Close up photo of Jesse wearing sunglasses

Life at Brighton for prize winning Sustainable Design MA student

Huge congratulations to Sustainable Design MA student Jesse Mugambi, one of two winners of Jägermeister’s #SaveThe Night global competition, which supports nightlife projects around the world. Jesse’s prize is €50,000 to build a music studio and nightclub from decommissioned shipping containers in his native Kenya.

Find out more about Jesse and his time at Brighton in conversation with us here, and discover more about his prize winning project in this post.

What did you study as a first degree?
Architecture BA (Hons) at University of Brighton (2020)

Tell us about your project
My concept is Studio Can-V, a portable space that serves as a studio for musicians to practice and a venue for people to discover new artists. Constructed from a repurposed shipping container and utilising local vernacular design, we aim to foreground contemporary Kenyan identities to create a versatile space that transitions from a daytime hub for young DJs and to a night time club for adult audiences. Studio Can-V centres inclusivity by foregrounding the voices of young DJs from various communities and backgrounds, who represent the future of an equal society. It will help build relationships across the industry and create new gateways for those yet to break into the sector. By empowering local artisans and promoting youth cultural identities, we seek to reclaim our future through music, dance, and connection. Leveraging the global reach of Kenyan artists, it is not only a physical space but a platform for artists to break into new markets, with the scope of scaling up across Africa.

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black and white photo of Jesse Mugambi

Brighton student wins global competition to promote inclusive nightlife

A University of Brighton student has won €50,000 to build a music studio and nightclub from decommissioned shipping containers in his native Kenya.

Jesse Mugambi, who is studying for a Master’s degree in Sustainable Design at the university’s Moulsecoomb campus, has been confirmed as one of two winners of Jägermeister’s #SaveThe Night competition, which supports nightlife projects around the world.

His ‘Studio Can-V’ project beat over 300 submissions from 50 countries to be named joint-winner of this year’s competition, splitting the €100,000 prize fund with a fellow winner from Northern Ireland.

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school students working on a racing car

Formula 24 Saturday Club

We have an exciting opportunity for secondary school students take part in a mechanical engineering based project led by University of Brighton staff and students at our Moulsecoomb campus.

Students in years eight and nine will work in small teams to design, build and drive their own F24 racing car and take part in race day at Goodwood racecourse! This is a great experience for anyone interested in racing, cars or engineering and a chance to use our engineering workshops.

Dates: 17 Feb, 2 Mar & 16 Mar, 13 & 21 Apr
Time: 10:00 – 14:00

The Saturday clubs will run over five Saturdays and are free to participants, priority is given to student who are from a widening participation background.

For more information email outreach@brighton.ac.uk

Matt Read graduate sitting a table smiling at the camera

Space to explore on our Architectural and Urban Design MA

Matt Reed graduated from our Architectural and Urban Design MA in 2023. He tells us about some of the his highlights at Brighton and how he is turning his major project into an exciting installation in 2024.

Why Architectural and Urban Design MA at Brighton?
I had been thinking about a career change for a while and Brighton had a course that really interested me which seemed like it could be an excellent extension to my previous studies – Fine Art intermediate at Kingston University (1993-96) and a Postgraduate Certificate in Glass & Architecture at Central St. Martins (2008-09) – and maybe offer up new work prospects.

I really enjoyed the course, and I highly recommend it, especially for someone looking to do something a bit more experimental within the field of architecture. At the time I started the course it was still during the pandemic, so a lot of the study was initially online. But things opened up gradually over time.

Support and space to explore
I actually took a year out in the middle of my studies. I did the part time route, which was two years, but I took a year out and ended up spreading it over three years. This worked well for me, as it allowed me to do paid work around the course. But, it also gave me thinking space and time to really absorb the material and to apply it to my own creative practice. The university staff were very flexible about this, which was great. The support provided was excellent and they were always happy to accommodate my needs.

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Puzzle hunt team discussing a clue

A puzzling challenge for architecture technology and engineering students

All students from our school were invited to take part in our first Puzzle Hunt this month. Three teams took on the challenge with the winning team picking up SU vouchers as prizes for solving the puzzles in the fastest time.

All teams did brilliantly. Our super sleuths solved a series of puzzles based on pattern matching and work/number associations which took them on a hunt all-round the Moulsecoomb campus. Each puzzle led the different teams to a different room on campus where they found the next clue.

Dr Almas Baimagambetov, principal lecturer and subject lead for computing and maths, organised the event and devised all the challenges said: “The main challenge comes from the fact that clues to solve puzzles are located in different rooms on campus, so before some puzzles can be solved teams will need to visit certain locations. While the puzzles were the same for all teams, the puzzle sequences and most of the clues are unique to each team, so they can’t simply follow each other.”

The Puzzle Hunt was open to the whole school so no specific subject knowledge was needed for this one. Keep your eyes peeled for other, computing-based events Dr Baimagambetov is organising. See below to find out more.

Codefest
Codefest is an example of a gamified work-based learning method that focuses on authentic assessment and is supported by industry experts. It is delivered as a software development event aimed at helping students to progress and use the latest technologies in the field, as well as promoting teamwork and peer learning through team-based challenges. The team that solves the most challenges wins the event and wins a prize. This is a great opportunity for students to experience the typical day-to-day activities that happen in the industry on a daily basis, as well as to create a strong network of developers.

Game Jam
Game Jam is a similar event focused on students on game development courses. Students form teams and assign themselves roles that mimic the ones used in industry, such as gameplay programmer, visual artist, audio engineer and others.

At the event, each team is given the same keywords that will form an idea for a game and each team develops their own visions of these games. As part of this process, students learn how to manage their own work, as well as how to manage the overall project, as teamwork is key to completing the development within the allocated time.

Student Erin Saltmarsh (far right) and the DEPLOY project, photograph copyright Novespace

Walking in the air: University of Brighton researchers touch down after testing ground-breaking devices in zero gravity

Researchers have spent last week suspended in space-like conditions as they put two experiments through their paces during weightless parabolic flights.

The two projects tested, GELL-P and DEPLOY!, both have potential applications for space exploration and on earth. Rachel Forss from the School of Sport and Health Sciences and the Centre for Regenerative Medicine and Devices who led the GELL-P project said of the flight: “It was amazing! A bit like swimming underwater but with less resistance and control. A unique experience; the zero g is quite pleasant, but the 1.8g on either side is what makes it tiring.”

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TEF silver 2023 logo

Brighton secures national Silver Award for teaching excellence

The University of Brighton has been recognised for the quality of its teaching and student outcomes in a UK-wide evaluation of higher education institutions.

The university has today secured a Silver award in the national Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF). The award confirms that the student experience and student outcomes across all of the university’s undergraduate provision including apprenticeships are “typically very high quality”, delivering excellence above the rigorous standards set for the UK’s higher education providers. The rating lasts for four years, until September 2027.

The TEF is a national scheme run by the Office for Students (OfS). It aims to encourage universities to improve and deliver excellence in the areas that students care about the most: teaching, learning and achieving positive outcomes from their studies.

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Male student sitting down with a dog and smiling at the camera

Mindful thought processes, science and a world of possibilities

In this blog, automotive engineering student and course representative James Allan, reflects on a recent module, and how it has further enhanced his knowledge and skills as a ‘graduate of the future’.

I have been actively engaged in the Energy Systems modules for 12 weeks and I can honestly say it has been a very interesting subject. With regard to the modern world, there are a vast array of everyday items that rely on productive and efficient energy systems. This module has primarily focused on the transportation sector, whilst also covering fluid dynamics, thermal storage systems, heat exchangers and refrigeration systems.

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Close of female student in engineering lab wearing a white lab coat and safety glasses looking at the camera

Focusing on solutions and sustainability in engineering

Mechanical engineering student Isabel Paglinawan tells us about the Energy Systems modules and reflects on how it has enhanced her knowledge and skills as a ‘graduate of the future’.

Critical Thinker
The ‘Energy Systems’ module, gives us the opportunity to undertake learning in a much more practical approach. Our lecturers have first-hand experience working in relevant industries that made it really engaging. They gave us problems similar to ones they have faced in the industry and walked us through their way of finding a solution. As students, we had to think critically about each possible solution and its possible effects.

Aside from many real-life relevant problems, we engaged with many visuals during lectures which kept our learning experience engaging and easier to visibly understand the function of systems such as Turbofan or Gasoline engines.

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Students Max,James and Alex pictured in company building of Paxon Access

Brighton students land scholarships with global technology firm

Students from Brighton have been awarded two of three annual scholarships offered by a leading Brighton-based global technology company, Paxton Access.

This is the sixth year that Paxton has offered engineering scholarships to students studying STEM courses at University of Brighton and University of Sussex. Successful applicants receive £10,000 each towards their final year university fees, and a three-month paid work placement within Paxton’s experienced Development department.

This year, the scholarships are awarded to Alex Moreton and Max Lewandowski from University of Brighton, and James Napp from University of Sussex. The scholars have been working at Paxton for more than a month and have found the placement beneficial for building new skill sets that will be useful in their future career.

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