i++ School Newsletter

essex robotics featured on new online site

Robotic, mechatronic and cybernetic intelligence projects under development at universities all over the world are showcased in a new online site called Expo21XX.  Projects featured on the site include the School's robotic fish.  In all, more than 50 universities have profiled their various robotic projects on the site.

professor gives presentation at cafÉ scientifique

Professor Naci Balkan recently gave a presentation at Café Scientifique entitled "Fantastic Voyage!".  It was an introduction to nanotechnology and addressed the questions: What is good and bad about nanotechnology?  Are there any useful applications in electronics, medicine, communications and defence industries, and consumer products?  Can we avoid nanopollution?

visiting professor to speak at 2012 international traders conference

Richard Olsen, a Visiting Professor, has been confirmed as a speaker at the International Traders Conference in Barcelona in June 2012.

paper published

Dr David Hunter has had a paper published with Xiaoyun Li, entitled, “Four-dimensional Markov Chain Model of Single-hop Data Aggregation with IEEE 802.15.4. in Wireless Sensor Networks”, to appear in Springer Wireless Networks.

Abstract:  This paper introduces a new 4D Markov chain model for IEEE 802.15.4 wireless transmission, which corrects and extends an existing 3D model, providing more accurate and comprehensive results.  It also introduces an analytical technique for calculating both the pdf and mean of the number of timeslots required to complete all transmissions, when a set of nodes contend for the channel at the beginning of a superframe.  It is assumed that transmission takes place in beacon mode but without acknowledgement (NACK mode).  The model can be used to determine the optimum value of the MAC attribute macSuperframeOrder (SO) required for saving energy, and the shortest delay required to receive all transmitted packets with a specified probability.  It can also specify an upper threshold on the number of nodes and the packet length required, in order to achieve acceptable end-to-end delay.  The potential creation of a traffic model for the aggregated data generated by the coordinating node is also discussed.

undergraduate of the year award deadline fast approaching

Time is running out to win a 12-week summer internship with BT as well as a brand new laptop! 

The deadline for the TARGETjobs IT and Computer Science Undergraduate of the Year Award, sponsored by BT, is 31st January 2012.  Pre-final year students can enter who are studying any of the following: electronics, electronic engineering, maths, physics, IT, computer science and closely related disciplines.  Academic staff please encourage your students to apply!  Entry should be made at http://undergraduateoftheyear.com

forthcoming seminars

The next seminar will be:

25th January - Speaker: Alberto Moraglio, University of Birmingham, Title: Geometric Semantic Genetic Programming

Further details on this and future seminars can be found here.