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A Week in the Life of a UX Design Student

Choosing to pursue a Master’s in UX Design was one of the most exciting decisions I’ve ever made! 

Mahsa Tarang

Read on to find out why…

What UX Design Means to Me

I have always been interested in art and enjoy following galleries and art events, but in addition to this I have also had a deep passion for technology and enjoy listening to podcasts on human behaviour, understanding the reasons behind the choices we make. For me, these passions came together as I explored UX Design and ultimately drove me to apply for a course within this field. The blend of psychology, technology, and design fascinated me, and I knew this was the perfect path to channel my creative and analytical skills. 

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Close up of Herculas wearing full American Football kit

Brighton student’s NFL dreams boosted by coveted spot on GB men’s American football team


A University of Brighton sports scholar, Herculas Pretorius, has been called up to Great Britain’s senior men’s American football team after success with his university team.

Herculas, who is a second-year Mechanical Engineering BEng(Hons) student at Brighton, is the youngest player to be named on the 45-man squad of the GB American football team. This follows his impressive showing at separate rounds of trials with the national men’s senior team

As a beneficiary of the University of Brighton’s Talented Sports Performers programme, Herculas’ journey into the British American football team began at the Brighton Panthers where he plays as a linebacker.

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Graduates 2024: Jamie Singleton: Architecture BA(Hons)

I loved the aspect of circular economy that the University of Brighton really drove and the problem-solving attached with it. It presented a real challenge that I loved working to solve.

Please tell us a bit about your work and your influences

Throughout my time here at Brighton the emphasis on designing with sustainability has been so incredibly strong, so in this semester I really wanted to take it to a new level. Tutors such as Duncan Baker-Brown, Glenn Longden-Thurgood, Tony Roberts and Ian Bailey have really pushed me to explore the relationships between locations and longevity as a means to create a hyperlocal, vernacular project. This semester I have explored the concept of ‘rearranging landscape’ – the idea of using onsite (or local materials) that harvested in more traditional formats and adapting them in a contemporary, yet approachable format.  

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A laptop with a computer game on the screen and a hand reaching for it

Graduates 2024: Hanna Harings-Mahendra: Product Design BSc(Hons)

Organising the course so that each student can be their individual selves makes the course well worth it.

Please tell us a bit about your work and your influences

My project is called Recover Quest, it’s a rehabilitation video game for injury recovery, focusing on the hand and wrist and uses real time hand tracking. The project is partially influenced by myself as I have a condition called erbs palsy which means limited rotation and range of motion in one arm. I rarely do my exercises and wanted to find out if others felt the same and that’s how this project started!

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Istvan Hanzo standing infront of a University of Brighton building

Computing project exhibition 2024: Istvan Hanzo, Computer Science with Cyber Security

Studying and working with lecturers and other students has been a great experience. The good relationships I developed with my lecturers really stood out and made my experience more memorable. It genuinely felt like they do what they do because they enjoy teaching, and they are good at it, which is truly motivating.

Tell us a bit about your project.
I had two different ideas for my final year project. One was an application for tracking online user activity based on browser fingerprints and integrating AI to create user profiles based on this – a similar concept to how personalised advertisements work – and the other one was creating a password manager application that uses passwordless authentication. I am interested in these topics because they both apply modern technologies to address cyber security problems without compromising privacy or usability.

The final product was influenced by both ideas. Choosing Password Spray attacks as the main aim of detection was a great challenge, as it already bypasses basic defence mechanisms, and even large companies like Microsoft are falling victim of it. The final product – if enhanced further – could either function as a vulnerability testing mechanism to audit the effectiveness of existing security protocols, or as an additional function embedded in an existing Intrusion Detection System (IDS) or Intrusion Prevention System (IPS).

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Book event 7th June

On Friday the 7th June we are holding an event in Mithras House to celebrate three brilliant new books that have recently published by colleagues from the Architecture and Interior Architecture programmes at University of Brighton.

Event details: 12 midday, Mithras House, Lewes Road, Brighton BN2 4AT.

Please email Professor Andrew Viljoen: a.viljoen@brighton.ac.uk to book your place on this fascinating event.

The event kicks off with two concurrent workshops/ seminars about Urban Food Mapping, and Domesticity Under Siege. At 4pm we will host a joint book event and reception including a conversation chaired by curator and consultant, Vanessa Norwood about the three books drawing together strands that connect them. 

We will then join the private view opening of Architecture and Design End of Year Show.

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Alex Moore sitting in cafe smiling at the camera

Computing project exhibition 2024: Alex Moore, Computer Science for Games

“The lecturers are great, all are passionate about their subjects and are easy to talk to. A key moment in my course was getting my final year project’s dynamic difficulty adjustments to work. I was aiming to create a game using procedural generation, with guidance from one of my lecturers, my idea was expanded to also create a system to change the difficulty of my game based on player performance.”

Tell us a bit about your project
I made a roguelike game using procedural generation and dynamic difficulty adjustments. When starting my project, I was aiming to create a game using procedural generation, a topic I am very interested in. However, with guidance from one of my lecturers, my idea was expanded to also create a system to change the difficulty of my game based on player performance.

When approaching the project, I initially researched papers on the topics and any surrounding areas, and planned out everything using Gantt charts and an agile approach. My supervisor and other lecturers provided ample support for the project offering advice or guidance throughout the process. Additionally, when testing my project I was able to use the university computer to test on other students on the course.

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Anusha Shah president of ICE and Imran Rafiq Dean of School of Architecture Technology and Engineering talking in the civil engineering labs

Brighton students welcome President of Institute of Civil Engineers

Students at the University of Brighton welcomed one of the UK’s top engineers to Moulsecoomb campus this week.

The visit from Anusha Shah, President of the Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE), is part of an ongoing series by industry figures aimed at students studying Civil Engineering. In a talk titled “Building Connections for a Nature- and People-Positive World” to students, Anusha Shah addressed the challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss, emphasizing the importance of collaboration across sectors and disciplines to find sustainable solutions.

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Try out university life at our summer schools

If you’re in year 12 or your first year of 6th form college, you have the chance to try out what it’s like to study at university at our on-campus, residential summer schools.

Summer schools run from 9-12 July, and you can apply now. You’ll have opportunities to explore a variety of sessions during the day, giving you a taste of different courses, social activities in the evening, and overnight stays in our halls of residence – all supported by our undergraduate students at the University of Brighton.  

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Izzy Hobbs smiling at the camera standing next to her project poster

Engineering project exhibition 2024: Izzy Hobbs, Aeronautical Engineering MEng

Izzy Hobbs is studying Aeronautical Engineering MEng. We caught up with her as our final year students were preparing to show their project posters at the Engineering Project Exhibition, to find out more about her project and life at Brighton.

How did you choose your course and what was your route into engineering?

I chose to study a MEng in Aeronautical Engineering after completing my EPQ (Extended Writing Project Qualification) during sixth form. Since year 9 I knew I wanted to study engineering, but I wanted to go into a specific discipline. For my EPQ, I decided to write a dissertation on “How rockets have evolved.” and I loved it, so I chose aeronautical engineering.

How would you describe your course and your time at Brighton to someone who is thinking of coming here?

I have enjoyed my time studying at Brighton. Despite joining during 2020 and experiencing lockdowns during my studies, I have made some amazing friends and made memories that I look back on fondly. My course has been challenging as expected when I first decided that I wanted to study it, however, I believe that it is manageable especially if you make sure to take during the week for yourself. For me, this has been by playing rugby with the university team and local club, everyone is in the same boat and it’s really benefited me to have this time to enjoy what else the university has to offer.

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