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School of CS newsletter
Published: Friday, 18 January 2019Weekly newsletter for the School of CS
[ top ]News from Head of School
[ top ]News and announcements
White Boards in LF2
It has been brought to our attention that a white board in LF2 has been used to express some unsavoury messages. We’ve taken the opportunity to clean all white boards, and ask you to report any such messages to Uli Sattler (as Director of SR): while we appreciate humour, the school must be a place where everybody can belong and we do not tolerate any such behaviour.
Thomas Shepard
Thank you from Emmelines Pantry
Thank you to those who have made donations to Emmelines Pantry. See thank you message below from the Co-ordinator, Vanessa.
Please make sure you continue to bring donations to Karon in ACSO.
- Food and toiletry donations (including tea, coffee, sugar, nappies and sanitary products)
- Any unused or unwanted Christmas gifts
- Unused quality clothes for women and children (especially warm clothing and shoes/wellies)
I just wanted to thank every single person who has helped Emmeline’s Pantry in the past year by being a drop off point, holding fabulous events, carrying bags to the foodbank, donating and generally getting the word round to colleagues! Karen, the co-ordinator at Emmeline’s especially wanted to say a thank you to you all. She has been overwhelmed by the kindness.
The extra donations from UoM staff have made a massive difference to Emmeline’s as they are such a small (but busy charity). Last year they supported an average of 45 women a month, this is now 45 per week.
Karon Mee
Theorem Prover Competiton Success
Theorem Prover Competition Success
This is a belated message to let you know that Vampire and iProver enjoyed another year of competition success (you may have noticed some extra trophies in the cabinet by the Byte Cafe).
The research and development of Vampire is lead by Andrei Voronkov and Giles Reger and that of iProver is led by Konstantin Korovin and Julio Cesar Lopez Hernandez. In CASC, the annual World Championship for Theorem Proving, Manchester dominated the scoreboard yet again. Vampire came first in 3 divisions, including the main division, and iProver defended its title in the effectively propositional (Bernays–Schönfinkel) class. In SMT-COMP, the annual World Championship for SMT solvers, Vampire won 3 divisions, outperforming SMT solvers (Vampire is not an SMT solver) on problems typically suited to SMT solvers.
These successes build on Manchester’s long history of world-leading theorem proving. Vampire has now won the main division (FOF) in CASC for 19 years in a row and in the history of the competition Vampire has won 46 trophies and iProver (starting 9 years later) has won 12.
[ top ]Events
Lunch with the Research Lifecycle Programme - February 2019
The Research Lifecycle is a five-year programme of investments to support the University in meeting its goal of being one of the top 25 research universities in the world, through a series of strategic investments in IT and associated change.
Our open house events are open to anyone at the University with an interest in research - research and support staff, academics, postgraduate research students and anyone else whose day-to-day life at the University touches on research in any way.
Join us from 12.30pm on Tuesday 5 February in Room 4.38 of the Simon Building, where Simon Hood from Research IT will talk about projects which cover compute capabilities, High Performance Computing, cloud services and other relevant topics.
Agenda:
- 12.30pm – Refreshments, sandwiches and snacks
- 1pm – Introduction
- 1.05pm – Presentation, followed by Q&A
- 2pm – Close
Register for our event on Tuesday 5 February
Further information on the Research Lifecycle Programme (RLP):
Su Smith
MMPathIC Text Mining Workshop
MMPathIC Text Mining Workshop
Friday 8th February, 12:00 - 15:00, Manchester
Professor Sophia Ananiadou leads the Manchester Molecular Pathology Innovation Centre's "Text and Opportunity Mining" workstrand - set up to train text mining tools to recognse different types of information relating to biomarkers in large volumes of text.
This technology (and a number of other text mining technologies) is ready for validation in partnership with clinicians and industrial partners with specific use cases.
Here are some of the systems which may be of interest to clinicians and industrial partners:
- RobotAnalyst: http://www.nactem.ac.uk/robotanalyst/
- Thalia: http://www.nactem.ac.uk/Thalia/
- FACTA: http://www.nactem.ac.uk/facta/
These systems are the frontend of a number of text mining tools working behind the scenes, which would benefit from embedding with clinical teams with specific questions and project ideas.
This workshop is for clinical and industry colleagues who would like to attend a showcase of these innovative text mining approaches for biomarker discovery. There will also be potential to discuss collaborative grant applications where this enabling technology will be an asset.
Lunch will be provided.
Agenda to follow.
Registration - Please register here - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mmpathic-text-mining-workshop-tickets-53534367735
Find out more about MMPathIC: www.manchester.ac.uk/mmpathic
Questions: Email mmpathic@manchester.ac.ukNewMind Plenary Wednesday 30th January
NewMind Plenary Wednesday 30th January
Technology for Mental Health: Setting the Agenda
Workshop date: Wednesday 30th January 2019
Time: 10:00 - 17:00
Venue: Manchester Conference Centre, Sackville St, Manchester, M1 3BBRegistration is open for the NewMind Plus participatory workshop that aims to set a new agenda for research in technology for mental health. Thanks to those who have already signed up! https://tinyurl.com/ybfoaz5e
The Research Roadmap developed by the NewMind community has attracted new researchers to the field and influenced funder’s strategies. Three years on, we are delivering a workshop to undertake a major update of the Roadmap, recognising that the landscape has evolved considerably.
We want the new Roadmap to reflect the fact that both technology and thinking about its application in mental health have moved on since December 2015. We also want to incorporate learning from the feasibility studies funded by NewMind Plus, so there will be a poster session that will allow you to catch up on their progress. The programme will also include an introduction to the new cross-council networks that have been funded, which offer new opportunities for collaboration.We hope the new Roadmap will prove as influential as the first edition, and we are keen to involve as many of the community as possible in developing it. Please click the link below and register now. On registration, you will be sent a confirmation email with instructions for completing an exercise that will help inform the agenda on the day.
Funded by the EPSRC, NewMind aims to bring together clinicians, Engineering & Physical Science researchers, mental health professionals, charities, industry partners, and service users, to develop and aid collaborations that help further research into technologies that support & transform the management and treatment of mental health.
Service users are an important part of the NewMind network, and we have worked hard to ensure the participation and involvement of experts by experience in NewMind events. Discretionary travel support is available if required, and service users in attendance are entitled to a £40 participation payment.If you have any queries please contact daniel.morley@manchester.ac.uk
To register:Smart Meters 2019
The University of Salford is hosting the Smart Meters 2019 Conference to bring together industry, academia and policy makers to consider the future for innovation around the smart meter infrastructure.
Free to attend, the event will host speakers from across the sector including metering manufacturers, innovators, energy suppliers, data analytics and policy experts to discuss a range of subjects including Data Analysis, Signal Processing, Predictive Modelling, Smart Homes & Cities, IoT and Machine Learning.
For more information and bookings please contact v.l.beckett@salford.ac.uk
School Seminar 23rd January 2019 11:00 Kilburn L.T 1.4
New School Seminar
Date: 23rd Jan 2019
Title: Analysis and design of secure and privacy-enhancing information sharing systems: the case of Facebook and car sharing
Speaker: Dr Iraklis Symeonidis. SnT / APSIA, University of Luxembourg
Time & Location: 11:00, Kilburn L.T 1.4
Host: Mustafa Mustafa
Abstract:
The advancement of communication technologies such as the Internet, mobile communications, wireless networks and online platforms has eased the exchange of information between individuals: it has enabled collection of large amounts of personal data to an ever-increasing rate. In this talk, we focus on two use cases: the interdependent privacy on Facebook and the privacy issues of car sharing systems. First, I will present a comprehensive analysis and countermeasures of the interdependent privacy problem on Facebook; providers of third-party applications on Facebook exploit the interdependency between users and their friends. Second, I will present the privacy issues in car sharing systems; owing to the massive amounts of personal information, rich information about individuals' everyday lives and habits can be extracted, enabling profiling. Finally, I will present a fully-fledged privacy-enhancing protocol (sketch) for car access provision as a solution design.
Biography:
Iraklis Symeonidis is a post-doctoral researcher at APSIA group of the University of Luxembourg. He holds a PhD degree from COSIC of KU Leuven supervised by Prof. Bart Preneel. He also holds a master?s degree in Digital Systems Security from the University of Piraeus, and an engineering degree in Information and Communication Engineering from the University of the Aegean. He was a visiting researcher at CrySyS Lab of BME, recipient of an FWO grant. His current research interests fall in the intersection between information security and privacy with a specific focus on security by design and privacy by design. Currently, he is working on solutions for private messaging, online social networks and connected cars.
School Seminar 24th January 2019 16:00 Kilburn L.T 1.4
School Seminar Thursday 24th January 2019 at 16:00 in Kilburn L.T. 1.4
Title: Accessibility layers: Beyond what meets the eye
Abstract: Access to technology and digital services is commonly assessed as a binary question, both by researchers and society. People see eye-trackers as having solved communication for motor disabled people, see screen readers as having solved access to mobile devices for blind people. In this talk, I will try to dissect deeper layers of accessibility, beyond physical access, using my own misconceptions and research agenda over time, as examples. This includes presenting not only the different research projects we have been working in the last few years but also the different research methodologies applied to get a deeper understanding of the needs of blind people and the impact of our own interventions. Last, I will provide an overview of our research in the areas of interaction design for healthcare and usable privacy.
Bio:
Tiago Guerreiro is an Assistant Professor at the University of Lisbon (Faculty of Sciences) and a researcher at LASIGE, in Portugal. He is an HCI researcher with a focus on improving access to computing technologies to people with different abilities, and on re-designing interactions and workflows for pervasive healthcare. Alongside, he is concerned with how people, in general, are able to secure their data, particularly from non-sophisticated insiders. In these areas, he published 75+ peer-reviewed papers. He received awards for 8 papers, including at CHI, ASSETS, SOUPS and MHCI. He was the Web for All General and Program Chair, in 2016 and 2015, respectively, is Chair of the “Accessibility & Aging” Subcommittee for CHI 2019, has been an associate chair for CHI in the last five editions, and will be ASSETS 2020 General Chair, among many other service roles. He participated in 10+ EU projects. He was an expert evaluator for H2020 EU calls and is currently an invited expert supporting the EC in implementing the Web Accessibility Directive. He is a father of two and loves soccer.
[ top ]Research News
Business Engagement team update
There have been some changes in the FSE Business Engagement team. Sandra Crosbie, Business Engagement Manager has left the University to take up a role in industry and will be replaced in the short term by Shanta Aphale, former Business Engagement Manager, Faculty of Humanities. The current team is as follows:
Dr Shanta Aphale – Business Engagement Manager (interim)
Dr Laura O’Keefe – Business Engagement Officer
Dr Louise Bates – Business Engagement Officer
Dr Adam Parry – Business Engagement Officer
The establishment of the International BE team, within the University's central Business Engagement and Knowledge Exchange team, forms part of our enabling strategy to realise our International Industry income strategy. New appointments include Elena Zelenkova as International Business Engagement Manager. Elena joins from an internal role within BE. Joining Elena will be Joe Holder, a new starter from Industry, as International Business Engagement Co-ordinator. Joe’s post will be a supporting role within the International Team, working with Elena and Hui Wang. In addition, we will shortly be reviewing plans to recruit resources in China.
[ top ]Social Responsibility
BETTER WORLD SHOWCASE
The Faculty of Science and Engineering’s Better World Showcase celebrates staff and students who are making a difference through various social responsibility projects. They're taking posters about these projects on a roadshow to highlight the fantastic work that goes on across the Faculty. Visit the roadshow and see posters of over 40 different initiatives in: Renold Building Concourse: today Mon 14 Jan-Fri 18 Jan; University Place: next Mon 21 Jan-Fri 25 Jan. Or visit the Virtual Showcase at http://www.se.manchester.ac.uk/social-responsibility/better-world-showcase/ Our school has a number of impressive entries:
6. Blockchain/AI 4 Utility Services
19. Community Security Operations Centre 22. BeeLife 32. Project Malawi 2018
Have your say and vote *before Mon 28 Jan* at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSevy6oVPIz0dBWNBlWQbzeb2NYq4WE5Pi4BQeJMF-h3IejdEQ/viewform
[ top ]Sustainability and Green Impact News
Sustainability Champion training opportunity
In April/May, you can take part in a training programme aimed at developing resilience and influencing skills to perform more effectively as a Sustainability Champion. So, if you are enthusiastic about sustainability and are/want to become a Sustainability Champion, consider this 3-session programme and let Uli Sattler know.
