The Faculty of Engineering Research Showcase is held every two years and enables the faculty to strengthen and develop existing partnerships with industry and to start new collaborations. This year’s event will take place on Monday 13 April from 2 to 5.30pm in the Merchant Venturers Building, Woodland Road, Bristol, followed by a networking drinks reception from 5.30 to 7pm.
The research showcase will be a series of sector-based presentations and exhibition areas with demonstrations of current research by engineering academic staff. There will also be an exhibition of prize-winning student projects.
Dr John McWilliams, Industrial Liaison Manager in the Faculty of Engineering, who is organising the event, said: “This a great opportunity for engineering’s leading academics to present in person their latest research to the University’s industry partners. For the first time research is being presented by industry sector rather than research groups – both in presentations and in the exhibition and demonstration areas.”
Highlights from the research showcase include:
Dimitra Simeonidou, Professor of High Performance Networks, will be revealing 4K ultra high definition streaming through the Bristol network, which will be three times the speed of connectivity compared to the current industry maximum broadband. The visual and innovative exhibit will be related to the Bristol Is Open project – a joint partnership with Bristol City Council to create three new fast networks in the centre of Bristol to capture information about many aspects of city life, including energy, air quality and traffic flows.
Sustainable energy technologies are essential to addressing the increasing pressures of limited fossil fuel reserves, energy security concerns and the need for reduced carbon dioxide emissions. The Faculty will show how it is addressing these challenges through the development of renewable energy technologies such as wind, tidal and solar power devices, and energy management systems for optimising energy transfer processes and electrical transmission. These activities are complemented by the development of miniature self-powered sensing and monitoring systems, which are integrated with a range of technologies in the built environment, transport, manufacturing and health care sectors.
The Faculty has a wide range of research that relates to the automotive sector, from communications, vision research, aeroacoustics and composite materials. There will be various displays including a demonstration of a novel in-car parameter estimation method, showing a car that can make sophisticated calculations about its own mass and gradient of surface and that could enable better handling and control.
The research showcase is part of the biggest industry event in the Faculty’s annual calendar, the Faculty Industrial Advisory Board (IAB).