Author: Stephanie Thomson

Group of young people using VR headsets

A taste of student life at our Applied Science and Engineering residential summer school

Our on campus residential summer school is open for applications from year 12 students who are thinking about applying to science and engineering courses at university. Apply now.

The summer is school is a real opportunity to try out what it’s like to study at university, learn and use the facilities on our Moulsecoomb campus and stay on site in student halls – giving a real taste of student life.

During the day participants take part in a programme of science and engineering taster lectures and practical sessions run by academics and student ambassadors, as well has sessions about applying to university, student life Q&A, a session from the library team and a talk from Brighton Students Union.

In the evenings there are social activities which could be a trip to the beach, a BBQ or bowling before heading back to the halls of residence. Participants share a student flat in our Moulsecoomb halls, with their own bedroom in a flat with 6-8 others, and shared living room/kitchen.

Group of young people sitting on the floor in a circle working
Group of young people using VR headsets
Young people outside Herstmonceaux observatory
Close up of young people in white lab coats using a pipette and test tube
Two scientists in white lab coats hidden by smoke doing an experiment

In the evenings there are social activities which could be a trip to the beach, a BBQ or bowling before heading back to the halls of residence. Summer school participants share a student flat in our halls, with their own bedroom in a flat with 6-8 students and shared living room/kitchen.

By the end of the week everyone will have tried out lots different science and engineering sessions, made new friends and have a much idea of what it’s like to move to university!

Book your place

Applications are open until 31 May. We would love to see you there!

More about University of Brighton summer schools

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Photo of Andrea Dhelpra, smiling standing by the river in London

Computing project exhibition 2023: Andrea Dhelpra, Computer Science BSc(Hons)

The highlight for me was the opportunity to apply everything I learned in my final project. This project was personally meaningful to me, and I enjoyed the process of putting my knowledge and skills into practice.

Tell us a bit about your project

I became interested in the blockchain field in 2020 during my second year of studies. I was getting really excited about the things that are possible thanks to this technology, so I started my side project with some friends and decided that it would be a great idea to commercialise a cryptocurrency trading bot. This suited very well with my final project, so I decided to use the support given from the university to start building a prototype.

My supervisor helped me understand how I could make the bot stand out from the competition and how it could be further improved. This was very helpful guidance from an experienced point of view. In addition to that, the research materials and resources available at the university, such as textbooks and access to online papers, helped me perform an extensive literature review that allowed me to become more informed about what I was building.

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Log in screen for computer science project about blog chain

Computing project exhibition 2023: Constandinos Kotsis, Computer Science BSc(Hons)

In essence, the university holds your hand whilst you navigate your way and once you are ready, it lets you go to start your journey.

Tell us a bit about your project

The final year project thesis I have developed is centred around blockchain technology and providing a unique solution to online voting systems. It addresses the issues surrounding election fraud, voter anonymity and the miscount of votes and proposes a blockchain electronic voting decentralised application combining the different features of blockchain technology at its forefront. I was intrigued by the overall reputation that blockchain has in academia and society and wanted to explore the field further.

It certainly isn’t something I knew a lot about which can be a testament to how risky choosing a field with minimal experience can be for the final year project. But luckily it turned out very well. The University prepared me from the get-go; at the beginning of the year I had already chosen a supervisor for my project and had an initial idea for what I wanted to do.

It all went from there really, I continued having regular meetings with my supervisor talking about my project and also about my plans after university.

Wallet screen for computer science project about block chain
Mobile registration screen for computer science project about block chain
Mobile registration screen for computer science project about block chain
Log in screen for computer science project about blog chain
Constantine Kotsis head shot
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View of architecture students wooden structure in the market

Brighton Open Market pop up architecture show

Congratulations to our first year Architecture students who have been working so hard on their timber pavilions. These have now been installed at Brighton Open Market in the City Centre where the general public can view them. The Open Market on London Road is this years site for design proposals and for the installation of their One to One constructions which form the basis of their group work for the construction technology modules.

Students worked together to create the four constructions installed for our pop-up show. The constructions are based on the students’ individual designs from the first semester, applying their theoretical knowledge to practical designs, honing their skills and enhancing their understanding of the design process.

Do go and see them…..

View of architecture students wooden structure in the market
Person looking at architecture students wooden structures in the market
Person crouching infront of architecture students wooden structures
People walking next to architecture students wooden structure in the market
Close up of inside of a cone structure with magazine articles stuck to it
Close up of cone-like architecture students wooden structure
Back of a group of people infront of architecture students wooden structures
Close up for the back of a wooden, cone-like structure

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Screen shot running of computer game project

Computing project exhibition 2023: Andrew Lucas, Digital Games Development BSc(Hons)

I genuinely believe that that the placement year and the learnings I have been able to make through my university modules have all combined to create a step-change in my expertise, motivation, self-discipline and positive attitude towards the future.
This has already translated to the fact that I have been fortunate to secure a place on a graduate programme.

Please tell us a bit about your project

The final year project focuses on some of the frustrations with savepoints, checkpoints and death in a video game. I chose this topic because I believe many video games take a different approach to these three features, so much so that I often lost interest in the game. I decided to work on a research paper to look at possible solutions and hopefully find a better approach and ultimately improve the user experience.

I decided to focus on picking my supervisor very early in the schedule and looking back I think this was the best decision I could have made. Regular meetings and discussions with him have been instrumental in guiding me in the right direction, especially with planning, meeting deadlines and technical guidance.

The facilities at the university have also been very helpful, especially in supporting me with access to the extensive amount of research I needed to do. I was also able to access fellow students to support me in various stages of the testing – both were invaluable in helping me create the result.

Screen shot running of computer game project
Screenshot of computer game project
Photo of Andrew Lucas
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Photo of Jazer Barclay

Computing project exhibition 2023: Jazer Barclay, Computer Science BSc(Hons)

The final year project has given me the opportunity to test my metal and apply my knowledge in a project of my choosing. This has been, without a doubt, the most enjoyable module.

Please tell us a bit about your project

My project is a bespoke customer relationship management and point of sale software designed for a small, local kickboxing company in Bexhill.

I chose this project as I believe in the mission statement of the business. They provide support for the public, adults, and juniors with physical or learning disabilities to help improve their hand-eye and mental coordination through regular training and practice. I would love to see this small business flourish.

They displayed a real need for help for keeping track of member lesson payments and attendance. With the skills that I had acquired over the past two years and discovery meetings with their staff, I felt that I had the toolset required to build them a custom solution to meet their requirements.

Through my scholarship, I have access to many great minds in my workplace where I could ask important questions to help sculpt my project at all stages of the development process. Combined with the guidance from my supervisor, Dr. Khuong An Nguyen, I was able to build and deploy this software for their use.

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Erin Saltmarsh headshot

Engineering project exhibition 2023: Erin Saltmarsh, Aeronautical Engineering MEng

I have found projects and opportunities, such as the university robot wars, STEP lab projects, or the ESA PETRI programme, especially enjoyable. They have allowed me to engage more deeply with my subject, network with other like-minded people, and engineers, and gain a variety of skills applicable to industry.

Please tell us about your project

I am working in the STEP (Sustainable Technology and Engineering Project) lab to look for improvements to a parametric optimization process, for coil wound heat exchangers, that uses Aspen EDR, developed by a previous STEP lab student. In addition, I am using a combination of simulation, and experimental methods to compare the performance of different types of heat exchangers, such as fan cooled, plate, and coil wound heat exchangers.

How did you choose your course?

I have always been interested in engineering and aircraft. When looking for a degree at college, this subject felt like the best fit and appeared to have everything that I wanted from a degree. The apparent niche of aeronautical engineering, compared to mechanical engineering, for example, also seemed enticing.

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Students and an ambassador working in a comuter room

Celebrating ten years of Saturday clubs at Brighton

This year we are celebrating year ten years of the University of Brighton Saturday clubs delivered by the outreach team. Hundreds of secondary school students in years 9-11 have benefited from attending clubs in subjects as diverse as photography, science, architecture, mechanical engineering, printmaking and fashion.

The Saturday clubs are targeted at groups which are under-represented at universities, for example young people who live in low participation postcodes, children in care, free school meals and other widening participation criteria. This work supports our Access and Participation Plan (APP) target to reduce the gap in participation in HE from students in underrepresented groups by 2024/25.

Students come onto campus every week to work with academics and gain hands on experience using our industry standard facilities, as well as learning from and chatting to student ambassador’s about subject areas they are interested in and finding out more about what it’s like to be a student.

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Photo of Jasmine Montgomery

Engineering project exhibition 2023: Jasmine Montgomery, Electrical and Electronic Engineering BEng(Hons)

I have enjoyed my final year project as it has given me the chance to create and build my own project to work on, and it is a topic I find interesting. The independence is a great skill to carry forward into my career.

Please tell us a bit about your project

My project is an investigation into communication networks and how different configurations of networks change the network metrics and behaviour of traffic.

I have used simulation tools like Cisco Packet Tracer and GNS3, along with my research, to run simulations of scenarios, used to compare changes in a network. Videos of the simulations being built and run are also provided as an aside to the dissertation, which will run alongside my poster on the poster exhibition day to give a visual aid to what my investigation entailed.

My supervisor, Dr Deshinder Singh Gill, has been extremely supportive in my progress in many ways, including setting up weekly meetings with students, being there for many 1-to-1 meetings, always doing his best to advise me on how to make my project the best I can, and also for general support and advice. I could not have asked for a better project supervisor.

How did you choose your course – why did you choose to study an engineering degree and why Brighton?

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Engineering project exhibition 2023 poster

Engineering project exhibition 2023

All are welcome to join our final year engineering students at their project exhibition on Wednesday 3 May, 2-5pm on Wednesday 3 May. More than 160 final students will be displaying their projects, many of which are industry- or research-based and cover a diverse range of technical disciplines.

Come and see the brilliant work from our aeronautical, automotive, mechanical, manufacturing, electrical and electronic engineering student and have the opportunity to discuss their projects.

We look forward to seeing you there.  

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