Multi-Interdisciplinary Research Institute Event
Digital Twinning Symposium | 24 May 2024
The Zienkiewicz Institute organised a cross-university meeting on digital twinning on 24th May 2024. The following topics were discussed:
- Health
- Infrastructure and transport
- Geographical
- Manufacturing
- Energy and environment
Definition: Digital twinning, a concept of significant importance in our digital age, is a platform in which a physical entity and its virtual counterpart influence each other continuously until the influence on the physical entity leads to a desired outcome.
Topics of interest: All issues leading to a digital twinning approach are well come. They include (a) Integration of measure data into a platform, (b) Sparse to comprehensive data, (c) Real-time digital twins, (d) Data and physics-driven digital twins, (e) AI-physics interface, (f) Inverse modelling, (g) physical and social science interaction (h) digital twin demonstration.
Contact: p.nithiarasu@swansea.ac.uk
Cross-Interdisciplinary Research Symposium
Women’s Health Symposium | 7 June 2024
Women’s health as a research area has expanded greatly over recent years. Involving the investigation into the unique ways in which diseases manifest in women, the impact of socio-economic factors on their health, and the effectiveness of gender-specific medical treatments and interventions. This broadened focus has led to significant advancements in understanding and addressing women's health needs across the lifespan. However, there is still a significant underrepresentation within research, with much work remaining to be done to close this gap.
The symposium brought together a diverse assembly of healthcare professionals, researchers, policymakers to provide insight to our collective table. From the latest in medical research to advancements in healthcare practices and policies, our symposium is a forum for sharing groundbreaking work and forging new partnerships.
Our Vision is to encourage collaboration, innovation and advancements in health and to highlight the opportunity for technology, through better multidisciplinary research partnerships.
Contact: samantha.caswell@Swansea.ac.uk
Swansea University Space Research Symposium | 19 June 2024
Swansea University hosted its first Space Research Symposium on 19 June! The event included an exciting selection of short talks from both Swansea University staff and leading space companies. The symposium was attended by space enthusiast and leading UK companies. There were posters and technology demonstrations on view during registration and buffet lunch.
10:00 – Registration
10:30 – Welcome
Morning session, Chair Prof. Ben Evans
10:40 – Prof Peter North, Swansea University, “Global Satellite Remote Sensing”
11:00 – Dr Vlad Zmijanovic, Reaction Engines Ltd, “Aerodynamic challenges of multi-powered aerospace nacelles”
11:20 – Dr James Baterman, Swansea University, “LOTIS: Levitated Optomechanical Technologies In Space”
11:40 – Paul Williams, Black Arrow Space Technologies, “Seaborne Launch Services the Optimal Space Flight Option”
12:00 – Dr Dan Lamb, Swansea University, “Thin firm solar cells for communications and energy applications in space”
12:20 – Buffet lunch (tech demos and poster presentations)
Afternoon session, Chair Dr Dan Lamb
13:10 – Lewis D’Ambra, Space forge, Commercialising Space: : Manufacturing Next Generation Semiconductors”
13:30 – Prof. Nick Lavery, Swansea University, “Novel Alloys for Additive Manufacturing and Space Applications”
13:50 – Nick Crew, Airbus, “title tbc”
14:10 – Dr Zoran Jelic, Swansea University, “Space research across the Department of Aerospace Engineering”
14:30 – Mr Olly Page and Dr Xia Yuying, CGI Inc. & Swansea University, “Tractor Swarm Programme and Potential Applications”
14:50 – Panel Session Q&A (Speakers to form the panel)
15:20 – Closing Remarks
M2 Lunch, talk & networking
The Materials and Manufacturing Research Institute (M2RI) recently hosted a community event which inluded a series of short talks on Additive Manufacturing activities at Swansea University and a Q&A session. The speakers were Dr Anil Bastola, Nick Lavery and Professor Tim Claypole.
M2RI Consortium Meeting
The Materials and Manufacturing Research Institute (M2RI) at Swansea University recently funded a pivotal meeting of the NEURONE consortium, comprising partners from UKAEA, Swansea University, Imperial College London, the Materials Processing Institute, Sheffield Forgemasters and the Universities of Birmingham, Oxford, Manchester, and Sheffield.
NEURONE is a £10m endeavour, funded by the UK Fusion Futures programme, to develop an industrial scale advanced steel over the next 5-years for use in the commercial fusion sector. The consortium represents considerable breadth across the entire TRL scale, from atomistic modelling and atom probe tomography at one end, through alloy prototyping and irradiation testing, all the way up to major producers of steel at the other. The diverse expertise within the consortium ensures a comprehensive approach to addressing the significant challenges associated with developing an industrial-scale advanced steel for fusion applications.
At Swansea University, Prof. Nicholas Lavery and Dr Stephen Jones from MACH1, hosting the event, will be taking a key role in the design and prototyping of novel alloys, using facilities recently upgraded with funds from the Welsh Government Smart Expertise grant. The Institute of Structural Materials (ISM) will be performing advanced mechanical testing and contributing toward the crucial final qualification of the alloy.
Dr David Bowden, Materials Group Leader at UKAEA and NEURONE programme lead, had this to say: “The amount of progress made to date has been impressive, and it was excellent to see the enthusiasm from all partners as we grapple with this immense challenge. The capabilities established at Swansea University are well-positioned to support the NEURONE programme to deliver next-generation steel for the UK fusion sector.”
Across the two-day event, 35 representatives from the partner institutions attended technical presentations describing the considerable work undertaken already and participated in workshops to develop the plan for the next four years of the programme. A significant outcome of the event was the commitment to a shared strategy, which left all attendees with a clear sense of both the scale of the challenge before them and the necessary tasks to achieve the programme objectives. The success of the NEURONE programme will see significant strides in the development of advanced steels, position the UK as a key player in the commercial fusion sector, and contribute to the materials innovations required for a clean energy future.
