Engineering at Lancaster University

News

£3/4m for Wave Energy Research

Tue Nov 6 00:00:00 UTC 2007 - Lancaster University’s Renewable Energy Group (LUREG) has won two major grants totalling £3/4m to help harness the power of the sea and covert it into energy.

£3/4m Chair in Nuclear Engineering and Decommissioning

Tue Nov 6 00:00:00 UTC 2007 - Lancaster University and the Lloyd’s Register Educational Trust have announced a new development in the drive to meet the needs of tomorrow’s Nuclear Industry.

Lancaster University will formally launch The Lloyd’s Register Educational Trust Chair in Nuclear Engineering and Decommissioning at an event at The Royal Academy of Engineering in Carlton House Terrace, London, in January next year.

Lancaster Hosts Big Event for Small Systems

Wed Oct 10 00:00:00 UTC+0100 2007 - Delegates from the world of Micro and Nanosystems Engineering came to Lancaster University this month to attend an international showcase examining cutting edge developments in their field.

Engineering Student Short-listed For National Award

Mon Sep 10 00:00:00 UTC+0100 2007 - Lancaster University Engineering student Chris Plant has been short-listed in the Science and Technology Student of the Year Awards for his research on renewable energy.

Sustainable Product Development

Wed Aug 15 00:00:00 UTC+0100 2007 - Mr Chris Lambert & Dr Allan Rennie – Engineering - £167, 990 – European Regional Development Fund
The tools and methods for assessing the environmental impacts of small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) have not been extensively investigated. The needs for SMEs engaged in product development, to become more aware of their impacts are increasing. The benefits of analysing and mitigating against these impacts can be significant, in terms of energy reduction, product and process optimisation, customer reputation and waste reduction.

Rapid Manufacturing Northwest

Wed Aug 15 00:00:00 UTC+0100 2007 - Dr Allan Rennie – Engineering - £200, 547 – European Regional Development Fund.
Rapid Manufacturing (RM) is the name given to the production of components using Additive Layer Manufacturing (ALM) processes, which takes 3D computer aided designs and directly 'prints' or 'grows' parts in a variety of polymeric, metallic, organic and ceramic materials.

PhD in Optimisation and build of a Low Head Hydro System

Fri Jun 8 00:00:00 UTC+0100 2007 - Lancaster University Renewable Energy Group is an established research group focused on wet renewable energy. In line with government policy in its recent energy white paper, the group is expanding its work on small scale hydropower as a contributor towards distributed generation. The project, funded by the North West Development Agency and supported by Yorkshire Water, will design, build test and economically evaluate a low head small scale hydropower system based on converting the water head to an air flow. The project will include theoretical and laboratory research within Lancaster University and culminate in the fabrication of a full scale facility in the North West. Applications are invited for a three-years, fully funded PhD studentship, open to UK/EU nationals due to nature of funding. The studentship will be funded at the normal rate (full home student fees plus a tax-free grant of around £12,500). Applicants should have, or be about to obtain, a good Engineering, Physics or related degree. Some experience in computing/programming, mechanical design and project management is desirable. Further Details of the project are given on our website.

5 MSc Studentships Available

Tue Jun 5 00:00:00 UTC+0100 2007 - Lancaster Product Development Unit (LPDU), the Outreach Team of the Engineering Department at Lancaster University are able to offer five MSc Engineering (by Research) opportunities. Three are focused on rapid manufacturing and two on sustainable product development. Details of each one are given below:

8th National Conference on Rapid Design, Prototyping and Manufacturing

Tue Jun 5 00:00:00 UTC+0100 2007 - The 8th National Conference on Rapid Design, Prototyping and Manufacturing is being held at BCUC on Friday, 15 June. This event is organised jointly by the Centre for Rapid Design and Manufacture (CRDM Research) at BCUC and the Lancaster Product Development Unit (LPDU) at Lancaster University. It has become an important fixture in the annual calendar of those working in advanced manufacturing technologies and it brings together dozens of leading researchers in this field from across the UK and beyond. In the words of Dr Dermot Brabazon of Dublin City University: "This conference presents the latest research into developments and uses of Rapid Manufacturing. The oral presentations, posters, proceedings, and organisation of this conference have always been of high quality. Other benefits of this one day conference include its low cost for students and the tour of the extensive facilities at CRDM which illustrates the capabilities of the latest Rapid Manufacturing equipment." For further details, please refer to the comprehensive Conference website.

Low-Carbon Energy (A new part-time MSc starting in 2007)

Wed May 23 00:00:00 UTC+0100 2007 -

Why a new course?

It is difficult to open a newspaper without coming across articles on global warming and energy security or an advertisement claiming “greenness” as a reason to buy particular products or services. There is no longer any doubt that global warming is a real threat and that competition for energy supplies could be hugely destabilising politically.

The UK Energy White Paper, published on 23 May 2007, proposes action to reduce energy use as well as rapid development of low-carbon energy supplies - including a much greater role for renewable energy and the construction of new nuclear power stations. Lancaster University’s Low Carbon Energy MSc is an innovative new course aimed at the professionals in industry and Government who are responsible for implementing the changes that will realise the Government’s objective of cutting this country’s carbon emissions by 60% by 2050.

No quick fix for environmental damage caused by travel

Thu May 17 00:00:00 UTC+0100 2007 -

Ultimately, it will fall to engineers to provide a solution to climate change

The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) identifies transport as one of the fastest growing sources of carbon dioxide. UK transport emissions have been increasing at 2 per cent a year for the second half of the 20th century and we face a major challenge to reverse this trend during the 21st.

Postgraduate Awarded Fellowship to help train for the Olympics

Fri Mar 9 00:00:00 UTC 2007 -

A Lancaster postgraduate who aims to compete in the next Olympics has been awarded a prestigious training award from the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Lancaster Engineering Graduates Favoured

Fri Jan 12 00:00:00 UTC 2007 -

A leading electronics firm says it prefers to recruit Lancaster graduates because of their high calibre.

Marl International is a pioneering company in the design and manufacture of high performance LED electronic lighting, with over 100 employees based in Cumbria and Nevada in the US.

The firm has an active policy of recruiting from Lancaster University, with three students employed in the past two years.

Students have a racing ambition

Fri Dec 1 00:00:00 UTC 2006 - A TEAM of budding engineers from Lancaster University are aiming to build on a racing ambition Seven fourth year students have been charged with designing and assembling a car to be raced at the annual Formula Student event.

Messages from the Mountains

Thu Nov 23 00:00:00 UTC 2006 - The Engineering Department’s Cosmic Neutron spectrometer has just started sending data back to B86 from the Sphinx on the Jungfraujoch mountain (3580 metres) in Switzerland, the only instrument of its type in the world, thanks to the efforts of Dr Steve Monk and Zafer Jarrah.

New Director for North West Accelerator Science

Fri Nov 17 00:00:00 UTC 2006 - The Cockcroft Institute – one of the UK’s flagship centres of excellence in accelerator science – has appointed world-renowned physicist Professor Swapan Chattopadhyay as its Inaugural Director. Professor Chattopadhyay is currently Associate Director at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in the US and renowned for breakthroughs in the physics and technology of particle beams and photon science. He will take up his new post at the Cockcroft Institute in March 2007.

Businesses benefit from eco-design

Fri Nov 17 00:00:00 UTC 2006 - Over 35 delegates from across the North West and the East Central Region of Sweden have benefited from expert advice from Lancaster University on how to make environmentally friendly products. The Eco-Design Workshop was held at the Solaris Centre in Blackpool, which is itself a leading example of eco-friendly building design. The two-day event, funded by the EU Interreg IIIC Programme, aimed to share best practice between companies in both Sweden and the UK on how to promote sustainability.

Consultancy And Support: Computer Aided Design & Engineering (CAS:CADE)

Tue Oct 3 00:00:00 UTC+0100 2006 - Dr Allan E W Rennie – Engineering – European Regional Development Fund – £1,633,034 (£685,874 from the ERDF)

Youth Ambassador

Wed Sep 6 00:00:00 UTC+0100 2006 - Anthony Stagg has been appointed by the North West Aerospace Alliance as its "youth ambassador" to encourage more young people to consider careers in aerospace. Anthony is currently completing a 4 year MEng in Mechanical Engineering at Lancaster University.

Funding for Scholarships in Nuclear Decommissioning

Thu Aug 17 00:00:00 UTC+0100 2006 - Lancaster University’s excellence in nuclear engineering has been recognised with support from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA). The NDA will fund a number of post graduate scholarships for part-time industry-based students on the University’s MSc course in Decommissioning and Environmental Clean-up.

Formula Student Germany

Fri Jul 28 00:00:00 UTC+0100 2006 - A team of engineering students from Lancaster University are gearing up for the International Formula Student racing car competition in Germany.

ESSEM 2006 Safety Conference

Tue Jul 25 00:00:00 UTC+0100 2006 - Lancaster’s first conference in Engineering Safety for Safety Engineers and Managers (ESSEM06) was held on the 10th July 2006 and was a great success, attracting over 60 delegates from industries spanning the safety-critical sectors of nuclear, aerospace and rail.

Students Attend Pump Centre 2006 Annual Conference

Thu May 18 00:00:00 UTC+0100 2006 - Four students from Lancaster University were invited to the Annual 2006 Conference and Exhibition titled "Improving Pump Performance". The event took place at the Holiday Inn Hotel Runcorn and was attended by over 220 delegates.

High Power Photonic Band Gap Engineering

Fri May 12 00:00:00 UTC+0100 2006 - Congratulations to Dr Rebecca Seviour for obtaining an EPSRC award of £0.82m for High Power Photonic Band Gap Engineering: Accelerators and RF Sources.

Most Frequently Cited Research

Fri May 12 00:00:00 UTC+0100 2006 - LANCASTER UNIVERSITY'S ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT has done well in a table of most frequently cited research. The latest issue of Science Watch, the bimonthly newsletter published by Thomson Scientific, ranks universities based on both the total number of citations as well as their impact (or the average number of citations per paper) during the 2001-2005 period.

Eco-Design in SMEs'

Wed May 3 00:00:00 UTC+0100 2006 - Dr Allan E W Rennie of the Engineering Department has been awarded €109,096 for an EU TOWER InterReg IIIC Project entitled ‘Successful Implementation of Eco-Design in SMEs’

Marine Energy and Wet Renewable Technologies

Wed May 3 00:00:00 UTC+0100 2006 - Senior Lecturer, George Aggidis director of LUREG has been successful in securing £290k from the Joule Research Centre for research into a Northwest Hydro Resource Model.

Virtual Prototyping Success Continues

Wed May 3 00:00:00 UTC+0100 2006 - Dr Allan E W Rennie of the Engineering Department has been successful in gaining additional ERDF funding to deliver the Virtual Prototyping Phase III Project.

Appointment to Cockcroft Institute

Fri Dec 23 00:00:00 UTC 2005 - A Lancaster University Engineer has been appointed to a major new international centre dedicated to accelerator science, which is unlocking the structure of matter and the origin of the Universe.

Lecturer wins Teaching Prize

Fri Dec 23 00:00:00 UTC 2005 - A Lancaster University lecturer was among the first six engineering lecturers to be awarded prizes for excellence in teaching by the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Think Crime Initiative Success

Wed Mar 16 00:00:00 UTC 2005 - The department has been successful in a £350k bid to the EPSRC under the Think Crime initiative.

Will the Lights Go Out?

Wed Dec 15 00:00:00 UTC 2004 - The The one-day conference titled ‘Will the Lights Go Out?’ brought together some of Europe’s leading experts in energy policy and alternative energy supply in an event which outlined the energy problems that the world is facing and addressed some of the potential solutions.

Virtual Prototyping

Mon Dec 6 00:00:00 UTC 2004 - The Lancaster Product Development Unit within Lancaster University’s Engineering Department has recently been successful in gaining a £287,775 European Regional Development Fund grant to continue its good work with the introduction of advanced 3D and virtual prototyping design technologies to SMEs in the NW Objective 2 region.

Construction Design Innovation

Mon Dec 6 00:00:00 UTC 2004 - Dr Allan E W Rennie of the Lancaster Product Development Unit within Lancaster University’s Engineering Department in partnership with Preston College’s Construction Services Department has recently been successful in gaining a £544,250 National European Social Fund grant.

Starchaser Visit

Wed Dec 1 00:00:00 UTC 2004 - Meric Stanley from the Starchaser team recently talked to the Department about the highs and lows of designing a rocket for leisure flights into space.

IEE Accreditation

Thu Nov 11 00:00:00 UTC 2004 - The department has succeeded in securing IEE accreditation for all its relevant courses after a recent visit from the Institution of Electrical Engineers.

Will the lights go out?

Fri Oct 15 00:00:00 UTC+0100 2004 - The department is to host a one day conference on UK energy policy to be held on Tuesday 14th December.

Lancaster 2nd Best UK Team

Wed Jul 14 00:00:00 UTC+0100 2004 - The Engineering Departments Formula Student Team achieved 8th place out of 54 entries at the 2004 Formula Student event held at Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground, Leicestershire.

International Mixed Signal Test Workshop

Tue Jun 29 00:00:00 UTC+0100 2004 - The Centre for Microsystems Engineering has been selected by the IEEE Test Technology Committee to organise the International Mixed Signal Test Workshop in June 2006.

Trains Lose Steam in Green Travel Race

Wed Jun 23 00:00:00 UTC+0100 2004 - Inter-city trains have gradually lost their green credentials, according to research carried out by a Lancaster University Academic.

Formula Student Car at Three Sisters Race Track

Thu Mar 18 00:00:00 UTC 2004 - The Formula Student team enjoyed a days driver training and testing at the Aintree Racing Drivers School, Three Sisters Race Circuit - Wigan on Tuesday 16th March.

5th National Conference on Rapid Design, Prototyping & Manufacturing

Mon Mar 15 00:00:00 UTC 2004 - Lancaster University Engineering Department are please to be associated with the organisation of the 5th National Conference on Rapid Design, Prototyping & Manufacturing.

Engineering takes the lead in Microsystem and Nanotechnology manufacturing Research

Tue Jan 13 00:00:00 UTC 2004 - On January 1st, the European Commission launched a major new £4.5M project coordinated by the Engineering Department at Lancaster University.

New MSc in Decommissioning and Environmental Clean-up

Tue Aug 19 00:00:00 UTC+0100 2003 - Lancaster University’s Engineering Department launches unique MSc in Decommissioning and Environmental Clean-up in reaction to the new draft “Nuclear Sites and Radioactive Substances Bill” published 24th June 2003.