July 11, 2013, by Zoë Goodwin

News from the week in brief

Very brief

This week we have won funding to tackle the most deadly cancer and more for arthritis pain, we’ve had a Hollywood star on campus, tweets from beyond the grave, a new architectural book, a tribute to “the father of rail human factors”, a machine which cuts almost any material, a global network event in Indonesia and a conference to teach the public on the healthcare of older people.

Right that’s the news put very briefly. Curious for more information? Read on.

Rather brief

Lung cancer claims the lives of 35,000 people every year and what’s more…almost 40% of patients with lung cancer are diagnosed following an emergency admission to hospital and not before. Therefore it is great news that Dr Andrew Wilcock and Dr Emma O’Dowd have won funding to carry out research which aims to establish how this disease can be diagnosed earlier and ultimately save more lives.

Lung cancer photo

Read the full story here.

The School of Clinical Sciences are doing particularly well this week as they have also received funding from Arthritis Research UK to develop new treatment for severe arthritis pain. There are millions of sufferers around the world who will be glad to know that the Nottingham team, along with a team from University College London are on the hunt for new drug treatments, more effective in fighting arthritis pain.

Arthritis photo

Read the full story here.

On a completely different note…ever seen Titanic? Terminator 2? Or Jurassic Park? Then you will have seen the work of the seven-time Oscar winner, sound designer and film director, Gary Rydstrom who has been spending the week at the University. His visit marks a new partnership between the University and global entertainment giant, Dolby Laboratories. Rydstrom’s time has not been spared – he has been awarded an honorary degree in recognition of his glittering career as well as taking part in a packed programme of events for staff, students and the public.

Hollywood director photo

Read the full story here.

Tweets from beyond the grave…I hear your confusion and will for more information. Professor Julie Sanders from Nottingham’s School of English will be working with the University of Edinburgh’s School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures to recreate an epic journey undertaken on foot by the celebrated playwright Ben Jonson more than 400 years ago. This journey is being digitally re-trod using Twitter, Facebook and a blog based on extracts from a recently-discovered account of his travels.

Tweet from grave photo

Read the full story here.

Moving on to this book now. This is the second book to be commissioned by the University. Named ‘Aspects of a Global University’, it is a pictorial narrative of the University’s development over the years which showcase stunning photography by Nottingham-based architectural photographers Martine Hamilton Knight. Its predecessor ‘Campus Views’ was published in 2007 and contained images from across Nottingham’s campuses. It was also created by Knight who has now been awarded an honorary degree for her creations.

Book photo

Read the full story here.

On a much sadder note, Professor John Wilson who worked in the University of Nottingham’s Faculty of Engineering for the last 30 years, has died aged 62. He has been described as “the father of rail human factors”, his work instrumental in the development of tools now routinely used worldwide to predict workload demands upon signallers. Professor Sarah Sharples, Head of the University’s Human Factors Research Group, said: “John was fantastic to collaborate with, combining a love of travelling and fun with a strong work ethic and made a special effort to support younger colleagues and students in developing their careers.”

Tribute photo

Read the full story here.

Right, on to this really good scissors…well not quite. A state-of-the-art £250k waterjet machine, the only one in the UK, has been donated to the University by the Swiss based company Mirco WaterJet AG. What does it do? It works by mixing a very fine abrasive with accelerated water at incredibly high speeds. It can cut everything from felt to precious stones and hard alloys at very high speeds and also provide a unique method of fast and flexible prototype production. What’s it for? The machine will be an integral part of a major new pan-European industrial and academic training project which the University of Nottingham is co-ordinating, known as STEEP. This project focuses on Energy Beam processing and includes 10 main partners and 18 associate partners from 12 European countries.

Waterjet photo

Read the full story here.

Now a little on this global network event – the University of Nottingham has brought together delegates from 15 prestigious universities, which all have teaching collaborations with Nottingham, to Indonesia to explore the impact and benefits of transnational education. During the two-day event the global group shared tea and biscuits along with best practice on a range of topics including developing partnerships in new markets, cultural and structural challenges and distance learning.

Global network photo

Read the full story here.

Finally I will brief you on the public conference which took part last Friday. The conference which was carried out by the University’s Division of Rehabilitation and Ageing, was an opportunity for the general public to find out about research into the healthcare of frail older people in hospital and care homes. The day was a success with all places being filled.

Healthcare of older people photo

Read the full story here.

Posted in EngineeringEventsFundingInternationalResearch newsStaff