Welcome to this month’s roundup of the stories, updates and events happening across the World Technology Universities Network.
WTUN News:
- We have announced this year’s winner of the Brian Cantor Scholarship Prize. Congratulations to this year’s recipient, Nadiia Sadova, PhD Student at University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria. View the announcement here.
WTUN Members ONLY:
- The WTUN will mark International Women in Engineering Day 2024 on Wednesday 26th June at 2pm (GMT +1). This year’s INWED theme is ‘Enhanced by Engineering’. If you would like to suggest a topic for a session or have any other ideas, please contact the WTUN Secretariat at wtun@bradford.ac.uk. Alternatively, view the event announcement here.
News from our Members:
Asia:
Ahlia University, Bahrain
- Ahlia University’s College of Business and Finance celebrates receiving accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), joining the top 6% of Business Schools worldwide. Read the full story here.
Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science, India
- HITS achieves top rankings in the Times Higher Education Young University Rankings 2024, ranking in the top 501-600 worldwide. Read the full story here.
Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan
- SIT researchers share their latest projects:
- A new reactor design which converts carbon dioxide emissions from small boilers into methane fuel and could offer a promising approach to combating climate change. Read the full story here.
- A flexible tactile sensor used in a groundbreaking system can support objective assessments of fine finger movements for cognitive development. This example of automated medical research can address the manpower shortage in medical research and contribute to the realization of online medical care. Read the full story here.
- Perovskite hydrides show promise in various emerging energy technologies but it can be challenging to determine their intrinsic hydride-ion conductivity. Using a novel laser deposition technique, SIT researchers have been able to characterise the hydride-ion conductivity of the perovskite hydrides, bolstering research on hydrogen-related materials. Read the full story here.
Suranaree University of Technology, Thailand
- SUT ranks #1 in Thailand in the Times Higher Education Young University Rankings 2024. Read the full story here.
National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taiwain
- Professor Shao-Yun Fang has pioneered the use of footprint patterns to predict circuit design issues. Professor Fang’s work delves into digital circuits which are composed of standard components and metal wires connected by “footprints”. As circuits become more complex, these “footprints” can be blocked by other metal wires, creating connectivity issues. Currently, machine learning is used to predict when design issues may arise, but her work looks at using machine learning to predict whether problems will occur based on these “footprint patterns”. Professor Fang has already collaborated with the world’s largest electronic design automation (EDA) companies, integrating her work into electronic design automation software. Read the full story here.
- NTUST ranks #2 in Thailand and #52 worldwide in the Times Higher Education Young University Rankings 2024. Read the full story here.
North America:
Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, Canada
- SAIT debuts the first “FinTech” major in Canada with the introduction of the subject to their Bachelor of Business Administration programme. The new major in “Financial Technology (FinTech) and Innovation” will deliver creative, growth-minded and innovative teachings with focuses on technology and Artificial Intelligence. The course interacts with many industries from accounting and cryptocurrencies to real estate and human resources. Read the full story here.
South America:
Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
- Researchers at UFRN have developed a computer program for pregnant women to promote women’s autonomy and good labour and birth practices in an educational, playful, and digital way. The game focusses on five areas; guidelines, language, fun (drawing and colours), non-pharmacological methods of pain relief and periods of childbirth. The game aims to be accessible, utilising colloquial language and played through an online platform via a mobile device or a computer. Read the full story here.
Europe:
Atlantic Technological University, Ireland
- ATU marked International Astronomy Day on the 18th May by sharing a study which challenges Einstein’s theory of general relativity and suggests that the expansion of the universe is not uniform as previously believed. The research invites the scientific community to question assumptions that have been integral to our understanding of the Universe for around 100 years. Read the full story here.
University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, Austria
- Researchers at FH OÖ’s Embedded Systems Lab have been awarded a European patent in the field of “Smart Textiles” for their work on sensors embedded in textiles. The patented process allows the identification and location of distributed sensors and microprocessor modules on “smart textiles”, opening pathways for T-shits which can record movement patterns of human bodies and detect incorrect posture. Read the full story here.
- Following Dr. Sascha Senck’s visit to Suranaree University of Technology through the WTUN Exchange Programme, FH OÖ and SUT are committed to ongoing cooperation and research together. Currently, Dr Senck has begun to deliver courses to SUT students including CAD design for medical engineering, data analysis in chemical engineering, and scientific writing and presentation in English. Read the full story here.
University of Bradford, United Kingdom
- Professor Brian Cantor, UOB’s Former Vice Chancellor, founder of the WTUN, and eponym to the Brian Cantor Scholarship Prize, has been named a fellow of the Royal Society, a Fellowship of eminent scientists worldwide and the oldest scientific academy in continuous existence. Professor Cantor’s work includes the invention of the field of multicomponent high-entropy materials and the discovery of the “Cantor alloys”. Previous Royal Society Fellows include Charles Darwin and Sir Isaac Newton. Read the full story here.
- Researchers at UOB have commissioned a report, with contributions from other North England-based Universities, which recommends broadening the role of the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted) to reward schools that provide enhanced physical activity and healthy nutrition options to support their students health and wellbeing. The aim of this action would be to make rich physical activity experiences a priority in school environments. The topic of the report is the subject of the Whole School Physical Activity Conference taking place at University of Bradford in June. Read the full story here.
Australia
University of Newcastle, Australia
- How will AI impact your work? Is your business cyber-safe? UON hosted an online panel discussion to discuss the use of Artificial Intelligence in the workplace. The event shared the impact of cyber attacks and data breaches, the need for skilled professionals in the industry and how to prepare and protect yourself and your business in this developing environment. Watch the discussion here.
- Researchers at UON have presented The Hydro Harvester, a technology which can harvest up to 1000 litres of drinkable water per day from the air. The technology works by producing hot and humid air from solar energy or waste heat. This air is then cooled and water is extracted which can be used for drinking or irrigation. The project has been funded by the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund and is designed to operate independent of the ambient temperature and humidity, making it suitable for virtually any environment. Read the full story here.
To discuss joining the Network please contact the WTUN Development Manager
Denise Whitehead
Email: wtun@bradford.ac.uk