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Engineering

Issue 6, Summer 2012

Internationally Recognised ResearchFaculty’s Continually Growing Research Portfolio

Staff and Student Award Success

New Supercomputer

Nigerian Agents Visit the Faculty

engineering insight [ Summer 2012 - Issue 06 ]

Contents

[ Introduction ]

02

03

08

19

22

24

26

Major Research Initiative for DMEM’s Mechatronics Research

New Ventures

Research

Awards

International

Knowledge Exchange

Successful Alumnus

Faculty of EngineeringUniversity of StrathclydeRoom 5.25Royal College Building204 George StreetGlasgow G1 1XW

t: +44 (0)141 548 2749e: [email protected]: @StrathEngWeb: www.strath.ac.uk/engineering

The University of Strathclyde is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, number SC015263.

Professor Scott MacGregor Dean, Faculty of Engineering

01

INTRODUCTION

Welcome from the Dean of Engineering Welcome to the latest edition of Engineering Insight which has a focus on some of our current research activities and initiatives.

The Faculty of Engineering has a long established reputation for research excellence and for its strong links with industry. This is evidenced by the significant resources that industry and other key research funders are investing in our research expertise and capability. We are proud of the global impact of our research which is making a positive difference to the world in which we live and is helping to solve some of the major problems that face society today.

Our staff are also leading the way in training the next generation of researchers. We are the only Engineering Faculty in the UK that is engaged in eight multi-million pound EPSRC-funded Doctoral/Industrial Training Centres and our researchers have access to several world-leading research facilities that are based within the Faculty. These include the Technology and Innovation Centre, the Advanced Forming Research Centre, the GSE Simulator and a second High Performance Computer. We are also investing, along with industrial partners, in major new facilities, such as the £12.5 million Power Networks Demonstration Centre, which is due to open later this year, and a Space Mechatronic Systems Technology research laboratory, in collaboration with the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), the first University collaboration made by CALT outside of China.

I am delighted that many of our staff are receiving recognition not only nationally, but internationally, for the pioneering research that they are undertaking. Professor Dracos Vassalos from the Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering and Director of the Ship Stability Research Centre (SSRC) was recently awarded the prestigious ‘William Froude Medal’, which is given by the Royal Institution of Naval Architects for outstanding contributions to naval architecture and/or shipbuilding. This accolade came shortly after Professor Vassalos had been presented with the Sustained Achievement Award from the Royal Academy of Engineering. With such high calibre research leaders, it is of no surprise that many of our students are also gaining recognition for their work and winning major prizes and awards. The next issue of Engineering Insight will feature some of our most recent student successes.

Faculty Staff Faculty Manager Faculty Academic Development OfficerDr Gayle Wilson Gabrielle Weir [email protected] [email protected]

Marketing Development Coordinator International Recruitment AdvisorAnnabel Dalgleish Christine Donald [email protected] [email protected]

Faculty Administrative Assistant Dean’s SecretaryAndrea Roy Susan Pawson/Mary [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

Faculty Administrator (Research and Knowledge Exchange) Carol Brady [email protected]

Faculty Development Officer Modern Apprentice (Administration)Caroline McGuire Chloe [email protected] [email protected]

[ Summer 2012 - Issue 06 ]

Major Research Initiative for DMEM’s Mechatronics Research

[ Major Research Initiative for DMEM’s Mechatronics Research ]

02

Following the successful execution of a collaborative research project, the

Faculty of Engineering’s Department of Design, Manufacture and Engineering Management (DMEM) and the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), a key player in the China Aerospace Science and Technology Cooperation (CASC), have strengthened their collaboration in research and development. The two parties have agreed to establish a joint international Space Mechatronic Systems Technology (SMeSTech) research laboratory, to be located at the University of Strathclyde.

The aims of the collaboration are to advance research and development into space mechatronic systems technology, such as mechatronic mechanisms and related manufacturing technologies. This prestigious laboratory will be funded by the Chinese Government for the next five years, with a commitment of a minimum of two million Chinese Yuan per year. Under the agreement, CALT will also provide at least two seconded senior engineers from the company to work on the projects within the laboratory at Strathclyde. This

research collaboration investment will provide a minimum of £1.5 million over the next five years. The agreement also presents an opportunity for the University and CALT to develop further research projects and broader collaborative programmes. Through annual seminars organised by SMeSTech, it will be possible to propose new research programmes for wider collaboration across Engineering, to be considered by both CASC and CALT.

Managing Director of CALT, Mr Li, gave his full support and commitment to the joint lab initiative. He said: “I am very

impressed by the frontier research and contribution made by researchers

from Strathclyde. I look forward to new research and the development

of mechatronic system solutions and technology in our joint research effort.”

The Dean of Engineering, Professor Scott MacGregor, made a special visit to the company in Beijing at the end of February to sign the agreement. Professor MacGregor said after

signing the agreement: “This is an exciting initiative for DMEM and a strong reflection on their excellence in mechatronic systems research. Dr Xiu Yan from the Department is to be congratulated on securing this funding. Given the fact this is the first University collaboration made by CALT outside China, this investment also represents major recognition of our international research standing.”

Dr Yan, who initiated, led and secured the agreement, added; “This is a great recognition of the work undertaken by researchers at Strathclyde by a leading space company. I believe this new space laboratory will provide a platform to allow Strathclyde researchers to work closely with CALT and CASC and develop new space technologies. This will strengthen the reputation of space research within the Faculty, which is already recognised internationally through research undertaken in the Advanced Space Concepts Laboratory. The agreement will also open the door for wider collaboration with the company in other technological areas including renewable energy systems.”

Professor Scott MacGregor signing the agreement with CALT in Beijing

engineering insight [ Summer 2012 - Issue 06 ]

[ New Ventures ]

New Ventures

03

A powerful, high performance computer (HPC) has been installed

at the University of Strathclyde to tackle the complex calculations needed to solve major challenges in energy systems, space technologies, and drug development.

The advanced computational technology is at the core of a new West of Scotland Supercomputing Centre, awarded £1.6 million by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), which will see academics working with business and industry on next-generation product design and simulation.

The successful funding bid was submitted by Professor Jason Reese, Dr Richard Martin and Dr Paul Mulheran from the Faculty of Engineering, and scientists Professor David Littlejohn and Professor Maxim Federov.

Professor David Littlejohn, Associate Deputy Principal at the University of

Strathclyde, said: “The new centre will make a step-change in high-performance

computing provision for Scotland, helping researchers to work with industrial

colleagues from around the world to develop and test innovative new products

and technologies.

“Our plans for the centre have received overwhelming support from industry,

and we are delighted that the EPSRC has chosen to invest in our infrastructure and

the work of our internationally leading scientists and engineers.”

The funding enables access to ARCHIE – the Academic and Research Computer Hosting Industry and Enterprise – by multidisciplinary researchers at the Universities of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Stirling, Glasgow Caledonian, and the West of Scotland, and supports links to other computational centres around the world.

These researchers will work with public and private sector partners in a wide range of design and simulation problems, including the purification of seawater, renewable energy system design, the next generation of mobile communications, and improved air transport systems.

Professor Jason Reese, Head of Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and a major user of supercomputers for engineering simulation, commented: “ARCHIE is central to a wide range of pioneering research and industry projects, both current and planned. These include the modelling of fluids at the nanoscale, the prediction of welding distortion, and the simulation of downhole pumps and valves.

“This state-of-the-art facility enables us to perform engineering and scientific simulations on a scale and to a level of detail that is not possible or cost-effective using physical experiments.

Hosting the joint universities’ West of Scotland Supercomputer Centre at Strathclyde reflects this university’s vision to be a leading international technological University. The new supercomputer dramatically increases the computational capabilities available to universities and companies in the West of Scotland, and demonstrates that Strathclyde champions leading-edge engineering analysis.”

The ARCHIE supercomputer is up and running now, but the Centre itself will formally open later this year. It will build on the success of the Engineering Faculty’s existing supercomputer, which was installed in 2010, and will expand the use of high performance computing to academics and industrialists into new areas.

For further updates see http://www.archie-west.ac.uk or contact the Operational Director [email protected]

Supercomputer Boost for Engineering

Professor Jason Reese and Dr Richard Martin with the Supercomputer


[ New Ventures ]

04

Professor Walter Johnstone and Dr Michael Lengden, from the Centre

for Microsystems and Photonics (CMP) within the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, have recently been awarded a collaborative grant from the EPSRC on the topic of “Fibre-Laser Imaging of gas Turbine Exhaust Species” (FLITES). The project is worth a total of £2,775,000, with academic partners from the Universities of Manchester and Southampton and several industrial partners including Rolls-Royce and Shell. The proposed project will establish a world-leading capability in the measurement and imaging of molecular and particulate species in gas turbine aero-engine exhausts, underpinning a new phase of low-net-carbon development in the aviation industry.

Professor Johnstone explains: “Target gas species absorb laser light at very specific wavelengths (colours) leading

Strathclyde’s multi-million pound Power Networks Demonstration

Centre (PNDC) has moved a step closer to successful completion following the appointment of Dr Iliana Portugues as Operations Director.

Dr Portugues attended a ‘topping out’ ceremony at the Cumbernauld site for the £12.5 million centre that will accelerate the adoption of new, ‘smart’ technologies, from advanced power grids to electric cars.

A leading figure in the energy industry, Dr Portugues previously worked as a senior project manager at the Electric Power Research Institute in California. She also founded a University spin-out company, Elimpus – which provides products

to a reduction in the transmission of the beam at these wavelengths. This process can be used to identify target gases and measure their concentrations, pressures and temperatures. Tuneable diode laser spectroscopy (TDLS) is one of the most widely used and advantageous methods for making such measurements using this basic absorption phenomenon. Techniques based on TDLS are non-contact, non-invasive and rely only on the interaction of laser light with the gas. Hence, they are ideal for measurements in extremely harsh environments, such as in fuel cells at 800°C or in the plumes or combustion chambers of aero engines at >1200°C, where no other direct sensing techniques are possible.

“In this project we will be applying TDLS to the measurement of the concentrations of target gas species in the exhaust plumes of aero-engines and using tomographic techniques to

and services for monitoring electricity sub-stations using radio frequency measurements.

Dr Portugues said: “It is a pleasure to accept this appointment and to be given the opportunity to drive this world-class facility forward. The Power Networks Demonstration Centre epitomises how collaboration between industry, the public sector and academia can turn great ideas into reality.

“The Centre will provide a unique environment to test and demonstrate these new technologies in a controlled and safe environment. This will speed up the development of the technology while reducing delivery risk.”

determine the cross-sectional distribution of the measured concentrations. This knowledge can be used to determine and control the health of the engine, its efficiency and its emissions. It can also be used to evaluate new low carbon fuels and engine development studies. The project will take the technology from the fundamental investigations in the laboratory all the way to demonstrations on operational aero-engines.”

The world class research centre, which is the first of its kind in Europe, will open later this year. It is being created by the University and leading energy companies including ScottishPower and SSE, with support from Scottish Enterprise and the Scottish Funding Council.

EPSRC Grant to Centre of Microsystems and Photonics

Operations Director Appointed to Leading Energy Centre

Dr Iliana Portugues

Professor Walter Johnstone and Dr Michael

Lengden

engineering insight [ Summer 2012 - Issue 06 ] 05

Funding has been granted for a new centre to develop and

demonstrate offshore and onshore wind turbine asset management to support Scotland in meeting its ambitious renewable energy targets.

The Centre for Intelligent Asset Management (CIAM) is a partnership between the University and SgurrEnergy, a renewable energy consultancy, part of Wood Group, CIAM will develop innovative techniques to improve the availability of offshore wind farms and reduce the need for expensive reactive offshore maintenance.

The good news comes just months after the University, SgurrEnergy and David Brown Gear Systems unveiled plans for a new £2.6 million Centre for Advanced Condition Monitoring (CACM) – a leading research hub for academics and industry, to develop new approaches for wind technology condition monitoring design in the centre of Glasgow.

The new partnership will work alongside CACM and the University’s Wind Energy Systems Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT), which is funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to provide high level training to PhD students to help address the skills shortage in the renewables sector.

Working in parallel with these important bodies, CIAM will support the UK’s rapidly growing offshore wind industry. Estimates suggest by 2050, offshore wind could be worth £65 billion to the UK and could support hundreds of thousands of jobs.

Professor Jim McDonald, Principal of the University of Strathclyde, said:

“Today’s announcement reflects Scotland’s position as a global leader

in energy research and technology, and is the latest chapter in Glasgow’s

renewables success story. We’re delighted to be working in partnership

with SgurrEnergy to accelerate innovation and support the UK’s

ambitions as a low carbon economy.”

The multi-disciplinary partnership involves academics from the University’s Departments of Electronic & Electrical Engineering (EEE), Management Science and Design, Manufacture & Engineering Management. It comes just days after Business Secretary Vince Cable announced Glasgow would host the headquarters of the £50 million UK-wide Catapult Centre for Offshore Renewable Energy.

Dr Francis Quail from the Department of EEE and Director of CACM

New Research Centre to Support the UK’s Offshore Wind Industry

Dr Francis Quail

[ New Ventures ]

and CIAM, said: “The new Centre for Intelligent Asset Management will align the significant power of Wood Group’s offshore engineering experience and the offshore renewables expertise of SgurrEnergy with the UK’s centre of excellence for wind energy research. The potential to create the most advanced tools for offshore wind turbine asset management within this framework represents an exciting and strategic partnership that aims to reduce the cost of energy from offshore wind by reducing maintenance costs and increasing wind turbine availability.”

Ian Irvine, Technical Director at SgurrEnergy, said: “We are delighted to be involved in this significant project and we look forward to developing this partnership for the benefit of the UK wind industry as a whole, recognising the worldwide potential for its application to wind turbines and other renewable energy technologies”.

Glasgow is aiming to become a centre of excellence in offshore wind through development of the ITREZ (International Technology and Renewable Energy Zone). A key initiative of this engagement between Industry and Academia is planned through the University of Strathclyde’s Technology Innovation Centre which is due to open in 2014.

[ Summer 2012 - Issue 06 ] 06

The Faculty of Engineering recently expanded its outreach activities by

welcoming 35 primary school teachers to participate in Primary Engineer. Although the Faculty already runs a number of outreach projects, such as the Scottish Space School, Headstart and Accelerate, which are all aimed at high school children, this is the first project that has been run within the Faculty that encourages younger primary school children to consider a career in engineering by experiencing engineering activities in the classroom.

Primary Engineer is a not-for-profit organisation established in 2005 with the aim of encouraging more young people to consider careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) related professions. Their vision is that girls and boys from a very early age will aspire to becoming the designers and creators - the engineers of the future. The course is aimed at

Process Excellence methodologies such as Lean and Six Sigma have

been widely accepted globally across a number of manufacturing and service organisations. Lean is primarily focused on elimination of waste on a continual basis between business processes, whereas Six Sigma addresses the variation within a business process - which often is the enemy of quality. The application of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) in the Public Sector is in its infancy, especially in the case of Higher Education. Professor Jiju Antony, from the Department of Design, Manufacture and Engineering Management, is leading the development and implementation of a new business process improvement programme across Strathclyde in collaboration

Primary Teachers who are looking for fresh and exciting ways to support the delivery of design and technology projects through the application of practical maths and science.

Primary Engineer staff, Christine James and Steve Crowther, organised and ran the course, with help from a number of IMechE student ambassadors from Strathclyde who worked with the teachers on their projects. The project required the teachers, with help from the student ambassadors, to design and make a powered vehicle which could move forwards and backwards, climb an incline and be covered with a removable outer body. There are four age groups targeted by the project; five and six year olds are Apprentice level 1, seven and eight are Apprentice level 2 and age nine, ten and eleven are Engineering Levels 1 and 2.

The aim is for each school that

participates in Primary Engineer to have their own dedicated student ambassador who can visit the school and be of assistance to the teachers when they are recreating the project that they are taught on the course with their class - inspiring the children with a vision of modern engineering and engineers.

The day was hailed to be a great success with all of the participants commenting on how much they enjoyed it and how beneficial they think it will be to them.

One participant commented “Best CPD ever! This was a fantastic

day which really inspired me to take the technology back to my class. The IMechE

students that helped us on the day were an inspiration and a great support.”

For more information visit www.primaryengineer.com

Primary Engineer Comes to Strathclyde

Adopting Cross-Industry Best Practices for Process Excellence in the Higher Education Sector

with Donna Cullen from the University’s Information Services Directorate.

SLEEK (Strathclyde’s Lean Six Sigma approach to Efficiency in Education Kit) draws on the success of LSS and Systems Thinking in manufacturing, engineering and public sector organisations but is being adapted and tailored to meet the very unique circumstances of the Higher Education environment. The blend of tools and techniques incorporated within SLEEK will be entirely transferrable and could provide a collaborative framework for benchmarking across Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Professor Antony has been heavily involved in the introduction of Process Excellence methods across a large number of UK based manufacturing, service and public sector organisations.

The LSS Process Excellence methodology (i.e. Lean Six Sigma), led by Professor Antony, has been successfully adopted by over 40 companies over the past five years and has led to several millions in bottom-line savings. Strathclyde hopes to learn and indeed benefit from this through its own SLEEK Programme.

With support the University, staff across the institution are engaging well with SLEEK and whilst initial projects have focussed on operational activity, it is hoped that academic staff will also see merit in the application of the SLEEK methodology. The initial focus has been applied to operational matters although it has been anticipated that there will be wider applications of this methodology at the University as SLEEK becomes embedded.

[ New Ventures ]


The Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC) which is hosted by

the Department of Design, Manufacture and Engineering Management, is a partner in the new High Value Manufacturing Catapult Centre - a newly formed consortium of research centres around the UK, supported by the UK’s Technology Strategy Board.

The seven members of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult currently employ 625 staff and, by the end of its first six months, Catapult is projecting commercial income of £10 million, with an additional £10 million of in-kind contributions from industrial clients. Over the same period, the Catapult will also have invested around £50 million in capital and revenue programmes, including around £20 million from the Technology Strategy Board.

The Technology Strategy Board will invest more than £140 million in the High Value Manufacturing Catapult over a six-year period to stimulate manufacturing in the UK, reduce the risk in innovation for new and established UK manufacturing businesses and attract international business to the UK.

Manufacturing has a key role to play in economic growth and rebalancing the economy, in particular driving exports and productivity. It represents between 11% and 12% of gross domestic product, and the international market for manufactured goods has grown at a consistent 3% a year over the last few decades.

The High Value Manufacturing Catapult will support manufacturing in a number of different industries including pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, healthcare, aerospace, automotive, energy, chemicals, electronics, and food and beverages. It will focus on technologies with the broadest possible applications

across sectors. Catapult will help UK businesses stay at the leading edge of manufacturing technology and create and protect jobs long into the future.

The Catapult is working with some of the UK’s leading manufacturing companies – including AgustaWestland, Airbus, Areva, Boeing, GKN, Gudel, Hewlett Packard, Jaguar Land Rover, Rolls-Royce, Vestas and Westinghouse in addition to a long list of small and medium-sized enterprises and with academia to support the process of commercialising business-led research and innovation that will help UK manufacturing become more competitive on a world stage.

AFRC High Value Manufacturing Catapult Centre

[ New Ventures ]

The AFRC building

[ Summer 2012 - Issue 06 ] 08

An innovative low-cost smart paint that can detect microscopic faults

in wind turbines, mines and bridges before structural damage occurs is being developed by researchers in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

The environmentally-friendly paint uses nanotechnology to detect movement in large structures, and could shape the future of safety monitoring.

Traditional methods of assessing large structures are complex, time consuming and use expensive instrumentation, with costs spiraling into millions of pounds each year. However, the smart paint costs just a fraction of the cost and can be simply sprayed onto any surface, with electrodes attached to detect structural damage long before failure occurs.

Dr Mohamed Saafi, from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, said: “The development of this smart paint technology could have far-reaching implications for the way we monitor the safety of large structures all over the world.

“There are no limitations as to where it could be used and the low-cost nature gives it a significant advantage over the current options available in the industry. The process of producing and applying the paint also gives it an advantage as no expertise is required and monitoring itself is straightforward.”

The paint is formed using a recycled waste product known as fly ash and highly aligned carbon nanotubes. When mixed it has a cement-like property which makes it particularly useful in harsh environments.

Dr Saafi explained: “The process of monitoring involves in effect a wireless sensor network. The paint is interfaced

with wireless communication nodes with power harvesting and warning capability to remotely detect any unseen damage such as micro-cracks in a wind turbine concrete foundation.

“Wind turbine foundations are currently being monitored through visual inspections. The developed paint with the wireless monitoring system would significantly reduce the maintenance costs and improve the safety of these large structures.

“Current technology is restricted to looking at specific areas of a structure at any given time, however, smart paint covers the whole structure which is particularly useful to maximise the opportunity of preventing significant damage.”

The research has been carried out at Strathclyde with Dr Saafi working alongside David McGahon, who initiated the work as part of his PhD project. With fly ash being the main material used to make the paint, it costs just one percent of the alternative widely used inspection methods.

A prototype has been developed and tests have shown the paint to be highly effective. It is hoped further tests will be carried out in the near future.

Dr Saafi added: “We are able to carry out the end-to-end process at the University and we are hoping that we can now demonstrate its effectiveness on a large structure.

“The properties of the fly ash give the paint a durability that will allow it to be used in any environment which will be a massive advantage in areas where the weather can make safety monitoring particularly difficult.

“The smart paint represents a significant development and is one that has possibly been overlooked as a viable solution because research tends to focus on high-tech options that look to eliminate human control. Our research shows that by maintaining the human element the costs can be vastly reduced without an impact on effectiveness.”

Smart Paint Could Revolutionise Structural Safety

[ Research ]

Research

Dr Mohamed Saafi and David McGahon


Gareth Jones, a second year PhD student from the Department of

Civil and Environmental Engineering, has become the first European student to be awarded a Geometrics Scholarship. The scholarship is designated to promote outstanding young researchers working in the field of applied geophysics and also to help them disseminate their research at an international level.

The award was presented to Gareth by Mr Douglas Groom, a Director of Geometrics, during the 25th Symposium on the Application of Geophysics to Engineering and Environmental Problems (SAGEEP), which was held in March in Tucson, Arizona, USA. The SAGEEP Conference brings together,

A team of power system researchers in the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering (EEE) have started a substantial new research initiative with SSE’s power distribution business (Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution Limited (SHEPD)) to investigate the options for lower carbon energy provision on the Shetland Isles. The £1.4 million research programme is led by Professor Graham Ault and involves Dr Ivana Kockar, Dr Keith Bell, Dr Stuart Galloway, Dr Olimpo Anaya-

academics, practitioners and industry working on the broad spectrum of geophysical applications in the field of applied geophysics. Gareth’s work was recognised as extremely exceptional.

Gareth is working in the Infrastructure Research Group at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, under the supervision of Drs’ Philippe Sentenac and Marcin Zielinski. His research is focused on better understanding the electrical properties of drying soils. Gareth also successfully developed the 3-D miniature resistivity array which is currently being used as a non-invasive technique for the detection of desiccation cracking in both laboratory models and earth structures. Gareth accepting his prize

Civil Student Awarded Geometrics Scholarship

SSE Project to Decarbonise Power Generation on the Shetland Isles

[ Research ]

Lara, Professor Stephen McArthur and Professor David Infield as well as several other EEE research staff and students as well as colleagues from the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Economics and Management Science departments.

The team will develop computer models of various aspects of system development and operation and simulate the use of energy storage, demand response and active power network management as a means of enabling

further renewable energy development in the Shetland power system and paving the way for a less expensive planned replacement of the Lerwick Power Station.

The project runs until late 2013 and the results will also feed into the continuing discourse about lower carbon energy supplies for the UK as a whole through the national Low Carbon Networks Fund programme.

The Low Carbon Networks Fund was established by Ofgem as part of the electricity distribution price control arrangements. The Fund allows up to £500 million support to projects sponsored by the distribution network operators (DNOs) to try out new technology, operating and commercial arrangements. The objective of the projects is to help all DNOs understand what they need to do to provide security of supply with value for money as Great Britain moves to a low carbon economy.

[ Summer 2012 - Issue 06 ] 10

Researchers in Scotland and Cuba are ridding the Caribbean nation of a

major ecological problem while producing one of the world’s most sought after substances.

Research led by Professor Peter Hall, from the Faculty of Engineering, has found that Marabú – a type of hard wood shrub that has invaded over 1.5 million hectares of land in Cuba – can be used to produce highly valuable activated carbon.

Activated carbon is most commonly used to produce batteries and has many uses from water and gas purification to sewage treatment. It can also be used as a medical tool to treat poisonings and overdoses. However, its purification properties are the most valuable as Cuba

currently imports £5 million worth of activated carbon for use in rum production – a crucial part of the country’s economy.

Professor Hall said: “Cuba appears to be the only country in the world that has such a serious ecological problem with Marabú. It is invading the terrain throughout the country at an alarming rate, destroying the environmental landscape and effectively sterilising what has historically been the world’s most productive agricultural land.

“However, our research has shown that we can use it to produce an extremely high quality version of activated carbon worth more than £1,200 per tonne. We have already been able to demonstrate water pollution control using Marabú and aside from the obvious benefits for Cuba’s

economy, this research could provide good quality drinking water for developing countries throughout the world.”

The Strathclyde researchers are using technology on campus to process the Marabú, and the same technique will be deployed in Cuba to convert the Marabú on a much greater scale.

Havana Energy, a renewable energy company working in partnership with the Cuban Government has played a key role instigating and leading the research and delegates visited the University as part of the ongoing project.

Mr Andrew MacDonald, Director and CEO of Havana Energy, added: “The journey began when, with our Cuban partners, we were trying to identify a secondary feedstock for the bagasse power plant which we are developing together since there is a window of the year when sugar cane can’t be harvested. The Marabú project is truly unique, turning a pest into a valuable energy source...it’s a true win-win all round.”

Researchers at Strathclyde, with funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), have also used the Marabú to produce energy storage devices, in particular Li-air batteries and ionic liquid supercapacitors.

Some countries, including China, already have some city buses running on supercapacitors and the government want all buses in major cities to use these devices.

The business/academia link between the industry project funders Havana Energy, Reactor Technologies and the University of Strathclyde was brought about through a scientific mission funded by Scottish Development International that introduced Scottish agricultural and carbon experts to Cuban government ministers.

Pioneering Engineers Turn Destructive Plant into Valuable Carbon

[ Research ]


A very ambitious research project was initiated in February 2012 as a

collaboration between the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Strathclyde and the School of Life Sciences, Heriot-Watt University. The aim is to apply a new monitoring technology and methodology for brownfield land site investigations.

As part of the Government’s commitment to sustainable development, the Planning Advice Note (PAN) 33 is designed to ‘encourage the reuse of brownfield land and ensure that redevelopment of former industrial and other potentially contaminated sites addresses any on-site contamination’. In assessing brownfield sites for redevelopment, intrusive investigations are carried out to assess contamination, geology and hydrogeology. Such investigations are expensive, requiring the hire of expensive equipment (excavator or drill rigs), which incur standing charges when not in use and provide information from discrete ‘window’ samples only.

Dr Stella Pytharouli (University of Strathclyde) and Dr Thomas Aspray (Heriot-Watt University) suggest the use

R esearchers in the Centre of Excellence in Signal and Image

Processing, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, along with colleagues from the School of Psychological Sciences at Strathclyde and the University of Glasgow Sleep Centre, have joined forces to develop a prototype decision support system for crew fatigue monitoring in commercial shipping.

The project has been awarded financial support from the Scottish Sensors Systems Centre and Safety at Sea (Brook Bells Group). The consortium previously worked together on a Bridging the

of seismometers in brownfield land site investigations. Their work is funded by NESTA (National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts) and the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

Their idea originated from previous published research on the successful identification of the presence of hydrocarbon reservoirs using microtremors. Microtremors are low amplitude ground vibrations (much smaller than those originating from earthquakes or explosions). Their

Civil Engineers Ask ‘What Lies Beneath?’

Tackling Human Fatigue in the Maritime Industry

[ Research ]

existence is due to human activity e.g. traffic, and/or natural phenomena such as oceanic waves, tides, wind, rain etc, that can be detected almost at every site. The presence of specific frequency content and its amplitude in the seismometer recordings could be associated with ‘what lies beneath’ the surface.

If successful, this research will be a pioneering approach as neither this type of equipment nor this methodology have been applied for such purposes.

Gap funded project to create a fatigue database using a controlled level of sleep deprived volunteers. The database is helping in the selection and use of several novel facial analysis methods for the development of a base measurement for fatigue level quantification arising from sleep deprivation.

Some of these methods, initially developed for clinical facial monitoring and spot lie detection, were later adapted to produce the Glasgow Facial Palsy Scale (GFPS) - in use throughout hospitals in Glasgow and across Europe. The current work aims to deliver a tool which

will have significant impact on improving safety in the maritime industry. It will be deployed in workstations within the bridge and engine room controls. A particular issue in the maritime industry relates to sleep patterns within the shift system.

Fatigue is a significant contributor to maritime accidents with ship movements, vibration, noise and lighting all potential sources that can disrupt quantity or quality of sleep. Prior to one of the greatest environmental disasters of modern times, the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989, the bridge watch official had been awake for 18-19 hours out of the previous 24 hours.

[ Summer 2012 - Issue 06 ] 12

Pioneering researchers from the Department of Mechanical and

Aerospace Engineering are developing an innovative technique based on lasers that could radically change asteroid deflection technology.

The research has unearthed the possibility of using a swarm of relatively small satellites flying in formation and cooperatively firing solar-powered lasers onto an asteroid – this would overcome the difficulties associated with current methods that are focused on large unwieldy spacecraft.

Dr Massimiliano Vasile, from the Department, is leading the research. He said: “The approach we are developing would involve sending small satellites, capable of flying in formation with the asteroid and firing their lasers targeting the asteroid at close range.

“The use of high power lasers in space for civil and commercial applications is in its infancy and one of the main challenges is to have high power, high efficiency and high beam quality all at the same time.

“The additional problem with asteroid deflection is that when the laser begins to break down the surface of the object, the plume of gas and debris impinges the spacecraft and contaminates the laser. However, our laboratory tests have proven that the level of contamination is less than expected and the laser could continue to function for longer than anticipated.”

While the likelihood of an immediate threat from an asteroid strike remains low, it is widely recognised that researching preventative measures is of significant importance.

Dr Vasile added: “Smaller asteroids collide with Earth more frequently and

generally burn in the atmosphere, although some of them reach the ground or explode at low altitude potentially causing damage to buildings and people.

“We could reduce the threat posed by the potential collision with small to medium size objects using a flotilla of small agile spacecraft each equipped with a highly efficient laser which is much more feasible than a single large spacecraft carrying a multi mega watt. Our system is scalable, a larger asteroid would require adding one or more spacecraft to the flotilla, and intrinsically redundant - if one spacecraft fails the others can continue.”

Dr. Vasile is now investigating the use of the same concept to remove space debris. The number of objects in orbit classified as debris is ever-increasing and there is currently no widely accepted solution for their removal. The researchers believe the space-borne lasers could be used to lower the original orbit of the space debris and reduce the congestion.

Dr Vasile said: “The amount of debris in orbit is such that we might experience a so called Kessler syndrome – this is when the density becomes so high that collisions between objects could cause an exponentially increasing cascade of other collisions.

“While there is significant monitoring in place to keep track of these objects, there is no specific system in place to remove them and our research could be a possible solution.

“A major advantage of using our technique is that the laser does not have to be fired from the ground. Obviously there are severe restrictions with that process as it has to travel through the atmosphere, has a constrained range of action and can hit the debris only for short arcs.”

The research was carried out in collaboration with the University of Strathclyde’s Institute of Photonics and was presented to the Planetary Society at the end of February.

Engineers Set Their Sights on Asteroid Deflection

[ Research ]

Dr Vasile with one of the ASCL students


A smart collar which closely monitors the health of cows and

sends the results back to farmers using mobile phone technology is being developed by The Centre for Intelligent Dynamic Communications (CIDCOM), within the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, and its partners.

The Technology Strategy Board (TSB) has given a substantial grant towards the £1.4 million, three-year project to develop the technology, which could make huge savings for farmers. It is the result of collaboration between the University of Strathclyde, Morrisons, Scottish Agricultural College (SAC), NMR, Harbro, Well Cow and Embedded Technology Solutions (a Strathclyde spin-out company) – who are developing the technology.

The equipment involves each cow wearing an intelligent collar that picks up on subtle movements with the same sensor used in Wii gaming and generates a continuous record of their activity patterns. Results will then be sent back using a range of wireless technologies like 3G, with a full update accessible via a hub or even through

a mobile phone. It is envisaged that farmers can set up alerts for their phone to receive a text when a cow is in distress, coming in to heat or entering labour.

Wireless technology means that the signal from the cow’s collar would be accessible from anywhere, so farmers can check on their cattle’s status using their phone wherever they are. It will provide vital improvements in the important areas of cow illness and streamline the insemination process.

By accurately sensing the cow’s head positions in three dimensions, the collar will be able to detect if the animal’s hind legs begin to lower – one of the initial signs of illness. The sensor on the collar will also detect when a cow is coming into heat and alert the farmer so he can optimise the process of insemination, increasing cow pregnancy rates. Without this technology, close monitoring of each cow, which can take hours every day, is required to look for the signs of heat.

With both efficient insemination and cow health crucial for farm profitability

‘Texting Cow’ Technology Boost for Farmers– the development could help to sustain the financial future of farms. The collar technology is now entering its next phase thanks to the TSB grant and a commitment by Morrisons to provide its farm at Dumfries House in Scotland for the testing of the technology.

Professor Jim McDonald, Principal of Strathclyde, said: “It is essential that technology innovation, positive

social impact and economic development go hand in hand. This exciting project will contribute to all of these themes. I am delighted to

see Embedded Technology Solutions Ltd progress so well and continue Strathclyde’s extensive record of

translating ground-breaking research into high value, high quality products.”

David Evans, Morrisons Head of Agriculture said: “The future of farming is extremely important to us as a business, as is animal welfare. This technology can help secure it by allowing farmers to monitor the health conditions of individual cows far more easily and accurately. “Not only can this development help to save the farmer money, it can also help to keep food affordable.”

David Alvis, who leads the Technology Strategy Board’s work on sustainable agriculture and food, said: “We are delighted to support this innovative project.

“Addressing animal health and welfare challenges and improving animal performance monitoring are vital pieces of the food security jigsaw. The technologies developed through this project have the potential to benefit farming communities in the UK and around the world and we wish the partners every success.”

Some cows wearing the collars

Dr Patwardhan

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[ Summer 2012 - Issue 06 ] 14

Dr Patwardhan

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Dr S. V. Patwardhan from the Department of Chemical and

Process Engineering is part of a team being awarded a prestigious Japanese grant in collaboration with Dr Keiji Numata from RIKEN in Japan. RIKEN is a highly recognised Japanese research institution with a strong track record of publishing over 200 articles in Nature and Science in the last 10 years.

The grant, worth approximately $400,000 for four years, is funded by

Various competing methods and processes will have roles to play

in meeting the growing demands for miniature and micro-manufacturing. With a project cost of €21.4 million, EU FP6 IP MASMICRO, led by the Department of Design, Manufacture and Engineering Management at Strathclyde, adopted an integrating approach, embracing technologies with the ability to contribute to efficient, cost-effective production chains.

By the end of its 51 month term, this project had produced more than 50 exploitable results, a number of which were already at an industry-ready stage. Over the three years from the end of the project, more results have been taken gradually by industry. Overall, the project

New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) for young researchers, under the Green Innovation theme. NEDO conducts various activities focusing on research and development related to oil-alternative energy technology, technology for the efficient use of energy, and industrial technology. It is also Japan’s largest public R&D management organisation with an annual budget of approximately $1.8 billion.

Our excessive reliance on fossil fuels is unsustainable in the long run due to the increasing global demand for fossil-based resources, dwindling reserves, and climate change caused by their use. The idea is to develop technologies using green nanomaterials in conjunction with biotechnological advances to exploit

biological methods for the production of bioplastics and biofuels from renewable sources. Bioplastics and biofuels are attractive to construct a sustainable society without using fossil fuels.

The proposed project is of multidisciplinary nature involving materials, engineering, biotechnology, biochemistry and processing/production. The project was conceived during a Royal Society funded visit to RIKEN in early 2011. Strathclyde’s role will be generating and optimising novel nanomaterials as gene delivery vehicles. This award will allow researchers the opportunity to visit the collaborator’s country, learn new skills and build long-lasting links. Further to this, a PhD studentship has been awarded by the Faculty for this project.

Funding Awarded for an International Collaboration on Bioplastic and Biofuel Production

MASMICRO Technology Integration Showing the Way to Cost-Effective Production

has generated more than 10 patents, four spin-offs and 150 publications, as well as significant industry applications.

For example, spin-offs respectively in Ultra-Precision Micro/nano-Machining, In-situ Material-Testing, Micro-Robotic Handling, and Manufacturing Execution Systems were established. In addition two evolved bench-top Micro-/Nano Cutting machines have been sold and another one is being constructed.

MASMICRO has also helped Tecan Ltd (a leading micro-manufacturing company) in improving their manufacturing process, which has been incorporated into their routine production and has helped them to exceed their sale targets every month since incorporation.

As one of the major developments in the MASMICRO project, the Manufacturing Execution System (software) has been transformed successfully to a company in Germany creating 17 new jobs. In its first 16 months of implementation, 30% of the company’s turnover (approximately over €1.5 million) was generated by this product.


The Department of Architecture has recently launched LEARn (Linking

Education Architecture and Research Initiative). The process aims for a continuous inclusive environment for strategic decision-making whereby all the various components of the Department will have a voice in defining its future and its identity in a challenging world. The process will examine how innovative research-informed teaching and learning can support the education of first class architects for today’s rapidly changing global sector. It will also aim to guide the Department’s future within dynamic and innovative facilities, and encourage continued collaboration with other staff and students in the Faculty of Engineering, and with partners in practice.

A well-attended two-day conference and workshop on the 5th and 6th March marked the start of this initiative. Leading experts in architecture and education from the United States and the UK discussed with staff and students from the Department the role of architecture and urbanism globally, and how these should be taught in a world characterised by uncertainty and rapid change. Speakers included Robert Shibley and Lynda Schneekloth from the University of Buffalo in New York, Jeff Stein, President of the Cosanti Foundation in Arizona, Anne Markey from London Metropolitan University, and Ray Land from Durham University. The Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Professor Scott MacGregor, gave the opening address welcoming the guest speakers, and underlining the importance of the event and the University’s commitment to supporting a first class learning and research environment for Architecture.

LEARn Process Launched by Architecture Department

The staff, students and visitors attending the LEARn event

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Dr David Grierson, Deputy Head of Architecture and Chair of the Graduate

School of Engineering said, “This is just the start of an ongoing process that will build on our reputation for

excellence in our graduates, our extensive engagement with practice,

and underpin the future of Architecture here at Strathclyde.”

Following introductory comments from Professor Sergio Porta, Head of Architecture, and Michael Angus, Director of Education, the second day moved to workshop discussions among groups of participating staff, students, alumni, and guests covering a range of local and global issues, from the future of architecture and urbanism generally, to the identity of Architecture at Strathclyde. Participants were asked what they would like to see kept alongside what

they would like to see change in the current teaching model.

Dr Grierson commented, “Over the two days there was scope for a lot to be discussed and I think it proved very helpful and constructive for those who attended. There was also a remarkable amount of consensus about where we should be heading. A LEARn website will shortly be launched linked to the Architecture Department’s homepage. Among other things this will contain a draft report of the outcomes of the two-day event. There will be an opportunity for everyone who wants to contribute comments and views, including those who were unable to come along to the event, to do so.”

This open LEARn process is expected to grow with input from a variety of stakeholders over the coming weeks and months to become a platform for the Department’s direction of travel in the years ahead.

[ Summer 2012 - Issue 06 ] 16

Chiara Mazzoni is a PhD student within the Department of Civil

and Environmental Engineering. Her PhD focuses on novel nanoseismic survey techniques to enhance mine and tunnel design. During the first few weeks of study Chiara travelled to Brazil for approximately six weeks via the Department’s GeoExcel project for training. She visited the University of Brasilia, Brasilia and was based in the Geotechnical Department who specialise in tunnel design. She also spent some time at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal who specialise in the use of nanoseismic sensors for insitu civil engineering applications. The instruments used in Brazil are very similar to the instrumentation within Strathclyde’s Civil and Environmental Engineering Department resulting in the trip being very worthwhile toward Chiara fulfilling her research aims.

Chiara’s research introduces the novel concept of utilising nanoseismic

monitoring as a highly sensitive insitu detection method to enhance engineering design applications. The nanoseismic monitoring equipment at Strathclyde has the capability to determine the source of seismic energy within a range of 10m to 10Km and to determine a lower magnitude limit of ML -3.0. Her research will use techniques to deploy nanoseismometers within a tunnel allowing the rock fractures induced during construction to be mapped. The main aim of her research is to evaluate subsurface fracture exposure mapping by developing new Mat Lab algorithms.

When Chiara returned from Brazil she represented the Department at the Learning from International Practice (LFIP) event held at Ross Priory with University Court Members. She spoke about her inspiring experience taking part in the interns@strathclyde program and why it encouraged her to become a researcher at Strathclyde. She also

Officially launched on 2 April 2012, ClimateXChange – the branding

for Scotland’s Centre of Expertise on Climate Change – is a five-year collaborative initiative between 16 of Scotland’s leading institutions undertaking work on climate change and transition to a low carbon economy. Involving more than 80 researchers, ClimateXChange aims to become a world-renowned centre of expertise, delivering objective, independent, integrated and authoritative evidence to support the Scottish Government in relation to its activities on climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience and delivery of a low carbon society.

Three Strathclyde academics are collaborating in two out of the 14 Workstrands of this virtual Centre. Professor Peter McGregor (Economics

Learning from International Practice – A Trip to Brazil

ClimateXChange Initiative Launched

Some of the equipment used by Chiara

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discussed the benefits that the GeoExcel funded training in Brazil is currently having on her research. The training not only gave the opportunity for her to develop as a researcher but allowed an appreciation for international cultures. The trip has encouraged Chiara to promote engineering and the university to young adults as she has recently become a STEM Ambassador. Chiara has recently received funding from the American Society of Petroleum Geologists to carry out extensive experimental work in the field.

Department), is working on the “System-Wide Impact of Mitigation” while Professor Zoe Shipton and Dr Elsa João (Civil and Environmental Engineering Department/David Livingstone Centre for Sustainability), are working on “Perception and Communication of Risk and Uncertainty”.

The ability to model and influence different stakeholder responses to climate change requires understanding people’s risk perceptions and the factors (such as trust, costs and benefits, control) that influence those perceptions. Professor Shipton and Dr João’s work (together with colleagues at Aberdeen University and the James Hutton Institute) will support policy by analysing how perceptions of risk and uncertainty are formed and communicated, and will suggest ways in which behaviour by experts, policy makers

and stakeholders can be changed to take risk and uncertainty into account.

A key innovative feature of ClimateXChange is that it includes an enquiry facility (“call-down service”) that allows policy makers to ask questions and obtain scientific evidence and professional opinion from ClimateXChange researchers. ClimateXChange has already responded to 20 specific policy enquiries. For example, a query about future windstorms in Scotland resulted in a brief, produced in less than two weeks, that has already been used to inform policy thinking on how future windstorms might affect the built environment.

More information about ClimateXChange can be found at: http://www.climatexchange.org.uk/


On 27 March 2012, a collection of journalists visited the Isle of Bute

to hear about the White Space rural broadband trial that is taking place on the southern part of the island.

The trial is part of a Collaborative R&D project on the Isle of Bute, looking at extending Gigabit Ethernet Access via white space spectrum for rural broadband applications. The trial is supported by the UK’s Technology Strategy Board, and involves six collaborating partners – the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering at the University of Strathclyde, BT, BBC, Netpropagate, Berg Design and Steepest Ascent.

The journalists were given an overview of BT’s plans to increase broadband coverage in rural areas by BT Scotland Director, Brendan Dick, and this was followed by an overview of the White Space trial on Bute, given by Chris Gibbs, Director of Insight, Innovation, and Futures at BT Openreach.

Isle of Bute Rural Broadband Trial Featured on BBC’s Newsnight Scotland

A number of local residents participating in the trial gave accounts of how the arrival of broadband has transformed their lives. Many of them run their own local businesses and the ever-increasing drive to do all manner of things online (e.g. tax returns, ordering of supplies, checking livestock pedigree) makes decent broadband connectivity more of a necessity than a luxury.

The BBC’s technology correspondent, Rory Cellan-Jones, was able to make a video call on his iPad from a remote location some 5-6km from the local telephone exchange, something that would have been completely unthinkable 12 months ago.

The Centre for White Space Communication is a multi-disciplinary industry and academic centre investigating and undertaking R&D on the use and impact of ‘White Space’ spectrum. Set up in 2011 with seed funding from the Scottish Funding Council, the Centre is hosted

in the University of Strathclyde, with the University of the Highlands and Islands and the University of Stirling as partner universities. Researchers from the Centre’s laboratories in the University of Strathclyde have been heavily involved in the collaborative project on Bute, developing prototype White Space radio kit for deployment on the island and playing a key role in the installation and ongoing performance optimization of the broadband network that is currently up and running. Related activities include the development of self-sustaining, solar/wind-powered radio communications masts for use in rural areas where electricity supplies may be sparse or non-existent.

Dr David Crawford, who runs the Centre, said: “This is an exciting time to be at the leading edge of research

into the issues (both technical and non-technical) that need to be addressed in order to make White Space spectrum accessible on a

practical basis. The Centre for White Space Communications carries out industry-focused research in a number of areas related to

White Space communications, and continually seeks new opportunities to engage with companies and other

organisations from around the world.”

The project is featured on the BBC’s technology web pages http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-17541457 and was also featured on the BBC’s Newsnight Scotland programme on 28 March 2012 http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01f8b1m

For further information, visit: http://www.wirelesswhitespace.org.

[ Research ]

[ Summer 2012 - Issue 06 ] 18

Work carried out in the Department of Bioengineering by a group of

researchers led by Professor Helen Grant has investigated the mechanisms involved in adverse reactions to the metallic cobalt chromium (CoCr) alloy wear debris generated from the ASR™ hip joint.

The manuscript is to be published by the Royal Society Interface and represents the work of a PhD student, Moeed Akbar, funded by an EPSRC Case Award with De Puy International Ltd, in collaboration with Professor Jim Brewer and colleagues from Glasgow University. It demonstrates an inflammatory reaction in response to implantation of the CoCr wear debris into mice, and shows the

EPSRC and Department of Science and Technology funding is supporting

researchers in the Department of Design, Manufacture and Engineering Management (DMEM) to investigate the feasibility of crowdsourcing human intelligence via the internet in rural India and the Scottish Highlands. Many commentators in academia, government and NGOs have identified the potential of the internet to distribute work to geographically remote communities. But if such schemes are to make a significant economic contribution to the rural population a long term source of skilled, high value, “distributable” work has to be found. The DMEM researchers believe that the geometric reasoning tasks associated with many industrial processes and engineering computations have the potential to provide, such a sustained ‘value proposition’ for both buyers and sellers of the work. The belief is based on the observation that humans, regardless of their educational or social background,

Department of Bioengineering Hip Joint Research

Distributing Industrial Optimisation Tasks to Rural Workers

[ Research ]

presence of necrosis and fibrosis locally in adjacent tissues.

Previous work by the group using the same animal model published in the Journal of Biomedical Material Research last month demonstrated the

release of metal ions, particularly cobalt, from the wear debris. Cobalt ions disseminated rapidly into the

blood, and were measured in organs including the liver,

kidney, heart, lungs, spleen, brain and testes.

These findings in the in vivo mouse model suggest that

encapsulation of the wear debris with inflammatory

cells and fibrotic tissue, as well as formation of necrotic

tissue and release of cobalt ions into the circulation may contribute to the adverse reactions to metal debris observed in patients.

are adept at manipulating and reasoning about shapes, a task that computers find extraordinarily difficult to do.

Funded by the ‘Bridging the Urban and Rural Divide’ programme the researchers are investigating the thesis that large numbers of industrial optimisation tasks could be outsourced to rural workers to provide a sustainable source of skilled employment.

The goal of the three-year programme is to deliver a ‘business model’ (supported by the performance and economic evidence from a series of trials) that can deliver long term benefits to the rural population in India. The challenges of delivering this objective range from the social and training issues associated with low literacy rates to the establishment of the performance metrics and pricing models required by the industrial customers.

Working with colleagues at the Indian

Institute of Information Technology Allahabad (IIITA) the project is conducting a series of benchmarking trials to establish how effectively this internet workforce can carry out tasks such as the interactive nesting of 2D profiles for sheet metal stamping. The project would welcome suggestions for 2 or 3D industrial tasks that might be suitable test cases.

The project team from DMEM is Professor Jonathan Corney, Dr Nuran Acur, Dr Marisa Smith, Dr Andrew Lynn, Dr Prasanna Jagadeesan and Dr Gokula Annamalai-Vasantha.


Professor Dracos Vassalos from the Department of Naval Architecture

and Marine Engineering (NAME) has had continued success after being awarded a Gold Medal entitled the ‘William Froude Medal’. This prestigious award is given by the Royal Institution of Naval Architects for outstanding contributions to naval architecture and/or shipbuilding.

The award is a further award for Dracos’, who is the Director of the Ship Stability Research Centre (SSRC), following recent success in winning the Sustained Achievement Award from the Royal Academy of Engineering for his career-long achievements and their profound impact on his discipline.

From the past days of celestial navigation to the present, where we

navigate by satellite, the voyage-planning dilemma has remained the same: should decision-makers plan the least expensive or the fastest voyage? Should they save money or time? In this respect, the collaborative effort of Danaos Corporation and the Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering (NAME) have been officially acknowledged by being awarded as finalists at the 2012 Franz Edelman conference and competition for the successful application of operations research in ship management optimisation. The world’s best analytics teams competed to win the 40th anniversary INFORMS Edelman Award competition, which took place at the Huntington Beach Hotel in Los Angeles on the 15-17 of April. At the end of the ceremony, each finalist was formally presented with the Franz Edelman Medal to recognise this distinction and the Danaos and Strathclyde team (T. Varelas, S. Archontaki, J.Dimotikalis, O.Turan, I.Lazakis and O.Varelas) were named Edelman laureates.

The innovative Operations Research In Ship

Continued Success for NAME Professor

Award Success for Operations Research Team

Head of the Department of NAME, Professor Atilla Incecik comments on Dracos success; “My colleagues in NAME and I are very proud of Dracos’ prestigious award. The William Froude Medal is the Institution’s highest professional award for professional achievement. Dracos’ achievements to improve ship safety through his Design for Safety initiative which brought together the maritime industry and academia have been exemplary.”

Dracos received his medal at The Royal Institution of Naval Architects’ Annual Dinner, which was held on 17 April, 2012 in London.

The ORISMA team

Dracos receiving his medal from Peter French, the President of the RINA

[ Awards ]

Awards

Management (ORISMA) toolkit has been initially developed by Danaos Corporation, effectively optimising ship routing. ORISMA offers a clear response to the conventional dilemma between least cost and faster voyage by maximising revenue while using all relevant information available: financial data, hydrodynamic models, weather conditions and marketing forecasts.

Incorporating operations research and expert knowledge, ORISMA consists of a full suite of world-class capabilities in scheduling optimisation, intelligent voyage planning, bunkering and chartering. During its first year of implementation, the ORISMA results were staggering, as it has been enthusiastically adopted by several shipping companies. Furthermore, in addition to profit maximisation, the ORISMA toolkit minimises carbon emissions, reduces the company’s onshore workload, increases the ship’s crew capability as well as escalates customer satisfaction.

The ORISMA project has been supervised by Professor Takis Varelas and Sofia Archontaki. From the Department of NAME, Professor Osman Turan and Dr

Iraklis Lazakis were involved in this effort, working together with Danaos for many years in the optimisation of ship operations using a number of modelling tools.

The Franz Edelman competition aims to bring forward, recognise and reward outstanding examples of operations research, management science and advanced analytics that are used to bring changes to society, industry and business. Held annually by the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS), the international competition pits six finalist teams from industry, government, healthcare and the non-profit sectors. Previous winners include, Motorola, Hewlett-Pachard, Netherland Railways and IBM.

[ Summer 2012 - Issue 06 ] 20

Faculty Knowledge Exchange Award

Researcher Takes Gold for Engineering Display in Parliament

The Faculty of Engineering Annual Knowledge Exchange Award for

2011 has been jointly awarded to Dr Francis Quail and Professor Donald MacKenzie for their outstanding industry engagement over the past 12 months.

Dr Francis Quail, of the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) PhD student

Jeannette Heiligers has struck gold at a prestigious competition in the House of Commons for engineering research.

Jeannette won the award for her innovative concept to improve observations of the poles from space to provide greater insight into global climate change.

She presented her research, which is a joint investigation with Dr Matteo Ceriotti, to dozens of politicians and a panel of expert judges, as part of the poster competition - SET for Britain. Her work was judged against 59 other shortlisted researchers’ work and came out on top.

Jeannette, who plans to use some of her £3,000 prize money to travel to the International Astronautical Congress in Naples, said: “I’m very happy and very honoured to win the prize. I am delighted to have been able to represent the University at such a high profile event

(EEE) has engaged with Sgurr Energy, now part of the Wood Group, and David Brown Gearbox Systems to develop a new initiative in condition monitoring. This activity is worth £2.6m and will bring 16 new positions within the Centre over the next five years.

Dr Quail commented on his win; “Strathclyde University has a long and proud history of innovative applied research and knowledge exchange. I feel extremely privileged to be recognised in that context.“

Professor Donald MacKenzie of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) has led a team of academic staff and researchers from the Departments of MAE and Design, Manufacture and Engineering Management (DMEM) to address the

research and development needs of the Weir group through the formation of the Weir Advanced Research Centre (WARC). This initiative also sees Weir staff seconded on-campus and will grow the relationship over the next five years.

Professor Mackenzie said “Establishing WARC has been a real team effort and I am very pleased to receive this award in recognition of the enthusiasm and commitment of all the staff engaged with the new research centre.”

Professor David Nash, Vice Dean Knowledge Exchange said that both contributions have made a step change in relationship engagement and it was impossible to differentiate between the nominations. He is delighted to see both Professor MacKenzie and Dr Quail share the 2011 Award.

Jeanette receiving her award

Dr Quail and Professor MacKenzie with

Professor David Nash

[ Awards ]

and I am grateful for the support I have received throughout my research.”

Jeannette was joined at the event by fellow MAE researchers Camilla Colombo, Alison Gibbings and William Nicholls, who were also shortlisted from hundreds of applicants to appear in Parliament. Their research posters were judged against dozens of other engineers’ research in the only national competition of its kind, after making it through the selection process from hundreds of applicants to appear at the event.

Camilla added: “We are delighted to have been given the opportunity to showcase our research and play our part in maintaining the strong relationship between the Government and the academic world.”

SET for Britain is a competition in the House of Commons which involves researchers displaying posters of their

work to panels of expert judges and politicians.

The event aims to promote understanding about the UK’s thriving science and engineering base and rewards some of the strongest scientific and engineering research being undertaken in the UK.

The Parliamentary and Scientific Committee run the event in collaboration with a number of societies and companies, including the Royal Academy of Engineering and BP.

engineering insight [ Spring 2012 – Issue 05 ] 21

A lecturer from the Department of Chemical and Process Engineering

competed against nine other regional finalists for the UK title of FameLab, the international competition to find the top new science communicator for the 21st century. FameLab aims to discover charismatic, up-and-coming scientists who can inspire people to see the world from a new perspective.

Dr Mark Haw, who specialises in physics and chemical engineering, had just three minutes to convey the wonder and relevance of a

chosen scientific specialism to the panel of judges: British neuroscientist Professor Russell Foster FRS from the University of Oxford; Andrew Cohen, head of the BBC’s award-winning science unit; and anatomist, science writer and well-known

T he Department of Architecture’s alumnus, Abigail Benouach was

selected to show in the prestigious Royal Scottish Academy’s (RSA) fourth annual ‘NEW CONTEMPORARIES’ exhibition in Edinburgh. The exhibition took place at the RSA Gallery in Edinburgh, from 17 March – 11 April 2012. Presenting sixty-two exemplary graduates work in various media, the carefully curated exhibition

broadcaster Professor Alice Roberts.

Mark beat off stiff competition in the Glasgow regional heat in November 2011, wowing the panel of judges with a presentation on how chemicals and matter make living organisms.

Speaking of reaching the UK final Mark said: “Having just three minutes to inspire people about a specific area of research is an incredible challenge. Often in science and engineering, public engagement is treated as a secondary activity to research. But living in a world driven by developments in science and technology it is vitally important for scientists and researchers to be able to communicate what they do, to help people understand the world in which they live. This is why competitions such as FameLab are so important.”

The winner was Dr Andrew Steele, a physicist from the University of Oxford, whose talk about the quantum physics of carrots proved enough to triumph over

offered a unique opportunity to see the best of Scotland’s emerging talent under one roof.

Showcasing a selection of her graduate work, Abigail included a beautifully painted project in mixed media which was based on developing a craft centre and archive in Naples, for practicing the local artisan tradition of ‘presepio’. This project was also recently exhibited in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale Di Napoli as her scheme involves the regeneration of the Spanish Quarter district in Naples.

Chemical Engineer Makes Final of Famelab

Architecture Graduate’s Work at Prestigious Exhibition

Mark and the other finalists. Andrew goes on to compete for the ultimate title of FameLab International Winner 2012 at The Times Cheltenham Science Festival.

Mark commented; “The final at the Royal Institution was a fantastic experience—to stand in the very spot where Michael Faraday used to wow audiences almost 200 years ago. I’d recommend this to anyone doing research—having just three minutes to tell everyone about your work forces you to think very hard about just what is so great about what you do!”

Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Professor Scott MacGregor commented;

“It was very pleasing to see Dr Haw reach the final stages of such a prestigious

competition and he is to be congratulated for his achievement”

For more information about the competition, visit: www.famelab.org/uk

A sample of the work that

Abigail presented at the exhibition

This NEW CONTEMPORARIES selection represents the Royal Scottish Academy’s commitment to supporting and presenting the best contemporary work by emerging artists in Scotland. The RSA team work closely with the artists and architects towards developing a lasting relationship in the lead up to the exhibition and beyond. With over £11,000 worth of monetary prizes in addition to residency, studio and purchase prizes, the development of this exhibition is an important initiative in Scotland, enabling a ‘first exhibition’ opportunity annually.

Kathryn Findlay RSA (Elect), Deputy Convener (Architecture) and one of the selectors of the work on show commented; “The RSA is an excellent showcase to inspire Scottish students to aim high. It shows the standard in Scottish schools is world class.”

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[ Summer 2012 - Issue 06 ] 22

The Faculty of Engineering, once again ran a highly successful Agent

of the Year Competition.

Following on from last year’s competition run for Indian agents, Nigeria was identified as an emerging market and the focus of this year’s competition.

All the agents that participated will be more informed about the work of the Faculty having immersed themselves in the last edition of Engineering Insight and the two winners will go home with an in depth knowledge of Engineering at Strathclyde, as well as giving the Faculty their thoughts into how best to improve recruitment efforts in Nigeria.

The competition was launched in October 2011 in Nigeria with the agents being asked to answer correctly eight questions taken from Engineering Insight and in addition give two suggestions that, in their opinion, could be made to improve recruitment.

There was a good response to the competition and there were many interesting entries.

Two winners were picked by the Dean of the Faculty, Professor Scott MacGregor and they duly arrived at Strathclyde in April for two weeks of meetings with all of the departments in the Faculty of Engineering.

The sessions with the various departments were interspersed with hospitality events, visits to Scottish tourist attractions – Edinburgh and Stirling Castles, Kelvingrove and the Riverside Museum as well as nights out with Nigerian students.

The two agents Mrs Chinwe David-Inyang from UKEAS and Ms Promise Chinwe Nworah from PFL were both strongly interested in all the aspects of Strathclyde’s Faculty of Engineering and particularly about the application

process, level of qualifications required and English language qualifications.All the departments were able to discuss the process with them and make suggestions.

At the end of the first week the Vice Dean Research, Professor Alex Duffy hosted a feedback session where Chinwe and Promise gave a very good and clear presentation on their findings

Nigerians Agents Visit the Faculty

to representatives of the departments and then engaged in a question and answer session. In the second week, the two agents met representatives from the Scottish Space School and from the Gambia Project, they attended the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering’s MEng Trade Show and visited the Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering’s hydrodynamics test facility at Kelvingrove. At the end of their visit, both agents said that they now had a much greater understanding of the Faculty of Engineering and had become champions for the Faculty –they would be promoting Engineering at Strathclyde to as many students as was possible. They also have made contacts which will prove invaluable for the future and the Faculty will benefit from their input.

Promise and Chinwe visiting the Riverside

Museum in Glasgow

Promise and Chinew with Professor Alex Duffy

[ International ]

International


The National Centre for Prosthetics and Orthotics has been involved in

international student field trips for the past 20 years. Field trips facilitate travel to overseas clinics or conferences and normally take place at the end of the third year of study. Generally students have only visited clinics and observed clinical techniques. Previous trips have been financed by student fundraising events to cover basic travel and accommodation costs.

Within the Faculty of Engineering it has been recognised that a more sustainable and collaborative approach is required. The Department therefore wish to develop a collaborative relationship with an overseas clinical organisation to allow students to immerse themselves in the local culture and to contribute their clinical skills to assist in the provision of prosthetic and orthotic services to the local community.

Following discussions with Christine Donald, the Faculty International Recruitment Advisor, an opportunity arose to contact an Indian charity (Mukti) based in Chennai, India. Christine subsequently visited the centre and carried out an initial assessment of the facilities and organisation. This was then followed up

with a visit from Dr Kevin Murray and Dr Anthony McGarry from the National Centre at the end of January.

Mukti means Freedom and the charities slogan is ‘Freedom from crutches’. The charity is supported by

its benefactor Mrs Meena Dadha along with assorted fundraising and charitable donations. They provide prostheses and orthoses for people with mobility problems, as a result of amputation, who would otherwise be left without care and unable to provide for their families.

Facilities are basic but clean and well organised. There are administrative offices, a reception/fitting room, main workshop, small workshop and a plaster and casting room. A kitchen provides lunch for staff and patients and toileting/washing facilities are basic. The staffing levels appear to meet the requirements of a daily caseload of approximately 12-14 patients along with any others that attend without appointment.

The Centre manager has no qualifications in prosthetics and orthotics and has gained a working knowledge by observation. There is one lead technician who trained in Jaipur for four months and has passed his experience onto three others. They manufacture the Mukti foot based on the Jaipur foot which has international recognition. All prosthetic and orthotic devices are manufactured using local materials and most devices can be manufactured in a single day but there

National Centre Bring Hope to Indian Prosthetics Charity

is no follow up process to measure the success.

It was clear that the clinical procedures were rudimentary which may result in the increased likelihood of poor fit causing discomfort and skin breakdown. A few simple clinical and manufacturing recommendations could overcome some of these problems. The founder and staff at Mukti were therefore enthusiastic about the National Centre’s interest in the organisation and welcomed further assistance and advice to develop their service.

Following their visit, Kevin and Tony made some basic recommendations to the Centre along with a request to visit in the future with students and staff to assist with patient treatment and provide some basic clinical instruction to staff.

The National Centre also intend to make contact with local HEI’s to organise possible future seminars along with contact with other prosthetic /orthotic clinical services in Chennai, particularly local health services and the private sector.

There is a School of Prosthetics and Orthotics within the Government Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine in Chennai at Madras Medical College. It is therefore hoped that opportunities exist to engage and collaborate with this school. Collaboration with Mukti will enable the Faculty of Engineering to create an impact in this area whilst facilitating worthwhile student experience for third year National Centre students, in the first instance.

The next visit to Mukti is being planned for August this year and it is intended to take four students for 10 days during which time they will see a variety of conditions requiring prosthetic/orthotic management.

[ International ]

NCPO staff meeting Mukti staff on their visit

[ Summer 2012 - Issue 06 ] 24

Leading figures from the UK and Europe’s Space sector descended on

Glasgow for the second Scottish Space Symposium, to explore the benefits that space technology can provide as the multi-billion pound industry continues to grow.

The symposium was organised by Strathclyde and supported by Scottish Enterprise. The focus of the event was to provide a platform to raise awareness of the downstream space sector, promoting space enabled services to a wide range of users, in particular to those who aren’t aware of the benefits of space services. The event also identified potential user requirements and future partnerships, including Network Rail and rural broadband users.

Worldwide, the space sector is expected to grow to £400 billion by 2030, the UK’s share of that sector could create as many as 100,000 high-value jobs. Scotland is well placed to play a significant role and the event will highlight the many opportunities for businesses across the country.

Funding has been obtained by Dr Anthony McGarry and Dr Kevin

Murray from the National Centre for Prosthetics and Orthotics (NCPO) to develop, administer and analyse a high quality survey specifically designed for London 2012 Paralympic amputee competitors. The survey is funded by UK Sports, Ossur, and has the support of the International Paralympic Committee and a KE microgrant.

Prosthetic users are among the highest profile athletes competing at the Paralympic Games. Despite this there is a lack of evidence relating to the most appropriate methods of provision of sports prostheses.

The aim of the study is to conduct an

Dr Derek Bennet from the Faculty’s Advanced Space Concepts Laboratory within the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, said: “Information provided from space will be a significant growth area over the next decade and beyond, not only for companies developing platforms and systems to deliver it, but for companies able to use the data to develop new products and services.

“It is estimated that the downstream element of the sector is worth ten times more than upstream, with satellite data increasingly being used in a range of industries including transport, agriculture and renewable energy.

“At Strathclyde, we are actively engaged with industry partners to develop Scotland’s capabilities and the symposium provides an ideal platform to ensure that partnership approach continues.”

Senior figures from the UK Space Agency, European Space Agency and the Technology Strategy Board joined

Scotland’s Space Industry Set for Lift-Off

National Centre Develop Paralympic Survey

leading downstream space companies at the Hilton Hotel in Glasgow for the event.

Attendees had the opportunity to hear firsthand about the Technology Strategy Board funded Satellite Applications Catapult Centre. The new centre, expected to open in Autumn 2012, will provide in-orbit test facilities, allowing innovative UK organisations to demonstrate new satellite technologies. It will also remove significant cost barriers and expedite the development of new products and services delivered by satellites.

Knowledge Exchange

[ Knowledge Exchange ]

online survey to facilitate data collection of sporting prosthetic demographics and provision to allow comparison within and between competing nations. The survey will provide a useful indication of

competitor numbers in each classification of event across all sports and examine current trends across recruitment into specific disciplines with prosthesis user classes. The study provides a unique opportunity to benchmark current sports prostheses provision for both prosthesis users in the GB squad and other international athletes, including the relevant design and performance specifications. It is envisaged that the survey results will be used to develop hypotheses for future studies at a variety of future sporting events including the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Research outcomes will provide benchmarking for international sporting and prosthetic organisations who wish to understand the sporting prosthetic demographics and provision pathways in competing nations.


The University of Strathclyde Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP)

programme VIP@strath got underway at the start of the second semester with the Engineering Faculty participating in three of the four pilot projects. VIP teams involve undergraduate and postgraduate students working together with staff in interdisciplinary teams on research and knowledge exchange projects. Students earn academic credits from participating and learn a range of new technical and professional skills. One of the projects involving the Faculty of Engineering is ‘Polarised Growth’ led by Professor Stephen Marshall, who is the VIP Champion for the University, and Dr Paul Murray from the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering (EEE) along with Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences (SIPBS) and Maths and Stats. The project uses video processing and mathematical modelling to maximise growth of antibiotics. EEE and EME students carried out their first wet lab experiment in SIPBS followed by image analysis in the EEE Department and mathematical modelling.

Fiona Bradley from the Architecture Department recently took part in a research mission alongside colleagues from Edinburgh and Napier Universities and industry representatives visiting Southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The mission was arranged to investigate the opportunities for adapting and amalgamating European timber construction practices for UK requirements and a key focus was to assess the opportunities for manufacturing an engineered timber system entitled Brettstapel, utilising home-grown UK timber. Brettstapel is a relatively simple form of construction manufactured from solid

Another project led by Dr Scott Strachan and Mike Dolan also of EEE, is in Sustainable Developments, investigating renewable energy sources for third world countries. Technologies involved in the project include: renewable generation, charge control, energy storage, light emitting diodes and energy monitoring and management.

A third project on Entrepreneurship led by the Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship and Research and Knowledge Exchange Services has participation from Engineering Faculty students.

Professor Ed Coyle, founder of the VIP concept, visited the Faculty from Georgia Tech on 1-6 March to see progress on the projects. During this period Professor Ed Coyle gave a keynote address at the VIP showcase held on Friday 2 March at which students presented their work. This event was well attended by staff and students already involved in VIP as well as those wishing to discover more about the programme. Selected VIP students also spoke about their experiences to

[ Knowledge Exchange ]

Vertically Integrated Projects Programme at Strathclyde

“Brettstapel” Sustainable Building Construction Systems

academic staff at University Senate and this was very well received.

Professor Stephen Marshall from the Department of EEE said: “The response from the students involved in Vertically Integrated Projects has been fantastic

and I look forward to seeing more projects available from the Faculty of

Engineering next year.”

Ed Coyle and Steve Marshall also spoke at the 9th Enhancement Themes Conference at Herriot Watt University about the VIP programme and its implementation at Strathclyde.

Further information on the VIP programme and a video can be found at: http://www.strath.ac.uk/viprojects/

timber connected by dowels. It requires limited capital investment, adds value to low grade timber and produces low carbon, healthy buildings. However, despite significant utilisation throughout central and Northern Europe, it has had limited uptake to date in the UK, both in terms of fabrication and construction.

The mission developed a broader understanding of this inherently sustainable construction material and its ability to conform to UK regulatory requirements (structure, buildability, building performance and fire) and the team have returned with a much better understanding of the

relationships between the companies that produce Brettstapel in Europe and the various members of the supply chain such as the forest owners, sawmillers and local communities.

During the four-day trip, the delegates examined differences in international design and construction practices as well as different manufacturing methods, equipment and processes.

The trip was funded by LimesNet (Low Impact Materials and innovative Engineering Solutions Research Network) and administered by the University of Bath. The team presented their findings from the mission at a Renewable Materials Workshop in May 2012 and the LimesNet conference in July 2012.

Professor Ed Coyle


[ Successful Alumnus ]

26

Kevin Fox graduated top of his class from the Department of

Design, Manufacture and Engineering Management (DMEM) in 2006 with a BSc (Hons) in Product Design and Innovation. Kevin, along with fellow Product Design and Innovation graduate, Lawrence Broadley, then went on to found LAT56˚, which designs and manufactures technical business travel luggage.

After initially setting up the company in 2007, the duo secured an exclusive launch with Selfridges in 2010 to retail their innovative luggage, designed specifically for business travellers. The products are now available around Europe and the USA.

What made you decide to study in the Department of DMEM?

I had an interest in both design and business, and the Product Design and Innovation course was quite unique in the sense that it combined both of these.

What made you decide to set up your own business?

During my exchange year at Strathclyde I studied at California Polytechnic. In California, setting up your own company was seen to be a normal thing to do and so it therefore occurred to me that in studying my degree, there was no excuse for me not to set up my own company – I had gained the correct skills and knowledge needed. Most importantly, I had witnessed the entrepreneurial spirit.

What help and support did you get from Strathclyde?

We got some invaluable support from Strathclyde, without which we wouldn’t be where we are today. After getting the initial idea for the brand and the products, we approached the Strathclyde Entrepreneurial Network (SEN), who assist entrepreneurial students and graduates with new venture creation. SEN assisted not only with funding our prototypes, but also gave us an office to work from for the first year and gave further help and advice

on issues including intellectual property, branding, e-commerce and training. They were also able to put us in touch with a number of useful contacts and really get us started on developing our product ideas. We also gained useful contacts through the Strathclyde 100 network, and the University Principal, Professor Jim McDonald.

The staff in the Department of DMEM were also a great help as they gave us access to their state-of-the-art facilities and also provided technical support, as well as providing us with lab space for six months when designing and developing our products. The National Centre for Prosthetics and Orthotics (NCPO) gave us access to their facilities and equipment to produce moulds, which we then went on to use when pitching our products to retailers, such as John Lewis and Harrods. We also used these moulds when presenting to our manufacturers in China, in looking to set up our supply chain. The facilities at Strathclyde are first class and allowed us to have the best possible start to designing and creating our products and brand.

What has been your own personal highlight since setting up LAT56˚?

It would probably be when we received our first big order from Selfridges. We hadn’t sold to a single retailer before, and by selling to them our products now sit alongside a number of big fashion house

brands, such as Mulberry, Dunhill and Louis Vuitton, which is something we are very proud of. From there, we have been able to expand our market into other areas, and in 2012 began exporting to Japan, Australia, Hong Kong and South Africa. We expect the USA will become our biggest market, followed by Japan.

What do you enjoy most about have your own company?

It is a bit of an adventure! You are able to choose your own direction. Worldwide travel is an eye-opener.

What advice would you give to those who are considering studying in the Department of DMEM?

The skills gained from the Product Design and Innovation degree are designed to help you set up your own business. You do not have to work for someone else, but the skills and knowledge gained from the degree stand you in good stead to set up on your own. Also it is useful to know about the high level of support that can be offered by the Department and other areas of the University, not only when you are studying there, but also perhaps after graduation.

For more information about the brand visit www.lat56.com

Successful Alumnus

Kevin Fox and Lawrence Broadley with their LAT56˚ products

Professor Ed Coyle

Faculty of EngineeringUniversity of StrathclydeRoom 5.25Royal College Building204 George StreetGlasgow G1 1XW

t: +44 (0)141 548 2749e: [email protected]: www.strath.ac.uk/engineeringtwitter: @StrathEng

Recruitment & International OfficeLevel 4, Graham Hills Building50 George StreetGlasgow G1 1XP

t: +44 (0)141 548 2913f: +44 (0)141 552 7493e: [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

First for Engineering

■ Eight Doctoral/Industrial Research Training Centres covering – Medical Devices, Wind Energy, Advanced Forming and Manufacture, Systems Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, Optics and Photonics, Offshore Renewable Energy, Continuous Manufacture and Crystallisation

■ Research Portfolio of over £85 million and growing

■ Over 250 Knowledge Transfer Partnerships

■ The highest ‘Research Power’ measure in Scotland, top 10 in the UK (2008 RAE)

■ Over 4000 engineering students from over 80 countries

■ State-of-the-art laboratory and research facilities

■ Largest undergraduate scholarship programme in the UK

Dean, Faculty of EngineeringProfessor Scott [email protected]

Faculty ManagerDr Gayle [email protected]

engineering - university of strathclyde · research centre, the gse simulator and a second high...

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