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Full details of older news items can be found in our News Archives |
16th February 2009
MULTIDISCIPLINARY IRON RESEARCH
ETCbrunel research is on show this week at the World of Iron Conference in central London. Archaeometallurgist Lorna Anguilano presents work on early iron smelting activity in Ireland, in association with Connaught and Mayo County Council. Dr Alan Reynolds presents studies of iron uptake in biological tissue, investigating plant growth on ancient mining sites.
20th January 2009
FORENSICS RESEARCH
ETCbrunel forensics research is in the news this month. American magazine Biophotonics features forensic microscopy and highlights Dr Jones' and Dr Reynolds' work on fingerprint analysis, as well as collaborative work with UCL on data extraction from mobile phones.
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Scanning electron microscopy image showing nanostructure of fingerprint-development powder |
23rd April 2009
WEAR of MATERIALS
ETCbrunel Director Dr Robert Bulpett and EngD student Sander Podgoric present work at the Wear of Materials conference in Las Vegas this week, showcasing ETCburnel research on novel aerospace materials and metallurgical microstructure. Our study shows the development of multilayer processes to replace environmentally unsustainable materials, and is published in the journal Wear
24th May 2009
ISAMBARD SCHOLARSHIPS
Brunel is pleased to announce the expansion of its research scholarship scheme for 2009 to fully fund up to 30 PhD studentships across the full range of academic disciplines. The prestigious Isambard Scholarships will be awarded to Home/EU students who demonstrate the potential for research excellence. More information is available here
ETCbrunel has a number of opportunities for applicants to this scheme, in topics including:
* Thin film engineering, enhanced diamond-like carbon.
* Biosciences and environment, absorption of heavy metals in biological tissue
* Forensic science, fingerprint detection methods.
Please contact research co-ordinator, Dr Benjamin Jones for more information or to discuss further opportunities.
2nd July 2009
ETCbrunel STUDENT in NATIONAL AWARDS FINAL
Jaya Nemchand, PhD student in ETCbrunel, presents her work at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE). Jaya's research, Smart implants for measurement of fracture healing reaches the last three for the Orthofix prize for best medical engineering project.
17th September 2009
MEDICAL DIAMOND
Diamond-like carbon assists with the development of new surgical tools, the Diamond2009 conference in Athens was told this week. Dr Jones presented ETCbrunel / Diameter collaborative work on the enhancement of DLC coatings for a novel device to facilitate keyhole surgery, and its successful use in gall bladder operation. Dr Jones also highlighted the mechanisms in enhancing adhesion of the thin film coating to steel.
26th October 2009 updated: 19th April 2010
FORENSIC DEVELOPMENT
ETCbrunel work, in association with the UK Home Office, shows surface effects on development of latent fingerprints. Dr Jones utilised surface metrology techniques to investigate the interaction of iron oxide fingerprint powder and substrate features on common crime scene plastics, to help improve the success of forensic examination. The work, presented at the ECASIA conference, appears in a special forensic science edition of Surface and Interface Analysis.
19th February 2010
ETCbrunel EXPANSION
The Experimental Techniques Centre is delighted to welcome Dr Jesus Ojeda as a new lecturer in surface analysis. Dr Ojeda joins ETCbrunel from Sheffield University and brings expertise in TOF-SIMS and use of spectroscopic techniques for characterisation of cells and bacteria.
This appointment comes at an exciting time for the Centre, we are celebrating our 30th birthday with increased strength, expanding into new premises, with new members and upcoming enhanced instrumental capability.
25th March 2010 updated: 17th June 2010
ETCbrunel 30th Anniversary
The Experimental Techniques Centre celebrates its 30th anniversary with the conference "University, Industry & Impact". With 26 presentations covering ETCbrunel work in engineering, forensics and biology, and demonstrating diverse collaborative routes and industrial impact. The meeting was a great success with 82 registered delegates, from as far afield as Switzerland and Jamaica. The Vice Chancellor, Professor Chris Jenks, opened the day and praised ETCbrunel's interdisciplinary approach and the Centre's work to ensure the ongoing relevance and application of university research in industry and society.
More details on Conference Website and pictures available on facebook. An article on university-industry collaboration, drawing from this conference, has been published in the IET's Engineering & Technology
19th April 2010
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT in POSTGRADUATE EDUCATION
ETCbrunel is delighted that Dr Jones' work on professional development in postgraduate education has been recognised by the award of the conference prize at the 11th Symposium on Learning & Teaching. Dr Jones explores non-mandatory courses for research students, from both the student and supervisor perspective. This work highlights demand for technical and teaching courses, better course and funding route promotion and role of CPD in career progression, such as attaining chartered status.
Technical development courses in scanning electron microscopy, accredited by the Institute of Physics, are regularly organised at ETCbrunel, with more places becoming available this summer.Courses pages.
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Dr Jones, right, helps develop users’ SEM skills |
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Dr Ojeda, joining ETCbrunel as lecturer in surface analysis |
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Jaya Nemchand, far left, at the IMechE national awards final |
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Prof Jenks, Brunel’s Vice Chancellor, opens ETCbrunel: University, Industry & Impact |
7th June 2010
ENHANCING MEDICAL DEVICES
We are pleased to announce publication of ETCbrunel work on new materials for medical tools and devices. In association with Diameter Ltd, the work investigates structured carbon coatings to improve cleanability of surgical tools and enable novel processing techniques. The article appears in the journal Diamond and Related Materials
ETCbrunel research student, Jaya Nemchand, presented work on novel monitoring of bone fracture healing at the International Conference on Orthopaedic Surgery, Biomechanics and Clinical Applications. A summary of the research, an ETCbrunel, UCL, Smith&Nephew collaboration, can be seen in the Journal of Biomechanics
19th July 2010
SEEING at the NANOSCALE
ETCbrunel is pleased to announce upgrades to the Centre's Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) and Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), enabling enhanced nanoscale visualisation with improved processing times. For more details on how these instruments can help with your work, please contact Dr Alan Reynolds (TEM) or Dr Benjamin Jones (AFM).
30th September 2010
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE RESEARCH
Experimental Techniques Centre PhD student Khaled Al-akeel was honoured with a distinguished student award at the Saudi International Conference this July. Presented by the Saudi Arabian Cultural Attache, the prize recognises Khaled’s work in remediation of waterways polluted by heavy metals. The research studies metal-tolerant reed species and investigates an holistic approach to pollution control, including extraction and final usage of the recovered metals and biomass. This work also featured at the International Conference on Heavy Metals in the Environment in Poland this September. Dr Alan Reynolds, supervising Khaled, also presented his joint research with the Technical University of Gdansk on electron microscopy methods for studies of airborne micro-particulates. This is part of the recent expansion of work on pollution, which includes a study by ETC’s Dr Ben Jones and Dr Ariana Zeka of the Institute for the Environment, on air quality in schools and the effects on child health.
15th October 2010
EXPANDED SHORT COURSE PROGRAMME
ETCbrunel is expanding its highly popular series of short courses in analytical techniques. The 3-day course“Practical Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)”, covering theory and practice of SEM, VP-SEM and microprobe analysis (EDX) with hands-on experience and in-depth analysis, will run a number of times throughout the year, with each course focussing on a specific application.
25th—27th October 2010 Focus on Metallurgy
29th Nov—1st December 2010 Focus on Engineering
24th—26th January 2011 Focus on Biosciences
More details
30th November 2010
INSTITUTE of PHYSICS AWARD
Dr Jones was awarded a prize for his work on diamond-like carbon (DLC), presented at at the recent Nanotechnology KTN meeting on High Performance Thin Film Coatings: Ensuring Nanoscale Manufacturing Integrity held on the 30th November at the Institute of Physics (IoP) in London. The award was given by Dr Alison Crossley of the IoP, for Dr Jones' work showing how to understand and control the structure and properties of films leading to better medical and machining tools.
17th December 2010
NEW SURFACE IMAGING CAPABILITY
ETCbrunel is delighted to announce the acquisition of a new Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer (SIMS) to enable surface chemical imaging of materials at a nano-resolution. The instrument is currently being commissioned and will shortly be running for study of materials across disciplines, including engineering, forensics and biosciences.