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. LynchPin Bristol Engineering Bristol Engineering .LynchPin Autumn 2010 . Aeolus - racing against the wind . The Cabot Institute Bristol Engineering LynchPin .02 . LynchPin Autumn 2010 LynchPin is produced by the Faculty of Engineering, University of Bristol LynchPin team John McWilliams, Emma Weeks, Carrie Wattling, Sam Hodder, Caroline Higgins Design and production Carrie Wattling Print and reproduction Portishead Press Ltd Printed on Revive 100% recycled paper stock using vegetable based environmentally friendly inks Cover: The University of Bristol 2010 Aeolus vehicle LynchPin is available online at www.bristol.ac.uk/ engineering/staff/ publicity/lynchpin.html If you are interested in writing an article for LynchPin please contact: [email protected] DAVE PRATT DAVE The new academic year has arrived and by the Composites group has now led along with it an intake of outstanding to a truly leading international profile. students, both undergraduate and Critical mass in research brings the best postgraduate. To all of you, you are people in the world to work with us. extremely welcome. The Faculty is a far Long may this continue. livelier and more exciting place with students buzzing around. It may interest I am also delighted that Bristol has you to know that this year’s intake was been awarded the UK’s Doctoral Training not only the highest quality that we’ve Centre in Communications. The Centre seen in the Faculty, but also the highest will act as the national focal point qualified within the entire University. for research in the area working with No pressure then, but we expect great industry from the UK and overseas. things from all of you! You’ll notice one of our articles in this edition is about a In the last month, of course, the long- truly high-flying alumnus, Ed Strongman, awaited Browne report emerged to the who is the chief test pilot for Airbus. He trepidation of the Higher Education graduated from Bristol and went on to community. It is fair to say that it caused Fortunately the trajectory in this regard achieve great things – he is a role model more than a minor frisson. My main is very positive, which bodes well for for our current students in every respect. observation on its likely effect would be the future. That being said, we must not that there will be a migration to quality. be complacent. I’m sure there will be Work continues apace on the National Fortunately Bristol is better placed both internal and external demands to Composites Centre: those of you visiting than most in this regard. We only have entertain us for several years to come! North Bristol will see a £25 million site to look at the calibre of our incoming on the science park appearing out of students and the profile of our research Bristol Engineering the ground. The effect on Bristol has to realise that potential students will been nothing short of spectacular, and naturally be attracted to universities and we now find ourselves at the hub of an faculties of the highest quality. As those internationally growing area of research. of you who know me will be aware, I am Indeed, any new call in this area is met completely committed to maintaining and Professor Nick Lieven increasing the quality of all the activities with a flurry of telephone conversations Dean of Engineering LynchPin asking if partners can join us. It is in the Faculty. Now more than ever this welcome gratifying to see that many years of work commitment must remain solid. .03 04 Newsclips from around the 17 Breast cancer detection Faculty Professor Ian Craddock writes about Appointments, awards, conference the latest developments news and visits 19 Faculty links with Japan 06 Student news News of a high profile visit to ACCIS, Alexey Likhoded, Salman Iqbal and Tom and Dr Nikolaos Nikitas tells us about Gorochowski take the top awards, and his Research Fellowship to Kyoto 06 07 high flyer Ed Strongman looks back to his days as an undergraduate 20 Teach First - study later Steve Bullock comes full circle 08 Engineers Without Borders Peter Cooper and Eva Linnell bring us up to date with the latest news from 21 From the archive the Bristol branch The University of Bristol Engineering 19 20 Society 11 Life in the fast lane George Mills outlines the thrills and 23 Faculty people spills of starting up a new company Alan Champneys speaks personally about his life 12 Racing against the wind Feature article from the Bristol Aeolus 24 Focus on the Cabot Institute team and their participation in the Paul Harper reports on this major new International Aeolus competition partnership between the Faculties of Engineering, Science and Social Sciences and Law 14 Indian summer Hamish Ferguson describes his 23 24 internship at the University of Manipal The latest news and events from around the Faculty based multifunctional composites (Sameer Rahatekar) and future directions in NDT of Dr Neill Campbell New appointments composites (Bruce Drinkwater). Researchers Neill Campbell, Reader in Computer Science Professor Andy Nix and students from ACCIS presented is the new Head of the Computer Science posters showing their own recent research Dr Raf Theunissen Department. developments. Andy Nix, Professor of Wireless An afternoon session was hosted by Communication Systems, is the new Head the Technology Strategy Board funded of the Electrical and Electronic Engineering I-Composites Grand Challenge Research Department. programme. This programme, led by GKN Bristol Engineering Aerospace and supported by the National Raf Theunissen has joined the Aerodynamics Composites Centre, aims to provide the research group in the Department of basis for reducing energy consumption Aerospace engineering as Lecturer in and wastage in manufacturing whilst Experimental Aerodynamics. He obtained simultaneously improving the functionality both his MSc degree from Delft University of composite materials. Presentations were LynchPin of Technology (TUD) in the Netherlands given by the programme’s industrial partners in 2003, while conducting his research detailing the research they are undertaking on optical flow measurement at the von within the I-Composites Grand Challenge Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics (VKI) programme. in his home country, Belgium. He was awarded his PhD in 2010 in a collaborative 04 framework between TUD, the VKI and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). His work . on adaptive sampling and windowing Changing Worlds exhibition the Internal Combustion Engine Laboratory interrogation methods in Particle Image The Centre for Communications Research which became his pride and joy. A medium Velocimetry (PIV) earned him the 2007 (CCR) participated in the Changing Worlds sized man he had the largest of hearts, Measurement Science and Technology exhibition in Westminster on the 13th always willing to give students and staff his outstanding paper award. Before joining the October 2010, held to demonstrate the time and he worked tirelessly in ensuring University in September, Raf worked as a gas wide-ranging global impact of university that the labs and equipment were ready turbine development engineer for nearly two research and how it has changed lives for use. He frequently worked after hours years at Alstom Ltd in Switzerland. around the world. to help students get their projects working or manufacture items to maintain the test Raf’s research is focussed on the continuing The invention of the speech scrambler by engines in his lab. Outside the University development of adaptive algorithms to the CCR, finalist for the Prince of Wales he was never far away from something improve the flow analysis with PIV and Award for Innovation in 1992, was one of mechanical and spent many hours building extending it to three dimensions. In addition the 20 exhibits. It demonstrated how the and repairing his bicycles, many of them rare he works on techniques to post process the scrambler began a new era of higher police masterpieces, or working on his much loved obtained experimental data. security, and how the encryption techniques Triumph GT6. involved allowed for the massive expansion At present he is working on getting the of commercial and personal mobile phone A careful, caring man he was devoted to department’s Laser Doppler Velocimetry usage we see today. his mother who sadly died earlier this year, (LDV) system running again and has made which was a great upset to him. Due to initial steps to obtain a PIV system. The event was hosted by the SETsquared retire this academic year, he had expressed Partnership, (Bath, Bristol, Southampton and a wish to continue helping the department Surrey universities), with attendees including in the future. Richard gave so much to the policy makers, major figures from industry, Faculty and he will be greatly missed by staff journalists and a key note speech by Minister and students alike. Our deepest sympathies ACCIS conference for Universities & Science, David Willetts MP. go to his family. The third annual ACCIS conference took place on 15 September in Queen’s Building. Over 150 delegates attended, with a common interest in the research and application of composite materials. Richard Wadham IEEE Circuits and Systems Society Representatives ranged widely across It is with great sadness the we report Mario di Bernardo, Professor of Nonlinear industrial and academic communities, the death of Richard Wadham who died Systems and Control in the Department of many of whom are involved in the suddenly on 5th October 2010. Richard Engineering Mathematics has been elected collaboration and sponsorship of ACCIS joined the University 27 years ago as a Vice President of the IEEE Circuits and research. ACCIS staff gave presentations technician in the Mechanical Engineering Systems Society for a two-year term starting during the morning session to provide an Department. He worked initially as a in January 2011.