Robert Lloyd - a Sir Gar Blog of random news . . . and some Clecs!

Aberystwyth and Bangor Universities will announce a new Strategic Alliance today (Wednesday 7th December) that signals a new phase in the partnership between the two institutions. The new alliance will build on the successful HEFCW funded £10.9m Research and Enterprise Partnership which was established by the two universities in 2006. Set a target of generating £11m of additional research funding over a period of 5 years, the Research and Enterprise Partnership will report on Wednesday that it has in fact generated £53m of additional research funding. This represents 481% of target and has been achieved in the form of new joint research projects, funding brought in by new appointments or as a result of workshops and meetings, which have brought together existing academics from both universities. The new Strategic Alliance is already beginning to broaden and deepen the partnership between the two universities into areas such as joint strategies in Teaching and Learning, Innovation and E...

The Higher Education sector in Wales has embarked on a process of reconfiguration, taking a new and innovative approach to maximise the benefits of research, teaching and learning for students, stakeholders and the wider economy. This seeks to improve even further on the outstanding quality of research, teaching and student satisfaction already being achieved in Wales. Higher Education Wales (HEW), the body comprising the Vice-Chancellors of Wales’s universities, has said: “The positive impact of universities in Wales – contributing £2.2bn a year to the Welsh economy - is strong and growing, but the challenges facing higher education are of an unprecedented nature. We have to move fast in order to meet these challenges and deliver transformational change for Wales… “In this context a strategic approach from the higher education sector in Wales is essential... This approach will address key national priorities for Wales in relation to economic renewal and social justice. “We are ...

From Arts to Zoology, and from bachelor’s degree to PhD, thousands of international students are graduating from universities across Wales this week and last. After years of hard study, in many cases in a foreign language, students from all over the world are this week collecting the qualifications they hope will set them on the path to success. At Cardiff University, the graduation ceremony is broadcast live from St David’s Hall to the city on the BBC big screen so that members of the public as well as friends and families of graduates can watch the 2011 degree congregations as they happen. All of the universities honour public figures alongside their graduates and this year at Bangor University, students join the likes of Duffy, the singer, and Welsh rugby international Shane Williams as they collect their degrees. New graduates at University of Glamorgan are applauded by the Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor and academic staff, accompanied by musicians from the Royal Welsh College of Mus...

Swansea University is one of the Welsh academic institutions which will benefit from the launch of the new HPC super computer project for Wales. (See earlier posts starting at http://sirgarblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/new-40m-super-computer-project-for.html ) Here are some short case study examples of how Swansea will benefit from the HPC Wales project. Linking with business The ITWales project is part of the School of Physical Sciences at Swansea University. ITWales believes that the HPC project will open up huge opportunities for businesses that require the highest level of support in terms of leading edge computing resources. Professor Min Chen said: “With ITWales already engaging with Welsh SMEs from a wide range of sectors it could stimulate business awareness of this unique facility. “ITWales has played a significant role in putting Swansea University and our Computer Science Department on the business map. It has been an integral project that has linked academia with business and t...

Cardiff University is one of the Welsh academic institutions which will benefit from the launch of the new HPC super computer project for Wales. (See earlier posts starting at http://sirgarblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/new-40m-super-computer-project-for.html ) Here are some short case study examples of how Cardiff will benefit from the HPC Wales project. Driving Chemistry on an Industrial Scale Researchers at Cardiff University are involved in a “Grand Challenge” collaboration with the University of Nottingham and the University of York to use light from the sun. Included in this effort will be the transformation of atmospheric carbon dioxide into usable liquid fuels and commodity chemicals, with solar radiation providing the energy source. The project covers everything from basic chemistry and physics to engineering, and involves the need for computer simulation at every stage. Industrial collaborators include Eastman Kodak and Hoffmann la Roche. Structural problems in solid state and ma...

Swansea Metropolitan University is one of the Welsh academic institutions which will benefit from the launch of the new HPC super computer project for Wales. (See earlier posts starting at http://sirgarblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/new-40m-super-computer-project-for.html ) Here is one example for how 'The Met' will benefit from the HPC Wales project. Swansea Animation Days (SAND) Swansea Metropolitan University provides a focus for digital visualisation across the creative media sector, including animation, video games and film. Combining the computational skills development and infrastructure capabilities of HPC Wales, together with the creative expertise and industrial engagement of SAND, this will provide a regional infrastructure that will greatly support the growth of a key WAG priority sector across Convergence Wales. SAND is a highly prestigious annual international computer graphic imagery (CGI) event that continues to be a vital landmark on the digital media calendar, attr...

Bangor University has a number of projects in mind to tie-in with the launch of the new HPC super computer project for Wales. (See earlier posts starting at http://sirgarblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/new-40m-super-computer-project-for.html ) Here are a few case studies of the sort of work which will benefit from the HPC Wales project - How the brain works Bangor has a world renowned academic, Professor Fergus Lowe, who studies the way children think about healthy eating, eating fruit and vegetables and so on. He has a 20 year programme where he has proven empirically that the behaviour of children who are exposed to health eating techniques can be changed. Obviously, obesity is a great problem for the Western World. It can cause huge costs in terms of health in later life and the knock-on impact on our health service. Bangor has a team of experts who have been able to measure what happens in the brain. Bangor has the scanners, the people and huge data sets of material. HPC will allow us to...

A Swansea-based heart technology business is one of a host of science-based firms which stands to benefit from the launch of the HPC Wales super computer project. Calon Cardio-Technology Ltd is developing the next generation of implantable micro-pumps for the treatment of heart failure. It is cutting edge work aimed at making heart assist pumps the routine method of treating heart failure. “We are developing technology which tackles what is universally recognised as a global health problem of epidemic proportions,” said Calon Cardio-Technology managing director Kevin Fernquest. “We are carrying out very innovative work here in Swansea and make extensive use of computer modelling and simulation in our research and development, which significantly reduces our product development phase and, consequently, the time to market. “Obviously, access to the very best technology that high performance computing can offer is a major boost for a business like ours. “I am sure other SMEs in Wales wil...

As one of the oldest and largest Departments of Geography and Earth Science in Britain, the Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences, IGES ( http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/iges ) at Aberystwyth has always been at the cutting edge of innovations in teaching and research. The launch of the HPC Wales super computer project (featured on this blog earlier this week) will help ensure it stays in the vanguard studying human geography and physical geography. And, according to Professor Richard Lucas at the IGES, it will open up new avenues for collaborations with small to medium-size businesses (SMEs), Government organisations and educational institutions in Wales, as well as in the UK and internationally. “Here at Aberystwyth, we are very excited at the potential opportunities the HPC project will open up. “It will give us a massive competitive edge in research and analysing date and we are looking forward immensely to the project getting underway. "At Aberystwyth, a significant element of ou...

Pictures from the launch of the HPC Wales - High Performance Computing Wales - project. The launch in Cardiff was attended by Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones, Minister for the Economy and Transport, Lesley Griffiths, Deputy Minister for Science, Innovation and Skills, and Professor Noel Lloyd, chair of Higher Education Wales and vice-chancellor of Aberystwyth University. See earlier posts starting at - http://sirgarblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/new-40m-super-computer-project-for.html

The development of HPC Wales will make a massive difference to creative media companies in Wales, according to Alan Moult, director of North Wales-based Motion Blur Ltd. The Pwllheli-based firm has an international reputation and a strong client base supplying the creative industries with digital art and computer 2D and 3D animation. Mr Moult said: “Due to the geography, running a business in Wales, particularly here in Gwynedd, North Wales has always been extremely challenging. “The internet has changed things, largely for the better, but not always. This instantly accessible, global market and delivery conduit has also brought stiff competition, making it hard to compete in a difficult climate. “HPC on the ‘doorstep’ could go a long way in redressing some of the balance.” Motion Blur has collaborated with Glyndwr University in Wrexham on a number of occasions and hopes to build on its successful links with the academic world. Motion Blur has a strong track record. The firm won a Prom...

See earlier posts starting at - http://sirgarblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/new-40m-super-computer-project-for.html Global industry examples of companies using HPC Technology Wal-Mart uses HPC modelling to optimise its supply chain, including performing daily stock analysis across its entire worldwide shop network Fed-Ex uses HPC systems to simulate and plan the delivery of millions of items around the world each day through its fleet of 600+ aircraft and 75,000 vehicles The NASDAQ Stock Exchange uses HPC to process over two billion transactions daily at rates of more than 200,000 transactions per second. Technology costs were reduced by 70% in the last three years using commodity HPC hardware. Motorola uses HPC to produce models and simulations of wireless devices and radio links needed to develop global telecommunications services. The effects of buildings and geographical features on wireless signals can be accurately predicted using HPC enabling potential problems to be designed out Tex...

See previous post - http://sirgarblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/new-40m-super-computer-project-for.html High Performance Computing High Performance Computing refers to any computational activity requiring more that a single computer to execute a task. Supercomputers and computer clusters are used to solve advanced computation problems and are employed for specialized applications. Major applications include; Data storage and analysis; Data mining; Simulations; Modelling; Software development; Visualisation of complex data ;Rapid mathematical calculations. Academic expertise HPC Wales is already opening up new International linkages and bringing new expertise into Wales. Glyndwr University has already arranged the appointment of two new visiting professors: Prof Luciano Tarricone, of the University of Salento in Italy), a computational electromagnetics specialist, who has focused on the application of high performance computing to this field and has published several books on it. Prof Te...

A major project announced today (July 12) represents a major advance for supercomputing in Wales and is set to deliver significant long term benefits to business, industry and the Welsh economy. High Performance Computing Wales (HPC Wales) is a £40million five year project to give businesses and universities involved in commercially focussed research across Wales access to the most advanced and evolving computing technology available. HPC Wales will invest in state-of-the-art computing technology, infrastructure and facilities on a pan-Wales basis, high level skills development and training and provide tailor made support services to business. The availability of this technology is set to have a major impact on the economy, on business competitiveness, on innovation, high value R&D in higher education institutions and skills development. It is set to create more than 400 jobs across key industry sectors. With support of £24 million from the Welsh Assembly Government, including from...

BBC News - Universities in grant 'challenge'