WTUN News Roundup – May 2024 – World Technology Universities Network

Welcome to this month’s roundup of the stories, updates and events happening across the World Technology Universities Network.

WTUN News:

Reminder: The WTUN will be attending NAFSA 2024 in New Orleans. WTUN Development Manager, Denise Whitehead, will be attending from 27 – 31 May and is looking forward to meeting colleagues old and new. If you or your organisation will be there and would like to meet up to discuss opportunities for International Collaboration, please get in touch at wtun@bradford.ac.uk.
We are updating our Member Profiles to include details around the research focuses and strategic aims of our members, to aid colleagues in identifying themes for collaborative work. Have a look at Suranaree University of Technology‘s page as an example of the new format.

WTUN Members ONLY:

The WTUN will mark International Women in Engineering Day 2024, as we did for 2023. This year’s INWED theme is ‘Enhanced by Engineering’. A call will be shared with members shortly to convene speakers and panellists. The proposed date is Wednesday 26th June, 2pm (GMT+1). 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.

Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science, India

HITSPitch Podcast is ‘For the students, by the students’ and discusses topical themes such as ‘Future of AI Audio’, ‘Glimpes of G20’ and Expert Talks, including one from Mr Anand Melateur, Regional Director of Boeing India. Listen to the podcast here.

King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Thailand

KMUTT students and staff plant 300 mangrove seedlings and 100 mangrove trees on the university’s campus, working to conserve and restore national resources to their full potential and balance the ecosystem. The project aims to reduce the impact of greenhouse gases and raise awareness of the importance of limited resources. Read the full story here.
With the use of micro-nano bubbles to wash Phulae pineapples, KMUTT strives to increase the life and quality of pre-cut Phulae pineapples which are sold as ready for consumption. This project hopes to support the exportation of pineapples from Thailand; Thai canned pineapple products are number 1 in the world. It also aims to increase income for farmers in the area. Read the full story here.

Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan

SIT researchers share their promising new use for origami. A self-folding origami gripper can be mounted to drones, enabling them to grasp and hold objects. The current model is light-weight, strong, and has biodegradable properties which could lead to revolutionary changes in the use of origami technology in quadcopters (low-cost drones). Read the full story here.

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Malaysia

UTM’s Centre for Tropical Geoengineering (GEOTROPIK) was awarded a comprehensive assessment project by SUKE Highway to address the issue of landslide risk mitigation. The investigative team is multi-disciplinary including experts in Slope Engineering, GIS, Geotechnics, and Sensory Technology. Read the full story here.

Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil

Through a partnership between the dentistry and engineering courses at UFRN, researchers have developed an application to assist the diagnosis of periodontal bone loss. The disease can lead to reduced stability of teeth, loss of teeth, and affect the aesthetic of smiles and chewing functions. Early diagnosis is key to preserving oral health. Read the full story here.

Atlantic Technological University, Ireland

ATU announced 60 PhD scholarships under the Technological University Research and Innovation Supporting Enterprise (TU RISE) scheme. All PhDs are funded with a fee waiver and an annual stiped of €22,000 per year over the 4-year programme. The programme also includes an internship with a related business. International students may also be eligible for a two-year post-graduate work permit to work in Ireland. Find out more here.
ATU’s Research Project, ‘Irish Students Wellbeing and ADHD Project (I-SWAP)’ has won Best Research Project in the 2024 Education Awards in Ireland. It was awarded for recognition of its impactful contributions to student welfare. Read the full story here.

Hamm-Lippstadt University of Applied Sciences, Germany

HSHL researchers have been looking into how Augmented Reality (AR) and Assisted Reality (aR) can be used to optimise processes within industry. The project aims to simplify laboratory processes through AR data glasses or step-by-step instructions which utilise assisted reality on mobile devices. Read the full story here.

Technische Universität Ilmenau, Germany

TU Ilmenau researchers utilise AI to precisely predict the allergenic pollen in plants. Almost a third of the world’s population suffer from pollen-related respiratory allergies and that number is continuing to rise. The interdisciplinary study of medicine, botany and data processing works to precisely predict when which pollen pollutes the air and in what concentrations, making it possible for sufferers of pollen allergies to take effective precautionary measures. Read the full story here.

University of Bradford, United Kingdom

UOB’s School of Management is hosting the 9th Edition of the International Workshop on Sharing Economy (IWSE) series, titled, ‘The Faces of Innovation in the Sharing Economy’. The workshop is a platform for academics, practitioners, industry experts and local authorities to advance the understanding of the sharing economy phenomenon and explore cross-disciplinary collaborations in research and application. The workshop is accepting abstracts submissions until Tuesday 7th May. Find out more here.

University of Newcastle, Australia

UON has been awarded a $500,000 (AUD) grant from Cancer Australia to investigate how to improve outcomes of children diagnosed with high-risk cancers such as acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and aggressive brain tumours called diffuse midline gliomas (DMG). These cancers are responsible for around 30 per cent of all childhood deaths from cancer annually. Read the full story here.

To discuss joining the Network please contact the WTUN Development Manager
Denise Whitehead
Email: wtun@bradford.ac.uk