposing data (and applications), whether it is in the enterprise or on the Web. In that respect, the Web is and will undoubtedly be the preferred delivery platform of service-based solutions. More specifically, Web services are currently without contest the key enabler for deploying service-centric solutions. Fully delivering on the potential of next-generation Web services requires building a foundation that would provide a sound design for efficiently developing, deploying, publishing, discovering, composing, trusting, and optimizing access to Web services in an open, competitive, untrustworthy, and highly dynamic environment. The Web service foundation is the key catalyst for the development of a uniform framework called Web Service Management System (WSMS). In this novel framework, Web services are treated as first-class objects. In this talk, I will first motivate the need for a uniform service management to service big data. I will then overview the core components of a typical WSMS. I will conclude by describing our latest research servicing sensor data.
Short Bio
Athman Bouguettaya is Professor and Head of School of Computer Science and Information Technology at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia. He received his PhD in Computer Science from the University of Colorado at Boulder (USA) in 1992. He was previously Science Leader in Service Computing at CSIRO ICT Centre, Canberra. Australia. Before that, he was a tenured faculty member and Program director in the Computer Science department at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (commonly known as Virginia Tech) (USA). He is a founding member and past President of the Service Science Society, a non-profit organization that aims at forming a community of service scientists for the advancement of service science. He is on the editorial boards of several journals including, the IEEE Transactions on Services Computing, ACM Transactions on Internet Technology, the International Journal on Next Generation Computing, VLDB Journal, Distributed and Parallel Databases Journal, and the International Journal of Cooperative Information Systems. He is also on the editorial board of the Springer-Verlag book series on Services Science. He served as a guest editor of a number of special issues including the special issue of the ACM Transactions on Internet Technology on Semantic Web services, a special issue the IEEE Transactions on Services Computing on Service Query Models, and a special issue of IEEE Internet Computing on Database Technology on the Web. He served as a Program Chair of the 2012 International Conference on Web and Information System Engineering, the 2009 and 2010 Australasian Database Conference, 2008 International Conference on Service Oriented Computing (ICSOC) and the IEEE RIDE Workshop on Web Services for E-Commerce and E-Government (RIDE-WS-ECEG’04). He has published more than 170 books, book chapters, and articles in journals and conferences in the area of databases and service computing (e.g., the IEEE Transactions on Knowledge and Data Engineering, the ACM Transactions on the Web, WWW Journal, VLDB Journal, SIGMOD, ICDE, VLDB, and EDBT). He was the recipient of several federally competitive grants in Australia (e.g., ARC) and the US (e.g., NSF, NIH). He is a Fellow of the IEEE and a Distinguished Scientist of the ACM.
Cyber Security Seminars: Suggestions for Speakers and Topics
If you have been following my previous posts then you will know that today is the final Cyber Security Seminar for this semester. We hope you have found the seminar series interesting so far.
We are currently planning the seminars for next semester. Please get in touch if you have suggestions for potential speakers, or topics you would like to hear more about. Although the budget we have available is modest, we will do our best to accommodate your suggestions.
SDRC New Research/Education Resource
SDRC has added a new fluid property research and education resource to its experimental lab. This resource will be deployed in the current on-going research in renewable technology and coupled with the MEng/BEng Level I thermodynamics & heat transfer unit. This will provide opportunity to realise BU Fusion initiative through research informed education.
Description
The F1-30 Fluid Property Apparatus is part of the Engineering Teaching & Research Equipment in SDRC. It consists of a collection of components that demonstrate individual fluid properties:
- Density and relative density (specific gravity)
- Viscosity
- Capillarity – capillary elevation between flat plates and in circular tubes
- Buoyancy (Archimedes principle)
- Atmospheric pressure
For education purpose, it can introduce students a clear understanding about the physical properties of fluids that can build the foundation for them to study the behaviour of fluids in static or dynamic applications.
For research purpose, it allows bench tests to be performed for measuring physical properties of fluids from a wide range of applications.
Measuring Capabilities
- Measuring fluid density and relative density (specific gravity) of a liquid using a universal hydrometer
- Measuring fluid viscosity using a falling sphere viscometer
- Measuring fluid density and relative density (specific gravity) of a liquid using a pycnometer (density bottle)
- Observing the effect of capillary elevation between flat plates
- Measuring the effect of capillary elevation inside capillary tubes
- Verifying Archimedes principle using a brass bucket & cylinder with a lever balance
- Measuring atmospheric pressure using an aneroid barometer
If you would like to know more about the research and education activities within the SDRC themes please contact
Dr Zulfiqar Khan (Associate Professor)
Email: zkhan@bournemouth.ac.uk
Cyber Security Seminar: Approaching the Measurement of User Security Behaviour in Organisations
Our final Interdisciplinary Cyber Security Seminar this semester will take place on Tuesday, 10th December at 5pm. The seminar will take place in EB202 in the Executive Business Centre, and will be free and open to all. If you would like to attend, please register at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/interdisciplinary-seminar-in-cyber-security-tickets-9688353125
Our speaker will be Dr. Simon Parkin from UCL. Simon is a Senior Research Associate in the Information Security group at University College London, contributing to the Productive Security project within the Research Institute in the Science of Cyber Security (RISCS). He was previously a member of the Innovation Team at Hewlett Packard Enterprise Security Services (HP ESS) until mid-2012. From 2007 to 2011, Simon was a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the School of Computing Science at Newcastle University, where he also obtained his PhD. His research interests include: IT-security policy management metrics, models and tools; holistic IT-security management principles, and; IT-security risk management approaches and knowledge formalisation.
Abstract: Individuals working within organisations must complete their tasks, and are often expected to do so using secured IT systems. There can be times when the expectations for productivity and security are in competition, and so how would an organisation measure the outcomes in practice? We will review a series of interdisciplinary research efforts that characterise the human factor in IT-security within large organisations, as part of a holistic view of security. There are furthermore a variety of modelling approaches and frameworks that have emerged and informed this view. We will consider the challenges that remain in affording measurement of the human factor in IT-security within organisations, and some of the changes that are required for such activities to be sustainable and effective.
Sustainable Design Research Centre: nano-coating experimental resource
BU’s Sustainable Design Research Centre has recently added nano-coating experimental resource to its labs
Schaeffler is match funding a PhD studentship (£24K plus £41K in kind) looking into Electroplated composite coatings with incorporated nano particles for tribological systems with a focus on water lubrication. Schaeffler develops and manufactures precision products for machines, equipment, vehicles and aerospace applications. Schaeffler is a leading manufacturer of bearings worldwide and a renowned supplier to the automotive industry.
This research lies within the Sustainable Design Research Centre’s Tribology theme. This research aims to understand friction, wear, and corrosion performance of electroplated nano-composite coatings especially with special focus in water lubricated mechanical components. These issues are of significant importance in terms of industrial applications. The proposed project will enhance reliability, durability and life cycle issues while incorporating sustainability aspects.
In order to carry this research forward SDRC has recently added a nano-coating facility to its leading research labs in Tribology, Corrosion, Nano-Coatings, Renewable Technology (Thermodynamics & Heat Transfer) and Sustainable Design.
General specifications of the new addition are provided here.
Control Interface
- The MicroStar control interface features a fully-programmable microprocessor. Menus are accessible to set ampere time, real-time cycles, output tolerance settings and more. Standard features include:
- Real Time Cycle Control
- Ampere Time Cycle Control
- Ampere Time Totalizer
- Error signals for over-temperature, locked fan rotor, output out-of-tolerance and power failure/brownout conditions
- Calibration capability through the control interface
- Digital input for inhibit/operator control
- FrontPanel+ Host Control Program for process set-up generation and process storage/data logging
- RS485 and USB prots for serial control
Straight DC and Choice of Low Frequency Pulse or High Frequency Pulse Output
- High Frequency Pulse (0-5000 Hz)
- 0 – 40 volts average (DC) or peak (pulsed) voltage
- 0 – 250 amps average current (or maximum DC current)
- 10 – 400 amps peak (pulsed) current
- Low Frequency Pulse (0-200 Hz)
- DC to 200 Hz pulses (at an 80% duty cycle)
- Minimum Pulse Width: 4 milliseconds ON, 1 millisecond OFF (80% duty cycle)
- Typical Pulse Rise Time: Less than 1500 milliseconds
- Typical Pulse Fall Time: Less than 1000 millisecond
If you have interests in this resource, research area or would like to know more about the research activities within SDRC please do contact.
Dr Zulfiqar Khan (Associate Professor)
Director SDRC
email: zkhan@bournemouth.ac.uk