School News and Events
Dundee Appointment to CaSE's board of Directors
We are very pleased that a Senior Lecturer from the Division of Physics, Dr Maria Ana Cataluna has been appointed as Trustee and member of the Board of Directors of CaSE – Campaign for Science and Engineering, which is the “leading independent advocate for science and engineering in the UK”.
http://sciencecampaign.org.uk/
http://sciencecampaign.org.uk/?page_id=5394
CaSE has been playing an important and successful role in influencing policy makers towards a greater support for science and engineering, encompassing research and funding, education, industry, diversity and science in government.
As a Trustee and Director, Dr Cataluna will contribute to the Board’s discussions of the most pressing issues in science and engineering and help shape the strategy of CaSE, during a 3-year mandate. Dr Cataluna would also be happy to voice any additional input regarding these issues.
In addition to this, Dr Cataluna will liaise with the Scottish Parliament/Ministers when necessary, as CaSE is anticipated to increase its profile in Scotland over the next few years.
‘This represents a huge opportunity for us to contribute to shape and push the agenda for science and engineering forward, as well as increasing the visibility of our University – particularly at governmental level.’ says Dr Cataluna.
The future is certainly looking promising for scientists and engineers, as well as for the University of Dundee!
Blackening of metals
Prof. Amin Abdolvand and his research group made copper appear black. Using a nanosecond pulsed laser they formed arrays of homogeneously distributed, highly organised microstructures on the surface of the metal. This led to the fabrication of large area black copper substrates with absorbance of over 97% in the spectral range from 250 nm to 750 nm, and a broadband absorbance of over 80% between 750 nm and 2500 nm. The employed laser is industrially adaptable & friendly source and the presented technique for fabrication of black copper could find applications in broadband thermal radiation sources, solar energy absorbers, irradiative heat transfer devices, and thermophotovoltaics. Previously it was thought that only ultra-short (femtosecond) lasers can make metals appear black.
The results of their work appeared in the December issue of Applied Physic Letters 101, 231902 (2012).
http://apl.aip.org/resource/1/applab/v101/i23/p231902_s1
Notes: Copper and its alloys and metals with similar metallurgical behavior are important materials for many technical applications due to their unrivalled thermal and electrical conductivity. Affordable and practical routes for processing of such metals are essential for us to meet our ever growing energy demands and much higher electrification of our everyday lives.
Civil Engineering Graduate Neil Cuthbert shortlisted for NCE Graduate of the Year Award
Neil Cuthbert, who is a 2011 Civil Engineering Graduate, has been shortlisted for NCE (New Civil Engineer Magazine) Graduate of the Year Award. Neil is one of the 6 finalists that were shortlisted out of the 115 worldwide entries. Finalists include candidates from the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge.
'This year's' competition attracted exceptionally high standard entries and it proved extremely difficult to choose just six finalists,’ said awards’ secretary David Hayward. ‘We regard all the shortlisted candidates as winners and they will share a record £4,000 prize pot.’
The NCE Graduate Awards are designed to recognise and reward the most promising all round civil engineers who are now employed in their first post graduate jobs, putting into practice what they learned at university. Entrants are marked on all round ability; not only academic and work related achievements but also their enthusiasm for civil engineering.
The awards are open to anyone who graduated from an ICE accredited civil, structural – or related engineering first degree course, or MSc postgraduate course.
All shortlisted candidates will be invited to the awards' presentation lunch at the ICE on Friday 7 December. The School of Engineering, Physics and Mathematics wishes Neil all the very best of luck!
Dr David McGloin and his research group connect Xbox Kinect with laser tweezers
Dr David McGloin and his research group have shown how one of the world’s most popular video game consoles can enhance technology used to carry out important laser investigations. The Applied Optical Manipulation Group of the Division of Electronic Engineering and Physics, have applied commercial games technology to their research in optical physics. They have harnessed the Microsoft's Kinect motion-sensor to control optical tweezers. The tweezers use highly focused laser beams to trap, move and rotate particles as small as cells.
Computing undergraduate Matt MacPherson, Physics PhD student Craig McDonald and Postdoctoral Researcher Craig McDougall worked on using a Microsoft Kinect to control an optical tweezers device capable of trapping and manipulating microscopic particles. The technique, which has been coined 'Holohands' uses the Kinect to control the creation of a hologram, which in turn controls the position of a laser spot. So a movement of your hand can be used to trap an object one millionth of a meter in diameter and in turn move it by a few millionths of a meter. This incredible precision has applications in work looking at the adhesion of cells in the body, the interaction of aerosols in the atmosphere and in new ways to allow users to control these high-tech research devices.
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'We have a lot of video game enthusiasts here, and we came to the conclusion that Kinect had the potential to allow us to build a very natural and intuitive interface that would appeal to a wide range of potential users,' explained Dr McGloin.
Their research has been highly featured both in industry journal Nature Photonics (Photon 12: Talking light inDurham. Oliver Graydon. Nature Photonics 6, 725–726 (2012) doi:10.1038/nphoton.2012.280), and the BBC News!
Find out more on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2iU90EiEis&list=UUp4TtkumoAcyytb1E-0c3uw&index=1&feature=plcp
Also visit the Applied Optical Manipulation Group website to read more about their research: http://www.dundee.ac.uk/elecengphysics/aomg/
Maths students strike gold!
A University of Dundee team has struck gold at an international student competition challenging entrants to build biological systems that operate in living cells.
The Dundee side, featuring mathematics students Jill McGowan and Johny Weightman were awarded a gold medal at the 2012 iGEM European Jamboree in Amsterdam last weekend. Competing against 53 teams from across Europe, the Dundee team performed to the highest standard.
The International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition is the premiere undergraduate Synthetic Biology competition. At the start of the iGEM competition, student teams are given a kit of biological parts. They then spent 10 weeks over the summer using a multidisciplinary approach including mathematical modelling to design and build new biological “machines”.
The Dundee project ‘Six, Lyse and Obliterate – a synthetic silver bullet against healthcare acquired infection’ took an interdisciplinary approach to the very topical problem of hospital-acquired infections - the treatment of gut infections by the bacterium C.Difficile. This bug lives harmlessly in most of us, but when other treatments disturb the natural balance of the gut, C.diff dominates and can cause serious illnesses and even death. The team took up the challenge of designing a new possible treatment - a way of introducing another, modified bacterium that is completely harmless to humans but lethal to C.diff. A central part of the project and of the iGEM ethos as a whole, is involving the general public in debate about synthetic biology. The Dundee team worked with youngsters at the Shore Drop-In Centre, wrote and produced a song, created a comic strip that was distributed to schools and libraries across the country and even put on their own show at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe!
As well as significant funding from The Welcome Trust and SULSA, the Dundee team received £2500 from the Nine Incorporated Trades of Dundee to fund their participation in the iGEM competition. Team Instructor Dr Fordyce Davidson, Mathematics, said “we were very honoured to receive such strong support from the Nine Trades. We hope that we were able to fly the flag for Dundee in Amsterdam and show that Dundee is a city where inspiring things happen.”
The successful team members are Rachael Evans, Nicola Morris, Kimberly Page, Avril Smart (all CLS), Jill McGowan and Johnny Weightman (Mathematics) and Chris Walker (Computing).
More information about iGEM is available at www.igem.org.
Welcome Collaborations between Taipei & Dundee
On the 4th of September, a very successful visit took place between Professor Keng-Liang Ou, Dean of Oral Medicine, and Prof Liang-Yo Yang, Associate Dean of International Office, from Taipei Medical University (TMU) and the staff from the School of Engineering, Physics and Mathematics (EPM). Professor Jones, the Dean of EPM hosted the visit, and agreements have been signed for the dual degree program in Biomedical Engineering at Postgraduate level, we will expecting students from TMU to study at University of Dundee (UoD) from January, 2013.
Research collaborations between the College of Art, Science and Engineering (CASE) at UOD and the College of Oral Medicine of TMU have been discussed. Many common research interests are shared between the two Institutes, such as biointerface, nanotechnology and regeneration medicine. Dean Ou has invited Dr Keatch, Dr Huang and Professor Corner to attend the International Research Conference on Dentistry and related research held at TMU during 17 - 19 May, 2013. We are expecting Professor Ou to visit Dundee again on 25 October 2012 for further discussion of research collaborations. The future is bright with collaborations between Taipei and Dundee!
SUPA Prize PhD Studentships - Apply by 31st January 2013!
Up to 15 fully funded PhD Studentships and over 100 funded PhD places in Physics! Click on poster for more information.
To apply, please visit http://apply.supa.ac.uk
Deadline for appplications: 31st January 2013
8th International Conference - Concrete in the Low Carbon Era
Around 180 delegates from 45 countries descended on the University of Dundee, Scotland to attend the 8th International Conference, Concrete in the Low Carbon Era from 9-11 July 2012. The event, hosted by the Concrete Technology Unit (CTU) within the Division of Civil Engineering, was continuing the research group’s tradition of creating an international forum for all things concrete in the UK.
Held in collaboration with the University of Kentucky’s Centre for Applied Energy Research (UKCAER),USA, the event was conceived to bring together world experts in the field of concrete construction, science, design and technology to address the challenges facing the world’s most common construction material as civilisation enters a low carbon era. With many global economies developing rapidly such as India, Brazil and China (responsible alone for more than 50% of the world’s cement production in 2011), infrastructure such as transportation links, energy and water supply and housing must also develop quickly but at the same time in a sustainable manner to ensure natural resources and the environment are not compromised.
The conference outputs are now feeding into the research strategy of the CTU and the UG and PG courses in Civil Engineering at the University of Dundee. For further information on the conference, please visit www.ctucongress.co.uk or contact Dr Moray Newlands, m.d.z.newlands@dundee.ac.uk
More photographs of the conference can be viewed on our School's Facebook Page : www.facebook.com/epmdundee
Summer of exciting research for the Physics Undergraduate Research Group
Summer 2012 has seen the Physics Undergraduate Research Group (URG) extend intriguing avenues on a number of ongoing research projects, such as our EPSRC funded Sonoptics Programme, which seeks to exploit light and sound energies for non-invasive therapeutic purposes. The purpose for having an URG within EPM is simply to provide the somewhat unique opportunity for undergraduate students to conduct independent research projects at the earliest possible stage of their academic life. Students then begin using the scientific tools and procedures that they have been taught already, for real life problem-solving challenges in both computational and experimental contexts. Projects are usually associated with active research council funded programmes, and the group is presently constituted by junior students (two freshers – David Church and Ross Scrymgeour ; and three sophomores - Nasir Ahmad, Jamie Torbet & Florence Ndum) drawn from the Electrical/Electronic Engineering and Physics degree streams (pictured left below).
Perhaps more exciting however are the new projects that were also kick-started - one of which involves a novel interdisciplinary collaboration with Psychologists at Abertay that is designed to ascertain and analyse biometric information extracted from an individual’s typing patterns. Here, Nasir Ahmad (pictured right below) has designed and built a fully interactive touch-screen with integrated real-time recording and analysis of finger contact signatures – a biometric sensing approach that may have value in both on-line identity verification strategies as well as more general security-related issues. A second new project, developing on the back of a Leverhulme Trust funded grant in conjunction with Chemists at Aberdeen University, has seen the group design an electrochemical cell to retro-fit with our scanning probe microscope platform, and which will endeavour to measure the nano-newton forces generated by synthetic ‘molecular muscles’ which may have interesting application potential as active nanoscale sensors and actuators. Full details of all the URG projects are available at www.cicass.net/urg .
Rachelle Binny wins Sir James Black Award
The Sir James Black Award is an annual award presented by each College of the University to a final year undergraduate student making the most outstanding contribution to research and scholarship in their field. Ms Rachelle Binny from Mathematics impressed judges with her outstanding work and wins the award for 2012.
Ms Binny beats equally impressive competitor, as her work was considered to ‘show more impact and contribution’ in her field of study. The topic of the project was the mathematical modelling of tumour-induced angiogenesis, which has been identified as one of the key “hallmarks” of cancer by other influential researchers. The process of tumour-induced vessel growth, referred to as angiogenesis or vascularization, provides the tumour with its own supply of oxygen and nutrients, thus facilitating its continued growth. The mathematical model studied by Ms. Binny described tumour-induced angiogenesis, and captured many of its key components and properties. The computational simulation results of the model indicated optimal ways to provide anti-angiogenesis treatments which may prove fruitful in the treatment of solid tumours. Rather than kill the cancer cells with highly toxic chemotherapy drugs (with obvious side-effects), delivery of anti-angiogenic drugs first kills the tumour-induced blood vessels which in turn starves the cancer cells of vital nutrients, thereby killing the cancer cells without harming the patient.
Ms. Binny was a very independent student and produced her project with very little help from her supervisor (Prof. Chaplain). She showed great insight in both the biology and mathematics of the project. She scored one of the highest marks ever for an honours project in mathematics and the two external examiners both commented on the very high quality of the project and the apparent exceptional ability of the student. Ms. Binny will take up a PhD position in the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, in September.
The award will be presented to her at the graduation lunch where she will receive her certificate and £500 cash prize.
Joint Win of Venture Award
Two entrepreneurial projects from students at the University of Dundee were today each awarded £2500 after they were named winners of the 2012 Venture Programme competition.
A designer accessory for junior doctors and a new medical device with applications for biopsy and anaesthesia were the winning entries in this year's competition, which offers up to £5000 seed money for researchers to turn their ideas into commercial applications.
The winners were Muhammad Sadiq, from Pakistan, a PhD student in Mechanical Engineering, for his drug delivery system which features a vibrating needle. He has worked extensively with the Institute for Medical Science and Technology in developing his product.
He shared the £5000 prize with Design Aid+, a team made up of 5th year medic Wen Ling Choong and 3rd year Textiles students Anna Rzepczynski and Lucy Robertson. Their `Essential Accessory+' has been designed specifically with junior and foundation doctors in mind, giving them a fashionable but very practical carrier for the equipment they need to carry on the ward. It has been designed using NHS-approved infection-proof materials.
The Venture Programme is open to early career and postgraduate researchers at the University and is aimed at those who are interested in developing their research or exploring the commercialisation possibilities for their ideas.
Judging the final session at Enterprise House today were a panel of experts including Kevin Bazley, Senior Manager at Scottish Enterprise; Dr Howard Marriage, Director at Aquila Biomedical Ltd; and Dr Norman Alm, Co-founder and Director of CIRCA Connect and Honorary Research Fellow in the School of Computing at Dundee University.
The awards were presented by the University Secretary, Dr Jim McGeorge.
Original article published on the University News page.
NASA invite sees Dundee set challenge to the world
The University of Dundee has been invited by NASA to contribute to a new initiative seeking to solve issues of global importance.
The International Space Apps Challenge was launched by NASA today. It aims to encourage scientists and citizens from all seven continents - and in space - to create, build, and invent new solutions to a series of challenges, two of which have been set by Dundee staff and students.
The history of space exploration has shown that technology designed for use beyond the Earth's surface has proven to drive real-world innovations, and the Apps Challenge seeks to bring about further developments by asking participants to create devices with clear benefits in other areas.
The invite came about as a result of a link-up between the Product Design programme at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design (DJCAD), part of the University, and software giant Mozilla, who recommended Dundee to NASA on account of their expertise in creating "physical apps".
Product Design director Dr Jon Rogers then engaged two of his colleagues in the project, Dr David McGloin of the University's Physics department, and Dr Sandra Wilson, from Jewellery & Metal Design at DJCAD.
The first challenge set by the Dundee team is '#bakerfaire', which examines how to make bread in space in order to give astronauts a taste of home and which challenges people to make use of low-energy appliances to achieve this.
The second, '#welovedata', looks at how to link NASA data with physical objects in a useful and interactive way and asks participants to create a piece of jewellery for example, which might set off a warning if a space station passes overhead in order to identify whether we can wear data in order to achieve a different relationship with space.
Read more at the University Press Release Page
Future bright for Dundee's Leverhulme prize winners
Two researchers in the School of Engineering, Physics and Mathematics at the University of Dundee have been named among the winners of this year’s Philip Leverhulme Prizes, awarded by the Leverhulme Trust.
Dr David Pontin, Lecturer in Mathematics, and Dr Maria Ana Cataluna, Royal Academy of Engineering/EPSRC Research Fellow & Lecturer, each receive £70,000 to fund activity around their research.
The Prizes are awarded to outstanding scholars who have made a substantial and recognised contribution to their particular field of study, recognised at an international level, and where the expectation is that their greatest achievement is yet to come.
The Prizes commemorate the contribution to the work of the Trust made by Philip Leverhulme, the Third Viscount Leverhulme and grandson of the Founder.
The broad fields of research covered by this year’s awards were:
- Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Economics
- Engineering
- Geography
- Modern European Languages and Literature
- Performing and Visual Arts
Dr Pontin's research examines the behaviour of magnetic fields, which play a crucial role in the dynamics of plasma on all scales, from galaxies to the Sun, the Earth's magnetosphere and laboratory nuclear fusion devices.
'My work is based around modelling the behaviour of these magnetic fields, which typically have a highly complex three-dimensional structure,' said Dr Pontin. 'One particular focus is on understanding ‘magnetic reconnection' - the process which allows a magnetic field to change its structure, often accompanied by an explosive release of energy. Studying this underlying physical mechanism of energy release can help us understand a wide variety of phenomena, such as solar flares, the formation of stars, magnetospheric substorms in the Earth's upper atmosphere, and disruptions that halt the production of energy in nuclear fusion machines.
'One research topic that this award will help me pursue is the evolution of the magnetic field in the Sun's atmosphere (or 'corona'). One of the greatest puzzles in solar physics is how the corona is heated to temperatures of millions of degrees, while the solar surface temperature is only a few thousand degrees. One key aim of my research will be to understand under what conditions explosive energy release can occur, and the details of how this may heat the coronal plasma.'
Dr Cataluna is engaged in the research and development of a new generation of miniature and versatile ultrafast lasers.
'Instead of emitting light in a continuous manner, an ultrafast laser generates incredibly short bursts of light. Ultrafast lasers have important applications in medicine, micromachining, optical communications, spectroscopy, and other applications which require extremely high optical peak powers or extremely short time scales. For example, ultrafast lasers have shown a tremendous potential for non invasive imaging techniques which can probe into live cells or tissues, without disrupting their biological activity. However, most of the currently available ultrafast lasers are bulky, costly and complex, which inhibits the widespread uptake of these non-invasive diagnostics.'
'This award will be really helpful in accelerating the development of these miniature lasers and maximise their far-reaching impact in a number of imaging and sensing applications, particularly in the biomedical sciences,' said Dr Cataluna.
Professor Gordon Marshall, Director of The Leverhulme Trust, said 'The standard of the nominated candidates was encouragingly high, and the eventual recipients of Prizes were judged by the panel to be truly outstanding in their fields, with records of proven achievement, as well as telling promise for the future.'
Dr Yong Sung Park wins prestigious prize
Dr Yong Sung Park of the Division of Civil Engineering has just won the 2011 Young Persons' Paper Competition organised by the UK Section of the International Association of Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research (IAHR). The competition is open to all young scientists, engineers and practitioners working on novel applications of hydraulics. Dr Park’s winning paper “On the origin of the eddy behind a reflected solitary wave at a vertical wall” was presented alongside those of other short-listed candidates at the IAHR-UK Technical meeting inExeterin early September 2011.
Dr Park joined the University of Dundee from Cornell University, USA in May 2011 as a Newton International Fellow, under the highly-competitive scheme run jointly by The Royal Society of London and the British Academy to select the very best early stage post-doctoral researchers from all over the world and enable them to work at UK research institutions.
Racing Team Get New Wheels
DRIVE, the University of Dundee's Formula Student motor racing team, have taken delivery of a new, purpose-built trailer.
Specially built and donated by Brechin-based firm Duncan McIntosh Trailers, the trailer is designed to be towed by either a small car or a large van. It sits low on the ground to enable the loading and unloading of racing cars to be easily undertaken by two people.
The company’s Ian McIntosh worked closely with the team to build the trailer and spent many hours taking measurements and making sketches before the final design was agreed.
Mr McIntosh said he was delighted to be backing the team. He will be at the Fulton Building, University of Dundee, at 2pm on Wednesday, 15th June, to hand the trailer over to members of the DRIVE team.
'It was great to be able to work on such an exciting project,' he said. 'Although we sell trailers for all sorts of vehicles, it's not every day that someone wants one for such a lightweight and experimental racing car.
'The trailer itself is also lightweight and low but unlike the racing car it is restricted to the national speed limits!'
Dr Alan Slade, of the University’s Mechanical Engineering department and DRIVE’s Academic Co-ordinator, said the team were extremely grateful for the sponsorship from Duncan McIntosh Trailers.
Read more at the University Press Release Page.
Civil Engineering Ranked No. 1 in Scotland
The Guardian University Guide 2012
Civil Engineering at Dundee ranked 1st in Scotland and 2nd in the UK in the recent the 2012 Guardian University Guide!
In a recent survey carried out by the Guardian Newspaper Dundee University’s Division of Civil Engineering scored 99.4 out of 100, and is now ranked 2nd in the UK league table. All of the universities contained in the guide are ranked according to teaching excellence. Universities are ranked according to how much they spend per student; their student/staff ratio; the career prospects of their graduates; what grades applicants need; a value-added score that compares the academic achievements of first-years and their final degree results; and how content final-year students are with their courses, based on the annual National Student Survey (NSS).
NCE Graduate congratulated by First Minister
The NCE Graduate of the Year, Stuart Ross, was congratulated by the First Minister . Read more of this story.
Stuart Ross - Winner, NCE Graduate of the Year 2010
Overall winner of this year’s New Civil Engineer Graduate Award is Arup engineer and former
Drive Team at Knockhill
The University of Dundee's Formula Student motor racing team, DRIVE, will be putting their engineering, manufacturing and racing skills to the test when they take to the track against other student teams from across Scotland next week.
The DRIVE (Dundee University Race Innovation and Vehicle Engineering) teamwill go up against other Formula Student teams from across Scotland in a live race at Knockhill Racing Circuit on Wednesday, 24th November. (Read more of this story)
Coloured Concrete
The Concrete Technology Unit recently won £5k from the Scottish Funding Council to examine the potential for utilising spent printer toner as a colouring pigment in concrete. Dr Moray Newlands, Dr Laszlo Csetenyi and Dr Li Zheng, in conjunction with Scottish SME Moock Environmental undertook the pilot study and were able to colour concrete using toner powders and are currently examining the potential for the material to be used to improve the hydrophobicity of concrete. More details can be found on the SFC website:
http://www.sfc.ac.uk/knowledge_exchange/casestudies/case_study_dundee.aspx
8th International CTU Conference
We are delighted to announce that the next CTU conference will tke place at the University of Dundee on 9-11 July 2012.
Further information is now available online at www.ctucongress.co.uk and we would ask you to register your interest and to put these dates in your diaries.
The Conference Themes are available on the website along with abstract submission information.
If you have any queries then please feel free to contact us through the website or at ctucongress@dundee.ac.uk
Dr Rod Jones
Chairman of the CTU Conference Organising Committee
University race team show off latest designs
The engineering advances made the University of Dundee's Formula Student motor racing team, DRIVE, will be on show at the city's Botanic Garden on Wednesday October 6th. The team will have both their 2009 and 2010 cars on display to show the massive improvements in the car over the year.
They will also be discussing their plans for 2011 and beyond, with a number of new developments in the offing.
This includes developing a new bio-diesel engine design for the Alternative Energy class of the Formula Student competition, which challenges students to design, build, test and race a Formula-style racing car, culminating in a test-and-racing weekend at Silverstone.
Another exciting new venture for the Dundee team is an entry in the IMechE (Institute of Mechanical Engineers) Corporate Challenge for electric racing cars. This is being undertaken by first-year Mechanical Engineering students as part of their undergraduate coursework. Some of the students involved in this project will also be available to explain their ideas as they prepare for the event at Silverstone in April 2011.
The DRIVE team has also recently been approached by one of the top Formula Student teams in Germany with a proposal to collaborate in the manufacture of a car for the Shell Eco Marathon.
Dr Robert Keatch, Head of Mechanical Engineering at Dundee, said, "This is a great honour and a tribute to the achievements of the team over the past few years. The have gone from strength to strength and the success of their design and hard work is paying dividends in showcasing the ability and professionalism of these exceptional Mechanical engineers."
Anyone who would like to meet with the team, or feels they can offer help or assistance in any form, is invited to come along to the Botanic Gardens on Wednesday October 6th. The event starts at 6:30 pm for 7 pm.
For further information contact Alan Slade on 01382 38 51 60.
Civil Engineering PhD student awarded prestigious Scholarship
James Franklin, a 2nd year PhD student in Civil Engineering has been awarded a John Moyes Lessells Travel Scholarship from the Royal Society of Edinburgh to enable him to spend 2 months in the Mechanics Division of the Department of Mathematics at The University of Oslo in
The Inaugural RV Jones Lecture : What Lies Beneath?
Peter Davies, Professor of Fluid Dynamics at the University of Dundee has been invited to present the Inaugural Lecture in the new RV Jones Lecture Series developed by the University of Aberdeen's School of Engineering to commemorate one of the institution's most distinguished Professors in Applied Physics, who played a key role in the defence of Britain during World War II. Further details - http://www.abdn.ac.uk/events/details-8465.php
Knowledge Transfer Partnership
Mechanical Engineering have been awarded two Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) grants worth £300k to optimise the performance and reliability of oil/gas tubular connections in ultra deep water wells. (Read more of this story)
University of Dundee Student wins Institution of Civil Engineers’ Papers Competition
Scott Robinson, an undergraduate civil engineering student from the University of Dundee has won the ICE Dundee Area Branch papers competition final. His paper was entitled "The Development of an Interactive Computerised Guide to Eurocode 2 Reinforced Concrete Design". He will now present his paper at the ICE Scotland final on the 22nd March. This will be held in the Tower Lecture theatre at 6pm, so please come along to support Scott.
Double whammy on the funding front for Dr Paul Campbell
Dr Paul Campbell, Reader in Physics in the School, has had a doubly-successful week on the grants front. On Thursday, it was announced that he had won a prestigious Royal Society Industry Fellowship, worth some £100K, and which will allow him to concentrate solely on cultivating a collaborative project with his industrial partners, the Cambridge-based scanning probe microscope manufacturers Ionscope, over the next 2 years, free of all teaching and administrative commitments.
The following day, Dr Campbell learned that a joint proposal with Professor Kishan Dholakia FRSE at St Andrews worth over £1 million had also been successful. This second grant, which is a follow up to an earlier Basic Technology Award from EPSRC, will allow the 2 University groups to develop their joint technology platform into a translational entity. The focus with the grant will be to exploit lasers and laser-based tools, for generic drug delivery but with a special interest with molecular delivery into skin. This latter aspect will be pursued in collaboration with Professor Irwin McLean FRSE of the Division of Molecular Medicine in the College of Life Sciences, who is a co-applicant to the award.
Scottish Geotechnical Group Poster Competition. John Jeffrey, a Civil Engineering PhD student scoops first prize
John Jeffrey, a Civil Engineering PhD student at Dundee University, scooped first prize at the annual poster competition hosted jointly by the ICE Scottish Geotecnical Group and the Central Scotland Regional Group of the Geological Society on 8th December 2009. Jeffrey's poster on 'Investigating the Performance of the CHD Piling Technique in Granular Soil' saw off competition from 12 other entrants with poster topics including the site investigation for the new Forth crossing and retaining walls at the New Lanark World Heritage site. Jeffrey wins an engraved trophy and a geotechnical text of his choice. Mike Brown, Scottish Geotechnical Group
Day of physics to give taste of university life
Around 120 Advanced Higher pupils from Dundee, Angus, Fife and Edinburgh went to the University of Dundee for a "Day of Physics" designed to give them a flavour of studying the subject at undergraduate level. (Read more of this story)
Excellence and innovation in teaching recognised
Academics from the University of Dundee have had their contribution to teaching at the University recognised with a series of awards that celebrate excellent and innovative teaching. (Read more of this story)
£1.7million grant to help solve maths cancer puzzle
Mathematicians at the University of Dundee have been awarded a major European grant of almost €1.7million to develop a virtual model of cancer growth and spread. (Read more of this story)
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