Facilities

STEM Centre

The STEM Centre is the University's new £18 million facility. Based in the heart of the Colchester campus, the Centre provides teaching and study space for the Schools of Life Sciences, and Computer Science and Electronic Engineering and the Department of Psychology. Additionally the School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science is based in the Centre. Here the Department's open-door policy is combined with an open plan student work space to foster collaborative working and engagement between students and staff.

Life sciences laboratory

The life sciences wet lab has been fitted with integrated digital microscopes. These allow lecturers and students to share findings with the rest of the class at the touch of a button, or save images from microscopes to use at a later date for revision or further teaching. The laboratory has Class II microbiological safety cabinets for cell culture, MinION devices for genome sequencing, and the latest spectroscopy technology.

Lab benches include height-adjustable surfaces that are DDA compliant, and the laboratory and STEM Centre are wheelchair accessible.

Exploratory space

The Exploratory space offers a unique student facility on campus. The space provides 13 desks for 6 students per desk, with one computer and large display screen. Each desk can work independently, can broadcast to all other tables, or can receive broadcast from the teaching lectern. 

This facility allows teams of up to six students to work together to develop solutions, and project them to other teams for feedback. CSEE in particular is utilising the space for team work modules following on from student requests to have more collaborative work space. The space is also used to run employability group sessions, such as gaining experience of Assessment Centres for CSEE students.

Centre for Brain Science

The Centre for Brain Science is part of the Department of Psychology. The building contains a series of psychology labs, with equipment ranging from electrocephalography (EEG) and transcranial magentic stimulation (TMS) systems, to a full virtual reality suite. The department also has a Babylab, which uses non-invasive technology to study how perceptual and cognitive abilities develop as infants grow.

Computer Science labs

The School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering boasts an extensive range of computer labs and other facilities for undergraduate students, postgraduates, and research, including;

• iSpace and iClassroom testing facilities for intelligent environments. 
• brain-computer interfaces laboratory, equipped for non-invasive research.
• a robot arena to test a range of robotics, with a VICON optic tracking system to help evaluate navigation algorithms and robot performance.
• several network laboratories including access networks, and network convergence.
• a printed circuit milling facility and a semiconductor clean room.

The School also has several computer labs exclusively for the use of CSEE students, with a range of software such as JAVA and C++, and computers that run Windows 10 or that dual-boot with Linux.

Sports Therapy Clinic

As part of the Colchester campus Sports Arena, which opened in 2017, the School of Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences contains a Sports Therapy Clinic. Here University staff, students, and external clients can be assessed and treated for a range of sports and other musculoskeletal injuries. This gives our sports therapy students a chance to practice and hone their skills in a professional environment with support from staff.

Health and Social Care

The School of Health and Social Care has a range of facilities across the Colchester and Southend campuses, including:

• mock wards.
• oral health sciences lab.
• communications lab.
• consultation rooms.