News from Head of
School
Future Teaching Programmes in
CS
There are a number of factors which, I believe,
create the need for an urgent reappraisal of our UG programmes. A
small group of senior staff have started to prepare some proposals, but I
would like to promote a more general debate. The most obvious issue
is the continuing fall in UG applications – down again, by 12.6% this
year. We will simply not be viable as a School unless we can arrest
this decline. At the same time (and almost certainly related), the
past few years have seen computing and computation become increasingly
pervasive in virtually every aspect of our lives. This has led to a
major shift in the job market, away from the nuts and bolts of computer
technology, which is increasingly commoditised, towards system-level
design and innovation. Industry reports a huge, substantially
unsatisfied, demand for ‘system architects’ – the term preferred by IBM –
who can take on these challenging roles. The need is for individuals who
combine a deep knowledge of CS, with more general mathematical,
engineering and problem-solving skills, together with an understanding of
business and market needs. Typically these individuals need to work
as members of multidisciplinary teams. Another important development
is the extent to which, as well as providing computer-based tools,
‘computational thinking’ (see here
and the ‘Vision’ statement in our 2004/5 strategic plan) increasingly
provides the key conceptual framework for other academic disciplines.
We should be training individuals to contribute to this intellectual
revolution – the attributes required are probably rather similar to those
outlined above. The question is, has our thinking and have our UG
programmes kept up with these seismic shifts? Our discipline has
been the agent for change but, if we do not take care, may become the
victim of that change. We have accepted the need to be more
innovative in the way we
teach; it would be folly to make a once-in-a-lifetime investment in
redesigning our UG programmes, without also questioning what we teach. I suggest an
initial discussion using the acstaff (or allstaff) alias, though it may be
appropriate to set up a wiki in due course.
Faculty Teaching and Learning
funds
This is a reminder that we can put forward bids
for Faculty teaching and learning funds through our Learning Enhancement
Officer (LEO – Professor Ian Watson). I am writing this on a
plane crossing the Atlantic, so I’m
afraid that I don’t have details to hand, but there have been previous
emails. Please send outline bids to Ian before Friday 21st April
2006. He will then be able to take them forward for discussion with
one of the Faculty Curriculum Development Officers.
No
News Next Week – Happy Easter
Given that we will have two shortened weeks, and
that I intend to have a break over the Easter weekend, I do not plan to
produce a newsletter next week, unless there is some extremely pressing
news. Normal service will be resumed the following week. I
wish you all a relaxing and enjoyable Easter weekend.
Events this
Week
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No seminars notified
Regular Seminar Series
See links
in contents bar for information on seminar series organised by the
School of
CS, E-Science North
West and National Centre for Text Mining.
Future School
Events
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CEEBL - Half day workshop for CS
staff
21 Apr 06
An opportunity for CS staff to learn about enquiry
based learning.
1230 – 1700 (Lunch will be
provided.)
Register by emailing Kath
Mullins
ESNW Technical meeting New
2 May 06
You are invited to attend a technical meeting
organised by ESNW where we will discuss service-level agreement
(SLA) terms for a wide range of resource
types including AccessGrid, compute services and network services.
We would like a few volunteers to give 10-15 min presentations. If you are
interested contact Dean
Kuo. A wiki
has been set up for the topics that will be discussed at these
meetings
1400 – 1700, Room 1.10 Kilburn Building (ESNW AG
Room)
BCS/IEE Accreditation
Visit
18-19 May 06
Those who will definitely need to be involved
should already know and have these dates in their diaries, but could all
staff involved in teaching please note the dates and try to ensure they
will be available if required.
Research
Retreat
29-30 Jun 06
Palace Hotel, Buxton
Programme under
development, input welcomed (email
Ursula)
Future External
Events
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Nobel Laureate to speak at the University
New
10 Apr 06
'How to Win a Nobel Prize-Dr Tim Hunt FRS, Cancer
Research UK
Nobel Laureate Dr Tim Hunt, from Cancer Research
UK, will be a guest of
the University of Manchester when he addresses an
international gathering of young researchers in April. Dr Hunt,
whose work in discovering cyclins, which turned out to be 'Key
Regulator(s) of the Cell Cycle', led to his winning the Nobel Prize in
Physiology or Medicine in 2001 together with Lee Hartwell and Paul
Nurse. Dr Hunt will be addressing delegates at the Marie Curie
Conference (MC2): Putting the Knowledge Based Society in to
Practice. Anyone wishing to attend Dr Tim Hunt's key note
presentation should contact Kerry
Chantrey at the email address below. Any remaining
spaces in the theatre will be released following the close of the official
registration period.
More
Information
eProtein Scientific Meeting and
Workshop
24-26 Apr 06
EMBL-EBI, Imperial College London (IC) and
University College London (UCL), are delighted to invite you to attend a
one-day scientific meeting on Protein and Genome Annotations on 24th
April. The meeting will be held on the Wellcome Trust Genome Campus
at Hinxton and is funded by the UK Department of Trade and Industry, BBSRC
and the BioSapiens EU Project. The aim of the meeting is to describe the
current approaches, both technical and scientific, which will allow
contributions and access to annotations from many different laboratories,
based on GRID DAS technologies. The meeting will be followed by a
two-day practical workshop addressing the use and implementation of the
systems designed by the eProtein partners. All of the systems and
results of the project are freely available for the academic community to
access and use, or implement within your own lab.
More Information
and Registration
OPEN MEETING ON eLEARNING New
10 May 06
You are invited to an Open Meeting on eLearning on
Wednesday 10 May 2006, at which Professor Bob Munn, Vice-President for
Teaching and Learning, will make a brief presentation and respond to
questions about current initiatives to enhance e-learning. Full
details
Ask the President New
5 May 06
All staff are being invited to submit questions
for an interview with President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Alan Gilbert
which will be broadcast on the web next month (May). Questions can
be submitted in advance via e-mail to uninews@manchester.ac.uk (type
`President's Webcast' in the subject line), by internal mail using the
form published on page 3 of this month's edition of Staff Update or in
person to the Internal Communications Office, Beyer Building (staff may
remain anonymous if they wish). The deadline for submissions is 5
May.
Lunchtime Yoga
Classes
Tues & Thurs
Karon Mee
People have been practicing yoga for over 3, 000
years. The benefits of practice can be experienced on many levels,
physical and spiritual. A healthy spine, improvement to physical health
and body awareness in general is experienced through asana (postures),
while calmness of the mind and improved use of the respiratory system are
effects of meditation and breath awareness. Classes are
non-competitive and suitable for all levels. Do not eat at least an
hour prior to class. UMSA members £1.50; non-UMSA £2.00 per
class
1200 – 1300 Tuesdays, 1310 – 1400 Thursdays, Staff
House
Funding
Opportunities
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2006 Leonardo da Vinci Staff Bid Application
New
11 Apr 06
We are preparing to submit a bid for staff
mobility grants under the Leonardo da Vinci Mobility Programme and
therefore need an indication of the number of staff grants we are likely
to require. Staff exchange is funded under Leonardo for the exchange of
expertise, competencies, innovative methods and practices in relation to
vocational training. Exchanges do NOT need to involve two-way
movement of staff. Further details about the scheme are provided
below and additional information can also be found at: More
Information
BBSRC International Scientific Interchange Scheme
(ISIS)
Open
BBSRC's International Scientific Interchange
Scheme (ISIS) provides support to help scientists make and establish new
contacts with their international counterparts. Funding is available to
BBSRC grantholders, and researchers working on BBSRC-supported projects at
BBSRC-sponsored Institutes for travel and subsistence for three main types
of visit. The scheme is open to bids at any time (at least 6 weeks before
travel) with payments being made in advance of any visits. Please note
BBSRC-supported students are not eligible to travel under ISIS support.
More
Information
Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit
Awards
27 Apr 06
Jointly funded by the Wolfson Foundation and the
Office of Science and Technology, this scheme aims to give universities
additional support to attract key researchers, with great potential or
outstanding achievement, to this country or to retain those who might seek
to gain higher salaries elsewhere. The focus of the award is salary
enhancement. Research expenses are also considered for research costs not
suitable for Research Councils research grants applications and for
overseas applicants to support integration into the UK research and funding
environment.
More
Information
Wellcome Trust Equipment Grants
Apr/May 06
The Wellcome Trust consider applications for
multi-user items of equipment, including equipment required to create a
central resource for a number of disparate scientific programmes.
The maximum amount awarded is £1 million. It is expected that applications
will include a contribution from the university, or other source,
proportional to the total request. Applications for less than £10
000 will not normally be considered under this scheme. Small,
project-dedicated items of equipment can, however, form part of a project,
programme or fellowship application.
More
Information
RAEng Industrial Secondment
Scheme
Open
The Industrial Secondment Scheme provides an
invaluable opportunity for university lecturers in engineering to gain
state-of-the-art industrial experience. Applicable to engineers of all
disciplines, the Scheme's objective is to enable the secondees to impart
the fruits of this experience to their students through teaching, through
case studies using up-to-date material and, in the longer term, through
course design. The benefits also accrue to the host organisation which
gains a temporary but highly qualified member of staff, and to the
university which has the opportunity of strengthening its links with
industry. The Scheme provides funding for the university to employ a
temporary replacement for the secondee. In this way it minimises the
effects on the normal flow of teaching, and makes it easier for
universities to release members of staff for secondment. The Scheme has
also been well received by industry, and many organisations have indicated
a willingness to offer places to engineering academics: where possible The
Royal Academy of Engineering helps in the 'matchmaking
process'.
More
Information
RAEng Global Research
Awards
Open
Global Research Awards provide an opportunity for
engineers currently engaged in research and development to undertake
projects in centres of excellence overseas. Projects should focus on
activities which could help stimulate wealth creation and improvements in
the quality of life, supporting the international development of research
networks and encouraging the uptake of globally competitive technology in
the UK.
More
Information
Prize and Award
Opportunities
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We have acknowledged the need to raise the profile
of the School both nationally and internationally. Nominating
individuals for awards, and working actively with others to ensure that
deserving individuals are nominated is one way of doing
that.
BCS Distinguished
Dissertations
10 Apr 06
The Conference of Professors and Heads of
Computing (CPHC), in conjunction with the British Computer Society (BCS),
annually selects for publication the best British PhD/DPhil dissertations
in computer science. The scheme aims to make more visible the
significant contribution made by Britain - in particular by
post-graduate students - to Computer Science.
More
Information
IBM Unstructured Information Management
Awards
14 Apr 06
IBM is pleased to announce the 2006 Unstructured
Information Management Architecture (UIMA) Innovation Award program, an
international award competition designed to encourage the use of open
source and open standards-based tools for academic curricula and
research.
More
Information
Teaching Excellence
Awards
18 Apr 06
The University has recently instituted "Teaching
Excellence Awards", which focus on achievement in teaching (including
learning support) and involve a grant of £5,000 to recipients for the
further development of their teaching or their career. If you
believe you have a case to be considered for an award, please submit a
statement of not more than five sides of A4 detailing your eligibility
against the published
criteria. Each Head of School has been asked to put
forward one nomination only, so I will consult with the Heads of UG, PG
and the Teaching Assessment Panel to select the strongest case.
Nominations need to be with the Faculty by 28th April, so
please get your case to Lynn by
18th April.
IBM Eclipse Innovation Award program
2006
28 Apr 06
IBM is pleased to announce the 2006 IBM Eclipse
Innovation Award program, an international award competition designed to
encourage the use of open source and open standards-based tools for
academic curricula and research. Qualified faculty and researchers may
submit proposals for work with applications in teaching, research or
community building around Eclipse.
More
Information
René Descartes
Prizes
4 May 06
The European Commission is inviting proposals
under its framework 6 science and society programme for Rene Descartes
prizes. These are to recognise excellence in research and science
communication. Prizes for research will be at least 200000 euros each, and
projects must include legal entities from 2 different member or associated
states, and include at least one member state or associated candidate
country.
More
Information
The IEEE Richard W. Hamming Medal
1 Jul 06
The IEEE Richard W. Hamming Medal was established
by the Board of Directors in 1986 'for exceptional contributions to
information sciences, systems and technology.' The award is named in
honour of Dr. Richard W. Hamming, who has had a central role in the
development of computer and computing science, and whose many significant
contributions in the area of information science include his
error-correcting codes. Recipient selection is administered by the
IEEE Medals Council through the IEEE Awards Board. It may be
presented to an individual or group, up to three in number. The
award consists of a gold medal, bronze replica, certificate, and
honorarium.
More
Information
The IEEE John von Neumann
Medal
1 Jul 06
The IEEE John von Neumann Medal was established by
the Board of Directors in 1990 and may be presented annually 'for
outstanding achievements in computer-related science and technology.' The
achievements may be theoretical, technological, or entrepreneurial, and
need not have been made immediately prior to the date of the award.
Recipient selection is administered through the IEEE Medals Council of the
IEEE Awards Board. It may be presented to an individual or group, up
to two in number. The award consists of a gold medal, bronze
replica, certificate and honorarium.
More
Information
Research
Awards
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Perceptually Realistic
Environments for Architectural Planning and Visual Impact Assessment
Funding Body: EPSRC
PI: Roger Hubbold Award Amount: £356,142
PhD Training Programme at ReIMiCS/AKA2006
Funding Body: EPSRC
PI: Renate Schmidt Award Amount: £4,752
Practical Reasoning Approaches for Web Ontologies
and Multi-Agent Systems
Funding Body: EPSRC
PI: Renate Schmidt Award Amount: £181,883
Staff
News
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Awards and Promotions
None this week
Academic Arrivals
None this week
Academic Departures
None this week
Research Arrivals
None this week
Research Departures
None this week
Administrative Arrivals
None this week
Administrative Departures
None this week
Sabbatical Leave
Andrei
Voronkov: Microsoft Research, Redmond USA Aug 05 – Aug
06.
Ian
Horrocks: University of Bozen-Bolzano, Bell Labs, and Stanford University Feb 06 – Sep
06.
Peter
Aczel: Nijmegen University, and Maths Institute at the
University
of Munich Jan 06 –
Sep 06.
Alasdair
Rawsthorne: 80% secondment to
Transitive Technologies Oct 05 – Sep 06.
Alvaro
Fernandes: IBM Almaden Research Centre
US Jul – Dec 06.
Vacancies
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Academic Staff New
Chair in Computer Engineering
More
Information
Chair in Computational Systems
Biology
More
Information
Teaching Fellowships in Computer
Science
More
Information
Career Development Fellowships
More
Information
Research Staff
None
Administrative Staff
None
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