UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) representatives from consulates around the world visited ECS on a fact-finding mission to help attract foreign investment to the Southampton area.

Twenty members of the UKTI team from cities such as Washington, Shanghai, Istanbul, Houston, Osaka and Singapore visited the Millbrook Technology Campus and the new Mountbatten building to learn more about the expertise and facilities in digital technologies and business support the area has to offer.

The group spoke to a number of high-tech companies including Bac2, Primer Design, Reap Systems and Polymer vision at the Millbrook Technology Campus (MTC) and heard from Casconda Ltd, specialist semiconductor designers. Bac2 is the creator of ElectroPhen™, a new plastic that is a billion times more electrically conductive than other polymers or resins and Polymer Vision is the pioneer and mobile industry leader for rollable display enabled hand-held devices.

Millbrook Technology Campus, in the Outer Shirley area of Southampton, has been recognised for revitalising six hectares of land on the western outskirts to create a business technology park, acting as a catalyst for economic and social regeneration in the deprived area of Millbrook.

The group also learned about the new facilities in the School of Electronics and Computer Science. The new Mountbatten Building contains a clean room and fabrication capability which will enable researchers in ECS and the ORC to make leading-edge contributions to new research areas in nanotechnology, bionanotechnology and photonics.

Over 70 visitors were welcomed to ECS on the first day of this session's UCAS visits, intended for applicants to the School's undergraduate programme.

The UCAS visit programme gives applicants the opportunity to see the School, to tour labs and other facilities, to hear about the courses, and to meet students and staff. This year for the first time we are able to use the new Mountbatten Building to welcome students and their parents.

The undergraduate applicants also have the chance to see one of the halls of residence and to take a short tour around Southampton. You can read more about the visit days on our blog pages.

In conjunction with the student IEEE branch, an ECS academic plans to enter a solar-powered boat in the world championship of intercollegiate solar/electric boating next year.

Dr Peter Wilson of the School of Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) is running a team in conjunction with the Student Branch of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), which plans to design and build a boat which will be both energy efficient and fast. He will capitalise on the School’s track record in the development of solar cells and electronics, and deliver an electric-powered boat clad with these cells.

The School is well placed to undertake this ambitious project as the University already has two solar installations on campus and is investigating new types of solar cell based on nanotechnology. The School has extensive experience in renewable energy systems, power electronics and electronics design and this, coupled with the local expertise in ocean racing, could prove a powerful mix of skills.

‘This will be the first UK entrant in this international competition, and it is fitting that it comes from Southampton’, said Dr Wilson. Dr Wilson believes that a boat from Southampton could over time be a strong contender in Solar Splash, the World Championship of Intercollegiate Solar Boating, which will take place in Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA, from 27-31 May 2009.

The city’s expertise in this field and ECS’s track record in solar cell installations and power electronics could make a formidable team and Dr Wilson would like to hear from local boat builders interested in being involved.

‘It is vital for the team to have sufficient sponsorship to complete the build and also send the team members over to the USA, and we will rely entirely on sponsorship to make this happen. We hope that local companies will see the benefits from aligning with such an ambitious and exciting project, and become involved. We see this as a fantastic opportunity to engage with local businesses, large and small, and would be delighted to talk to anyone who can make a contribution of any size to the project,’ said Dr Wilson.

Dr Wilson has formed a team of postgraduate students from the University’s award-winning IEEE Student Branch to work on the design, and is now looking for sponsors to enable the project to become fully funded. The plan is in future years to position it as a series of undergraduate projects, when the experience of an initial competition has been gained.

‘It is the first time that we have done a project of this scale,’ said Dr Wilson. ’It will allow students to think outside the box when it comes to applications for solar cells. It is also a prime time for local building suppliers and boat builders to invest in renewable energy and advanced electronics technology. We hope this can be a showcase for technology and the skills here in Southampton on a global stage’

Solar Splash takes place over five days. Technical inspections are done on the first day and the remainder of the time is occupied by five on-the-water competitive events. Speed, manoeuvrability and endurance will be tested.

Three professors in the School of Electronics and Computer Science have been named Fellows of the IEEE.

Professor Bashir Al-Hashimi, Professor Sheng Chen, and Professor Nick Jennings have joined an elite group from around the world who are recognized by the IEEE (the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers) for their unusual distinction in the world of electrical and electronic technology. Their elevation to Fellows of the IEEE follows a rigorous evaluation procedure.

The IEEE is the world’s leading professional association for the advancement of technology. Through its global membership, IEEE is a leading authority on areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power and consumer electronics.

Professor Bashir Al-Hashimi is Professor of Computer Engineering in ECS, a member of the Electronic Systems and Devices research group, and a Director of the School’s Pervasive Systems Centre. His research interests are system-on-chip and embedded computing systems with particular focus on low-power design and low-cost test. He is Principal Investigator on the EPSRC platform grant on Electronics Design. He is elevated to Fellowship of the IEEE for his contribution to the design and test of low power integrated circuits and computing systems. ‘The IEEE fellowship means a great deal to me’, he said. ‘It recognizes that my research activities have made a significant and important impact on the scientific community as recognized by my fellow peers.’

Professor Sheng Chen is Professor of Intelligent Systems and Signal Processing and a member of the School’s Communications research group. His research interests are in adaptive signal processing for communications, wireless communications, modelling and identification of nonlinear systems, learning theory and neural networks, finite-precision digital controller design and networked control systems, evolutionary computation methods and optimisation. He is elevated to Fellowship of the IEEE for his contributions to intelligent learning systems and adaptive signal processing for communications. ‘I am naturally very pleased to have this most prestigious honour from the IEEE,’ he said, ‘and my particular gratitude goes to ECS for creating the best research environment I have enjoyed.’

Professor Nick Jennings is Professor of Computer Science in ECS, Head of the Intelligence, Agents, and Multimedia research group, and Associate Dean (Research and Enterprise) of the University’s Faculty of Engineering, Science and Mathematics. He has helped pioneer the application of multi-agent technology, developing some of the first real-world systems He is currently Director of the BAE Systems/EPSRC Strategic Partnership on Decentralised Data and Information Systems. He is elevated to Fellowship of the IEEE for his contributions to multi-agent systems. He said: ‘I am pleased to receive this international recognition for the line of work in decentralised, multi-agent systems that we've been carrying out in Southampton for the past 10 years.’

The Head of the School of Electronics and Computer Science, Professor Harvey Rutt, commented: ‘Not only is this a notable individual recognition of the research contributions of three of the School’s most distinguished professors, but it is an excellent endorsement of the strength of the School’s research and its international reputation, in three areas of fundamental research importance for electronics and computer science.’

A new simulator which will lead to the creation of more effective computerised agents in disaster scenarios has been made available by an ECS research team.

A team of computer scientists led by Professor Nick Jennings at the University's School of Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) has officially released ECSKernel, a test bed for multi-agent systems.

‘This work highlights the importance of using advanced computer techniques for real world problems such as disaster response,' said Professor Jennings. 'We are happy to be at the forefront of work in this area and hope that many other groups around the world will use and build upon the system we have developed.’

The simulator was designed as part of ALADDIN (Autonomous Learning Agents for Decentralised Data), a five-year project funded by BAE Systems and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to research agent-based technologies to work in emergency situations.

It simulates the events that happen during disaster rescue scenarios and allows users to benchmark and evaluate the effectiveness of their agent-based technologies in these environments.

'ECSKernel provides a realistic environment within which several teams of agents are faced with a number of disaster rescue tasks such as extinguishing fires and saving civilians trapped in buildings,' said Dr Sarvapali Ramchurn from the ECS team. 'It is based on the Robocup Rescue Simulation platform and was developed as a result of the simulator winning the RoboCup Rescue World Championships last year.'

ECS Computer Science graduate Tony Ambrus returned to the School last week to give a lecture to current undergraduate students.

Tony Ambrus is now a graphics programmer from Rare, and his talk to students provided advice on how to break into the games industry.

Tony gave an entertaining and informative talk that described his enthusiastic views on working for a game developer, discussing the many opportunities that exist for graduates and also providing insight into what game developers look for in applicants.

For students who wish to break into the games industry, Tony emphasised the importance for students to develop technical demos that show their ability to produce software that could be used within a game.

Developing games is not only fun for students, but it also allows them to put into practice many techniques they learn as an undergraduate in the School, from working on larger software engineering problems to implementing advanced AI techniques.

Tony graduated from the School in 2007 with an MEng Computer Science. Before he graduated, he had secured his position at Rare and not long after starting he was working on projects for their latest game.

ECS Student Robotics team members Rob Spanton and Chris Cross were among presenters showcasing their work to UK academics at a workshop discussing ‘Robotics in the Curriculum’.

According to Dr Su White, who organized the workshop, their enthusiasm and the success of their project was evidence of the many potential gains which students can experience when teaching with a robotics theme is included in the undergraduate curriculum. The Student Robotics challenge runs competitive activities in local sixth forms colleges and school. 'Robotics in the Curriculum' was convened by Su White of the ECS Learning Societies Lab in conjunction with the Higher Education Academy subject centres for Engineering and Information and Computer Science. Curriculum innovations from Southampton were showcased alongside contributions from engineering and computing colleagues from across the UK.

Student Robotics, which has won sponsorship from Motorola, demonstrates that there are accessible and low costs ways in which learning about engineering and electronics can integrate the theory with the practical and at the same time be challenging and enjoyable.

'Robotics is an important part of the undergraduate curriculum in Southampton and demonstrates practical and exciting applications of computer science and electronics,' said Dr White. 'Student Robotics is a voluntary activity which involves students drawn from across our Faculty. Students also have options to study robotics formally at various levels of their degree course. We are particularly proud of the way in which our research and our teaching mutually benefit in this subject area. Rob Stanton has now progressed to PhD studies, and his supervisor Dr Klaus-Peter Zauner can clearly identify benefits which have resulted from the challenges our undergraduates have undertaken.'

Professor Wendy Hall, Professor David Payne, and Professor Sir Tim Berners-Lee are among the 25 figures honoured in the ICT 2008 Hall of Fame.

ICT 2008, taking place at Lyon between 25 and 27 November, is the most important forum for discussing research and public policy in information and communication technologies at European level. The event brings together researchers and innovators, policy and business decision-makers working in the field of digital technologies.

Over 4000 delegates are attending the three-day event at Lyon, which was opened by Viviane Reding, European Commissioner for Information, Society and Media. Part of the Exhibition Space at the event is given over to a 'Hall of Fame' of 25 leading figures who have made a unique contribution to the development of ICT and the Web, including three Professors from the School of Electronics and Computer Science: Wendy Hall (President of the ACM), David Payne (Director of the Optoelectronics Research Centre), and Sir Tim Berners-Lee (inventor of the World Wide Web and also Professor at MIT).

The other figures honoured in the Hall of Fame are: Claure Berra, Leonardo Chiarighone, Kalrheinz Brandenburg, Emmanual Desurvire, Hugo De Man, Marco Dorigo, Edsger W Dijkstra, Heinz Gerhauser, Albert Fert, Sten Grillner, Alain Glavieux, Theodor Hansch, Peter Grunberg, Sir Tony Hoare, Ursula Keller, Peter Scitzer, Stephen E Robertson, Karen Sparck Jones, Joseph Sifakis, Nikolas Wirth, Mateo Valero, and Anton Zeilinger.

Professor Wendy Hall, who is a member of the Scientific Council of the European Research Council, is taking part in a plenary conference session entitled 'ICT Excellence Matters'.

The ICT 2008 Event is organised by the European Commission's Directorate General for the Information Society and Media and is usually hosted by the current Presidency of the European Union.

Professor Greg Parker's images of deep space have been described by astronomer Patrick Moore as 'of real scientific value as well as works of art'.

Greg Parker, who is a Professor in the ECS Nano research group, has established an international reputation for his images of deep space. The images are taken from his own observatory in the New Forest, and each requires many hours of processing to get such stunning effects. Along with his collaborator, Noel Carboni, he will soon be publishing a book of photographs of deep space, entitled Star Vistas. The eminent astronomer Patrick Moore has provided a foreword to the volume.

Professor Parker talks about the process of producing these images in our video podcast.

The book and images are featured in The Daily Mail, 27 November 2008.

Thirty-five student prizewinners from Years 2, 3, and 4, received their awards at a ceremony in the School this week.

The prizes were awarded on the basis of the students' outstanding work over 2007-8, and were presented by the Head of School, Professor Harvey Rutt, Susan Davis (Tony Davies Memorial Award), Steve Williams (NDS Prize), Rob Wilson (Selex S&AS Prize) and Alan Perry (IBM Hursley Prize). Eric Cooke, School Senior Tutor, congratulated all the students on their achievements.

The Prizes given were: Netcraft Prizes for Computer Science - Tristan Aubrey-Jones; Richard Clarke; Christopher Davies; Christopher Franklin; Nicholas Jones; Andrej Kazakov; Oliver Parson; Razvan Popescu; Ben Roberts; Harry Rose; Vitaly Savicks; Oliver Wells; William Westrop; Matthew Wilson; Maciej Wojcik; GD Sims Prizes - Christopher Cross; Pak Ho; Stanko Nedic; Zepler Project Prizes - Andrej Kazakov; Josh Bowman; EE Zepler Prizes - Oliver Bills; Cheng Chang; Timothy Lee; Paolo Mennea; Richard Lascelles; Jatin Mistry; Alexis Savva; David Barron Prize - David Sansome; NDS Prize - Tristan Aubrey-Jones; Tony Davies Memorial Prize - Alexis Hajiyiannis; Hursley Computer Prize - Alex Jordan; Selex Sensors & Airborne Systems Prize - Darko Matovski; Detica Prize and Adam Rutherford Prize - Matthew Wilson; National Grid Prize - Hoang Linh Truong; National Grid Prize - Maizatul Subian; Active Navigation Prize - Christopher Davies; Eddy Herman Memorial Prize – Daniel Bradberry.

The Head of School (GD Sims and EE Zepler) Prizewinners are pictured here.