MANCHESTER

           1824

School of Computer Science

Weekly Newsletter

15th May 2006

Contents

News from HoS

This Week

School Events

External Events

Funding Opps

Prize & Award Opps

Research Awards

Staff News

Vacancies

 

Links

Newsletter Archive

School Strategy

School Intranet

School Seminars

ESNW Seminars

NaCTeM Seminars

 

News from Head of School

Promotion Successes

We received news at the end of last week that the University Promotions Committee has approved all the cases we submitted from the School.  Congratulations to Uli Sattler (Reader), Rizos Sakellariou (SL), Robert Stevens (SL), and Ning Zhang (SL) for this well-deserved recognition of their achievements and contributions to the School and University.  Details below.

BCS/IEE Accreditation Visit

A reminder that the accreditation visit is on Thursday.  I’ll report back on how the day goes and the feedback we receive next week but, given all the hard work that has gone into preparing our (massive) submission, I’m sure it will be a success.

Schools Liaison and Headstart Event

As you know, schools liaison is one of the priorities we have identified with a view to improving our UG recruitment in the long-term.  The External Affairs team is currently planning a programme of events to start in September, and will be visiting schools over the next two months to discuss how we can tailor our offerings to their needs.  The aim is, as far as possible, to organise workshops, master classes, visits etc to take place in the University, contributing to the A-level curriculum in Maths and Computing.  Any input gratefully received.  In the meantime would anyone be interested in getting involved in the Headstart Scheme (http://www.hdstart.org.uk/), a residential summer school run in collaboration with the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Dragonfly event. The Headstart scheme will involve around 40 Year 12 students and will take place from 10th – 13th July.  The one day Dragonfly event will involve 40-50 Year 10 girls and will take place on July 14th.   Although the joint event lasts several days, there is no need for a huge commitment from the School – some interesting talks or a 3 hour practical/project session would be great.  In the past activities have focussed on traditional engineering subjects (electrical and civil seem to feature highly), but the scope of the event covers the whole of science engineering and technology.  These pupils will be both bright and enthusiastic and we really should get involved.   If anyone is interested please let Bernard know as soon as possible.  He would be happy to coordinate the activities of a group of interested individuals to devise something that is fun and engaging, and can become an annual event.

UG Guest Lectures

At the recent School Industrial Advisory Board, a number of our industrial partners expressed an interest in providing guest lectures as part of our UG programme. With CS1072 being discontinued next year, and only being partly replaced by the first year project, now is a good time to try to determine how we can make best use of these people. Bernard is therefore looking to set up two lists: those who already use industrial guest lecturers (and who they are); those interested in using a guest lecturer as part of a UG module, should an appropriate one be available.  Please email Bernard if you fall into either of these categories.  Hopefully this is one way of motivating our current students; also the fact that we can point to these relationships in our promotional material will help to make School more attractive to prospective students.  We are already investigating an interesting proposal for Electronic Arts to assist with teaching graphics and we’d love to see this extended to other modules.

 

 

Events this Week                                                               top

HL7 Clinical Genomics Family History Specification                            15 May 06

Dr Amnon Shabo (Shvo), IBM Research, Haifa

Amnon is Co-Chair of the HL7 SIG and Co-Editor of the Clinical Document Architecture developed by the Structured Documents Technical Committee.  HL7 is the computer coding system used to exchange information between medical software systems - it is the coding that has been chosen for messaging in the NHS Connecting for Health systems.  The SIG is tackling one of the main concerns of genetics health care professionals looking at clinical coding systems – their inability to represent both genetic data about people, and family data such as the patient's pedigree (family tree) and family history of disease. 

1100, NoWGEN building, Grafton Street, ManchesterM13 9WU

Email Andrew Devereau for more information.

E-learning for the Physical Sciences                                                         16 May 06

Guest speakers from the Universities of Hull, Bristol, Edinburgh and Manchester

Organised by TSU and the HEA Physical Sciences subject centre.

On line-testing; use WebCT or build your own system; principles of e-learning design; teaching students on work placement.

1200 – 1400, 7.27 & 7.28, Chemistry Building, Brunswick St (lunch from 11.45)

Email Sue King to reserve a place

School Board                                                                                                  17 May  06

The main item of business for the School Board will be the External Affairs Report.  If the action short of a strike has not been lifted by then, this may be a good opportunity to discuss how the School will deal with the situation.

Agenda

Systems Biology Open Meeting  New                                                        17 May  06

Douglas Kell (Chemistry), Steve Oliver (FLS) and Hans Westerhoff (SCEAS).

An inaugural open meeting of the Manchester Centre for Itegrative Systems Biology (MCISB), which is based in the Manchester Interdisciplinary Biocentre (MIB).  The meeting will cover scientific strategy, infrastructure, data model, organisation, aims and plans for outreach and dissemination.

1300 – 1500, Lower Mezzanine Lecture Theatre, MIB (16 on  Campus Map)

No need to register.  Email Dieter Weichart for more information

BCS/IEE Accreditation Visit                                                                    17-18 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. PLEASE NOTE there was a misunderstanding over dates and this was originally advertised as taking place on the 18 – 19 May.

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                                                        top

Requirements and Technologies for Provenance                                 23 May 06

ENSW technical meeting.  Volunteers required to give 10-15 min presentations.

1400 – 1700, Atlas 1

Email Dean Kuo or visit wiki

Research Retreat                                                                                       29-30 Jun 06

Palace Hotel, Buxton

Programme under development, input welcomed (email Ursula)

School UG Graduation Party                                                                            5 Jul 06

We will (hopefully) be celebrating the graduation of our UG students

1430 – 1530, prize-giving 1445, graduation ceremony 1645.

School BBQ New                                                                                                14 Jul 06

Details to follow

 

Future External Events                                                      top

TRDN Annual Symposium                                                                            23 May 06

Manchester: a learning community?

Alison Johns, Head of Leadership, Governance and Management, HEFCE 

In addition to the keynote address, there will be sessions dealing with the University as a community, and with its relationships with the wider community both locally and nationally/internationally.  Posters are invited on the theme of 'community' or on wider educational issues.

1000 – 1500, Hulme Hall

Email Veronique Rizzuto to book or offer a poster

Mesoscience/Nanotechnology Seminar New                                           23 May 06

Organised by the UoM Mesoscience/Nanotechnolgy Forum, the object of the seminar is to inform staff and students of current Mesoscience/Nanotechnology activities in the University.

1200 – 1630, H11 Renold Building

Email Louise Rogers by Tuesday 16 May to register.

National Learning at Work Day – Fun for All! New                                   25 May 06

The Staff Training & Development Unit, Manchester Museum and Whitworth Art

Gallery are working together to bring you an exciting programme of events, ranging from action packed CIRCUS SKILLS to relaxing YOGA. NATIONAL LEARNING AT WORK DAY is a rare opportunity to take a break from routine and try something you've never done before. Come along and experience some of the more creative ways to learn at work.

1100 & 1300, various venues.

Email for full programme or ring 275 2525.  Booking first come, first served.

Assessment by Computer (ABC) Software Demonstration New        26 May 06

The ABC team invites you to a demonstration of their assessment software.

1300 – 1400, 2.15 Kilburn

Email EPS-TSU by 24 May to book.

EPSRC Regional Academic Seminars                                  26 May & 14 June 06

Presentation by Professor John O'Reilly, Chief Executive of EPSRC, Question and Answer session, session on Peer Review and the grant application process.  At the Manchester event, there will also be a session on opportunities for interaction between industry, academia and other organisations.

26 May 2006 London: The Royal Society (register by 18th May)

14 June 2006 Manchester: Manchester Conference Centre (register by 2nd June)

More Information

 

Microsoft Invites you on a Deep Dive! New                                    27 – 29 June 06

The UK Academia Team is partnering with DevelopMentor, to host an intense, hands-on technical event for academics in June 2006. The Academic Insight Event will offer UK academics the chance to get up to speed with the principles and practice of the .NET framework, CLR and Visual Studio, as well as hands-on experience of developing applications for the web, Pocket PCs and Smartphones. The aim of the event is to help those in higher education who teach computer science to introduce and apply Microsoft technologies into their courses and provide them with the skills their students need for entering the software industry.

More Information & Registration

Lunchtime Yoga Classes – Karon Mee                                                   Every Tues

1200 – 1300 Tuesdays, Staff House

UMSA members £1.50; non-UMSA £2.00 per class

 

Funding Opportunities                                                       top

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

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

European Science Foundation EUROCORES Scheme                          1 Jun 06

The aim of the ESF European Collaborative Research (EUROCORES) Scheme is to enable researchers in different European countries to develop collaboration and scientific synergy in areas where European scale and scope are required for leading-edge science in a global context and in this way create the critical mass necessary for scientific excellence. The scheme provides a flexible framework which allows national basic research funding organisations to join forces to support top class European research in and across all scientific areas.
More Information

BBSRC Research Equipment Initiative (REI) 2006 New                       28 June 06

BBSRC’s Research Equipment Initiative provides support (£50K - £250K) for the purchase of mid-range multi-user, multi-project equipment, including its installation and initial set-up. The scheme aims to contribute to the physical research infrastructure to enable high-quality research within the BBSRC remit, and promote partnership and sharing of equipment.

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                                          top

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.

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

 

Microsoft European Science Award                                                          31 May 06

This prestigious new award, sponsored by Microsoft Research, is designed to recognise and reward scientists working in Europe who have made a major contribution to the advancement of science through the use of computational methods.  The 2006 award is open to any research scientist who has made a significant contribution at the intersection of the biological sciences and computing. (In 2007, the award will focus on computing and the physical sciences.)  The award will comprise a trophy and a monetary amount of 250,000 EUR, of which 7,500 EUR will constitute prize money with the rest earmarked for further research. The award will be presented at a ceremony in October/November 2006

More Information

 

Research Awards                                                               top

None this week

 

Staff News                                                                           top

Awards and Promotions

Rizos Sakellariou: promoted to Senior Lecturer from 1 Aug 2006

Robert Stevens: promoted to Senior Lecturer from 1 Aug 2006

Ning Zhang: promoted to Senior Lecturer from 1 Aug 2006

Uli Sattler: promoted to Reader from 1 Aug 2006

Academic Arrivals

Bijan Parsia – Temporary Lecturer, IMG

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                                                                            top

Academic Staff

None

Research Staff

Research Associate in Automated Reasoning and Web Ontologies

More Information

Postdoctoral Research Associate/Fellow, ISBE

More Information

Academic-Related Staff

Software Engineer (Psygrid) ISBE

More Information

 Administrative Staff

None