News
New buildings take shape
Two major building projects currently underway will
provide much needed student accommodation and teaching and research
facilities. Here Project Manager Richard Halsall gives an update on the
Networks Centre and Dennis Studd, Project Manager for University Quays,
reports on the near completion of the project.
Networks Centre
Work recently commenced on the site of the new Networks Centre and to
date some 2500 cubic metres of soil have been excavated to make way for
the development.
The Networks Centre under construction
The building itself will be five storeys in height with approximately
3300 square metres in floor area. This will include teaching space,
research laboratories and a large seminar room for the Departments of
Computer Science and Electronic Systems Engineering.
The Networks Centre under construction
The new building has a reinforced concrete foundation and a steel
structural frame to all upper floors. The proposed environmental system is
a first for the University, it utilises a low energy air delivery system
which uses the hollow cores of the concrete ceiling slabs for air supply
and the building’s mass to store heat in winter and keep it cool in the
summer. This coupled with high insulation levels, airtight external
envelope and triple glazed windows and doors with integral sunblinds mean
that the Networks Centre will be particularly energy efficient.
By the autumn the building's sub structure and concrete lower levels
will be complete and the structural frame and floors should be complete up
to level 3. The remainder of the structure should be completed by November
ready for the construction of the external walls. The building is planned
for completion in May 2004.
University Quays
If you look from Boundary Road across the water meadow, or from the B&Q
car park you will see that the University Quays student residences are
nearing completion and with the red brick and white rendering are looking
very impressive. The residences will be linked to the campus via a
footbridge over the railway line which is also nearing completion.
The Quays are formed by three different areas; Sainty Quay, Hawkins
Quay and Matthews Quay and incorporate 753 single rooms,10 double rooms,
three senior tutor rooms and a Dean's flat.
The buildings range from three and four storey to five and six storey,
the latter being served by lifts. The development will also include a
launderette with areas designated for a shop and café. External
landscaping is currently in progress between the building and the river.
Getting covered with paint
Two students have started running an after school art club
at St Andrew’s Infants School in Greenstead.
The students, Pippa Little and Laura Bickers, spend their Wednesday
afternoon’s encouraging the pupils of St Andrews to participate in
activities like painting, printing or papier-mâché. As well as enabling
the children to take part in art projects that are too big or too messy to
do at home, the scheme aims to promote interaction and play between the
children and their parents and thus improve the children’s communication
and comprehension skills. But above all the club is all about having lots
of fun!
So far it’s proving a great success - the school had expected around 12
pupils for the first session but were delighted when 28 pupils, each with
a parent, turned up! They thoroughly enjoyed themselves, and covered the
school with paint, before leaving two somewhat exhausted students to
clean-up afterwards.
The students plan and run the sessions with St Andrew’s School and
Community Liason Officer, Debbi Barnes, who described the club as 'just
brilliant!' The project is being funded by the Active Community Fund money
given to the Students’ Union to promote community involvement. Volunteer
Co-ordinator Julie Goreham said: 'This sort of project demonstrates how
the Active Community Fund can be used to build links between the campus
and local community. I am really pleased that the students have had the
opportunity to take part in such a fun project, where they’re also able to
gain valuable skills and experience for their future'.
If you want to know more about this project, or about other
volunteering through the Active Community Fund then contact Julie Goreham,
e-mail jgoreham@essex.ac.uk,
telephone 01206 863211.
Rwanda project for Nesstar
Simon Musgrave from University spin-out company Nesstar
has completed a project for the Department for International Development
to help Rwanda to archive and manage its data.
Former refugee Jean Gakwaya, who is currently working with the
Department for International Development, with local children in Kigali
Simon, currently marketing director of Nesstar Limited, visited Rwanda
three times to advise on the archiving of four major surveys carried out
in the country. He also set up a local internet-based data archive using
the innovative Nesstar technology.
Simon said: 'It was a challenging project both technically and
culturally, but gave an excellent opportunity to work in partnership with
the Rwandan statistical office.'
'The country is still recovering from the genocide and this was
noticeable, not just by the moving genocide memorials, but also by the
lack of the middle management in the country. Most professionals now were
previously refugees from earlier troubles and brought up in Uganda,
Tanzania, Congo or Burundi.'
'The previous middle classes (Tutsi and Hutu) were almost all killed in
the genocide. Listening to first hand accounts of the trauma was very
moving. In addition the level of poverty was an eye opener both from
working with the data and from personal observation.'
Simon visited some of the genocide sites, including a school outside
Butare where more than 50,000 people were rounded up and killed.
Shockingly, many bodies remained stacked up in the classrooms, covered in
lime to preserve them.
One of the genocide sites outside Butare,
where more than
50,000 people were killed
He also had the opportunity to preach at a Pentecostal Church in the
Rwandan capital Kigali, housed in a basic wood and corrugated metal
building.
Simon gave seminars at the National University at Butare and the Free
University of Kigali encouraging the students to begin using their own
data.
This model of work in international development has opened up new
opportunities for Nesstar. The company has been involved in the creation
of an advanced survey management system for the World Bank, and the
prospects for using Nesstar software across the developing world,
particularly in Africa and South America, look strong.
Two Nesstar staff, Margaret Ward and Titto Assini, will be visiting the
University of Pennsylvania shortly to present a course of using Nesstar
technology at the African Census Project there.
Also in the printed July edition of Wyvern:
- League tables ups and downs
- Teaching exchange to Spain
- Volunteers awarded
