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Staff and students representing the Gell-P and DEPLOY! projects sitting with five at the back and three people in the front

Last minute checks for research teams as countdown for weightless flights begins

Researchers practice for zero gravity flight to put ground-breaking experimental devices through their paces

The University of Brighton teams, including Aerospace Engineering MEng student Erin Saltmarsh, will have just 20 seconds at a time to run tasks in weightless conditions.

During each flight the plane will climb to an altitude of 7,500m before the aircraft goes into a 3000m high roller coaster climb and fall during which weightlessness will be experienced for about 20 seconds. This will happen 30 times in each of the three planned flights. Not surprisingly teams will be given anti-nausea jabs prior to the flights. Staff and students from the Schools of Architecture,Technology and Engineering, School of Sport and Health Sciences, Centre for Regenerative Medicines and Devices and Advanced Engineering Centre representing the Gell-P and DEPLOY! Projects gathered to go through a series of tightly choreographed tasks in preparation for the flights at the end of the month.

The Gell P team working on the project
Lecturer and student with VC showing her the project
Student Erin standing in room with project equipment
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Headshot of Dr Idil Aydin engineering lecturer

Meet Dr Idil Fenercioglu Aydin

Idil Aydin is course leader for the Aerospace Engineering courses at the University of Brighton. Her area of expertise is in experimental aerodynamics, and she loves teaching students about the physics of flight, flight dynamics and aircraft design.

My subject and my experience
I’ve been fascinated by aviation and space since I was young. I studied Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering at Istanbul Technical University and started workings as a research assistant during my post graduate studies. This role involved actively supporting teaching in the supersonic wind tunnel and low-speed fluid dynamics facilities.

Subsequently, I earned my Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering and embarked on a research role in a DLR project at the RWTH-Aachen Shock Wave Laboratory before I returned to ITU to pursue my Aerospace Engineering PhD in experimental aerodynamics.

Following my Post-Doc position at the University of Bath, I had the privilege of teaching orbital mechanics at the Turkish Air Force Postgraduate Academy, while also holding a regular teaching position at ITU, where I conveyed my practice-based knowledge in compressible aerodynamics and experimental methods in fluid dynamics to my students.

What I love about teaching and about Brighton
Teaching and mentoring have always been integral parts to my role, and I derive immense satisfaction from these aspects of my career.

My journey led me to the University of Brighton, where I was captivated by the vibrant engineering research culture and the opportunity to continue my passion for teaching and research.

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Meet Dr Goran Soldar

Goran Soldar is course leader on our Computer Science BSc(Hons) degree.

My journey into teaching
Many years ago, when in secondary school (equivalent to sixth form in the UK), I studied the programming languages, such as FORTRAN 4 and COBOL, that were the computer languages for the computer systems then.

After completing sixth form I went to university and studied Computer Science and Information Systems, which equipped me with the knowledge and skills for software development. Since then, my work always has been in the IT industry, working on various projects.

The best thing about teaching is the ability to pass your knowledge to students and see them succeed in their professional career.

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Meet Jennie Harding

Jennie Harding is the course leader for our Software Engineering BSc(Hons) degree at Brighton.

My career path and journey into teaching.
I was training as a nurse and left to have a child. When I returned to work I worked for supporting housing, supporting clients based on alarm call response and was intrigued to see the database system that enabled call handlers to responds to an alarm and also call next of kin or career, access information about GPs, medications, call history amongst other things.

This seemed to solve so many of the problems that I’d seen in hospitals around discharge care, for example people remaining in hospital when there was no medical need. I was hooked on how well-thought-out systems can help people. So I changed my plan from completing my nurse training and took a computing degree instead.

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Students watching a presentation about sustainability

Civil Engineering Practice module – guest lectures

Our first year civil engineering students were recently visited by guest lectures from professionals from industry as part of the Civil Engineering Practice module, which introduces students to the range of issues related to the content and role of the civil engineering profession.

Colin Toovey and Ian Denis from Royal Haskoning DHV, a global consulting engineering company were kind enough to come along and share some of their valuable insight with our students. They gave a sustainability presentation on ‘Nature-based solutions in Practice, Water, River and coastal focus’. We are working to organise some site visits with Royal Haskoning DHV later this year, and really look forward to working with them more!

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Augmented reality portal

Architectural and Urban Design MA student to create an augmented reality time portal

Matt Reed, an Architectural and Urban Design MA student, is collaborating with the Bognor Regis Business Improvement District (BID) on an augmented reality project. They are creating an immersive experience focused on Bognor Regis’ heritage, centred around a historical bathing machine. The machine has been meticulously researched and laser-scanned by Matt and his team. The project aims to bring the machine to life through augmented reality, with a particular focus on the story of Mary Wheatland, a significant figure in Bognor Regis’ history.

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European Space Agency logo

European Space Agency collaborative projects

Deploy! Project

The DEPLOY! Project is a collaboration between the universities of Pisa, Parma, and Brighton, as well as the European Space Agency (ESA) sponsored PETRI student project, with additional funding received from the UK Space Agency.

The project focuses on the dynamic deployment of a novel satellite radiator panel thermal interface using a flexible Pulsating Heat Pipe. This research aligns with the ongoing work on Pulsating Heat Pipes at the universities of Brighton and Pisa. The project team, consisting of five Masters’ students and one PhD student, has been mentored by experts from the partner universities, who have provided access to their expertise and key experimental equipment. The DEPLOY! team, led by Erin Saltmarsh from the University of Brighton, has been spearheading the manufacturing and mechanical design aspects of the project.

The flight campaign for the DEPLOY! Project is scheduled to start on November 20th in Bordeaux, France. To learn more about this exciting project, visit their website.

Gell-P (Gravitational Effects of Lower Limb Perfusion)

Gell-P is a collaborative project between the School of Health Sciences and the School of Architecture, Technology and Engineering. The project aims to investigate the effects of gravity on foot perfusion to support a wider demographic of astronauts and mitigate injuries. By evaluating foot vascular flow under varying gravity conditions, the project seeks to understand lower limb injury healing for long-term astronaut missions.

The collaboration involves a team of podiatrists from the School of Health Sciences, led by project PI Rachel Forss, along with support from a team of engineers from the School of Architecture, Technology, and Engineering.

The experiment, designed and built at the AEB, will be tested during the 83rd European Space Agency parabolic flight campaign starting on November 20th. Read this post to learn more about this fascinating project.

European Low Gravity Research Association (ELGRA)

Dr Nicolas Miche has been selected as a mentor for the first European Low Gravity Research Association mentoring scheme. ELGRA is a nonprofit international society that promotes European research in microgravity, simulated microgravity, and hypergravity conditions. It serves as a platform for scientists interested in life and physical sciences in space.

The goals of ELGRA include representing and strengthening the scientific community of altered gravity research and involving young people in research through educational programmes.

ELGRA achieves these goals by organising scientific symposia and courses, cooperating with institutions and agencies to organise scientific events, spreading information about opportunities and new platforms, and supporting students and young scientists through grants and educational programmes from ESA.

Laura RubyLeave a comment
Illustration of seagull and pavillion in Brighton

Join us at Create Your Future 2023

If you are thinking about studying a creative degree at uni, come along and have a chat to us on stand number 124 at the UCAS Create Your Future event in London today or tomorrow.

Event details: 10am – 3pm ExCeL London
https://www.ucas.com/events/create-your-future-london-2023-creative-career-showcase-434011

Watch this film to find out more about studying a creative degree at the University of Brighton:

Featured image credit: Abby French, Illustration BA(Hons) graduate @wetmug

Laura RubyLeave a comment
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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