果冻传媒

The Outreach Team at WMG, 果冻传媒 was pleased to welcome pupils from local schools to a special Student Project Showcase event supported by the .

Over 100, year 10, students from the in Coventry and Solihull were invited to the event held at the 果冻传媒 campus.

The year 10 pupils had a chance to see for themselves the remarkable engineering projects from 果冻传媒 Racing; 果冻传媒 Rail; 果冻传媒 Submarine; 果冻传媒 Moto and 果冻传媒 Robotics.

CyberWomen@果冻传媒 students also took part. The group of female students strive to empower future talent, with a specific focus on women, in cyber security.

Caroline Cannon, Outreach Project Officer at WMG, who organised the Showcase, explained: 鈥� With these types of events, and across all of our outreach activities, we work with our partners to inspire and empower the next generation of scientists and engineers to pursue careers in STEM in an attempt to close the engineering skills gap.鈥�

Claire Morris, Associate Principal at the WMG Academy for Young Engineers in Solihull, said: 鈥� I have heard nothing but great feedback from Year 10 students, and the staff involved. Thank you Caroline, to you and your team for organising this event, and thanks to the WMG team for making it happen.鈥�

Caroline Cannon added: 鈥� The Showcase was also a good experience for our new cohort of 果冻传媒 engineering students to build confidence talking about the various projects.鈥�

A 果冻传媒 student and 果冻传媒 Rail team member said: 鈥淲hat I liked most about the event was seeing the students (from the Academies) getting stuck into the activities and thinking critically about the projects.鈥�

WMG support a variety of undergraduate student projects with connections to industry partners. The selection of student-led projects shows the breadth and depth of skills that the students apply both individually and collaboratively as part of a team.

Each project is supported and assisted by PhD students, academics, technicians, and industry sponsors. Dave Cooper, Engineering Technician at WMG supporting Student Projects said: 鈥淪tudents that work on these projects have had the most amazing opportunities from placements, scholarships and jobs with companies such as McLaren, Mercedes, Red Bull, Norton and Triumph.鈥�

Students gain valuable practical and project management skills with each team member being assigned a role and area of responsibility, from engineering and technical lead to marketing and sales support. The projects develop students; teach time management and risk management; group working; and give practical hands-on experience.

WMG and the High Value Manufacturing Catapult provide some seed funding, but the individual teams are responsible for securing sponsors and raising funds. Feedback from employers suggests that these projects produce some of the most employable graduates in the market.

Find out more about the student projects here: /fac/sci/wmg/about/outreach/studentproject/

Researchers at WMG, 果冻传媒鈥檚, International Institute for Nanocomposites Manufacturing (IINM) have been working with the team at on a new comprehensive portfolio of graphene and related nanomaterial based thermoplastic polymer compounds and masterbatches.

The new PolygreneTM compounds are expected to have potential commercial applications in areas as diverse as sports equipment, construction products, aerospace and automotive components.

Since 2018, Versarien subsidiary 2-DTech Ltd (2DT), Composites UK member, has funded PhD and postdoctoral researchers to understand the use of its Nanene鈩� graphene powders and other nanomaterials in thermoplastic systems. Dr David Reinoso-Arenas, the first 2DT funded PhD student, with support from the EPSRC Doctoral Training Programme, worked with Versarien鈥檚 Nanene鈩� materials in thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) systems and joined Versarien full-time last year as part of the team at Versarien鈥檚 subsidiary Cambridge Graphene Ltd.

Dr David Reinoso-Arenas, explained: 鈥淭he new PolygreneTM thermoplastics portfolio is a culmination of my PhD research, some of which is due to be published in peer-reviewed journals. Since then we鈥檝e been able to further develop and test these materials using different nanomaterial fillers and process conditions to fully optimise the resulting product performance. My PhD experience at the IINM and WMG was really enjoyable and enabled me to work closely with industry to ensure that the outputs of my research could be validated and have commercial viability.鈥�

David鈥檚 PhD was performed under the supervision of Professor Tony McNally, whose team has an established capability in incorporating a wide range of nanomaterials into bulk polymer systems.

Professor Tony McNally, who leads the Nanocomposites Research Group at WMG, 果冻传媒, said: 鈥淲orking with Versarien over the last few years has given the IINM and WMG access to alternative graphene materials that have shown interesting phenomena when blended in these TPE systems. By tuning the nanofiller loading and optimising process conditions, David鈥檚 research showed that exceptional gains can be achieved in mechanical properties across the board (tensile strength, modulus, elongation at break, toughness and abrasion resistance) without compromising any properties. The addition of graphene also highlights improvements in polymer processing which may offer lower energy usage and, therefore, improving sustainability.鈥�

Professor McNally continues to work with Versarien by providing a funded PhD position in 2D material based rubber systems, making use of the IINM鈥檚 new state of the art rubber processing and testing capabilities With support from the WMG has established a world class facility for the study of elastomers.

Dr Stephen Hodge, Versarien鈥檚 CEO, added: 鈥淲e look forward to continuing our collaboration with the IINM and WMG in rubber processing and understanding the interactions of our graphene and other 2D materials in these more complex systems, and hope to be able to demonstrate significant benefits that can impact upon real-world applications.鈥�

Find out more and download technical datasheets here:

Find out more about 奥惭骋鈥檚 Nanocomposites research here:/fac/sci/wmg/research/materials/nanocomposites/

Professor Siddartha Khastgir, Head of Verification and Validation at WMG, 果冻传媒, comments on the 骋辞惫别谤苍尘别苍迟鈥檚 plans to introduce the primary legislation for automated vehicles in the upcoming parliamentary session, as announced in the King鈥檚 Speech today (Tuesday 7^th November).

Professor Khastgir said: 鈥樷�榃e welcome the 骋辞惫别谤苍尘别苍迟鈥檚 decision to introduce the primary legislation on automated vehicles in the King鈥檚 Speech today. Following on from the discussions at the AI Safety Summit last week, this very first legislation on AI-powered technology is an important step for the UK to reach its target of rolling out automated cars in 2025.

鈥淩egulation is the key enabler for the safe introduction of automated vehicles on UK roads. Not only does it provide regulatory certainty for the industry, but it is also key to setting high safety thresholds and gaining the public鈥檚 trust. We urge the Government to ensure that the regulatory framework is robust and underpinned by strong research outcomes. International and national self-driving standards should be built upon when creating this legislation.

鈥淲e also urge the Government to speed up the secondary legislation on automated vehicles to provide more information on the engineering requirements. The Government needs to ensure public views are incorporated into this legislative journey and take future users鈥� viewpoints into account. As a result, along with the legislation, a public awareness programme should be introduced to ensure an accurate understanding of the capabilities and limitations of this emerging technology. The Government needs to act quickly to be at the forefront of this technology.

鈥淲MG will continue to fully support the Government and the eco-system to develop research and evidence-based self-driving regulation in the UK.鈥欌��

Find out more about 奥惭骋鈥檚 Verification and Validation research here: /fac/sci/wmg/research/cav/vandv/

Shravani Sharma, Researcher at WMG at the 果冻传媒, comments on the news that the to close the vast majority of railway station ticket offices in England.

Shravani Sharma, whose recent work focused on the impact of travel on those with disabilities, said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 a relief to hear of the U-turn of the ticket office closures. Through working with a range of disability charities, it鈥檚 clear that the removal of ticket offices would have a profound impact on the disabled. Working with CASBA (Citizen Advocacy South Birmingham Area), which supports people with learning difficulties, Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and Cerebral Palsy Midlands has shed light on the problems removing the ticket offices would have on the disabled.

鈥淧eople with different visible and non-visible disabilities – including blindness, mobility problems, hearing loss, cerebral palsy and ADHD amongst others – would be severely impacted by the loss of ticket offices. People could be challenged by the technology, unable to distinguish train tickets from receipts, or simply need the guidance or assistance of a ticket officer.

鈥淭he U-turn will be a relief for so many people across the UK. When planning policies for the transport industry, people from a wide range of backgrounds, with different needs, must be properly listened to before making any big decisions. I would urge the government to consult both disability charities and the disabled in future policymaking.鈥�

A university programme which helped SMEs reduce energy consumption by 32% has been nominated for a national sustainability award.

WMG at The 果冻传媒 helped more than 50 SMEs in the West Midlands become more sustainable after the energy crisis left 60% of these critical UK manufacturers threatened with closure. The project has helped reduce the energy and fuel consumption of SMEs, which are responsible for 44% of non-household UK emissions.

WMG achieved this through its Net Zero Innovation Network which is now up for 鈥楨nergy Efficiency Project of the Year Award鈥� – hosted by .

The Net Zero Innovation Network is helping to deconstruct the complexities of energy management, sustainability, and innovation for manufacturers across the UK. The network of engineers, innovation managers and industry experts offers practical tools and programmes to help SMEs overcome barriers such as lack of time, internal skills and cash-flow to invest. There is no cost for businesses involved, the only investment needed from SMEs is time.

Net Zero Innovation Network also provides access to state-of-the art equipment at the University, help companies reduce their energy consumption. The programme, built on the key themes of people, planet and profit, gets under the skin of the business to empower them to make real lasting change – upskilling staff and reducing scope 1 and 2 emissions.

The Net Zero Innovation Network designed a Manufacturing Energy Toolkit to provide provide solutions for SMEs impacted by the energy crisis. This toolkit measured and analysed energy consumption at a granular level, using WMG systems and research. The average energy saving of businesses using the toolkit was 32% and one SME reduced its energy consumption by 81%.

Other successful Net Zero Innovation Network projects included:

• Waste heat recovery simulation – assessing how to redirect heat in businesses to avoid additional energy (heating) being used.
• Process automation – using robots or software to help automate more mundane, repetitive and simple tasks, enabling other staff members to focus on more impactful projects.
• Granular material and energy monitoring – mapping out what materials and energy is currently being used, identifying ways to enhance efficiency or reduce waste
• Digitalisation – encouraging companies to utilise digital tech and systems e.g. upgrading their processes from paper to online/digital

Laura Downey, Innovation Manager at WMG, and technical lead of the programme, said: 鈥淭he Net Zero Innovation Network has supported over 50 businesses and counting. As a result, the businesses we鈥檝e partnered with have reduced their emissions whilst improving profitability, remained suppliers of choice and increased material and energy efficiency. We are honoured to have been shortlisted for the edie Net Zero Awards and look forward to supporting even more SMEs on their journey to net zero.鈥�

Leslie Sharp, Director of Kingfisher Enamelling, who benefited from the WMG programme, said: 鈥淲MG staff provide a range of knowledge and expertise which we just did not have. Added to this, their drive and commitment to help SMEs is immeasurable.鈥�

The winners of edie鈥檚 Net Zero awards will be announced on 15 November. Find out more about the awards here

For SMEs wanting to get involved in the scheme, there was a webinar on 26 October with a guest talk from participant company Professional Polishing Services /fac/sci/wmg/mediacentre/wmgevents/nzinwebinaroct23

Professor Siddartha Khastgir, Head of Verification and Validation at WMG, 果冻传媒, comments on to rebuild public trust.

鈥淪afety is the number one priority when commercialising self-driving vehicles, we should never compromise safety even though this is a fast-paced technology. The industry and autonomous vehicle developers and operators need to have a thorough review of the current incidents and be more open and transparent regarding their safety assurance processes and systems.

鈥淪afety messages and information should be communicated to the public to gradually build up societal trust and ensure that technology users and road users are well-informed about this new technology鈥檚 capabilities and limitations.

鈥淎s a world-leading research institution, WMG is working closely with international and national policymakers, regulators, and industry to improve the safety of self-driving vehicles. We encourage the ecosystem to collaborate further to gain the public鈥檚 confidence in this emerging transport technology.鈥�

Find out more about 奥惭骋鈥檚 Verification and Validation research here: /fac/sci/wmg/research/cav/vandv/

The Dean of WMG at the 果冻传媒, Professor Robin Clark, spoke at the launch of 鈥檚 new report on manufacturing skills this week (Wednesday 25th October). WMG supported the development of the report, including holding a roundtable with West Midlands employers; Higher Education (HE) and Further Education (FE) providers; and regional skills experts.

Lord Bilimoria of Chelsea CBE DL, launched Policy Connect鈥檚 latest report – Upskilling Industry: Manufacturing Productivity and Growth in England, alongside Minister for Enterprise and Markets, Keving Hollinrake MP; WMG Advisory Board member, Mark Pawsey MP and the Shadow Minister for Innovation, Chi Onwurah MP.

The Manufacturing Commission鈥檚 inquiry considers the implications of recent skills system reform in England on the manufacturing sector.  It concludes that labour shortages are restricting productivity across the economy, with skills gaps in the manufacturing sector costing between 拢7.7 and 拢8.3 billion annually in lost economic output.

To address this the report recommends government make several reforms to the skills system:

路 Support for SMEs in the manufacturing sector to help upskill their workforce, including incentives to deliver T-Levels and host skills boot camps. 

路 Greater flexibility in the use of the Apprenticeship Levy funds, including ring-fencing of unused Levy funding for investment in wider upskilling. 

路 A national campaign to increase the uptake of STEM subjects by women and people of minority ethnic backgrounds. 

路 Appointment of a government manufacturing 鈥楥hampion鈥� to raise awareness of the manufacturing sector in schools and promote the role that the manufacturing sector is playing in combatting the climate crisis. 

 Inquiry Chair, Lord Bilimoria of Chelsea, CBE, DL said: 鈥淎s Chair of the Manufacturing Commission and a proud supporter of British manufacturing, I am delighted to have been involved with this inquiry, which considers the impact of skills shortages across the sector. 

鈥淭hroughout the evidence sessions that have informed this work, I have been inspired by accounts from manufacturing businesses that are using all levers available to them to upskill their workforces. The recommendations that we have made seek to help businesses, education providers, and individuals best navigate the current policy landscape and deliver the skills that the manufacturing sector so vitally needs.鈥� 

Inquiry Vice-Chair, and WMG advisory Board member, Mark Pawsey MP added: 鈥淎s a member of the Business and Trade Committee and co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Manufacturing Group, I regularly hear of the skills shortages that limit productivity within the UK鈥檚 manufacturing sector. This inquiry explores how businesses can collaborate better with education providers to deliver the skills that local communities need. This is particularly important in the West Midlands, which is home to a significant part of the UK鈥檚 automotive and future battery technology capability.鈥� 

Professor Robin Clark, Dean of WMG, said: 鈥淭he proposals in the report contain lots of good ideas on how to develop a system that really works for learners and employers, and suggests practical changes that can make a real difference to our skills system.

鈥淭he report is a call to action for all of us working in skills to encourage learners, course providers and employers to get engaged in manufacturing, give SMEs strong incentives to support skills and collaborate to improve course design, provision, and approval.

鈥淲e鈥檝e got great examples of how skills can be transformative for businesses and students in manufacturing. Now we need to work together to make that the experience everyone has from our skills system.鈥�

Read the full 鈥楿pskilling Industry鈥� report here:

WMG, at the 果冻传媒, is part a unique 拢2 million consortium, entitled Sim4CAMSens.

The Sim4CAMSens project, led by , is made up of a consortium of prominent industry partners, including AESIN, rFpro, Syselek, Oxford RF, National Physical Laboratory, Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult and WMG.

Together the consortium will create a framework for sensor evaluation that incorporates modelling, simulation, and actual testing. In order to enable Automated Driving Systems (ADS) and sensor developers to speed their development, this project will involve the development of new models for sensors, noise and materials, and new test methodologies.

The role of WMG will be to understand which noise factors have the higher impact on the different perception sensors (i.e., camera, LiDAR, RADAR,) and how to correlate virtual testing to real-life testing to support the entire supply chain.

Professor Valentina Donzella, who leads the Intelligent Vehicles Sensors research at WMG explains: 鈥淭he Sim4CAMSens project is an extremely exciting opportunity for WMG, to work with UK based world leading industrial and research partners, to speed up the development of sensors models and testing methodologies. These are key considerations for the future safe deployment of robust and reliable ADS. The success of this project will ensure the UK leads the way globally in this field."

Find out more about 奥惭骋鈥檚 Intelligent Vehicles Sensors research here: /fac/sci/wmg/research/cav/ivsensors

奥惭骋鈥檚 Cyber Security undergraduate degree has received recognition for its cutting-edge education after receiving full certification from the UK 骋辞惫别谤苍尘别苍迟鈥檚 (NCSC).

The BSc Cyber Security at the 果冻传媒 offers a strong foundation in cyber security principles and practical skills, allowing graduates to make meaningful contributions in organisations by safeguarding sensitive information and defending against cyberattacks.

The course is one of only nine fully-certified undergraduate degrees recognised by the NCSC. This certification can help prospective students to make better informed choices when looking for a cyber security course. Employers will also recognise the degree and will benefit from recruiting employees who have had an opportunity to develop their skills in cyber security through a course which has high-quality teaching.

The BSc Cyber Security is the third programme at WMG to gain similar national recognition; both the MSc Cyber Security Engineering and the MSc Cyber Security Management are fully certified by the NCSC.

The University is also recognised by the NCSC as an Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Education (ACE-CSE) and an Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Research (ACE-CSR). This level of recognition demonstrates 果冻传媒鈥檚 broader commitment to excellence in cyber security education and research, both nationally and in local communities.

Dr Harjinder Lallie, Associate Professor at WMG said: 鈥淏eing one of only two institutions in the UK with five NCSC certifications underlines the commitment to a world-class cyber security curriculum and associated research programme.

鈥淭he upgrade from provisional to full certification has highlighted the effort and commitment the cyber security team have made to the education we offer and helps provide confidence to incoming students as well as employers about our commitment to quality.鈥�

NCSC Deputy Director for Cyber Growth, Chris Ensor said: 鈥淭he certification of the 果冻传媒鈥檚 BSc Cyber Security degree by the NCSC demonstrates our shared commitment to responsibly developing the cyber security talent pipeline.

鈥淥ffering an NCSC-certified degree helps prospective students make better informed choices about the quality of courses available, and employers can be assured that graduates will be well-taught and have valued industry skills.鈥�

Find out more about the BSc Cyber Security undergraduate degree here: www.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/wmg/education/undergraduate/cyber

WMG at The 果冻传媒, Solihull Council, National Highways, Transport for West Midlands, ZF, Aurrigo, Syselek and Liftango have successfully secured 拢300,000 to deliver a project looking into the feasibility of a self-driving shuttle service in the West Midlands.

The project will explore how a new automated transport link between Blythe Valley Business Park, near Shirley, and the new HS2 rail station in Solihull could operate in the future. The feasibility study will consider all aspects of the technology required in order to provide a safe and reliable automated public transport service between these important commercial centres. The proposed route would use the existing road network travelling along the M42 from Junction 4 and utilise the new Junction 5a currently under construction.

As a world-class research institution with leading capabilities in the verification and validation of safety assurance of self-driving technologies, WMG will apply its Operational Design Domain (ODD) based Safety Assurance research methodologies to the specific project challenges.  

This project is part of the wider (MFM) initiative, led by WMG. The MFM vision is to achieve zero road incidents, net-zero emissions and inclusive transport in the West Midlands. MFM enables stakeholders from across mobility to address the interlinked challenges of technology, policy, and behaviour to realise the vision.

Cllr Ken Hawkins, Solihull Council Cabinet Member for Environment & Infrastructure, said: 鈥淐onnected Automated Vehicle (CAV) technology has the potential revolutionise the way we get around our towns, cities and rural areas. Working with our partners we are excited to be undertaking this latest project.

鈥淲e鈥檝e already carried out a series of successful pathfinder trials here in Solihull, using our own automated shuttle, and have led the way in showing how it is possible to practically and safely incorporate automated vehicles into our existing transport infrastructure. We are now taking the next step and undertaking the vital feasibility work necessary in order to start thinking about more ambitious deployments and establishing new commercial public transport services.

鈥淭he outcomes from the study are likely to inform self-driving mobility challenges not just here in Solihull but nationwide.鈥�

Jonathan Smith, Midlands Future Mobility Programme Manager said: "The business case for scaling new mobility solutions is complex. It involves a granular understanding of the use case, safety, users, operations, and infrastructure. This project brings together a group of diverse experts to apply state of the art research and knowledge to address this question. Of critical importance is that the outcomes of this feasibility will inform mobility business cases both in the Midlands and the UK as a whole."

More information about this project

Partners: Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council (Lead), Aurrigo, Syselek (Uk) Ltd, Liftango Ltd, ZF Services UK Limited, West Midlands Combined Authority, Highways England, 果冻传媒

Grant awarded: 拢300,000 (拢197,664 from Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles鈥� Commercialising Connected and Automated Mobility programme and balance is made up by the commercial partners).

Find out more about 奥惭骋鈥檚 Validation and Verification research here: Verification and Validation (warwick.ac.uk)

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