express august 2010

August 2010 | Issue 8

grAduAtIon 2010!See the photos and the honorary graduates in this special edition of Express

MAde In BrunelAnother huge success for the 2010 Design and Engineering students

green lIght for eAstern gAtewAyWork begins on the new home for the Business School

CreditsExpress is available to read on our website at: www.brunel.ac.uk/ news/express

We’d love to hear from you with ideas for news items, stories or features, as well as any feedback. Please email your ideas or comments to [email protected]

Editor Jo Dooher Tel: ext 65154 Email: [email protected]

Assistant Editor Emma Filtness

Photography Sally Trussler Neil Graveney

Print Brunel University Press

Brunel Express | Issue 7 |

P3-7

News roundupStudent publishes first novel

| Chapman Bros exhibition |

IKB Award for Mark Young

| New Head of Design |

Kaiyan Kaikobad | Academic

recruitment drive

P8-9

Latest research newsQuantum dots grant |

Brunel partners MoD | Prize

for Stelarc | Gerontology

conference | New research

centre

P10-13 Graduation 2010A roundup of the best bits

from this year’s spectacular

graduation ceremonies

P14-17 Innovation that WorksMade in Brunel reached its

fifth anniversary this year –

check out the pictures and

the projects that made it so

special

P18-19 NewsSpring Lecture | Architectural

Retrospective | Student

Fellowship

75

P10

P7

P18

P14

Chapman Brothers exhibition at Brunel gallery

This July the Beldam Gallery hosted a special Hayward Touring Exhibition by two of the most notorious figures in modern British art, Jake and Dinos Chapman.

My Giant Colouring Book features 21 copperplate etchings based

loosely around the dot-to-dot guides from a seemingly unremarkable

child’s picture book. However the etchings deviate wildly from the

original route prescribed by the dots, instead forming monstrous

creatures, fantastic landscapes or surreal scenarios. Dinos describes

them as being “about how wrong you could make an image… [and]

how you could use nodal points and ignore them at the same time.”

The imagery is rich in a fascinating, grotesque form of humour

– like the visual equivalent of the Brothers Grimm fairytales

– yet avoids the provocative content or controversy raised

by much of the work for which the pair is best known.

The exhibition at the Beldam Gallery is part of a UK‑wide

tour, and is published by The Paragon Press.


Alumni Campaign raises over £100k

Brunel graduates have yet again shown their support for the University by donating almost £61,000 during this year’s alumni telephone campaign. What’s more, the donations are being ‘matched’ by the Government’s matched‑funding initiative, which, along with Gift Aid contributions, will add at least another £50,000 to the fundraising total.

The campaign, led by Development Officer

Laurelle Vingoe, employed a team of 36 students

to contact alumni over four weeks this summer.

The callers updated them on activities at Brunel,

found out what the alumni have been up to since

graduation and asked if they were willing to

make a donation to benefit current and future

generations of Brunel students.

An impressive 23% of alumni made a donation,

with a large number choosing to support Brunel

students in other ways, such as by providing

student internships, giving talks or providing

careers advice – especially beneficial to students

looking to enter employment within the current

harsh economic climate.

The money donated by alumni supports student

scholarships, bursaries, awards, the library and

other priority projects around the University.

Mark Young wins British Science Association’s IKB award

PhD stuDent Publishes acclaimeD first novel

PhD student

Christy Lefteri has

won critical and

public acclaim for

her debut novel,

A Watermelon, a

Fish and a Bible,

published this

April by Quercus.


Dr Mark Young has won the British Science Association’s (BSA) Isambard Kingdom Brunel Award for his research into the automation of human’s lives, and with it an opportunity to present an Award Lecture at this year’s world-famous British Science Festival.

The BSA honours just five young UK researchers each year for excelling in communicating their subjects with passion and enthusiasm. Each researcher then has the opportunity to present their lectures at one of the biggest science festivals in Europe.

Mark’s lecture, called ‘Letting George do it; are we over automating our lives?’ will look at how ‘George’ (the colloquial term for an aircraft’s autopilot) now plays a significant role in our lives not just in the skies but in trains and cars, at work, at home, and everywhere in between. But does this automation make our lives any easier?

Mark focuses on the human factors associated with automation and the related technologies, discussing the cognitive factors of working with automation, and social and motivational aspects such as acceptance of and trust in technology.

The Award Lectures are an incredibly popular feature of the Festival, designed to appeal to a broad audience. They aim to promote open and informed discussion on scientific issues and encourage young scientists to explore the social aspects of their research, providing them with reward and recognition for doing so. The 2010 British Science Festival will take place from 14-19 September at Aston University and is open to members of the public.

The construction of the new Eastern Gateway building, which will occupy the vacant spot next to the University’s Kingston Lane entrance, has now entered its first stages.

After a lengthy and competitive procurement process, The University finally awarded the build contract to the UK’s largest construction firm, Laing O’Rourke. The £31 million Gateway building will be the new home of the Brunel Business School, as well as an impressive lecture theatre, atrium, café and space for the Beldam Gallery. To conform to the University’s Carbon Management Plan, the building will also be built to the highest standards of environmental sustainability (BREEAM Excellent).

Initial ground preparations began during Graduation week, with work expected to accelerate during September. The building is due for completion in the first half of 2012.

eastern Gateway uPDate: work gets underway

With a Brunel BA and MA under her belt, Christy

wrote the manuscript as part of her Creative

Writing PhD, supervised by Celia Brayfield and Rose

Atfield. Celia described Christy as “a home-grown

genius” whose path to publication shows that,

to achieve literary success, who you know really

is crucial. Christy had sent her manuscript to a

fellow MA student now working in publishing, who

passed it on to the agent of the hugely popular

author, Cecelia Aherne. The agent loved it so much

she immediately placed the novel with Quercus.

“It all happened very quickly”, said Christy. “The

editing process was very interesting, I learnt a lot

more about my own writing.”

Christy was born to Greek Cypriot parents who

had moved to London in the 1970s during the

Turkish invasion, and it was this turbulent period

in Cyprus’s history that provided the inspiration for

her novel. Koki, its protagonist, is a single mother

shunned by her village. She tells her story of love

and loss when imprisoned during the invasion with

the village women who had rejected her.

The novel has garnered excellent reviews and

coverage in the media, and was given a glowing

write-up in The Sunday Telegraph: “Much more

than another romantic beach read, this is a

powerful piece of writing underscored by Lefteri’s

understanding of her family’s history

and experiences.”


new staff: Sharon Baurley, Head of Design

Brunel has launched a recruitment drive for over 40 new senior academic posts with the aim of giving a substantial boost to the University’s flourishing academic profile.


Dr Sharon Baurley, one of the UK’s leading experts in materials science and digital technologies, joined the School of Engineering and Design this spring and will take over as Head of Design from Professor David Harrison at the beginning of September.

Previously a Reader at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, Sharon’s research interests span design, electronic textiles and materials, and digital technologies and wearable technology, and she is especially concerned with how materials science can bring together new types of design products that involve the fusion of the real and digital.

She is also Principal Investigator for Digital Sensoria, a two-year £775K project funded by the Research Council UK (RCUK). The study will provide designers, customers, corporations and communities with a new language to communicate peoples’ sensory perceptions of designs and real products through multi-modal digital interfaces. A consortium comprising Brunel University, University of the Arts London, Heriot-Watt University, Imperial College, and University College London Interaction Centre will carry out this multi-disciplinary project.

Additionally, Sharon is involved with the University of Nottingham’s Digital Economy research hub, Horizon. This five-year £40 million research centre will develop digital technology to transform modern living and develop new ways to use the electronic ‘footprints’ we leave behind whenever we use mobile, internet and other digital technologies, and new ways to use digital technologies to help business and stimulate economic growth.

major acaDemic recruitment Drive for brunel

Following a short illness, Brunel Law School Professor Kaiyan Kaikobad passed away in the early hours of 1 July.

After many years at Durham University, Professor Kaikobad joined Brunel Law School in September 2007. A highly esteemed colleague, one of his major roles during his time at Brunel was Director of Research for the Law School. He also took on the roles of Marketing Director, Acting Head of School and Deputy Head of School (Operations).

Professor Kaikobad was a member of the Pakistan High Court Bar, The Hague Institute of Internationalisation of Law and consultant to governmental bodies on various issues of international law. He was on the editorial board of two journals of international law and had broadcast extensively on radio, television and in the press on important international crises, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and the Kashmir dispute.

In March, Professor Kaiyan presented one of the lectures in Brunel’s 2010 Inaugural Lecture Series, addressing the theme of law-making by the United Nations Security Council.

Those at Brunel who had the opportunity to meet and work with him know that we have lost an extraordinary human being, a great scholar, a true and dependable friend: he was the embodiment of what it means to be a gentleman. He will be greatly missed. Our deepest sympathy is extended to his wife and family.

Kaiyan’s family preferred no flowers to be sent to his funeral, but instead asked for donations to be made to a children’s charity. As his family were already keen supporters of the NSPCC, the Law School has set up a tribute fund for Kaiyan, so friends and colleagues can make a contribution in his memory. If you would like to donate please visit http://nspcc.tributefunds.com/KaiyanKaikobad.

obituary: Professor Kaiyan Kaikobad

This most recent strategic initiative will allow the University

to build on the success of the 2008 Research Assessment

Exercise which confirmed our position as one of the UK’s

fastest-growing research institutions. Brunel is looking

for high-calibre academics for the following areas:

School of Arts

Chairs/Readers in English, Creative Writing,

Screen Media/Film and Television Studies

Brunel Business School

Chairs in Human Resources, Innovation, and Accounting and

Finance | Senior Lecturer in Ethics | Lecturer in Marketing

Brunel Law School

Chair in English Law | Readers/Senior Lecturers in English Law

School of Engineering and Design

Chair in Civil Engineering | Chairs/Readers in Aerospace,

Power Systems, Design, and Global Manufacturing and

Management | Chair/Reader/Senior Lecturer in Energy

Engineering | Senior Lecturer/Lecturer in Structural Engineering

School of Health Sciences and Social Care

Chairs in Translational Cancer Biology, Population

Sciences, Human Nutritional Biochemistry | Senior

Lecturers/Lecturers in Physiotherapy, Biosciences, Social

Work | Research Associate in Healthcare Research

School of Information Systems,

Computing and Mathematics

Chairs in Mathematics, Information Systems, Computing

| Reader in Information Systems or Computing

School of Social Sciences

Chairs in Financial Accounting, Corporate Finance,

Macroeconomics | Chair/Reader in Quantitative Political Analysis

School of Sport and Education

Chair in Sport Biomechanics | Chair/Reader and Subject Leader

in Education | Chair/Reader in Sport Sciences | Senior Lecturer in

Education | Lecturer in ICT Education | Lecturers in Education

Inter‑disciplinary Chairs

Chair in Enterprise System Design | Inter-disciplinary

Chair in Systems Biology (Epigenetics) | Chair/Reader

in Public Law and Constitutional/Political Reform

Specialist Research Institutes

There are three non-specified senior academic

positions available within the SRIs


Stelarc wins major cyber art prize

Stelarc, Brunel’s Chair in

Performance Art, has won the

prestigious ‘Golden Nica’ for the

Hybrid Art Prize in the Prix Ars

Electronica 2010, the International

Competition for Cyber Arts. The

Award, which is equivalent to

the Turner Prize in the field of

digital/electronic arts, has secured

Stelarc a €10,000 prize grant.

Stelarc (pictured below) did not

apply for the Award directly but was

nominated by the jury who were

impressed with his work-in-progress

‘Ear on Arm’ project. Stelarc required

surgery for the unusual artwork,

in which a cell-cultivated ear was

implanted under the skin of his

forearm. This will eventually be

linked to a Bluetooth microphone

that will broadcast what it ‘hears’

over the Internet.

The award will

be publicly

presented at

a ceremony

in September.

New Research Centre for

Engineering and Design

Brunel has launched a new Research

Centre in the School of Engineering

and Design – the Wireless Networks

and Communications Centre

(WNCC). The Centre, directed

by Professors John Cosmas and

Hamed Al-Raweshidy, will carry

out research in areas related to

wireless and broadcast networks,

mobile communication networks,

radio over fibre and future internet

technologies within the media,

energy and environment, security

and defence, manufacturing

and medical industries.

The Centre has a state-of-the-art

broadcast studio used for capturing,

processing and interacting with

high quality visual information,

as well as a GRID network, a

broadcast and mobile testbed and a

broadcast MIMO field test facility.

Brunel hosts major

gerontology conference

This July the Brunel Institute

for Ageing Studies (BIAS)

and the School of Health

Sciences and Social

Care hosted the 39th

British Society of

Gerontology (BSG)

Annual International

Conference, a

multidisciplinary

forum where researchers and

practitioners from around the world

shared, debated and discussed the

issues around the field of ageing.

This year’s theme was Identities,

Care and Everyday Life, with papers

and posters covering topics such

as ageing bodies, culture and

diversity, health and wellbeing, and

care and caring. Keynote speakers

included the Pro-Vice-Chancellor of

Australia’s Monash University, Helen

Bartlett, and Scientific Director and

Professor of Canada’s Institute of

Ageing, Anne Martin-Matthews.

Sponsors included Age UK and the

London Borough of Hillingdon.

Professor Judith Phillips, BSG

President said, “we are delighted

that the conference is being

held at Brunel University.” Vice-

Chancellor Professor Chris Jenks

agreed: “Brunel is delighted to

be able to welcome the annual

scientific meeting of the British

Society of Gerontology. With

the ageing of the UK population,

and growing concerns about the

impact of the current economic

situation on retired people, it is

right and timely that Brunel should

host such an important event.”

latest research news


Brunel partners Ministry of

Defence for intelligence doctrine

The Brunel Centre for Intelligence

and Security Studies (BCISS) has

been chosen by the Ministry

of Defence (MoD) as a partner

in the production of a new

Joint Intelligence Doctrine

for the UK armed forces.

The doctrine is a basic set of

common concepts, standard

operating procedures and agreed

best practices employed by the

military as their basic manual of

operations. The UK intelligence

doctrine has not been updated since

2003 and there has been increasing

pressure for it to be revised in

light of experiences in Afghanistan

and advances in intelligence

collection and analysis technology.

The core BCISS team, including

Drs Philip H J Davis and Kristian

Gustafson, is involved in the

planning and writing of the

doctrine, which is scheduled for

publication in December 2010.

Photo credit: C. Lancefield

Dr Dawn Leslie (School of

Sport and Education) has

secured a £125K First Grant

from the Engineering and

Physical Sciences Research

Council (EPSRC) to delve

deeper into the miniscule

world of quantum dots.

Quantum dots, also known as

nanoparticles, are tiny –

just 10-50 atoms (one ten-millionth of an inch) in

diameter – and their luminescent properties mean

they make excellent semiconductors, capable of

modifying any light that passes through them.

Quantum dots have played an essential role in the leaps

in computing and visual display and technology since the

1980s, but recent advances mean they have an increasingly

important role to play in security and healthcare sectors.

Dr Leslie’s research will look into how quantum dots can

be used in the development of radiation measurement

technology. For example, the particles could be used to

determine the level of radiation dose received by patients,

or to verify medical equipment sterilisation. If the research

project is successful, it could open the way for the

production of a wide range of self-calibrating dosimeters,

which could produce an optical output in real time.

The award is a big success for the University as a whole,

as Dr Leslie will be collaborating on the project with

colleagues from the Wolfson Centre for Materials

Processing and the School of Engineering and Design.

She has previously worked with Brunel’s Professor Peter

Hobson on the development of the Compact Muon

Solenoid (CMS) for the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva.

The EPSRC First Grant scheme is designed to support new

researchers and academics at the start of their careers to

gain experience of managing and leading research projects.

Dr leslie wins ePsrc grant for quantum dots research



2010Graduation

The 2010 Graduation Week turned out to be one of the most spectacular held at Brunel yet. Thanks to the stellar work of the Events team and all the staff and students that supported them, the ceremonies ran smoothly, the campus looked its very, very best, and the whole University was pulled in by the unashamedly joyous atmosphere.

Graduating students had several extra bonuses to enjoy this year too: an open-air cinema in the Quad (thanks to the huge screen hanging outside the Lecture Centre), two IKB statues to pose with for photos; and, best of all, a week of almost uninterrupted warmth and sunshine (apart from the unlucky few caught by Thursday’s torrential downpours!).

Have a browse through the next few pages for some of this year’s Graduation photos and to find out just who we handed out the latest batch of Honorary Doctorates and Fellowships to...

StEvEN BErKoffAn internationally acclaimed actor, writer and director, Steven Berkoff is probably best known for playing villains in films such as Octopussy (General Orlov) and Rambo II (Lt Col Podovsky). He also appeared in A Clockwork Orange, some of which was filmed at Brunel, and recently completed The Tourist with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie.

Alongside his many film and theatre roles, Steven created stage adaptations of Kafka’s Metamorphosis and Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher, and has directed several touring Shakespeare productions and Oscar Wilde’s Salomé.

In recognition of his outstanding services to the arts, the University awarded him the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters.


SIr PEtEr BLAKE CBEOften referred to as the Godfather of British Pop Art, Sir Peter Blake will forever be associated with his legendary cover design for the Beatles’ Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Sir Peter emerged in the 1960s as a key member of the Pop Art movement, along with the likes of David Hockney and Andy Warhol.

His work spans more than five decades and he is still exhibiting new work – the University’s Beldam Gallery even hosted a Peter Blake exhibition in 2009. In recognition of his outstanding services to the arts, he was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Humanities.

StEvE JACKSoNSteve Jackson co-founded Games Workshop in the 1970s, which has since become the world’s largest company specialising in fantasy role-playing games. The most famous – and lucrative – of these is Warhammer, the tabletop fantasy battle game.

Steve also writes regular games pages for The Daily Telegraph and is currently Associate Professor of Games Design at Brunel, using his experience to establish links between the Digital Games MA course and the games industry.

In recognition of his outstanding services to the University, he was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Humanities.

And the others…

HoNorArY GrADUAtESAnthony Balkwill 3M Advanced Principal Engineer

David Delpy Chief Executive of Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

Michael Nyman Composer

Diana Rimmer Former Consultant Microbiologist and Medical Director at Hillingdon Hospital NHS Trust; former member of Brunel Council

Geoffrey Robertson QC Founder and Head of Doughty Street Chambers; human rights specialist

The Rt Hon The Lord Steel of Aikwood Politician

Baroness Diana Warwick of Undercliffe Former Chief Executive of Universities UK

HoNorArY fELLoWSAndrew Barrett Brunel graduate; former Head of Business Marketing and Consultancy Services at St Thomas’s NHS Foundation Trust

Geoff Taylor Brunel graduate; member of Brunel University Court; former Development Director at Land Securities, London

Joe Ferry Brunel graduate; Head of Design at Virgin Atlantic Airways

Shailesh Vara Brunel graduate; MP for North-West Cambridgeshire, Assistant Whip in the Coalition Government


CLIfforD JoSEPH PrICE (Goldie)Clifford Price, better known as Goldie, has a career spanning art forms from electronic music to visual art and film. Best known as a DJ and for his work in the jungle and drum and bass genres, Goldie began his career as a graffiti artist in the West Midlands and New York in the 1980s. Alongside his successful music career, he has featured in the films The World Is Not Enough and Snatch, and as a gangster in Eastenders.

More recently, Goldie came second in the BBC show Maestro, where he discovered a new talent for conducting classical music, and has publicly backed the ‘Give Them a Voice’ campaign, aimed at encouraging young people to become social workers.

In recognition of his outstanding services to the national community, he is awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Social Sciences.

HELEN PAtrICIA SHArMAN oBEIn 1991, and at the age of 27, Helen Sharman became the first Briton in space, aboard a USSR capsule bound for the Mir Space station. A former chemist for Mars Confectionary, Helen became an astronaut by chance after answering an advertisement she heard on the car radio – “Astronaut wanted. No experience necessary.” Since then, Helen has worked as a broadcaster and presenter, communicating science to the public for radio and TV. She was appointed OBE in 1993.

In recognition of her outstanding services to science education, Helen was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Science.


:

innovation that works


1 exhibition | 3 days | 193 students | 250 innovative ideas:

innovation that works

Made in Brunel has become a rite of passage for the University’s final year Design and Engineering students. Having the opportunity to display their painstakingly assembled projects at the annual exhibition, held as usual at London’s Business Design Centre, now seems like an integral part of the students’ transition from study to the world of work – and almost as important as graduation itself.

This year’s exhibition, aptly titled ‘Innovation that works’, was every bit as thought-provoking and, indeed, as innovative as its predecessors. Students tackled everything from niche problems – such as a teaching aid bracelet to help autistic people improve their social skills – to devices that hold the potential to fundamentally alter the design of everyday objects – like Rotalock, a clever bicycle immobilisation system built straight into the wheel. Sustainability was also a popular theme this year, one great example being Tabeo, a roundabout for children in developing countries that doubles up as a grain mill when played on.

But while the projects often have a real-world value, Made in Brunel is not about promoting fully-fledged products to the great and good from the worlds of industry and design – indeed, the vast majority of the projects will not develop at all beyond the walls of the exhibition. Rather, Made in Brunel is a means for advertising our students’ creativity, imagination and professionalism, as well as their raw potential, to the world at large.

Dr Ross Brawn, Team Principal for the Mercedes GP Formula 1 team and one of this year’s Made in Brunel patrons, perfectly summed up the importance of the talent that is so evident at the annual event: “Made in Brunel…generates incredible excitement. These students are not just full of innovative ideas; they have the skills to develop, optimise and realise those ideas – these are future drivers of industrial innovation.”

With the fifth annual design exhibition under their belts, our students have proved once again that they are among the most talented and versatile young new designers in the UK.

made in brunel is a means for advertising our students’ creativity, imagination and professionalism...

Christopher was inspired to design a life-saving cot after watching a BBC documentary about people living with malaria. He was shocked to learn that malaria was responsible for the deaths of 3,000 children every day, the majority of whom were under five.

He created a lightweight, self-assembly cot – like a playpen with a mesh that is four times stronger than traditional mosquito netting – to help reduce infant mortality in the developing world.

“I knew that malaria could naturally lead to death,” said Christopher, “but the problems associated with it for countries like Africa and Cambodia are devastating.”

The project has been very positively reviewed by the charity Help the Cambodian Children, with whom Chris began collaborating after winning a student design award in 2008. The charity’s spokesperson Esme McCuaig said, “We feel this cot is a far superior protection for babies and small children than anything available at present.”

The charity has offered Chris the chance to travel to Cambodia in October, so he can work with local Cambodians to develop the prototype further.

:

who, what and why: the projects


Tulipe is certainly a lot smarter than your average plant pot. As well as fulfilling the usual plant pot duty as a container, Tulipe also tells its user if there is something wrong with their plant. The pot has an electronic base that is green if all is well and turns red if the plant is too dry, too hot or cold, or if the surroundings are too light or dark. It also vibrates when picked up if the plant is ‘unhappy’.

Natalie got the idea for Tulipe after contacting the UK horticultural therapy charity, Thrive, for her final year project. “Gardening can have a range of benefits for all kinds of people,” she said. “My grandfather, who has always been a keen gardener, has a sight condition called age-related macular degeneration that reduces central vision, so he can only see peripherally. It was designed for people like him.”

The smart pot is not only for those with sight conditions but can be used by all, especially those who are not as green-fingered as they would like to be. “It encourages the gardener to interact with their plant,” added Natalie. “You get to know what the plant likes.”

nAMe Christopher Harkin, BA Industrial Design and TechnologyProject Flat‑pack malaria prevention cot for Cambodia

AIM Reducing child mortality rates from malaria

nAMe Natalie King, BSc Industrial Design

Project TulipeAIM Make plant care easier using an ‘intelligent’ plant pot

:

who, what and why: the projects


Fed up of wrestling with your umbrella, getting soaked because it has blown inside out, or because you haven’t got enough room to put it up without doing someone an injury?

So was Simon, who hit upon the idea for Brolli while standing in a queue in front of the Musee d’Orsay in Paris. “It started to pour with rain and became very gusty,” he explained. “I watched as people struggled to open their umbrellas while being squashed by the crowd and getting poked by flailing umbrella ribs. I thought to myself, surely with new technology and materials there must be a better solution.”

So Simon decided to take on the challenge to create the ultimate unbreakable umbrella, which he says will work even in the stormiest of weather. The umbrella opens inside-out over people’s heads to prevent poking and the ribs flex with the wind to stop it getting bent out of shape. Also, any water is squeezed out as it is drawn back into its carrying tube, meaning you don’t have to carry a soggy brolly around with you afterwards.

Tom created HydroGro to help people with no outdoor space to produce their own fruit and vegetables – without even the need for soil.

“I came up with the idea when I was living in the University halls of residence,” explained Tom. “I felt that there was an opportunity to make good use of the windowsill to grow plants since it receives the most sunlight.”

More than simply practical, it is stylish too. Instead of normal soil Tom uses multi-coloured crystal soil – a water-retaining gel – which means the user avoids potential mess and has an alternative that also happens to look good.

Tom added: “The usual hydroponic systems are large and noisy. This method – combining the gel crystals with fogging – supports plant life and can bring fruit and vegetable production to people who don’t have a garden. It looks really cool, too.”

Express takes a look at four students and

how their projects tackle real-world needs.

nAMe Simon Warne, BA Industrial Design and TechnologyProject Brollii

AIM Protecting you from bad weather with the ultimate unbreakable umbrella

nAMe Tom Kelham, BSc Industrial Design

Project HydroGroAIM Bringing vegetable production to apartment living

Spring Lecture tackles challenges facing water industry

a brunel architectural retrospective – coming soon…

Brunel opens its doors for the London open City festival this autumn, giving you the opportunity to find out more about the architecture – both old and new – that makes the University so unique.


The mounting environmental issues and future challenges facing the water industry were the topics for this year’s Brunel Spring Lecture, held in June.

Ex-Brunel colleague Professor Martin Cave OBE took to the podium to deliver the Water Conservators lecture, “Innovation and Competition in UK Water”, a joint initiative between Brunel University, the Worshipful Company of Water Conservators and the engineering group Costain, who sponsored the event.

Professor Cave argued that although the UK water industry has achieved a great deal in the last 20 years, climate change and population growth represent real challenges to the current structure of the water sector. “It is a good time to be a water conservator,” said Cave. “It is a highly regulated business that needs to be shaken up…it is ill-equipped to deal with climate change.”

The Vice-Chancellor Professor Chris Jenks delivered the welcome address, followed by Costain’s Group Strategy and Business Development Manager, Stephen Wells.

Keynote speaker Professor Cave, one of the UK’s leading regulatory economists, was once a Professor and Director of Economics and Vice-Principal at Brunel University.

When Throughout September and October

Where Council Chamber, Beldam Gallery, and across campus

Dr James Pearson, a recent graduate from Brunel’s Centre for Sports Medicine and Human Performance (CSMHP), has been awarded a US research fellowship to help astronauts prepare for extra‑terrestrial missions and recuperate on their return.

The three-year fellowship at the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine, Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, will allow Dr Pearson to study the blood flow of astronauts before, during and after space flight, as well as undertaking projects investigating the mechanisms of blood pressure control for the US military, burns patients and post-menopausal women. He will be supervised throughout by world-leading exercise physiologist Professor Craig Crandall.

Student awarded fellowship to aid astronauts

The Arts Centre is coordinating a series

of events, from mid-September through

to mid-October, exploring the University’s

buildings, the artists who have been

inspired by them and the history that

still surrounds the campus today.

For many, the highlight will be the chance to

find out more about the early development of

the Uxbridge campus and how the modernist/

brutalist structures that still dominate

the University landscape came to be.

Staff, students and the public will also have

opportunities to see Brunel-inspired art

created by the likes of Alan Bennett, Robert

Currie and Nathalie Guinamard, explore the

derelict Brunel-built railway cutting that

lies alongside the edge of the campus, and

join tours of the campus and its buildings.

For information on exact times

and dates please check IntraBrunel

and the Arts Centre website.


Contact [email protected]

www.brunel.ac.uk/artscentre

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And finally...

...congratulations to the class of

0110 0710

2010!

express august 2010

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