WMG News - Latest news from WMG

WMG at the University of Warwick has been awarded £5.7 million by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to form a Prosperity Partnership with Jaguar Land Rover that could literally be described as ”electrifying”.

WMG’s Professor Barbara Shollock said:

“This Prosperity Partnership will tackle the emerging challenges for vehicle electrification through a unique collaboration to grow scientific understanding. This integrated approach brings the potential for the UK to lead, both industrially and scientifically, in an area of high growth and relevance in the UK's industrial strategy.”

“Our shared vision is to create new scientific insights to underpin the Automotive Council’s electrification agenda, from batteries and power electronics to electric motors and electric drive units.”

Electrification is a strategic target for the UK and a major element in the UK Industrial Strategy and an opportunity to grow a new globally-competitive industry. The UK strategy for ultra-low emission vehicles states the ‘vision is that by 2050 almost every car and van in the UK will be an ultra-low emission vehicle, with the UK at the forefront of their design, development and manufacture, making us one of the most attractive locations for ultra-low emission vehicle–related inward investment in the world’. To achieve this requires a step-change in knowledge, understanding and technology and Prosperity Partnership bringing together the WMG and Jaguar Land Rover will help achieve that.

Graeme Knowles, one of our Principal Teaching Fellows, has been awarded a prestigious Warwick Award for Teaching Excellence (WATE) 2017.

The awards highlight the effort all the teaching staff across the University of Warwick make to provide outstanding learning environments for our students. Over 80 were nominated with just five members of staff being recognised as worthy WATE award winners.

Graeme explains: “I’ve always felt honoured to work with the talented and inspiring staff and students at Warwick, so I’m particularly grateful to receive the WATE Award, because it represents recognition from colleagues and students for the efforts and skills of the teaching community here.”

Graeme is a Stream Leader for the MSc in International Technology Management and runs the HSBC PGA in Leading Business Improvement. He is chair of the WMG Technology Enhanced Learning Committee, which is responsible for supporting pedagogically relevant technological innovation in WMGs learning spaces and teaching practices.

We are proud to announce that one of our Senior Teaching Fellows, Dr Antony Allen, has been made a Fellow of the Institute of Mechanical Engineering (IMechE).

The IMechE is the leading professional engineering body, with divisions dedicated to the specific industries including automotive, aerospace and defence. Its vision is to improve the world by developing and promoting engineering, informing opinion and encouraging innovation.

Fellowship is the highest level of recognition and is awarded to professional engineers who are leaders in their field, working with significant responsibility.

Antony explains: “In 2014 I became a Member of the IMechE and a professional engineer Chartered through the Engineering Council. Since then I have moved from a predominantly technical role in industry onto industry focussed teaching in higher education.

We were delighted to lend our support to a team of young engineers from Howes Primary School in Coventry as they embarked on the Greenpower IET Formula Goblin Project.

Earlier in the year the children entered a competition, which involved working with engineering students from the Warwick Racing team and our technicians, to build and then race an electric kit car.

Over the past academic year the Warwick Racing team, led by Warwick Racing Outreach Manager Mankin Lee, paid regular visits to the school to help the team of seven youngsters prepare their car, which they named The Dark Knight. The children then had a chance to race against 29 other schools from across the region in a special race day in Staffordshire.

Rebecca Bollands, Deputy Head Teacher at Howes Primary said: “On behalf of Howes I would like to express our sincere thanks for giving us the opportunity to take part in the Greenpower Car Project. It is something that we have never had the opportunity to do before and it has been absolutely fantastic.

“The children have loved doing it and it has really enhanced their understanding of science and technology, in a very motivating and purposeful way. The kit car has been the talk of the school and we have it proudly positioned in our main entrance.

It will be something that our pupils will never forget and will be one of their highlights of their time at primary school. Hopefully the children involved and others will be inspired to consider jobs in engineering in the future.”

We were delighted to lend our support to a team of young engineers from Howes Primary SchoolLink opens in a new window in Coventry as they embarked on the Greenpower IET Formula Goblin Project.Link opens in a new window

Earlier in the year the children entered a competition, which involved working with engineering students from the Warwick Racingteam and our technicians, to build and then race an electric kit car.

Over the past academic year the Warwick Racing team, led by Warwick Racing Outreach Manager Mankin Lee, paid regular visits to the school to help the team of seven youngsters prepare their car, which they named The Dark Knight. The children then had a chance to race against 29 other schools from across the region in a special race day in Staffordshire.

Rebecca Bollands, Deputy Head Teacher at Howes Primary said: “On behalf of Howes I would like to express our sincere thanks for giving us the opportunity to take part in the Greenpower Car Project. It is something that we have never had the opportunity to do before and it has been absolutely fantastic.

“The children have loved doing it and it has really enhanced their understanding of science and technology, in a very motivating and purposeful way. The kit car has been the talk of the school and we have it proudly positioned in our main entrance.

It will be something that our pupils will never forget and will be one of their highlights of their time at primary school. Hopefully the children involved and others will be inspired to consider jobs in engineering in the future.”

The competition was run as a pilot scheme by the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC UK)Link opens in a new window in conjunction with all of its ‘Spoke’ universities. The APC Spokes are a national network which brings together key areas of expertise in strategic automotive technologies. WMG, University of Warwick is the APC Spoke for Electrical Energy Storage.

The role of the Advanced Propulsion Centre is to position the UK as a centre of excellence for low carbon propulsion development and production. The APC team brings together and supports those who have good ideas in the form of innovative technologies with those who can bring them to market as products.

Dr Alireza Rahnama has developed a new processing route which allows low density steel-based alloys to be produced with maximum strength, whilst remaining durable and flexible– something which has been largely impossible until now.

Two lightweight steels were tested - Fe-15Mn-10Al-0.8C-5Ni and Fe-15Mn-10Al-0.8C – for their potential to achieve maximum strength and ductility.

During production, two brittle phases can occur in these steels: kappa-carbide (k-carbide) and B2 intermetallic – which make the steels hard but limits their ductility, so they are difficult to roll.

Driverless cars – what do you think about them? Do you think they’ll improve our lives, or not? There’s a chance to have YOUR say in Coventry this month, at an Ideas Café event hosted by WMG, University of Warwick.

Researchers from WMG’s Experiential Engineering Group are running a free event in the heart of the UK’s ‘motor city’, to explore the public’s attitudes towards self-driving cars, and to hear different thoughts on the future of motoring.

The event – which will take place at the Transport Museum on 30 June – will give participants the opportunity to discuss whether they trust driverless technology, and how they think self-driving cars will affect communities and the environment.

The event will be in the format of an Ideas Café which brings people together informally, over tea and cake to hear about and discuss the issues relevant to them.

One of our e-Business Management students Saknakosnak Prum (Nak) has been awarded the prestigious “Chevening Volunteering Award" for his tireless work with the local Canley community.

Nak, originally from Cambodia, who is a Chevening scholar, has been praised as a ‘great ambassador for the University.’ Despite his demanding Master’s schedule, over the past year he has also worked alongside Warwick Volunteers in the local community helping at special Easter events, Pop Up Cafés and on the creation of the Canley community garden.

In addition Nak has also volunteered at CoderDojo events with Technology Volunteers and helped out at the Wheels for All Santa Ride, approaching everything with great energy and enthusiasm.

Stored energy from electric vehicles (EVs) can be used to power large buildings – creating new possibilities for the future of smart, renewable energy - thanks to ground-breaking battery research from WMG at the University of Warwick.

Dr Kotub Uddin, with colleagues from WMG’s Energy and Electrical Systems group and Jaguar Land Rover, has demonstrated that vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology can be intelligently utilised to take enough energy from idle EV batteries to be pumped into the grid and power buildings – without damaging the batteries.

This new research into the potentials of V2G show that it could actually improve vehicle battery life by around ten percent over a year.

Professor Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya, founder and Chairman of WMG was delighted to welcome Mr Hu Chunhua the Party Secretary of Guangdong Province, People’s Republic of China to WMG, University of Warwick.

Mr Hu Chunhua was accompanied by a senior delegation including Minister Ma Hui of the Chinese Embassy, Mr Wen Guohui, the Mayor of Guangzhou City and the Director Generals of the Guangdong Commerce, Economic and Information, Education, Foreign Affairs, International, Policy, and Science and Technology departments.

Professor Lord Bhattacharyya introduced the breadth and depth of WMG’s research, education and technology transfer activities and the long history and impact of its engagement with Chinese organisations. The delegation engaged Lord Bhattacharyya in a discussion about WMG and how its highly successful mode of operation can bring further benefits to Sino-UK collaboration and in particular between Guangdong and Coventry and Warwickshire.

As part of this Lord Bhattacharyya shared his vision of the Smart Motor City, which is, being built rapidly on the research strength of WMG, the can-do approach of the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership, major companies and innovative suppliers clustering around the new National Automotive Innovation Campus. This research strength was exemplified through visits to two unique facilities in WMG, the 3XD Simulator enabling the implementation of smart and connected vehicles and the Energy Innovation Centre forming the foundation for the proposed National Battery Prototyping Centre.