Surrey in the Media

Professor Mike Aaronson discuss a new report from Surrey's Centre for International Intervention in the School of Politics which shows the British public is divided about whether drones make them more or less safe.

Several BBC Twitter accounts, including its weather, Arabic and Radio Ulster feeds were hijacked by a group calling itself Syrian Electronic Army earlier.

Professor Graham Miller, Head of the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at the University of Surrey, has been interviewed on Radio 4’s Today programme talking about the positive impacts of tourism on local economies.

The University of Surrey saw applications rise by a staggering 38 per cent for 2013, with the UK and EU figure going up by 39 per cent, while the number of overseas students rose by 31 per cent.  Its vice-chancellor, Professor Sir Christopher Snowden, attributes the rise to a number of factors that have brought about a remarkable transformation since its modest beginnings as the Battersea Polytechnic Institute in 1891.  "I think a major factor has been the quality of our courses – the average student at Surrey now has two A grades and a B grade," he says. The average A-level point score of entrants has increased by 100 points since 2005.

A run of poor sleep can have a potentially profound effect on the internal workings of the human body, say University of Surrey researchers.  The activity of hundreds of genes was altered when people's sleep was cut to less than six hours a day for a week. Researchers analysed the blood of 26 people after they had had plenty of sleep, up to 10 hours each night for a week, and compared the results with samples after a week of fewer than six hours a night.  More than 700 genes were altered by the shift. Each contains the instructions for building a protein, so those that became more active produced more proteins - changing the chemistry of the body.

A smartphone has been blasted into orbit from India by a team of researchers from the University of Surrey.  Weighing 4.3 kg (9.5lbs) and measuring 10cm by 30cm (4in by 12in), the satellite has been developed by the University of Surrey's Space Centre (SSC) and Surrey Satellite Technology (SSTL).

With today's announcement that 4G is confirmed for roll out across the UK later this year, what does the future hold for mobile data services?

The electronic engineering department at the University of Surrey has been awarded a prestigious professorship by the Queen to mark her Diamond Jubilee.

British space scientists are gearing up to launch the world's first satellite run entirely using a mobile phone.  The unique STRaND-1 satellite, developed by researchers from the University of Surrey, will be fully controlled by a Google Nexus phone during part of its six-month space mission.  It will launch into a 785km sun-synchronous orbit on the Indian Space Research Organisation's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) from Sriharikota, India, on February 25.

The embarrassment associated with passing wind means many people ‘catastrophise’ the symptom, which makes it seem worse in their own mind, says Jane Ogden, professor of health psychology at the University of Surrey.  ‘All symptoms — whether it’s wind, or back pain, or tiredness — are perceptions, and are made worse by being distracted or worried about it.’

Deputy Director of the Surrey Space Centre, Professor Craig Underwood discusses the importance of quality postgraduate research and links to industry. At 34 mins on the timeline.

A major cyber-attack that may have been stealing confidential documents since 2007 has been discovered by Russian researchers. One expert described the attack find as "very significant". "It appears to be trying to suck up all the usual things," said Prof Alan Woodward, from the University of Surrey.

We have a spectrum crunch on our hands, and technology is only just starting to deal with that.

Finding clothes that fit perfectly can be a perennial problem for the fashion conscious. However, a new smartphone application developed in the UK could change that - it uses bodymetric scanning to identify your exact size and fit.

Visiting Professor Alan Woodward, Department of Computing, University of Surrey, explains that the phenomenon of "social engineering" is behind the vast majority of successful hacking.

The magazine, like the Academy itself, crosses the boundaries between engineering disciplines. "Few engineers have moved between business and academia as fluently and as often as Professor Sir Christopher Snowden", says the article.

Small businesses - those employing a few hundred people or less - are increasingly becoming the target of hackers, Professor Alan Woodward tells the BBC.

A revolutionary 'virtual tape measure'  - known as Body Shape Recognition For Online Fashion - promises to make badly fitting clothes (and even badly lit fitting rooms) a thing of the past, advising the user on which size dress, trouser or top they should buy in every retailer.
 

The first new vet school south of London is to be constructed around the theme that human and animal health is intrinsically linked.  The University of Surrey's School of Veterinary Medicine will embrace the "One Health - One Medicine" philosophy, which encourages collaborations between physicians, veterinarians, dentists, nurses and other scientific health-related disciplines.

Research by the University of Surrey commissioned by Kingston Smith found that “the attitude of SMEs towards banks ranges from disappointment to contempt”. It found that “not only do banks not provide the capital required, they seem to know very little about what [small] businesses need”.

'In space no one can hear you scream'... or can they?
The veracity of the famous tagline from Ridley Scott's 1979 sci-fi blockbuster is to be put to the test next month when the sounds of human screams are played in space.

The UK has only just seen the launch of 4G (fourth generation) mobile communication technology, but academics at Surrey University are already looking at its successor.

Over the past decade, global warming has melted polar sea ice down to record lows - but during the same period, thanks to a growing awareness of the climate phenomenon, the Arctic and the Antarctic have vastly expanded in the popular imagination. Adeline Johns-Putra, a scholar of Romantic literature at the University of Surrey who has spent the last year studying climate change's impact on the modern novel, says she returned to Eleanor Porden with newly opened eyes. "I had been interested in Porden for a long time as a 19th-century woman with interests in science and history and poetry ... who was trying all the time to bring these interests together," says Johns-Putra, who is writing a biography of Porden.

Universities UK vice-president Sir Christopher Snowden tells John Morgan of his concerns over 'government rhetoric'.  David Willetts, the universities and science minister, is wrong to talk about getting students into "the best universities", according to the vice-chancellor who is a potential next president of UUK. Sir Christopher Snowden, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Surrey and the current vice-president of UUK, noted that Mr Willetts "talks about [how] 'students should be able to go the best universities".

Johnjoe McFadden, professor of molecular genetics at the University of Surrey, comments: "One of the biggest scientific research projects in recent years has just unveiled its results. The Encode consortium, consisting of 442 researchers working in 32 institutes around the world, has spent the last five years studying a representative 1% of our genome. The findings may help to revolutionise medicine, but could also provide us with novel ways of tinkering with our minds and bodies."

Fresh analysis of the malware Flame suggests it could be part of a much wider "family". Flame is believed to have targeted sensitive data in Iran. It has already been linked to Stuxnet, which was aimed at Iran's nuclear infrastructure.  Analysis of the server controlling the malware suggests three similar pieces of code are as yet undiscovered. The new report is a joint study from security firms Symantec, Kasperksy, the Crypto Labs in Budapest and the UN's International Telecommunications Union. They were given access to the command and control servers of Flame. It revealed the servers were using four communications protocols, only one of which was being used by Flame. "I can't imagine that the other three were not being used. The conclusion seems to be that there is something else out there," said Prof Alan Woodward, a visiting professor at the University of Surrey's department of computing.

Business Secretary Vince Cable has announced the appointment of two new members and the reappointment of three Members to the Governing Board of the UK’s innovation agency, the Technology Strategy Board.  The newly-appointed board members are Douglas Richard and Hazel Moore, who will serve on the Board up to 30 June 2015. The reappointed board members are Professor Sir Christopher Snowden, Sara Murray and Stewart Davies who will serve for a further period of three years, also up to 30 June 2015.

"As a species, we are diurnal," says Dr Malcolm von Schantz, a molecular neuroscientist at the University of Surrey's Sleep Centre.  "We have evolved to sleep in a consolidated way during the night, when it is cooler and darker. Too cold or too hot temperatures during the night act as a natural alarm clock.  In Northern Europe, most of us have mechanisms in place to keep our homes warm during the winter, but not to keep them cool during the summer."

Martin Milton, an expert in psychotherapeutic and counselling psychology at the University of Surrey, comments on the impact of sex on athletes’ performance during Olympics.  

Universities are the background to much great British sporting history.  A defining moment of London 2012 can also be traced back to British academia. Mo Farah, the 10,000m gold medallist, was trained at St Mary’s University College’s £8.5m Endurance Performance and Coaching Centre in Twickenham.  Farah was not a student, but was based at the elite centre, which is a partnership between the college, Athletics UK and the London Marathon.  These partnerships are increasingly common. Paul Blanchard, Head of University of Surrey's sports park, said: “Outside football and rugby union, basically every sport requires a partnership to develop their athletes.”

BBC looks at so-called 'gazelle' companies which are vibrant and need encouraging including companies at the University's Research Park. Go to 40:00 mins on the link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01kt43q/World_at_One_19_07_2012

The internet is a voracious consumer of energy and generator of waste heat – and the semiconductor lasers used to transmit data as light pulses are responsible for a lot of the power consumption.  While new ways are being found to cool computers – for example, giant server farms built beside the northern Baltic Sea pump the ice-cold water available there around the buildings – a more fundamental solution has been developed by physicists at the University of Surrey.  Researchers have redesigned the laser in a way that does not require a costly change to the manufacturing process. Although the change sounds small (replacing 10 per cent of arsenic or phosphorus atoms in the semiconductor with bismuth), it greatly reduces the energy consumption. “We want the lasers to emit as much energy as possible as light rather than heat,” says Stephen Sweeney, head of photonics at Surrey. “We believe we can achieve a five- to 10-fold reduction in energy demand relating to the internet.”

Along with jet-lag, business travellers often have to contend with a lack of sleep or fragmented sleep.  “What ultimately determines your overall performance is the total amount of sleep over 24 hours,” says Derk-Jan Dijk, professor of sleep and physiology at the University of Surrey. “If you can only sleep for four hours at night, a two-hour nap really will pay off.” While many people find it odd to sleep outside normal hours, an afternoon with no meetings is a great sleeping opportunity, he adds.

Simulations and games can be highly effective in helping to teach students about politics and war - but often suffer from oversimplification, a lack of clear purpose or insufficient time to explore issues meaningfully.  These were among the views put forward at a workshop held at the University of Westminster earlier this month - on the use of games to model everything from the effects of a global pandemic to last year's London riots.  Simon Usherwood, senior lecturer in politics at the University of Surrey, opened the event by exploring 'the problems of making simulations work'.

Universities are offering VIP packages and deluxe open days to entice students to choose them over their competitors.  The University of Surrey is offering a Chancellor's scholarship worth £3,000 for the first year.  Applicants must achieve AAA* and put the University as their first choice.

A complex targeted cyber-attack that collected private data from countries such as Israel and Iran has been uncovered, researchers have said.

IEEE Fellow Christopher Snowden learned he had been knighted at the same time as everyone else in the United Kingdom - by picking up The Times and seeing his name on the list.

Ann Gallagher comments: "This is not nursing's finest hour. The profession has been subjected to an onslaught with criticism coming from all quarters and recommendations for improvement coming from those outside the profession. One newspaper ran a five-day feature on the "crisis in nursing", culminating in a 10-point manifesto for change. The health service ombudsman for England recently said that the NHS should "act more like John Lewis and Marks & Spencer" and learn from complaints."

Dr Margaret Rayman, Professor of Nutritional Medicine, discusses the use of seaweed in diets and the issue of iodine in the food.

Leeland Crane, an undergraduate student at the University of Surrey, offers his opinions on whether mature students like himself would stay in halls or prefer to find private accommodation elsewhere

The University of Surrey has rocketed up the latest survey of best student experience, according to the latest Times Higher Education Student Experience Survey.

The University leapt from 43 among UK universities to 15.

Alexandra Hemingway, professional development & employability tutor at the University of Surrey, comments: "The right time to start applying varies hugely from one job to the next: Any final year student who's trying to break into a graduate scheme really is well advised to apply early (like last October, in some cases). However, in sectors like publishing as well as many others, you're much more likely to be applying for individual, specific job opportunities rather than the large-scale programmes offered by most of the big multinationals."

Men who flirt with female colleagues do so because they are bored of their job and lacking in sensitivity, University of Surrey psychologists claim.  A survey of 200 people found that flirty men had lower levels of job satisfaction, suggesting that rather than being a sign of passion their amorous behaviour could be down to ennui.

Teenagers at a local school have studying their sleep patterns with the help of researchers at the Sleep Research Centre. Their project was reported on BBC News. See link. BBC website video

Richard Hanna has surveyed more than 500 microgeneration installers as part of his doctorate at the Centre for Environmental Strategy at the University of Surrey.  By far the most popular product line was solar photovoltaics. The majority of installers were small and relatively new business

A recent threat, purportedly from the hacker group Anonymous, stated boldly that its members would stop the internet on 31 March. Computing expert Professor Alan Woodward tells the BBC his reaction.

Documentary revealing the vital role that satellites play in the daily life of the modern world and exploring the huge advances they have made possible.

Most research in academia is critical of the league tables that rank investment banks by the value of deals on which they advise.

Physicist Paddy Regan, of the University of Surrey, discusses whether scientists spend too much time looking at issues that will grab the media's attention.

Dr Karen Swales from the University of Surrey has discovered a naturally-occurring protein in the blood which could be harnessed to help protect against heart disease.

Earth braced itself for the worst this evening as the largest solar flare in five years sent charged particles speeding towards us at 600 miles per second.

Students from the University's School of Politics took part in a lively debate about current affairs on Question Time. 

Katy Evans asked the opening question on Afghanistan and Chloe Mead closed the programme with an apt question on gender equality.

Dr Ben Taylor from the University's Surrey Space Centre explains what a solar flare is and what effects it might have on the UK.

Professor Alan Woodward, of the computing department, gives expert commentary on the news that the FBI have arrested members of an international computer hacking group called Lulzsec. The interview is at 40:00 on the timeline in the link.

Selenium supplements may be harmful to people who already have enough of the mineral in their diet, a study has found.
Possible effects of having too much selenium include an increased risk of type-2 diabetes. Surrey's Professor Margaret Rayman describes her findings.

By telling the story of Alf Adams – and his discovery of lasers – Stephen Sweeney shows how groundbreaking technology from universities is being taken for granted. Professor Sweeney, of the Physics department, hails the achievements of Surrey's Professor Alf Adams.

Physics Professor Jim Al-Khalili was interviewed on BBC Radio 4's Six O'Clock News about the experiments in Switzerland that last year seemed to point to small subatomic particles called neutrinos travelling faster than the speed of light. Interview is at 28:00 on the time line.

Professor Alan Woodward, of the Department of Computing, discusses why some are thinking the only way to deal with crime on the Internet is to start again with another system. Interview starts at 2:40:00 on the link.

Niall Bailey, Head of Repertoire at the GSA, gives his views on Jesus Christ Superstar's 40th anniversary and the TV show due on the search for the role of Jesus. Interview is at 2:32:51 on the timeline in the link.

There are concerns that new European rules allowing pilots to work longer hours will increase the risk of them falling asleep in the cockpit, if the rules are introduced in the UK.

Professor Alan Woodward, of the Department of Computing, puts forward the case for dismantling the Internet which is riven with crime and fraud so we can all start again.

Dr Malcolm Parry, Director of Surrey Research Park, discusses the advantages of business development at the university and its support for private enterprise. The interview is at 2:14 on the i-Player timeline in the link.

Professor Derk-Jan Dijk, Director of the Surrey Sleep Research Centre, explains aspects of sleep and how important it is for our well-being in the New Scientist.

Surrey has spawned the highest number of successful “recession-era” start-ups according to new figures from Barclays. 

The county benefits from its proximity to London, good infrastructure and access to business support systems. Its success is also attributed to the University of Surrey, which runs the Surrey Research Park.

A leading anti-virus software firm says a flaw in one of its programs has exposed its customers' computers to the risk of being hijacked by spammers. Professor Alan Woodward, of the Computing Department explains.

Professor Steve Schneider, of the Computing Department, contributes to an article about an electronic voting system that is being used on an online currency site called 'Bitcoin'.

The idea of atoms as the ultimate, indivisible particles of matter dates back to the pre-Socratic philosophers of Ancient Greece. It worked amazingly well for many hundreds of years, and was the bedrock on which our burgeoning understanding of the elements - the new science of chemistry - was built from the 18th century onwards, explains Professor Phil Walker.

Lewis Elton's art collection, now donated to the University of Surrey, will go on public display for the first time.  The collection goes on display for the first time at the Lightbox in Woking this week, and has a poignant history. Most of the pictures were bought by his parents using reparation paid to Jews by Germany. Elton continued both the collecting and the family academic tradition, becoming professor of physics and then of higher education at Surrey, while his brother Geoffrey became regius professor of history at Cambridge.

What do men’s magazines and convicted rapists have in common? How they describe women, a British study has found.

Computer hackers plan to take the internet beyond the reach of censors by putting their own communication satellites into orbit.

A study of why the sound of birds singing makes us happy is to be carried out over three years.

Professor Alan Woodward comments on the news that a US patent has been awarded to Google for self-driving cars.

Is it wise to try and reach a deal at big conferences when leaders have had so little sleep? Derk-Jan Dijk is a professor of sleep and physiology at the University of Surrey and explains how the brain works with little rest.

Professor Paddy Regan discusses the latest developments at the CERN experimental centre near Geneva which are getting closer to discovering the missing particle that explain the physics of the cosmos. Interview on link and starts at 2:17 on the timeline.

After the Prime Minister decided to use the veto to stop a new European agreement on the way forward for the EU in a time of crisis for the Euro, Prof Alex Warleigh-Lack gives his own verdict of the controversial decision - defending British interests or a step into the wilderness? Interview starts at 12:15 on the timeline on the link.

Descriptions of women used in men's magazines are indistinguishable from views expressed by convicted rapists, researchers found in a new study.

Professor Alex Warleigh-Lack, Director of CRONEM in the School of Politics, discusses the ramifications of the Prime Minster's European veto this weekend on the BBC Surrey Breakfast show. Starts at 12m15s.

With funding from EADS-Astrium, Stephen Sweeney and his team from the University of Surrey has been studying the best way to beam power from a solar-collecting satellite to the ground. So far, the group favours a narrowly focused laser in infrared wavelengths.

Legal education increasingly takes in other disciplines.  Prof David Allen, dean of the faculty of business, economics and law, comments: "There is a clear interdependency, particularly in areas such as sustainability, regulation, governance, corporate social responsibility and ethics".

N.B.  The online article is behind a firewall but can be found on p2 of the newspaper (28/11/11)

A group of hackers has posted more than 100 email addresses and login details which it claimed to have extracted from the United Nations. Professor Alan Woodward of the Computing Department comments for the BBC.

Dr Roberta Guerrina, of the Politics Department, discuss life for women in Italy after the resignation of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Materials expert Professor John Watts discusses the importance of McLaren's investment in engineering and the ties the firm has with the University of Surrey.

The hospitality sector is booming, so there are plenty of jobs for graduates with the right people skills and plenty of drive.  Dr Graham Miller comments: "An education in hospitality allows students to develop a career in hotel management, but also asset management, property development, consultancy, events or, more broadly, tourism."

Tim Jackson writes: "Society is faced with a profound dilemma – one that is sharpened considerably by the twin threats of financial crisis and climate change. The dilemma is this: to resist economic growth is to risk economic and social collapse, but to pursue it is to endanger the ecosystems on which we depend for long-term survival".

The gap between the salaries of workers with postgraduate degrees and those holding only undergraduate degrees has grown significantly, a study has shown.

Could Scandinavian-style “light cafés” help combat the winter blues? With clocks going back (at least for now) and nights drawing in, some specialists are arguing that coffee bars, which provide high-strength lighting along with their lattes, might help the one in five people who suffers from seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a type of depression triggered by lack of light in winter.

Growing numbers of university students are staying on after their bachelors’ degrees to complete postgraduate masters and doctorate courses. 

Media Law specialist Dr Ursula Smart, of the Law Dept, on changes to the rights of prisoners.

Dr Theofanis Exadaktylos wrote an op-ed piece in the largest Sunday newspaper in Greece regarding the current financial turmoil and the possible solutions to the economic crisis.

Professor Ravi Silva believes we're about to experience a new industrial revolution, driven by nanotechnology and carbon.

The Department of Health said most adults in the UK are eating about 10 percent more calories than necessary. To stop the bulging waistlines, officials said the country needs to collectively trim 5 billion calories from its daily diet.  Professor Jane Ogden, an obesity expert at the University of Surrey, was doubtful whether the government's new strategy would succeed and called for more proactive measures to limit bad food options. "It doesn't work to tell people to eat less," she said. "At the end of the day, people don't make good choices."

The double-whammy of scientific milestones in Surrey this week, those of the University of Surrey’s new medical institute and a satellite company’s latest technological foray, are further evidence of our county’s glowing innovation credentials.  The university’s new Institute of Biosciences and Medicine, which will lead research into new treatments for cancer and serious illnesses, can only help in pushing it further up the higher education league tables.  Checking in at 21st place in the latest Sunday Times’ UK university league table, and now with a new research centre to be established next year, it is heartening to see the institution growing from strength to strength, providing a hub of research that will produce the next generation of innovators.  Likewise, SSTL, one of the county’s leading lights thanks to its pioneering endeavour of making space more affordable, announced its plans to start building radar satellites.  It illustrates why Surrey is one of the best places in the country to be an innovator.  This week, George Osborne announced that the government will invest £195 million in cutting-edge science projects with the intention of using hi-tech discoveries to boost economic growth. Science as a way of stimulating the economy is key, and Surrey is a major player in this arena. The county’s role as a centre of innovation is set to become even more important than it already is.

Professors Jim Al-Khalili and Paddy Regan from the Physics Department have been interviewed about the controversial experiments at CERN that may have discovered sub-particles travelling faster than the speed of light. The story and Jim's threat to "eat his shorts" if the results were true made the Daily Mail., The Times and the Daily Telegraph and went viral worldwide.

Institutions' locale and curricula can help graduates outearn Russell Group peers. Some new universities are better than a number of research-intensive institutions at "adding value" for students by consistently helping them to get well-paid jobs, an analysis has found.

Professor Stephen Goss joins French pianist Emmanuel Despax for Sean Rafferty's BBC Radio 3 show "In Tune", with a live performance from Emmanuel of Stephen's "Portraits and Landscapes" piece ahead of it's world premiere at Wigmore Hall.

Professor Nigel Seaton, senior deputy vice-chancellor at the University of Surrey and a chartered chemical engineer, responds to a report suggesting that nearly a quarter of UK engineering graduates are working in non-graduate or unskilled jobs, suggesting that engineering degrees "equip students for a wide range of jobs".

Alexandra Hemingway, Careers Adviser at the University, comments: "If you don't ask, you don't get....so don't be afraid of speculative letters: Everybody hates cold calls and junk mail.  Knowing how they make us feel probably explains why writing speculative job seeking letters can feel intimidating.  But direct marketing is obviously worthwhile, or else companies wouldn't invest the time and money.  Similarly, contacting employers gives you a good chance to get noticed, so you just have to grin and bear the potential embarrassment of putting yourself forward uninvited.  Planning carefully will make your application more welcome."

Scientists planning to put a smartphone in space in a research project at the University of Surrey have been shortlisted for a national award.

Professor Stephen Sweeney explains the obstacles in the way of sending pioneering solar power stations in space.