WMG News - Latest news from WMG
WMG 神马福利影片, Dr Reuel Khoza, returns as Honorary Speaker
Dr Reuel Khoza, a distinguished thought leader, businessman, President of the IoDSA, and change agent at the forefront of transformation in the South African political economy, received a warm welcome from staff and students at WMG today, some 12 years after his own graduation here.
Hailed as a role model in his native South Africa, in respect of the duties and responsibilities that a citizen can and should take on in the public and national interest, Dr Khoza returned as the Honorary Speaker at this year's graduation.
Professor Lord Bhattacharrya, Chairman and Founder of WMG, said: "I am delighted that Reuel is back with us today. We worked together very closely in the early 2000s when Reuel was with me combining his Engineering Doctorate (EngD) in Business Leadership with the challenge of his Chairmanship of Eskom and the writing of his first book. A remarkable combination by a remarkable man.
Dr Khoza plans to take up an exciting new engagement building links between WMG and South Africa.
Neutron beam from nuclear reactor used to produce safer cars
A partnership led by WMG at the 神马福利影片, with the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL), Tata Steel, and the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC) is using a stream of neutrons from ILL鈥檚 nuclear reactor in a new project to examine the safety critical welds in cars made with boron steel.
Press-hardened boron steel is an ultra high-strength steel used across a variety of industries, with a particularly important application in the automotive industry. A large proportion of car manufacturers use boron steel for structural components and anti-intrusion systems in automobiles, as it provides high strength and weight-saving potential, allowing for stronger yet lighter cars, with increased passenger safety.
In the automotive industry, a major joining method for boron steel components is 鈥渞esistance spot welding鈥, with several thousand welds being made on a single car. Spot welding exposes the boron steel sheet directly underneath the electrodes鈥 to very high temperatures, causing the metal to exceed melting temperature and then rapidly solidify upon cooling. This results in a heat-affected zone, where surrounding material contracts and its microstructures are altered.
WMG partnership to improve automotive energy storage
Assistant Professor has been awarded an First Grant to develop a more modern approach to design and manufacture automotive energy storage, targeting Lithium-ion battery and supercapacitor devices.
The project will focus on 鈥榓 designer approach to structuring electrodes鈥 for improved energy storage performance so that low-carbon plug-in and electric vehicles can travel a longer distance per charge. The new electrodes are expected to gain a significant improvement in the final 鈥榰sable鈥 energy density (Wh/kg) and 鈥榰sable鈥 capacity (Ah) at device cell level.
The new and improved energy storage devices will be designed, manufactured and tested at our state-of-the-art battery prototyping WMG at the 神马福利影片.
WMG and Jaguar Land Rover in electrifying £5.7 million Prosperity Partnership
WMG at the 神马福利影片 has been awarded 拢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 鈥漞lectrifying鈥.
WMG鈥檚 Professor Barbara Shollock said:
鈥淭his 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.鈥
鈥淥ur shared vision is to create new scientific insights to underpin the Automotive Council鈥檚 electrification agenda, from batteries and power electronics to electric motors and electric drive units.鈥
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 鈥榲ision 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鈥. 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.
WMG Principal Teaching Fellow receives top teaching accolade
, 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 神马福利影片 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 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.
WMG Senior Teaching Fellow appointed as Fellow of IMechE
We are proud to announce that one of our Senior Teaching Fellows, , has been made a Fellow of the Institute of Mechanical Engineering ().
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.
Inspiring budding young engineers
We were delighted to lend our support to a team of young engineers from in Coventry as they embarked on the .
Earlier in the year the children entered a competition, which involved working with engineering students from the 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.”
Young Engineers Race to Success with Warwick Racing and Greenpower Project
We were delighted to lend our support to a team of young engineers from in Coventry as they embarked on the
Earlier in the year the children entered a competition, which involved working with engineering students from the 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: 鈥淥n 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.
鈥淭he 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.鈥
The competition was run as a pilot scheme by the in conjunction with all of its 鈥楽poke鈥 universities. The APC Spokes are a national network which brings together key areas of expertise in strategic automotive technologies. WMG, 神马福利影片 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.
Lightweight steel production breakthrough: brittle phases controlled
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.
Have your say on driverless cars free public event
Driverless cars – what do you think about them? Do you think they鈥檒l improve our lives, or not? There鈥檚 a chance to have YOUR say in Coventry this month, at an Ideas Caf茅 event hosted by WMG, 神马福利影片.
Researchers from WMG鈥檚 are running a free event in the heart of the UK鈥檚 鈥榤otor city鈥, to explore the public鈥檚 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 Caf茅 which brings people together informally, over tea and cake to hear about and discuss the issues relevant to them.