News archive
University scientist set to discover secret to long life
15.11.2007
A 400-year-old clam, believed to be the longest-lived animal discovered to date, is set to yield valuable information about the process and problems of ageing.
Gerontologist Dr Richard Faragher, from the School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, has teamed up with a group of scientists from Bangor University's School of Ocean Sciences, who discovered the quahog clam off the coast of Iceland.
Dr Faragher leads a network of the best and brightest new researchers across the UK who are dedicated to improving the lives of older people. It is hoped that by drawing on his expertise in the biology of human ageing, the Bangor scientists can begin to understand how and why this animal lives so much longer than we do.
For more information see the press release.
Tackling obesity online
18.10.2007
The Department of Health has awarded Professor Flis Henwood from the University of Brighton £250,000 for a two-year project to look at whether the internet has a role to play in supporting people to look after their health. The 'Net.Weight' project is exploring this question by focusing on the area of weight management.
As a first stage in the project, questionnaires will be distributed across Brighton and Hove and will be available in some doctors' surgeries, pharmacies and many community venues. The questionnaire will also be available online to those living in the city. People who are eligible to take part in the survey must be a resident of Brighton and Hove, aged 16 and over, be over the recommended weight for their height and be trying to lose weight.
For more information see the press release.
Breakthrough in recycling CO2
24.09.2007
Researchers from the university and Toyo University in Japan have developed a system that could recycle carbon dioxide (CO2), the greenhouse gas blamed for global warming. The breakthrough is published in this month's New Journal of Physics.
Experiments carried out by scientists from both universities show that CO2 gas can be transformed into a non-polluting carbon solid. Dr Raymond Whitby from the University of Brighton along with Takahiro Fukuda and Professor Toru Maekawa from Toyo University made the discovery when looking at the formation of solid structures from fluids in their critical state.
The scientists found that by filling an aluminum cell with CO2, increasing the pressure to its critical point and firing a laser repeatedly into the critical fluid, resulted in columns of nano and micro-scale carbon. Essentially CO2 is transformed into non-polluting carbon.
For more information see the press release.
Saving energy researched
30.08.2007
A project based at the University of Brighton which looks at how to save energy generated by housing, is to be part funded by the European Commission's Intelligent Energy Executive Agency (IEEA). The €500,000 project will be co-ordinated by Dr Ryan Southall and Professor Mike McEvoy from the university's School of Architecture and Design.
To heat and cool houses consumes large amounts of energy and causes significant emissions of greenhouse gases from the burning of fossil fuels. These greenhouse gases cause climate change, an increasingly urgent problem which has been linked to extreme weather conditions around the globe.
The project entitled Advanced Ventilation Approaches for Social Housing (AVASH) aims to determine the best ventilation strategy for existing social housing in the UK, Ireland and Denmark, from the point of view of energy efficiency and comfort for people.
For more information see the press release.
World's sixth largest river investigated
16.08.2007
One of the world's largest rivers is set to inform a groundbreaking international research project, led by geographers from the University of Brighton.
Professor Phil Ashworth, in the School of the Environment and Technology, is the lead partner in the international research group which will investigate the dynamics of the sixth largest river in the world, the Rio Paraná, Argentina.
Rio Paraná is among one of the world's 10 largest rivers which drain almost one fifth of the global continental land area and deliver about one third of the earth's sediment to oceans.
For more information see the press release.
100 schools working with others
10.08.2007
One hundred schools in Sussex have signed up to a teaching technique developed by the university which significantly improves educational achievement across all age groups. The Working With Others (WWO) approach aims to teach pupils how to work together and provide the skills needed to achieve this.
Schools across West Sussex, East Sussex and Brighton & Hove have signed up for membership to WWO with overwhelming success, including significant impacts on their OFSTED reports. A Healthy Schools Award given to Guestling Bradshaw School in Hastings specifically highlighted the impact of WWO.
Teachers have reported improved social skills and behaviour, higher self-esteem and better communication among their pupils. Working closely with the schools and teachers, WWO develops children's communication skills and builds trust and respect within the classroom.
For more information see the press release.
Royal geographical medal scooped
06.07.2007
Dr Kath Browne from the School of the Environment, has been awarded the coveted Gill Memorial Award from the Royal Geographical Society. This highly prestigious award encourages geographical research in young researchers who have shown great potential.
Dr Browne's research on the geographies of sexualities has been hailed as highly original. Dr Rita Gardner, Director of the Royal Geographical Society commented: "The society is granting this medal in recognition of the contribution Dr Browne has made in her field and for her work which has pushed the boundaries of geographical science."
For more information see the press release.
Students and elderly team up
05.07.2007
Many older people want to see innovative and creative community projects to involve them, rather than isolate them, with young people. This is according to research from the University of Brighton which explored how older people and staff and students from the university could benefit from one another's expertise and experiences.
Now thanks to a partnership between the university, the local elderly community and Age Concern, issues facing older people such as poor health, safety, stereotypes of ageing and isolation are being addressed. The programme, Activity Buddies, sees each elderly participant allocated with a student activity buddy.
Activity Buddies is running three projects; the latest, Fitness for Health, sees physiotherapy students and older people taking part in exercise and activities while educating the elderly about healthy living. Activities vary from line dancing to boules to circuit training.
For more information see the press release.
Gardens on show
21.06.2007
What stories do gardens tell us about the changing landscape of our cities and countryside? Do gardens improve people's quality of life and how does memory and childhood shape our feelings about gardens?
A public exhibition organised by a team of researchers at the University of Brighton is exploring these questions. With photos and drawings of UK gardens over a 20-year period, the exhibition takes place from 25-30 June 2007 at the Jubilee Library in central Brighton.
The exhibition forms part of a project to research domestic garden landscapes, funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council. To do this the team has been using the Mass Observation Archive at the University of Sussex to track people's changing perceptions of their gardens.
For more information see the press release.
Student returns home from Everest
07.06.2007
Alan Richardson (pictured below), a PhD student and graduate from Chelsea School, is due to return home this month following four month's work as a research scientist on the Xtreme Everest Expedition, the largest medical expedition ever.
Running from March to June 2007, the expedition tested over 208 people trekking from Kathmandu to Everest Base Camp. Run by University College London, the study investigated human performance at extreme altitude with the aim to improve the care of critically ill patients by increasing the amount of oxygen in the blood.
For more information see the press release.
Sustainable success
22.05.2007
Two students from the 3D Design programme in Universities School of Architecture and Design have won the British Councils National Design Award for 2007. As part of the award they will have the opportunity to present their work at the global epicentre of design in Milan during the design festival and International Furniture Fair in April.
The winning products were selected by a panel of leading designer practioners and commentators and include celebrated British designer Tom Dixon; who apart from being a globally influential designer in his own right, is also design director of Habitat.
Anna Bullus and Demelza Hill were the two winning students from Brighton who repeat the success of another 3D Design graduate Keiren Jones, who won the award in 2006 and who has gone on to have his work published in books and magazines whilst exhibiting his work internationally.
Flushed with success
09.05.2007
Scientists at the University of Brighton have an unknown Sussex resident to thank for a breakthrough that could help Europe to clean up its rivers and bathing waters.
Dr Huw Taylor and Dr James Ebdon of the university's School of the Environment have isolated a strain of a harmless bacterium from the human gut that helps them show whether water is contaminated by human or animal faeces.
Working closely with colleagues at the University of Barcelona in Spain, they have developed a low-cost method to help the Environment Agency and other organisations around Europe to find the causes of and hence suggest the solutions to water pollution problems.
For more information see the press release.
New creativity zones
15.03.2007
Two new 'creativity zones', designed to give students and tutors opportunities to unleash and explore their ideas in state-of-the-art surroundings, are to be officially opened at the universities of Brighton and Sussex on 15 March, 2007.
InQbate, a joint project between the two universities, was set up with the help of a £4.1 million Government grant in recognition of the universities' excellence in teaching and learning.
Students are already benefiting through the award of 16 Creativity Development Fund projects, and will now have access to the creativity zones, created in former offices and laboratories at both campuses. The zones feature the latest in screen technology, sound and lighting and are designed to be flexible to suit the needs of groups and individuals.
The zones are available for students across the disciplines - from engineering to creative writing. External groups are also welcome.
For more information see the press release.
Architecture student wins award
09.01.2007
Karl Singporewala, a postgraduate architecture student at the university, won this year's Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) South East Student Award. The £800 award, administered by the RIBA South East in conjunction with the Lovell Memorial Trust, is presented annually to a student on a validated RIBA course of architecture who studies or lives in the RIBA South East area.
The award is made for a project that is either part of the student's coursework or a piece of extra, individual research. Karl's project, sustainable defences, is the subject of his final-year project, which is tutored by Dr. Christopher Pierce and Mr. Chris Matthews. Its objective is to design London's next generation Thames Barrier.
In his application, Karl described how the student award would enable him to research the architecture and deployment of water barriers in greater detail and ultimately to produce a well-informed design proposal, one that prioritises sustainability and innovation.
For more information see the press release.
Dressing for success in the 1890s
04.12.2006
Women working in the 1890s faced many of the problems that are familiar today: equal pay for equal work, the glass ceiling, and how to find affordable clothes that present a professional image. This is according to new research presented at a meeting of the Economic History Society by Dr Clare Rose, who recently gained her PhD from the University of Brighton.
The problem of what to wear in the office was solved by the development of business suits for women. These were made in factories in Manchester and London, advertised in national press campaigns, and sold by mail-order.
Manufacturers saw these 'new women' as a new market and targeted them with all sorts of products, either newly designed or re-packaged for wider appeal. Products aimed at women office workers included mail-order suits, skirts and blouses; smart collars and cuffs; corsets that were supportive but comfortable; safety pins to hold outfits together.
Thousands of documents featuring these products were found in The National Archives, in the archive of copyrighted advertising and packaging material. The fact that so many posters and labels for women's suits and collars were being copyrighted shows that there was money to be made from them.
For more information see the press release.
Launch of the Sir Harry Ricardo laboratories
22.11.2006
The university has launched its new £3 million engineering laboratory to research combustion engine technologies. The ribbon was cut by John Lowe, C.Eng., F.I.Mech.E., Chairman of the Automobile Division of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
The laboratories are based in the university's School of Engineering and are operated by the Internal Combustion Engines Group (ICEG). The group is now one of the largest UK research teams dedicated to internal combustion engines and the development of laser based measurement techniques, which are fundamental to modelling and computational simulation.
Dr Steven Begg said "The new research facility marks the latest development in this long and highly successful collaboration with Ricardo. The group is greatly honoured to have the opportunity to name its new facilities after the illustrious Sir Harry Ricardo, founder of Ricardo and former President of the I.Mech.E."
For more information see the press release.
Volunteers needed to test new wheelchair design
24.10.2006
The University of Brighton needs volunteers to test the latest design in wheelchairs for stroke sufferers and hemiplegic patients (those with the use of only one arm and leg). Dr Anne Mandy, Principal Research Fellow and Samuel Lesley, engineer who are based at the university's Clinical Research Centre in Eastbourne have been awarded £90,000 from the Department of Health to develop a kit which will convert a standard wheelchair.
The Ergonomic Self Propelled Wheelchair Kits (ESP) pictured right, will enable the wheelchair to be propelled using only one hand and steered by the foot.
ESP will provide patients, including children, with an affordable alternative to a manual wheelchair which is easier and more efficient to use. This will mean that users are less reliant on their carers. The wheelchair's driving and steering work independently for maximum ease of use and the kit can be attached to either side of the wheelchair, for use by either right or left handed users.
For more information see the press release.
New medical research centre launched
03.10.2006
Medical research in Sussex is set to increase with the launch of the Brighton and Sussex Clinical Investigation and Research Unit (CIRU). Based at the Royal Sussex County Hospital, the £4 million unit contains specialised equipment and resources to carry out clinical investigations, patient-centred research and research training.
Facilities include a nine-bed trolley bay, several clinical and examination rooms, a phlebotomy area, laboratories, a 40-seat lecture room and viewing and interview rooms separated by a one-way mirror.
The building was opened on 21 September by Professor Sally Davies, Director of Research and Development at the Department of Health, which funded the CIRU. Professor Davies noted that it is essential to continue evaluating new therapies and processes of care in a dedicated, patient-friendly environment, and not let research atrophy.
For more information see the press release.
Research for a better age
25.09.2006
Ever wondered if snails remember where lettuce is? Or if they go senile? Maybe you can't figure out what that big red button does on your brand new car? Or do you want to know which celebrities are older than they look?
Well, on Monday 9 October you can find out the answers to all these queries, although admittedly not the last one, at a research event dedicated to the latest breakthroughs in the science of ageing at the Cavendish hotel in Eastbourne.
Dr Mark Yeoman, a scientist at the University of Brighton, and Mike Bradley, from the University of Middlesex, will be the two main lecturers and they will be covering topics such as senile snails and confusing car controls.
For more information see the press release.
Recycling lessons for the UK
13.09.2006
Incentives which offer vouchers to households and funding to schools and competing villages can result in significant increases in recycling levels according to a report by the University of Brighton.
The report launched at a conference in London this week, evaluated a series of pilot projects across East and West Sussex and the results will be used to inform recycling initiatives in other areas in the UK.
The Sussex project, designed by the University of Brighton was unique in that it evaluated the success of the various components of the incentives. This systematic approach resulted in clear lessons for the future.The Sussex project, designed by the University of Brighton was unique in that it evaluated the success of the various components of the incentives. This systematic approach resulted in clear lessons for the future.
For more information see the press release.
Pharmacists lead by example in sun skin protection
06.09.2006
Pharmacists are leading the way by example in sun skin protection according to the results of a study by the University of Brighton launched at the British Pharmaceutical Conference in Manchester.
In an effort to increase pharmacy students’ awareness of sun-health, a training programme was introduced at the University of Brighton three years ago. The programme consists of a series of lectures covering topics including sun awareness, function and types of sunscreens as well as the types, prevalence and treatment of skin cancer. This is taught in year one of the pharmacy programme.
The results showed that when the study was first introduced some 53 per cent of pharmacy students were using sunscreens to protect against the sun. Three years later the number has risen to 70 per cent.
For more information see the press release.
Air quality alerts for asthmatics
13.07.2006
Asthmatics will soon be able to receive a text message to their mobile phone about air quality in Sussex in an innovative scheme to be evaluated by the University of Brighton.
airALERT is a pilot project for asthma sufferers launched this summer by the Sussex Air Quality Steering Group with support from the Sussex Primary Care Trusts, Health Protection Agency, the University of Brighton and the university's Community University Partnership Programme (CUPP).
People with asthma are currently being recruited to sign up to this free service. The alert will inform asthma sufferers, about predicted air pollution levels, to help them make informed choices about managing their respiratory health.
For more information see the press release.
Do as your customers do, says service technology research
06.06.2006
A new report shows the general public is very willing to embrace customer service technology, such as call centres and online banking, contra to popular misconceptions.
The report finds there are only marginal differences in usage between men and women, young and old, and that customers' main concerns when using service technology are reliability and the depersonalising of the experience.
These are findings from 'Service Technologies: Developing strategies', released today by the Institute of Customer Service (ICS) and the University of Brighton's School of Service Management.
The report examines the challenge of using technology to enhance customer service, whether a public or private sector organisation.
Consumers and businesses across the UK participated in the survey, which found that the two most important concerns for customers are technological failure (21 per cent) and the impersonal nature of technology creating a barrier to a meaningful relationship with an organisation (20 per cent). One in ten customers specifically seek a degree of human interaction.
For more information see the press release.
Energy minister to open microgeneration conference
23.05.2006
The Minister for Energy, Malcolm Wicks will be visiting the University of Brighton on 28 June to open a conference dedicated to Microgeneration. In the last budget, the development of Microgeneration within the UK was supported by the Chancellor Gordon Brown with a funding boost of £50 million. Professor Ali Sayigh, Director General of the World Renewable Energy Network will also be providing a key note presentation. Tony Juniper, Executive Director of Friends of the Earth will be providing the closing address.
The conference 'Sustainability: Microgeneration' is the second to be run in collaboration between the University of Brighton's Centre for Sustainability of the Built Environment (CSBE) and Business Link, and will follow on from the successful 'Sustainability: Taking Action' conference held in June 2005. This year's conference will have dedicated sessions focusing on a number of Microgeneration technologies; solar energy, wind, ground source heat pumps and combined heat and power
The event, to be held at Westlain House at the Falmer campus of the University of Brighton, will also include an exhibition for organisations and companies with an interest in microgeneration and sustainability.
The conference will include an evening dinner event at which BBC News presenter and environment enthusiast Declan Curry will be speaking. Tickets for the dinner will also be available separately from the conference package for those wishing to attend an enjoyable evening of networking.
For more information see the press release.
Council calls in chalk cliff experts
23.05.2006
The unpredictability of chalk cliff collapse is causing difficult long term planning decisions for many coastal-based local authorities in Southern England.
In response, the University of Brighton and Brighton and Hove City Council have set up the Information for Cliff Recession Management (INFORM) project to tackle the issue.
This project builds on the considerable expertise of Professor Mortimore and the Applied Geology Research Unit which has been developed via several high profile European Research Projects Programmes. These identified a number of possible ways to predict cliff collapse and the effects of climate change on coastal regions.
For more information see the press release.
State-of-the-art pharmacy laboratory opened
07.04.2006
The School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences was delighted to welcome Hemant Patel, President of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, to the school on 29 March. Mr Patel formally opened a newly-refurbished clinical skills laboratory which replaces the school's old-style dispensary.
The new laboratory, which cost around £200,000, is designed as a modern pharmacy department with patient consultation areas, dispensing areas, and examination rooms. It is equipped with linked computers for labelling and patient medication records, and standard teaching equipment and video facilities.
For more information see the press release.
Brighton academic maps the geographies of families and love
09.02.2006
Dr Darren Smith, urban geographer at the University of Brighton, has led the analysis of UK census data for a major research project on the geographies of families, partnerships and love across the UK. The analysis will form part of a programme for the BBC3 entitled 'The UK Love Map', and the data is represented in a series of novel maps.
The coastal area of the UK has been a popular retirement place for the last 50 years or more, and is now undergoing a new trend, having become home to the largest number of people living together as same-sex couples in the UK.
For more information see the press release.
National studentifcation study undertaken by University of Brighton
24.01.2006
Urban geographer at the University of Brighton, Dr Darren Smith has undertaken the first national-scale study into the impact of growing concentrations of students – termed studentification.
Commissioned by Universities UK, and funded by the DfES the guide identifies examples of good practice in six British towns and cities including Brighton.
Dr Smith is a keynote speaker at the Universities UK conference on Wednesday 25 January focusing on engaging students and Higher Education Institutions with their communities.
For more information see the press release.
Nordic walking for healthy hearts
03.01.2006
Can Nordic walking offer cardiovascular benefits for older people? That's what a group of MSC Rehabilitation Science students have been finding out through a project led by Dr Raija Kuisma from the School of Health Professions.
A keen Nordic walker and instructor herself, Dr Kuisma says Nordic walking was first used for summer training by Finnish cross-country skiers in the 1930s. Re-emerging in 1997 as fitness walking it's now a rapidly growing sport in mainland Europe and is gradually gaining popularity in the UK.
Dr Kuisma explained: "This form of walking is especially relevant for older people who, due to balance and joint problems, and low fitness levels, are often afraid to take up vigorous exercise."
For more information see the press release.
Can writing about emotional experiences reduce symptoms of asthma?
24.10.2005
Researchers at the University of Brighton have been awarded a grant of over £95,000 over two years by Asthma UK to test whether writing about stressful experiences can improve lung function, decrease asthma symptoms and improve quality of life for people with asthma in Britain.
Addressing people's psychological needs can produce improvements in both their mental and physical health. In the last decade, several research studies have demonstrated that writing about emotionally traumatic experiences can improve how healthy people feel and reduce their use of health care services. More recently, studies have begun to focus on people with particular long term diseases.
The study, led by Professors Robert Horne and Helen Smith, will ask two groups of 62 people with asthma to undertake a 20 minute writing task for three consecutive days. One group will write about emotional issues and the other will write on non-emotional topics. If improvements are observed the team will continue to follow study participants for up to 12 months to determine for how long these improvements are sustained. The relationship between asthma and emotion is complex.
For more information see the press release.
Innovation research conference
18.08.2005
Over 100 delegates will share expertise in innovation at the 6th International Continuous Innovation Network (CINet) conference. The event, hosted by CENTRIM, takes place in Brighton from 4th to 6th September at the Freeman Centre.
The conference brings together leading researchers and industrialists. Overall, some 60 papers will also be presented on the future challenges of innovation and new directions in continuous innovation.
Dr Andrew Grantham, who has convened this year's conference said: "The event mirrors the aims of CINet. In a nutshell, these are to study continuous innovation and how to embed it in firms and other organizations through fostering a culture of employee high involvement, participation and new systems and ways of working."
For more information on the conference see the press release.
Research on climate change
07.07.2005
A research team at the University of Brighton, led by Dr David Nash of the School of the Environment, has been awarded nearly £8,000 by the British Academy to build an historic picture of climate change in Lesotho and look at its implications on long-term climatic change within the region.
Determining long-term climate trends is now an issue of global importance. It is high on the international agenda as the impacts of climate change and its contribution to poverty in Africa dominate the headlines with the start of the G8 summit. It is hoped that this research at the university will help inform future debate and action on these issues.
However, the identification of trends depends on analysing meteorological data and many areas lack data prior to the 20th century. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) regards collecting this information as vital, especially to a landlocked country such as Lesotho which is vulnerable to climate change and recurring drought. In the absence of rainfall data the team will use proxies such as historical documents stored in archives in Lesotho, Paris, London, Oxford and Cambridge to establish a record of rainfall patterns before instrumental weather information was collected. Documents will be scrutinised for direct evidence of climatic conditions such as the occurrence of drought, and indirect evidence such as harvest failure will be noted.
Dr David Nash, research leader said: "Understanding historical variations in the frequency and severity of drought and other climatic anomalies may help us predict future trends, and provide information for decision makers to ensure sufficient water and grazing supplies. It will also contribute to understanding over the causes of land degradation and soil erosion in the highlands of Lesotho. The research will also help raise public awareness and misconceptions that drought, erosion and severe snow storms have only occurred in the recent past."
Study finds debt is a key cause of unemployment
29.06.2005
Personal debt can be directly linked to unemployment and can in fact prevent people from finding work, a seminar heard yesterday.
A study by the University of Brighton has found that the spiral of debt not only affects a borrower's health, relationships and social life, it can also seriously impede an unemployed individual's ability to rebuild their life by finding work.
The special report is the brainchild of the employment charity Tomorrow's People, which has a 20-year track record of helping people out of long-term unemployment, debt and welfare dependence. The charity's employment advisers had reported that 30% of those that they had helped had given debt as a reason for not entering employment and that there appeared to be little research on this issue.
The findings of the study which was carried out by Professor Peter Ambrose and Liz Cunningham of the Health and Social Policy Research centre at the University of Brighton, were launched today at a special half day conference on debt, poverty and unemployment, held at University Centre Hastings, East Sussex.
The study, entitled "The Ever Increasing Circle", which was funded by the Government Office for the South East, Hastings Borough Council and the Greater Hollington Neighbourhood Management Partnership, began in the summer of 2004 when the authors carried out a survey of unemployed clients with debt problems from the Citizens' Advice Bureaux in Brighton, Hove and Hastings, and the Greater Hollington Neighbourhood Management Partnership in St Leonards-on-Sea.
For more information and the report's key findings see the press release.
£69,000 awarded for diabetes research
03.06.2005
The University of Brighton has been awarded £69,000 by Diabetes UK and the National Kidney Research Fund. The research will investigate why nearly 25-50% of diabetics will suffer kidney failure due to high levels of blood glucose, and will require dialysis or a kidney transplant.
In the UK around 1.8 million people have been diagnosed with diabetes - the condition where the pancreas cannot produce insulin or the insulin produced does not work properly. Diabetes can cause changes in small blood vessels, which leads to damage of the kidneys and this damage can result in severe kidney failure. Keeping blood glucose levels as near normal as possible can greatly reduce the risk of kidney disease developing.
Dr P.K. (Charley) Chatterjee from the School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences commented: "We are hopeful that, in the future, the findings from our study will make a real difference to the lives of people with diabetes and will lead to the development of new treatments to prevent kidney failure."
A spokesperson for Diabetes UK said: "Kidney failure is one of the major complications of diabetes. Approximately 1,000 people in the UK go onto dialysis each year because of their diabetes. It's extremely important that we fund research in this area. We will look forward to hearing the results from the University of Brighton."
For more information see the press release.
Innovative magnetic materials
05.04.2005
The university is a partner in an Interreg III-funded project developing an international centre of excellence for innovative magnetic materials, worth 919,379 euros over two years. Brighton’s partners are GPM (Rouen) and IEMNDOAE (Lille), two research units in France.
Each partner offers complementary specialist facilities in the manufacture, analysis and application of magnetic materials. The School of Engineering’s role focuses on the manufacture of powders and bulk magnetostrictive materials, analysis of their microstructure, magnetic and mechanical models of the magnetisation process, and acoustic sources and vibration control applications.
Novel engine in sight
05.04.2005
The School of Engineering is part of an exciting £1.9m programme to develop a revolutionary gasoline engine concept that could deliver substantially reduced CO2 emissions and top performance and economy.
The 2/4SIGHT consortium, in which Brighton's partners are Ricardo Consulting Engineers, Jaguar, the Ford Motor Company, Denso, Ma 2T4, and Brunel University, completed a feasibility study for the switchable two-/four-stroke engine last year.
Now they have begun a follow-on project, part-funded by the Department of Trade and Industry under its Technology Programme, in which a research engine will be manufactured and tested.
The research programme aims to demonstrate the benefits predicted in earlier simulation work through development testing of a prototype research engine. Brighton will carry out engine testing, and combustion and cooling system analysis.
Professor Morgan Heikal, leading the Brighton research team, said: "This is a very exciting project where we can apply our combustion system research to a novel and revolutionary practical engine with much improved performance and reduced emissions. The project is very ambitious but we feel that the collective and complementary expertise of the partners puts us in a good position to make it work. I am holding fire on buying a new car until this engine becomes available!"
