University of Strathclyde: UK University of the Year 2012 and Engineering Success Stories, Exercises of Marketing

Download University of Strathclyde: UK University of the Year 2012 and Engineering Success Stories and more Exercises Marketing in PDF only on Docsity! www.strath.ac.uk/engineering @StrathEng Engineering Issue 8, Winter 2012 Success at Scottish KTP Awards Faculty Top for KTPs in Scotland Scottish Space School Students Visit NASA Oscar Pistorius Awarded Honorary Degree Strathclyde Named University of the Year engineering insight [ Winter 2012 - Issue 08 ] Contents [ Introduction ] 02 03 15 17 21 26 Strathclyde Named University of the Year Knowledge Exchange Outreach Research Success Stories Successful Alumnus Faculty of Engineering University of Strathclyde Room 5.25 Royal College Building 204 George Street Glasgow G1 1XW t: +44 (0)141 548 2749 e: contact-facultyofengineering@strath.ac.uk twitter: @StrathEng Web: www.strath.ac.uk/engineering The University of Strathclyde is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, number SC015263. 01 Faculty Office Contacts Faculty Manager Faculty Academic Development Officer Dr Gayle Wilson Gabrielle Weir gayle.wilson@strath.ac.uk gabrielle.weir@strath.ac.uk Marketing Development Coordinator International Recruitment Advisor Annabel Dalgleish Christine Donald annabel.dalgleish@strath.ac.uk christine.donald@strath.ac.uk Faculty Administrative Assistant Dean’s Secretary Andrea Roy Susan Pawson/Mary Cunningham andrea.roy@strath.ac.uk susan.pawson@strath.ac.uk mary.cunningham@strath.ac.uk Faculty Administrator (Research and Knowledge Exchange) Carol Brady c.brady@strath.ac.uk Faculty Development Officer Modern Apprentice (Administration) Marianne Ballantyne Chloe McGowan marianne.ballantyne@strath.ac.uk chloe.mcgowan@strath.ac.uk Professor Scott MacGregor Dean, Faculty of Engineering INTRODUCTION Welcome from the Dean of Engineering Welcome to the latest edition of Engineering Insight, which focuses on our recent knowledge exchange activities and some of our major successes. 2012 has been a very successful year, not just for the Faculty of Engineering but also for the University of Strathclyde as a whole. The University was recently named ‘UK University of the Year’ at the prestigious Times Higher Education (THE) awards. This award is seen as one of the highest accolades in Academia and further strengthens our vision to be a leading international technological university. The award is also recognition that the hard work and dedication invested by our staff and students are being acknowledged and celebrated within the sector. The University of the Year Award 2012 is a significant achievement and follows on from the Faculty of Engineering’s success at the Times Higher Education awards in 2011, when Strathclyde was awarded the Research Project of the Year. Strathclyde’s focus and determination to grow and expand knowledge exchange engagement has helped distinguish us from other Universities. Knowledge exchange has always been a key activity within the Faculty and we are pleased to have such strong links with many leading industry partners. This provides our staff and students with opportunities to work on real-life problems with industry and also brings significant benefits to the companies in terms of giving them access to world-leading expertise and facilities that are capable of transforming their businesses. Always keen to explore new ideas and opportunities for collaboration the Faculty is excited and honoured to be working with Olympic and Paralympic athlete Dr Oscar Pistorius to design and manufacture a low cost prosthetic foot for the developing world. Dr Pistorius recently visited the University to collect his Honorary Degree award and to deliver a keynote lecture marking the creation of the Faculty’s new Department of Biomedical Engineering. We are also leading the way in Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs), with the Faculty now having over 20 KTPs in progress; more than most Universities in the UK have as a whole. The quality, as well as the quantity, of these projects has also been recognised nationally with Strathclyde recently securing the Best Partnership Award at the Scottish KTP Awards. With 2012 having drawn to a close, we look forward to building upon our achievements this year to make 2013 even more successful and we wish all of our staff, students, colleagues and partners, a prosperous and happy 2013. [ Winter 2012 - Issue 08 ] [ Knowledge Exchange ] 04 In August the Faculty of Engineering at Strathclyde welcomed a number of very senior delegates from the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), a key player in the China Aerospace Science and Technology Cooperation (CASC) and a key designer and manufacturer in the recent successfully manned Chinese space station launching and docking mission. Managing Director, Mr Hong Li was accompanied by Vice Managing Director, Dr Guoqing Wang and five more senior engineers for the official opening of the new Space Mechatronic Systems Technology (SMesTech) research laboratory which will be located at Strathclyde. The SMesTech laboratory, a brand new facility housed in the Royal College Building at Strathclyde, was established following the successful execution of a collaborative research project between the Department of Design, Manufacture and Engineering Management (DMEM) at Strathclyde and CALT. The aim of this new collaboration, which is the first University collaboration made by CASC through CALT outside of China, is to advance research and development into space mechatronic systems technology, such as mechatronic mechanisms, space robotics for satellite servicing and refuelling, sustainable space exploitation and related manufacturing technologies. The prestigious laboratory will be funded by the Chinese Government for the next five years, with a commitment of a minimum of two million Chinese Yuan per year. CALT will also provide at least two seconded senior engineers from the company to work on the projects within the laboratory at Strathclyde. The research collaboration investment will provide a minimum of £1.5 million over the next five years. Professor Kenny Miller, the Vice Principal of Strathclyde, welcomed the delegates to the event. Professor Scott MacGregor, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Engineering then expressed how pleased Strathclyde are that CALT have chosen to collaborate with Strathclyde. Following on from this Professor Xiu T Yan from the Department of DMEM who initiated, led and secured the agreement, discussed how the collaboration will benefit those involved. Mr Li, the Managing Director of CALT, said during the opening event: “I am delighted to be here to open the SMeSTech laboratory. CALT is genuinely seeking to collaborate with Strathclyde, a University which is well known for a number of innovations that have helped change the world in which we live. We are pleased to see the SMeSTech laboratory is now open shortly after the collaboration agreement was signed at the end of February this year. We look forward to fruitful collaborative research achievements from researchers working in this joint laboratory.” Professor MacGregor also commented; “We are delighted to welcome Mr Li and his delegation who have made a special visit to Strathlclyde to open SMeSTech laboratory.” Director of the SMeSTech laboratory, Professor Xiu T Yan commented on Strathclyde and CALT celebrating this milestone achievement; “I am delighted to see the opening of a new space related technology laboratory with a clear international collaboration remit to develop new technologies which will benefit Scottish, British and Chinese space research development in generating new conceptual solutions to the challenges faced in space explorations driven by the ambitions of mankind. This laboratory will provide another platform to extend the University’s reputation in space research and has and will continue to provide students and researchers with a productive and inspiring environment for developing high impact space solutions.” Faculty Collaboration with China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology is a World First Professor Scott MacGregor and Professor Kenny Miller with Mr Hong Li engineering insight [ Winter 2012 - Issue 08 ] The Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) has had an extremely successful year in developing new Knowledge Transfer Partnerships. Established in 1975, the Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) scheme is a UK-wide programme helping businesses to improve their competitiveness and productivity through partnering and knowledge transfer with an academic institution. Part-funded by 18 Government organisations, and led by the Technology Strategy Board, KTP projects apply the world-leading knowledge and expertise of academics to business-critical projects. To help facilitate this, a talented graduate/postgraduate (known as the KTP Associate) is appointed to work within the business, supported by an academic supervisor. Each KTP project lasts between 12 and 36 months, depending on the time required to deliver tangible outcomes. The Department of MAE has grown its portfolio of projects from two to seven over 2012 and a key factor in the Department’s recent success has been the willingness of staff to partner and build KTP teams. Overall, the Faculty of Engineering has built a substantive KTP portfolio, which is anticipated to exceed 20 over the next month. The Faculty is top of the KTP league table in Scotland and Strathclyde is one of the top five Universities in the UK in terms of KTP projects supported. The Department’s portfolio of KTP projects covers the range of MAE activity from medical engineering through to modelling of low carbon energy systems in buildings. Industry partners range from micro-scale businesses to blue chip companies. The current projects are as follows; • Helping Vascutek to develop a robust vascular graft device performance modelling capability using Finite Element Analysis. • Capturing future built environment load profiles and understanding their impact on the UK’s electricity network for SP Power Systems. • Working with Capital Steel to generate a finite element analysis (FEA) capability, integrating this with existing ProjeX design tools and delivering a full Design-by- Analysis service. • Creating a finite element ‘design- by-analysis’ capability for advanced structural design and optimisation for MacPhee Bros. in Blantyre. • Working with Integrated Environmental Solutions to develop an optimisation control strategy and integrating it with the dynamic simulation environment and real- time building energy performance models. • Improving measurement and modelling of turbulence around wind farms with Oldbaum services. • Helping Turnbull and Scott Engineers of Hawick to develop an integrated heat exchanger design process incorporating thermal, structural and weld design components, facilitating rapid business expansion in key markets such as Nuclear. MAE departmental staff are continuing to explore possibilities for new KTP partnerships with a view to enhancing further the Faculty and University’s reputation as the partner for KTP. KTP Success for Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering 05 [ Knowledge Exchange ] [ Winter 2012 - Issue 08 ] One of the new KTP projects within the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering initiated over the last year is between Scottish Power and the Energy Systems Research Unit (ESRU). The project seeks to provide the company with some of the essential technical data they need to help develop their distribution network to cope with future increasing demands. The KTP Associate charged with delivering this ambitious project is Luke Tait, who recently graduated from Strathclyde with an MSc with distinction in Renewable Energy Systems and the Environment. Engineering Insight asked Luke what attracted him to apply to the KTP programme and how was the project progressing; What is the key objective and purpose of the KTP project you are working on? The aim of my project is to provide Scottish Power (SP) with future demand profiling data that will be fundamental to the way that they design and operate their distribution networks. SP relies on energy demand data for consumers to inform on capacity of networks, sizing of equipment such as transformers and design requirements. The data available for current energy demands is limited and with low carbon technologies becoming common, as well as improvements being made to building performance, there is a real business requirement to have better energy demand data to meet the needs of the future network. How did you get involved in the KTP project? I found out about the job from one of my friends on my MSc course. I had never heard of the KTP scheme before but when I read the job description I could see that it would be completely different to the graduate jobs that I was applying for at the time. I could see that the skills I had developed during my MSc, such as energy modelling, would be a good fit with the goals of the KTP. What do you actually do while working as a KTP Associate? I am working within the Future Networks department of SP, who are overseeing the use of new technologies and innovations on the network. At the start of my KTP, I had to learn how SP functions and how the network operates. As a KTP Associate, it is my job to manage the KTP project and ensure that the KTP team work together to meet our milestones and objectives. A lot of my job requires me to plan ahead where we want to monitor and specify what equipment we require before installing at various sites. Recently, I have secured innovation funding from Ofgem, which will allow me to purchase equipment to monitor more of the network. To do this I had to put together a business case and budget that was presented to the internal SP research and development approvals panel. I have assisted SP engineers with installing monitoring equipment at sites and I have developed tools to analyse the data that we are receiving back from them. At the moment I have some monitoring equipment on the network at different sites and am planning a rollout to further sites to maximise the data available and hence increase the benefit for the company. One good feature of the KTP scheme is the investment in training - there are quite a lot of training opportunities for KTP Associates. I was sent to Leamington Spa for two residential courses which lasted for a week each time, these were really good opportunities to meet other associates and improve my project management skills. Within SP I have also been placed on their graduate training scheme. What has been the best part about working as a KTP Associate? The best part is that it’s a totally different job to a regular graduate one; I have so much more responsibility in the KTP scheme than I would have had under normal circumstances. The projects that I am working on are vitally important to the business and I am reporting to senior management including directors. At this early stage of my career I am responsible for critical projects for the business and I have the chance to make a significant impact on the way that SP operates. What advice would you give to anyone else thinking of becoming a KTP Associate? I would definitely recommend it, especially if you relish a real challenge and are looking for something different in graduate employment. I would encourage people to keep an eye on the KTP website for vacancies and look out for opportunities within the University. I would also recommend getting in touch with the West of Scotland KTP office staff, who are all very helpful and based within the University. When does your time working as a KTP Associate end and what are your plans for the future? As my KTP ends in January 2014, it is too early to say exactly what my plans are for the future at this stage. I think that regardless of what happens between now and the end of my KTP, I will be in an excellent position to further my career. Visit the West of Scotland KTP Centre website www.ktpws.org.uk for more information. Profile of a KTP Associate 06 [ Knowledge Exchange ] engineering insight [ Winter 2012 - Issue 08 ] EDF Energy Knowledge Exchange Project Second Design Creativity Conference a Success The EDF Energy Advanced Diagnostic Centre, based in the Institute for Energy and Environment in the Department of Electronic & Electrical Engineering (EEE), has recently delivered new versions of two intelligent decision support systems to EDF Energy. These software systems support the graphite core project team at EDF Energy in making assessments of the health of the nuclear reactor cores of the Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor (AGR) stations currently operating in the UK. Novel data analysis techniques were developed by EEE researchers, in conjunction with data and expertise of engineers at EDF Energy, to assist with the analysis of the condition of the graphite bricks that comprise the nuclear reactor core. These techniques were implemented as a standalone prototype software tool for proof of concept before being developed into robust, industrial strength systems following strict software design procedures. Both systems are now in regular use and are used to assess every refuelling event that occurs at both Hunterston B and Hinkley Point B power The Department of Design, Manufacture and Engineering Management hosted the second international conference on Design Creativity (ICDC 2012) at the Radisson Hotel from 18 – 20 September 2012. It was a successful and popular event, attended by over 100 delegates from 21 countries. The first ICDC was held in Kobe, Japan. The aim of this biennial conference is to provide an international forum to present and discuss the latest findings in the nature and potential of design creativity from both theoretical and methodological viewpoints. It is an official stations, with roll-out to Torness and Heysham expected later in 2013. The benefit to EDF Energy is that it provides a reliable and repeatable way of assessing and managing monitoring data related to the condition of their fleet of nuclear reactors which supplements the detailed information gained from inspections undertaken during statutory station outages. This provides valuable evidence that the stations are safe to operate and provides confidence in extending the operational lifetimes of the stations beyond their initial design lifetimes. “Seeing the results of my research being used by nuclear engineers to assist them assess the health of our nuclear reactors gives me a great deal of satisfaction” said Dr Graeme West, Lead Researcher in the EDF Energy Advanced Diagnostic Centre. The project is a great example of where university-based research has successfully transferred to an industrial partner to provide business benefits of continued and extended operation of valuable plant items. The EDF Advanced Diagnostic Centre was launched in 2007 as a strategic alliance between EDF Energy (formerly British Energy), the Institute for Energy and Environment, the Industrial Control Centre, both within the Department of EEE, and the Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering. The aim of the Centre is to deliver industrially focused research in the four areas of automated data analysis, diagnostics and decision support, modelling and simulation and sensors and sensor systems within the nuclear power industry. For more information visit: http://www.strath.ac.uk/eee/ research/iee/centresofexcellence/ edfenergyadvanceddiagnosticcentre/ Graeme outside Hunterston B Power Station conference promoted by the Design Creativity Special Interest Group (SIG) of the Design Society. 31 podium papers and 46 short presentation and poster papers were accepted for inclusion in the final conference programme. The conference was opened by Professor Scott MacGregor, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at Strathclyde and Derek Mackay MSP, Minister for Local Government and Planning. Keynote speakers included Gilad Tiefenbrun (Linn Products), Caroline Parkinson (Creative Scotland), Shona Kinloch (Sculptor), Colin Burns (Elmwood Design) and Will Mitchell (4c Design). These provided fascinating insights into the role that creativity is playing in the development of our city and the Scottish economy, from innovative technological companies to inspirational artistic practitioners, and showed how design creativity is underpinned and supported by our statutory bodies. Delegates enjoyed a civic reception at Glasgow City Chambers where they were welcomed by Baillie and former Lord Provost Liz Cameron. The conference dinner was held at Strathclyde’s Barony Hall, where Peter Hughes (Scottish Engineering) provided an entertaining, and musical, after-dinner speech. 09 [ Knowledge Exchange ] [ Winter 2012 - Issue 08 ] Mike Anusas, Lecturer in Design in the Department of Design, Manufacture and Engineering Management (DMEM), recently won a Royal Academy of Engineering Industrial Secondment award. This award enables an academic to gain experience of cutting-edge industry practices to enhance the quality and industrial relevance of their teaching and expand their research and knowledge exchange activities. Since September, Mike has been positioned within the award winning Glasgow Product Design Company, 4c Design, where he will work for a period of six months with the established design team and engage in live industry projects. His experience will focus around a theme of ‘Product Design Engineering: Advanced Techniques in Creative Form Generation’ whereby he will be exposed to current practices in aesthetic and mechanical form generation and state-of-the-art creative design methodologies. Does chemical engineering affect your life? There was no doubt as to the answer when Chemical Engineer, and former Vice Chancellor of the University of Southampton, Professor Sir William (Bill) Wakeham delivered the Faculty of Engineering public lecture on 6 October 2012. With the aid of a curious, but surprisingly simple, coffeemaker brought back from China, the recent past president of the Institution of Chemical Engineers entertained his audience by illustrating many of the important and founding principles of chemical engineering. While preparing cups of coffee he highlighted many of the governing Mike Wins Industrial Secondment Award Engineering Faculty Hosts Another Successful Public Lecture Mike said: “To date I’ve been working on project and business planning around new innovation and conceptual mechanical design work in relation to this. In terms of design skills, I’m getting a chance to develop my creative thinking, sketching skills and digital modelling skills. It’s been great to get my hands on the latest version of SolidWorks - a 3D computer- aided design (CAD) system - and I’m impressed as to what a highly accessible, advanced and rapid modelling system it has matured into. I’ve also been getting some really informative experience in experimenting with and observing the use of another 3D CAD system, Rhino, which allows for freeform and programmatic approaches to CAD. This experience is helping to consolidate my understanding of surface modelling and its relevance within industry, as well as introducing me to new ways of thinking about product form generation.” His experiences will enable the creation of new, exciting and industry relevant teaching content for undergraduate and postgraduate students within DMEM. His exposure to everyday design practice and extended industrial networks will inform new developments in future research and knowledge exchange. This award sees an extended commitment from the Royal Academy of Engineering to enhancing the capability and profile of the Faculty of Engineering; complimenting the Academy’s current support of the Faculty’s Visiting Professors in Innovation scheme. principles of chemical engineering encapsulated within the ‘contraption’. Daniel Craig as 007 may have travelled from Shanghai to Glencoe in the latest James Bond movie Skyfall, but Sir Bill took his audience on a far greater journey. Travelling from Glasgow where he pointed out that James (Paraffin) Young had, for the first time ever, used the term chemical engineering here at Strathclyde, he journeyed through most of Europe, the US, Mexico, India, Australia, New Zealand and Japan finally arriving in China and to the Tianjin Coffee House where he had been served coffee. Along the way, he visited products and processes that most of us take for granted each day, and met many of those behind them such as Fritz Haber that led to the production of fertilizers which revolutionised agriculture, not to mention the grandfather of chemical engineering, George E Davis, who was instrumental in establishing the world’s first ever Environment Act of 1863 to tackle the growing problems of control pollution. While Sir Bill’s historical and geographical tour, which extended back 500 years, may have been enlightening, his message had a serious point. He presented the challenges of the past and the challenges of the future which affect us and the generations ahead, and the vital work to be done by engineers today in tackling the world’s requirements for food, water, energy and health, as well as the importance of education. The next generation of chemical engineers will certainly have their work cut out. 10 [ Knowledge Exchange ] engineering insight [ Winter 2012 - Issue 08 ] In November 2012, Professor Martin Judd of the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering travelled to Wuhan, China to initiate a collaborative research programme on condition monitoring of electrical plant with Professor Li Zhaohui of Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST). HUST is one of China’s premier technological Universities and has strong links with the large hydropower projects on the Yangtze River around Yichang City. Professor Judd gave invited lectures on power transformer monitoring to staff and students at both HUST and Wuhan University. He was then taken on a technical visit to the hydroelectric schemes at both Gezhouba Dam and the Three Gorges Project, the latter The Department of Architecture’s collaboration with the Prince’s Foundation for Building Community started successfully in September 2012, offering Education and Research in Architecture and Urban Design. The Foundation hosted a three-week Summer School in London and Dumfries and some of the Department’s postgraduate students were offered funding to attend. The participants collaborated in teams to design and construct a summer house using traditional building methods. There were approximately 30 participants in the three-week experience, including four postgraduate students from Strathclyde. The first week took place at the Foundation’s headquarters in Shoreditch, being the largest hydropower plant in the world with an installed generation capacity in excess of 18 GW (expected to rise to 22.5 GW by 2015). Professor Li has developed advanced on-line monitoring systems for the turbine generators that continuously log vibrations, shaft orbit, temperatures and many other parameters that can be analysed concurrently to identify correlations between various aspects of each machine’s health indicators. At a subsequent meeting with senior management of the China Yangtze Power Company, it was agreed that a proposal would be prepared for a project to evaluate advanced power transformer monitoring systems using an ex-service full-scale generator step- up transformer. At the conclusion of his visit, Professor Judd was appointed as a Guest Professor at HUST for three years. He said: “I look forward to developing research proposals with Professor Li for full-scale experimental studies on electrical discharges in power transformers and seeing monitoring techniques pioneered at Strathclyde being applied at some of the world’s most high-profile electricity generation facilities. It is an honour to be appointed as a guest professor and I hope that this will provide a foundation for building a strong international collaboration between our institutions for many years to come.” Strathclyde Establishes Collaboration with Chinese University on Condition Monitoring of Hydropower Plant Three Week Summer School with the Prince’s Foundation London. The week was centred around the students developing their hand- drawing skills through guided drawing time at various locations in the city and three life-drawing sessions in the studio. The students learned about the principles of geometry and also made some models. The next two weeks took place at Dumfries House near Cumnock in Scotland. The first week focused on learning and practicing traditional building methods on the Dumfries House Estate, and the second week was the design week. Participants, in seven teams, had backgrounds in planning, architecture and joinery and had to design a Summer House in the Walled Garden on the Dumfries House Estate. The design needed to be unique and creative, but also had to incorporate traditional materials and building methods. The seven teams were whittled down to the top four, and at the end of the design week a winner was chosen by popular vote. Two Strathclyde students were in the winning team and their design was constructed in the grounds of Dumfries House in Cumnock. As a continuation of this partnership with the Foundation, fifth year students from the Department of Architecture are currently working on an urban design framework for Cumnock and surroundings, in collaboration with East Ayrshire Council. Jacob Dibble, a postgraduate student studying Urban Design in the Department of Architecture participated and commented on his experience; ”The Prince¹s Foundation Summer School was one of the most edifying educational experiences I have ever had.” 11 [ Knowledge Exchange ] [ Winter 2012 - Issue 08 ] 14 The Scottish contribution to this year’s International Architecture Exhibition at the Venice Biennale, Critical Dialogues, showcased projects from four emerging practices that explore the social role of the architect and the creative boundaries of architecture. Scotland’s creativity and innovation were on display in ‘the greatest showcase of architecture in the world’. The four featured practices in this year’s Biennale; DO Architecture, Stone Opera, GRAS and Pidgin Perfect, all have close connections with the Department of Architecture at Strathclyde University as ex-students and as design studio staff. A week-long series of events included the community by hosting a tour of the main Biennale for a group of local residents who had never before crossed its threshold. Scotland Week culminated with the screening of edited footage and documentation of the weeks’ actions and events and a public party. The 13th International Architecture Exhibition was titled Common Ground, Department of Architecture Contribute to Top Architecture Showcase organised by la Biennale di Venezia. It comprised 69 projects made by architects, photographers, artists, critics and scholars. This year Dr Jonathan Charley of the Department of Architecture at Strathclyde was appointed as Project Director with the task of developing the brief for the project and constructing a narrative that placed the diverse entries into an intellectual and historical context. This included the production of graphic material and the editing and writing of a commemorative book. The decision to appoint Dr Charley reflected his background in both teaching and research into alternative forms of architectural and urban practice, and the pivotal role he has played over the last two decades in building a critical agenda for architecture in Scotland. Funded by the Scottish Government, Creative Scotland and Architecture and Design Scotland, this is the fourth occasion on which Scotland has presented work at the Venice Architecture Biennale. Critical Dialogues recognises the vital contribution that the Department of Architecture at Strathclyde has played in building a vibrant culture of architecture in Scotland. The decision to have an independent Scottish presence at what is the world’s biggest and most prestigious architecture festival, reflected a renewed sense of national confidence that was inextricably linked to the opening of Scotland’s parliament in 1999 and by the unveiling in 2001 of its own Architecture Policy. The Scottish delegation in 2012 showcased some of the cutting edge ideas and innovative approaches to architecture practice that have emerged in recent years in Scotland. Through a programme of events and activities on the theme of Common Ground, the group highlighted their unconventional ways of working, such as using new technology to provide new perspectives on place, working in collaboration and working with community groups and young people to develop good design practice. A downloadable version of ‘Critical Dialogues’ is available at: http://www.ads.org.uk/access/ noticed-board/scotland-venice-2012- critical-dialogues [ Knowledge Exchange ] engineering insight [ Winter 2012 - Issue 08 ] Ten Scottish secondary school students were selected from the group of 100 that attended the Faculty of Engineering’s Scottish Space School in the summer to go on a Learning Journey to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The students had a non-stop week full of amazing experiences that they would never forget. Among the many highlights of the visit was a VIP tour of the Johnson Space Center. They were able to sit in the Flight Director’s chair in the Apollo Mission Control Center and were also present in the viewing gallery of the current Mission Control Centre as the International Space Station (ISS) passed over Superstorm Sandy on the eastern seaboard of the USA. At NASA they were also able to see a number of impressive examples of their engineering research such as full scale mock ups of the Deep Space Habitat and Space Exploration Vehicle, and a 15m x 10m asteroid ‘landscape’. The students were also lucky enough to visit the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory and watch two Japanese astronauts carry out their training underwater for a future space walk on the ISS. At the Challenger Center they took part Scottish Space School 2012 – Mission Accomplished! in a simulated mission to Mars, which, despite a few scares, proved ultimately to be successful. This was followed by a spectacular star gazing session at the George Observatory, observing a globular cluster, a double star and the full moon though a large telescope. It was then on to Lockheed Martin’s Exploration Development Laboratory, where all ten students tried out the seats in the Orion Capsule before attempting a docking manoeuvre with the ISS on the simulator. An astronaut trainer from the Apollo programme provided a fascinating guided tour of the Saturn V rocket, and on the last day of the formal programme it was back to school, with five presentations on a variety of space topics including the legendary Apollo 13 Flight Director, Gene Kranz. There were also visits to Rice University and the Wood Group PSN, and at the former the students got very excited when the mystery guest speaker turned out to be NASA Astronaut Mike Massimino, who is also known for appearing in the popular TV show ‘The Big Bang Theory’. At the Wood Group PSN they learned about the latest technologies in subsea engineering and laser scanning, and they were impressed by the attractive salaries for engineering graduates in the oil and gas sector. The Learning Journey ended with a formal dinner when each student was presented with a commemorative plaque by British born astronaut, Mike Foale. The quotes below provide a flavour of the ‘Space School effect’: Before the Space School I was planning on a career in medicine. The week at Strathclyde and the Learning Journey to Houston have inspired and convinced me to study engineering at university. The week at Strathclyde gave me a valuable insight into engineering careers as I didn’t know much about them beforehand. Houston has completely inspired me and opened my eyes to a career in engineering and I have now decided to study mechanical engineering at university. Before the Space School I wanted to study dentistry at university. I have now completely changed my mind and I want to be a chemical engineer. Houston 2012 was the greatest experience of my life! For a full account of the Learning Journey visit: http://www.scottishspaceschool.org. uk/HOUSTON2012/Pages/Home.aspx The students meet Derek Blackwood from Wood Group PSN The students in the Orion Space Capsule 15 [ Outreach ] Outreach [ Winter 2012 - Issue 08 ] 16 [ Outreach ] In August 2012, four students and two staff members from the National Centre for Prosthetics and Orthotics (NCPO), within the Department of Biomedical Engineering, made a visit to the Mukti charity in Chennai, India. The charity provides free prostheses and orthoses to people with disabilities that would otherwise go untreated. Following a visit in January 2012 by staff from the NCPO it was decided that a collaboration would be established between the University and the charity, with the NCPO looking to work with the staff of Mukti to improve their knowledge of prosthetics and orthotics and the quality of the devices they currently manufacture. The four students chosen to go on the trip, with staff members Dr Kevin Murray and Dr Anthony McGarry, were Astrid Blake, Katy Leslie, Andrew Hunter and Frances Timmons. A number of fundraising activities, including sponsored cycles and collecting old clothes, raised enough money for the students to go on the trip and a number of future activities are planned to help pay for future visits to Mukti. The students were given the opportunity to work with patients and assist in the manufacture of prostheses/orthoses at Mukti. The week started with an induction and the rest of the trip was spent treating amputees and manufacturing prostheses – four below-knee and three above-knee amputees were fitted by staff and students. The trip was a great opportunity for the students to see for themselves how prosthetics and orthotics worked in a non hospital environment, and also to put the skills they learned at University into practice in a new setting. It is hoped that the relationship between the NCPO and Mukti will continue to develop, with more trips planned for the future. To donate to the project visit https://www.alumni.strath.ac.uk/ sslpage.aspx?pid=361 Biomedical Staff and Students Help at Mukti Charity in India engineering insight [ Winter 2012 - Issue 08 ] Interdisciplinary research into the design and manufacture of biocompatible artificial bone scaffold structures is being investigated in the Faculty of Engineering. The project has attracted funding from the Scottish and Chinese Governments to support a researcher and PhD research exchange programme. The project is led by Professor Xiu-Tian Yan from the Department of Design, Manufacture and Engineering Management (DMEM) and Professor Helen Grant from the Department of Biomedical Engineering. This project is in collaboration with long-term partner Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU), Xian, P R China, where a team of supporting researchers are working closely with researchers at Strathclyde. The research aim, in the long term, is Collaborative Investigation into Making Biocompatible Artificial Bone Structure to manufacture rapidly personalised bone scaffolds for any section of the bone structure of a patient from the patient’s CT scan. This can then be used to construct a three- dimensional computer model for further manipulation. The team have already completed the design of a three-dimensional binding machine. In addition, a collaborative working relationship and support from a major dental solution provider (DTS International) in the UK has been established. Good progress has been made in processing scanned images for a section of bone which can then be used to control the construction of a scaffold. Excellent progress has also been made in investigating five different binders both for toxicity and mechanical properties by EngD student April Dunham, who paid a three-month visit to NPU as part of the Scottish and Chinese PhD research exchange programme. A Knowledge Transfer Account (KTA) funded project to investigate the feasibility of applying similar technology to high precision dental solutions digital manufacture has also been secured and is under investigation to develop specific solutions for dental products. UK manufacturing is worth £130 billion to the UK economy each year and results in the employment of 2.5 million people. As a result, the UK Government and EPSRC are doing further research into innovative manufacturing. This is evident from EPSRC’s new priority theme ‘Manufacturing the Future’. Within this theme, EPSRC recently launched a Forum in Manufacturing Research. Through a panel review of proposals submitted, Dr Siddharth V Patwardhan from the Department of Chemical and Process Engineering has been selected as one of the 20 members for this forum from 70 applications. This position is for two years and Dr Patwardhan aims to contribute new ideas for innovative manufacturing, shape EPSRC and Government policy, Strathclyde Secures a Place on EPSRC’s Manufacturing Forum and help the UK to achieve excellence in manufacturing. “I believe that the selection was possible due to a combination of ongoing research in my group that is aligned to Manufacturing the Future as well as available support and capabilities within the University, especially in manufacturing research” said Dr Patwardhan. Dr Patwardhan is developing manufacturing technologies for functional nanomaterials using biologically inspired green routes. Whilst the manufacturing of powders and particles is a mature area, there is a lack of ability to produce high- value functional nanomaterials such as quantum dots on a large scale due to complicated chemistries or perhaps environmental concerns. Green routes developed by Dr Patwardhan’s group can produce a range of technologically important nanomaterials while minimising energy usage and reducing waste production. The University of Strathclyde has an ideal environment for encouraging and supporting new and innovative manufacturing research. The Department of Chemical and Process Engineering is involved in the EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Continuous Manufacturing and Crystallisation. The Department has also launched a new Centre for Nanomaterials Engineering (CNE) with a specific focus on continuous production of nanomaterials. For further details, see “EPSRC Launches Early Career Forum in Manufacturing Research” http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/newsevents/ news/2012/Pages/ecf.aspx 19 Professor Yan, Professor Grant and April [ Research ] [ Winter 2012 - Issue 08 ] Drs. Lina and Vladimir Stankovic from the Centre for Intelligent Dynamic Communications (CIDCOM) in the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering have recently secured a four-year FP7 Marie Curie grant to develop novel, video-quality, driven multimedia streaming solutions for mobile wireless networks. The project, QoStream, brings together leading and complementary research teams from Europe, USA, Brazil, Japan, and South Africa. They will work in the of multimedia processing, communications and networking, user experience enhancement, machine learning and embedded system design with the objective of developing light-weight multimedia processing solutions suitable Dr James Windmill, from the Centre for Ultrasonic Engineering, in collaboration with Professor Deepak Uttamchandani, from the Centre for Microsystems and Photonics, both based within the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, has recently secured a joint PhD project grant, worth almost £170,000, with Professor Michael Greenfield at the University of Tours, France. FP7 Marie Curie Grant Researchers Develop New MEMs Microphones Inspired by Insect Hearing for implementations embedded in mobile receivers. The focus of the research is to provide real-time quality assessment feedback to all levels of transmitter-side processing, which will allow the delivery scheme to adapt to network conditions and simultaneously ensure the desired quality-of-service at heterogeneous receivers. Dr Lina Stankovich commented: “This project will be an opportunity to explore the value of single-view and multi- view image and video processing in applications ranging from healthcare to security, smart homes and asset monitoring. Specifically, QoStream will support our rehabilitation work with the Department of Biomedical Engineering, embankment monitoring, as well as our EPSRC project on appliance retrofitting for smart homes.” The project facilitates staff and researcher exchanges among consortium members and the project’s first output is a workshop that will be held in conjunction with the International Conference on Communications (ICC), one of the flagship conferences of the IEEE Communications Society, in July 2013. CIDCOM is a major research grouping within the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering at Strathclyde. It brings together internationally respected groups in both Communications Technology and Digital Signal Processing. This project has been funded through the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) UK-France joint PhD programme. The research project involves the development of new Micro-Electro- Mechanical Systems (MEMS) microphones inspired by insect hearing systems. The MEMS microphone development will seek to aid the detection and targeting of acoustic activity and threats. The PhD student who will be working on this project will spend the next three and a half years jointly between the University of Strathclyde and the Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l’Insecte in Tours, France. The student will undertake both the development of new MEMS microphone systems (at Strathclyde) and fundamental research into the directionality of moth hearing (primarily in Tours). Dr Windmill said: “This research project funding provides an excellent basis for our next step in the development of biologically-inspired acoustic sensors here at Strathclyde.” The DSTL UK-France PhD joint programme aims to develop research in key areas of mutual interest to France and the UK and is now in its second year. The PhD joint programme was agreed at the 2010 Anglo French Summit as one of the ten priorities in 2011 for the Anglo French Defence Research Group (AFDRG). The programme is managed by Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA) and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory. For more information visit: https://www.dstl.gov.uk/phds 20 Achroia grisella, the Lesser Wax Moth, one of the insects they are working with. [ Research ] engineering insight [ Winter 2012 - Issue 08 ] Arun and Ashwin on the NAME Department yacht with student Theo Hoole 21 [ Success Stories ] Olympic and Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius was awarded an honorary degree from the University of Strathclyde at a Faculty of Engineering graduation ceremony on Monday 12 November at the Barony Hall in Glasgow. The South African sprinter was joined by hundreds of Engineering graduates as he was made a Doctor of the University. The award builds on the Faculty and University’s relationship with the sports star, who gave the keynote speech at the National Centre for Prosthetics and Orthotics (NCPO) Sporting Prosthetics Conference last year. Having made history by competing in both the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London this year, Oscar has become a role model for sport and physical activity for all, and is being recognised by the University for his sporting success as well as his inspirational work with humanitarian causes. He was awarded the honorary degree after meeting with patients, students and staff of the NCPO within the Department of Biomedical Engineering, which is helping to develop the health technologies of the future. Honorary Degree for Superstar Sprinter Pistorius Speaking before the ceremony, Oscar said: “I am incredibly honoured to be awarded an honorary degree from such a prestigious University as Strathclyde – I have had a great history working with them and believe they lead the way in prosthetic research and development and have very much enjoyed the work I have done with them in the past and look forward to continuing a great relationship with them. “Today is a very proud day for me. The people of Scotland are always so warm and welcoming towards me and I think of it as my second home here. Thank you to everyone at the University for their support, this truly does cap what has been an amazing year for me.” Professor Sir Jim McDonald, Principal of the University, said: “We are delighted to welcome Oscar back to the University. His sporting success, combined with his determination to help people affected by disability, has made him an excellent role model, not only for our graduating students here at Strathclyde, but for millions of people across the globe. “It is fitting that Oscar’s visit has included a visit to our Department for Biomedical Engineering – an excellent example of what can be achieved by bringing together innovative technologies, determined people and excellent teaching to improve lives.” Professor Bernie Conway, Head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, gave the oration for Oscar at the graduation ceremony. He described Oscar’s sporting achievements, as well as his support for charities associated with humanitarian causes. He said: “There can be no doubt that Oscar Pistorius is a remarkable person and athlete, where the will to prepare to win is strong but is rooted in a positive life philosophy that centres on trust, equality and respect for others. “A winner whose winning habit has been powered by dedication, commitment and an unshakable determination to live a life without limitations or barriers, Oscar’s road to success has been both inspirational and immensely challenging. “We see our own mission to provide training and innovation that can better people’s lives and with this honorary award to Oscar, we wish to recognise not only his remarkable past achievements, but his future commitment and drive to help people and children affected by disability.” As well as having a tour of the NCPO and meeting with staff and researchers from the Faculty of Engineering in the morning, Oscar was also the special guest speaker at a public lecture hosted by the Faculty of Engineering in the evening. He shared some of his life experiences to a packed crowd of over 400 people and discussed his plans for the future. A video of the lecture, along with videos of other Faculty of Engineering public lectures, can be found at www.strath.ac.uk/engineering/ videos Oscar meeting with students from the NCPO Success Stories [ Winter 2012 - Issue 08 ] The problem of weather and ocean forecasting remains one of the greatest challenges in modern computational science. Its practical importance grows as climate change results in more intensive mass and energy transfer and, consequently, more extreme weather events. The current forecasting method (called 4D-Var) used in the majority of weather and ocean prediction centres, including the UK Met Office, lacks proper uncertainty quantification tools, resulting in a particular lack of ability to predict extreme events, such as the storm that hit Glasgow early in 2012. Dr Igor Gejadze, from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, has been awarded a prestigious three-year Kristaps Baumanis, a fourth-year MEng Electrical and Mechanical Engineering student in the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering who is currently studying abroad at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), was chosen along with two other students to represent the Vertically Integrated Project (VIP) BrainBeats team at a meeting of Georgia Tech’s Electrical and Computer Engineering Advisory Board which took place in October. Kristaps was chosen as he was one of the top three performing students from a team of 15 despite only having joined the team in August. The BrainBeats team’s research is focused on understanding the neural basis of human ability (or lack thereof) to maintain a constant cadence or, in simpler terms, why people can (or cannot) clap along in time to music. The team’s intention is to have open hardware and software, with everything having to Advanced NERC Fellowship to develop a new method of quantifying forecast uncertainty. Dr Gejadze comments; “Most extreme events usually originate from strong non-linearity of dynamical systems governing atmospheric and ocean flows. However, the currently used uncertainty quantification method is essentially based on local linearization and it is only valid for infinitesimal perturbations. A new be designed from scratch. This includes a means of obtaining an EEG reading, taking precisely-timed measurements (which implies the use of a real-time operating system) and also looking at several ways of artificially recognising the beat of a song by either a pure DSP means or by more complicated approaches like modelling neural networks. The team is split into sub-groups each of which focuses on a particular sub-goal based on members’ specialisations. The BrainBeats team comprises students from electrical, computer and biomedical engineering programmes as well as biology and psychology students and thus is truly collaborative. Run by an academic member of staff but very much a student-driven process, the students gain academic credit for their work with grades usually obtained by means of peer evaluation, production of logbooks and through presentations. Taking Uncertainty Out of Weather and Ocean Forecasting Strathclyde Student is Top Performer on Georgia Tech Brainbeats VIP Team methodology will be developed to better take into account the nonlinear nature of the phenomena under consideration. This will improve our ability to detect extreme events, such as storms, hurricanes, heavy rainfalls etc, which may be overlooked by current forecasting systems. It is also important to recognise that there exists an observability limit for nonlinear systems, and special tests should be performed to indicate when and where such a situation is encountered.” This work will be carried out in collaboration with the UK Met Office, the Departments of Mathematics and Statistics at the Universities of Strathclyde, Reading and Warwick, the MOISE team at the University of Grenoble (France), and with the Institute of Numerical Mathematics in Moscow (Russia). Vertically Integrated Projects were piloted at Strathclyde in early 2012 with four projects currently running and a fifth project planned for 2013. The projects give students from first year through to postgraduate level the opportunity to work with staff in multi-disciplinary teams on cutting-edge research and development projects. Kristaps commented: “Students seem to be interested in the chance to be exposed to areas somewhat different to those which they study within their degree programmes as well as the opportunity to conduct research.” For more information visit: http://brainbeats.gatech.edu/ and http://www.strath.ac.uk/viprojects/ 24 [ Success Stories ] engineering insight [ Winter 2012 - Issue 08 ] 25 Professor Jason Reese, Head of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, has been appointed to the Scottish Science Advisory Council (SSAC). The SSAC is a group of 17 members from the science and business community who provide independent advice to the Scottish Government on a range of science and technology- related topics. This includes highlighting new breakthroughs that could impact on public Following on from what has already been a successful year for the Department of Architecture, after winning a number of prestigious awards for the work of their students, the Department have now won the top category in the Sir Patrick Geddes Trust awards for 2012, for course work reflecting the Geddes principle of “Place, Work, Folk.” This went to Catriona MacDonald for her Honours dissertation “Aig An Airigh : People and Place.” Department of Architecture student Helen-Anne Love has won the ‘City of Glasgow Eimear Kelt Medal for Architecture 2012’ for her project ‘Made in Britain - The New Originality’. Two students were also awarded commendations; Alastair Cassell and John Kennedy. The Eimear Kelt Medal for Architecture is the most prestigious student prize in Glasgow; it is awarded by the City Council for the best final year project from either the University of Strathclyde or the Macintosh School. policy, and identifying ways to strengthen the links between Scotland’s research and industry sectors. Professor Reese said: “I am delighted to be able to contribute to policy and decision-making on science and technology in Scotland, and see this as an excellent opportunity to ensure that the Scottish economy and society benefits from the research capabilities of our universities. “I am looking forward to working with fellow members of the Council to provide Science Council Appointment for Engineering Professor More Award Success for Architecture Students The City of Glasgow Eimear Kelt Medal for Architecture 2012 the best possible advice to the Scottish Government.” Professor Muffy Calder, Chief Scientific Adviser for Scotland and Co-Chair of the SSAC, said: “By bringing together people in a range of scientific and business fields we can provide the best available advice to Ministers and ensure Scotland’s people and economy benefits fully from our world- leading research base. “I look forward to working with both our new and existing members as we explore the range of scientific and technological developments taking place in Scotland and how they can best inform evidence- based policy-making within the Scottish Government.” Department alumnus Scott Abercrombie, whose Masters project won in 2011, was awarded another prize from the Trust for an individual entry. The Patrick Geddes Memorial Trust promotes the study of living society in its environment, according to the principles and practice of Professor Sir Patrick Geddes (1854-1932). He was one of the first biologists to stress the The Department of Architecture have won this medal over consecutive years since 2007. There will be a celebration lunch in the City Chambers where the award will be presented by the Lord Provost. As well as receiving the Eimear Kelt Medal, Helen-Anne Love’s project also received an APS Award commendation and a GIA commendation. John Kennedy’s project also won a number prime importance of habitat in what would now be called ecology, using a method of survey and synthesis developed in Scotland, France, the Near East and India and based on the principle of “Place-Work-Folk”. This is the fourth Consecutive year that a Strathclyde Architecture student has won an award with the Patrick Geddes Trust and a second award for Scott. of awards and commendations recently, with an APS Award commendation, a commendation in the Alexander Scholarship Awards, the RIAS Drawing Award and a GIA commendation. Elevation by Helen-Anne Love [ Success Stories ] [ Winter 2012 - Issue 08 ] 26 Successful Alumnus Donna Fisher is a prosthetics engineer who worked as part of the Technical Support Team at the London 2012 Paralympic Games. The 41 year old from Perth, graduated in 1993 after studying Prosthetics and Orthotics at Strathclyde, the first University in the world to offer a degree course in the subject. Donna talks to Engineering Insight about her route from University to where she is today, and her amazing experience of working with 4,200 athletes from around the world repairing, adjusting and replacing equipment at the Paralympic Games. What made you choose to study Prosthetics and Orthotics at Strathclyde? I was interested in science and engineering but also enjoyed working with people. I applied to study a few different courses, including Prosthetics and Orthotics at Strathclyde, not really knowing what the course or profession was about, as it was a relatively unknown field at that time. After attending an interview at Strathclyde and visiting the Southern General Hospital Limb Fitting Department, where I encountered my first amputees, I was bitten by the P&O bug. I couldn’t believe I had found a course which involved helping people with the skills of engineering, physics, medical science, materials science and hammers, drills and saws! I have never looked back. Can you give some details of your career path, from graduation through to your current job After completing two six-month placements in Belfast and Dundee, I realised I wanted to work in both prosthetics and orthotics rather than choosing a single discipline. I also wanted to work with the younger age group of patients. Through contacts made in Belfast I decided to move to Ireland to a small company based in Cappagh National Orthopaedic Hospital, Dublin. At the time there were two Prosthetist/Orthotists, two technicians and a secretary working in Independent Disablement Services Ltd (IDS). The demographics of the patient load was quite different to most Prosthetic/ Orthotic centres and centred on a paediatric orthotic service in the Central Remedial Clinic (CRC), a school for the physically disabled, and rehabilitation and limb fitting for the National Bone Tumour Unit. After five months I was given the opportunity to develop my role as lead Prosthetist/Orthotist in the company. My role expanded and following a merger with Otto Bock Healthcare Plc I was appointed as General Manager in 1998. In 2003 I decided to return to the clinic as I missed my contact with the patients and I assumed the role of running the Prosthetic Service and the growing CRC Orthotic Service now in two centres in Dublin and Waterford. In 2010 Otto Bock Healthcare Plc assumed control of IDS, now employing over 30 people, and we became part of the clinical services division of the biggest Prosthetic and Orthotic company worldwide. Can you share some details about working with the athletes for the paralympic games? The London 2012 Paralympic Games were an enormous success and I was privileged to be part of the Technical Support Team. For one month, my colleagues and I (who cam from 20 countries across the globe) repaired adjusted and replaced equipment from wheelchairs to callipers and, of course, the inimitable running blades. We set up a state-of-the-art workshop in the Paralympic Village which was open from 7am - 11.30pm each day. There were also a number of smaller workshops located in the venues which allowed us to experience the competition and atmosphere of the stadia at first hand. From a personal perspective I was most honoured to be in the Aquatic Centre when one of my patients, a triple amputee, Darragh McDonald, who I have looked after since he was a baby, swam to Gold in the Mens 400m Freestyle. What do you enjoy most about your job? My job is full of highs and lows but the highlight for me is delivering a prosthesis after many weeks of hard work to a new amputee and seeing them flourish despite their disability and to see the joy of a parent when they see their child standing or walking for the first time in their orthoses. I enjoy working with people who are very often placed in extremely challenging situations when they come to see me. I try to give them hope and confidence in their future and ultimately work with them and their families to achieve their goals. This can often be a challenge for my skills too, but the satisfaction of seeing someone overcome these difficulties is unequalled. What advice would you give to those who are considering studying Prosthetics and Orthotics at Strathclyde? As with all relatively new professions Prosthetics and Orthotics is an evolving science. I hope that in the future we can build on our knowledge and improve our clinical and engineering skills to enhance the lives of the people who depend on us. This is what any student considering a career in Prosthetics and Orthotics should strive for. [ Successful Alumnus ]