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News from the Professional Development Unit

Newcastle University launches new one day Transport and the Environment courses

15 January 2012

Newcastle University has been involved in a series of projects which have taken the use of pervasive sensors from proof-of-concept trials to automotive, road-to-vehicle and environmental sensing applications and deployment in a number of UK cities including Gateshead, Leicester, Medway, Newcastle, Liverpool and Palermo, Sicily.

The pervasive sensor data integrated with legacy systems monitoring- traffic, pollution, noise, meteorological conditions, accidents etc. - is providing unprecedented insights into air pollution and impact of driver behaviour, vehicle fleet and traffic flow characteristics.

Dr Anil Namdeo has developed a modelling framework enabling the interactions between traffic fleet characteristics and related emissions and their impacts on air quality, exposure, health with implications for environmental justice and climate change to be studied.

Bringing together the knowledge gained in these complementary research themes helps to create the fundamental understanding needed to deliver feasible and practical solutions to traffic related environment problems in our urban networks.

The outputs from the research form the basis of a new programme of one day CPD courses. The first of these, Air Quality and Health, ran for the first time in June 2011 with very positive feedback from the delegates who worked for a range of organisations, Local Authorities, engineering consultancies and SEPA.

"Excellent day! Whilst very full, enjoyed throughout and found it interesting and understandable."

This year four one-day courses to be led by Margaret Bell, Anil Namdeo and colleagues will be delivered. The first, Delivering Policy with Traffic Management and Transport, will run on 13th March 2012 and the second, Environmental Appraisal on 14th March 2012.

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Extra GIS course scheduled following high demand

13 January 2012

In response to the high demand for our January GIS courses, which attracted delegates from museums, hospitals, local authorities, and universities (including marine scientists, mathematicians and epidemiologists), we have scheduled an additional Introduction to GIS course, March 19th - 20th.

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The Newcastle Boreholes!

7 December 2011

Newcastle has been in the news recently following the sinking of the 2000m borehole in the centre of the city.The borehole, which was designed to explore strata associated with one of the UK's largest geological fault zones, has yielded positive results and it is anticipated that geothermal energy found there can be included in the overall energy plan for a major regeneration project for the region, Science Central.

Another borehole, which has grabbed fewer headlines but is also contributing to a sustainable future, is the Geometry borehole array at Cockle Park, Northumberland. This has been constructed on the University’s experimental research farm in partnership with a number of industrial partners and indeed the army! Delegates attending our five day course Borehole Design, Construction and Operation visit the borehole at Cockle Park, which is used for teaching, research, demonstration and equipment testing. The course focuses on water supply boreholes, although many of the techniques apply equally to other types of boreholes used for investigation, monitoring or water quality. As the correct design and long term maintenance of boreholes is critical to ensuring sustainable water supplies from groundwater this course is of particular relevance in the context of drought warnings following the driest 12 months on record.

When the course ran earlier this year, nine CPD delegates attended alongside a similar number of students from our Masters programmes. It was rated excellent by those attending and many indicated that they would definitely be recommending the April 16th course to colleagues.

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New for Spring 2012, Network Analysis in GIS

7 December 2011

As part of several UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council projects the Geospatial Engineering group at Newcastle have been developing an improved understanding of the spatial vulnerability and risk of network infrastructure systems. This work has extensively utilised network modelling and analysis within a GIS framework and the Geospatial Engineering team have become leaders in analysis of networks using GIS. Using our research as a basis, we are pleased to introduce a two-day course in Network Analysis using GIS. The course will explore the many uses of GIS data in sectors such as the utilities and transport to provide a more efficient representation and analysis of networks within the strategic decision making process. The course will be a mixture of lectures and exercises, using our current research as real world examples.

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Traffic and the Environment - Measure and Manage

7 December 2011

Newcastle University has been involved in a series of projects which have taken the use of pervasive sensors from proof-of-concept trials to automotive, road-to-vehicle and environmental sensing applications and deployment in the instrumented City (iC) facility.

Prof Margaret Bell has upgraded the iC through the delivery of £5 million of national research infrastructure (JIF and SRIF), yielding a terabyte of historic data from UK cities. The data - traffic, pollution, noise, meteorological conditions, accidents etc. - is providing unprecedented insights into air pollution and impact of driver behaviour, vehicle fleet and traffic flow characteristics.

This research forms the basis of a new programme of one day CPD courses. The first of these, Air Quality and Health, ran for the first time in June 2011 with very positive feedback from the delegates who worked for a range of organisations, Local Authorities, engineering consultancies and SEPA.

“Excellent day! Whilst very full, enjoyed throughout and found it interesting and understandable.”

There are four one-day courses to be led by Margaret Bell and Anil Namdeo in the next six months, the next, Delivering Policy with Traffic Management and Transport and Environmental Appraisal, will run in March.

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Investment in UK Infrastructure

7 December 2011

Our Civil Engineering research team, which was rated second in the country for research power, has welcomed the Chancellor’s announcement to invest £30 billion into infrastructure schemes across the UK. They are convinced that investment in the UK’s transport networks, buildings and communication systems is vital if we are to deliver an infrastructure for the 21st century.

Chris Kilsby, Professor of Hydrology and Climate Change, is part of a world-leading research team responsible for an EPSRC-funded, £6.1 million programme aimed at addressing the fundamental issue of ensuring sustainable infrastructure for the UK. He explains: “Our infrastructure is acutely vulnerable to weather extremes and other threats and the risk is made much greater because of the interdependence of our key networks – energy, transport, water and telecommunications. At the same time, efficient and resilient infrastructure is essential to the growth and competitiveness of the UK economy and to quality of life and the environment in the face of rising demand and increasing energy prices.”

An estimated £150 billion has been invested in the UK’s infrastructure over the last five years and experts predict a further £40-50 billion will be needed every year between now and 2030 in order to maintain current levels of service.

Privatisation of key services such as water and energy, new expectations that many decisions are to be taken locally and the fact that information and communications technologies are now integrated into every one of these key networks means the whole system is vulnerable.

Toll roads - one of many of the mooted infrastructure projects and an initiative in which Newcastle University is a world leader - requires the development of hi-tech systems in order to be implemented and the University has received more than £4million in transport research grants to help deliver solutions to managing transport systems.

Professor of Intelligent Transport, Phil Blythe, said there would be huge demand for excellent civil engineering graduates over the next few years. “Transport is vital in delivering a successful economy and at the moment it is estimated that congestion and unpredictable journey times is estimated to cost the UK economy up to £20billion a year.”

The School is seeking to extend the training it offers to engineers who will need to design, adapt and build a sustainable infrastructure for the future. The majority of the School’s Masters training is now accessible to CPD delegates as five day standalone courses. These include courses on Climate Change (e.g. Vulnerability, Impacts and Adaptation) and a range of Transport courses (e.g. Intelligent Transport).

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GIS Diversity

28 October 2011

A course for all, from Whitley Bay to Abuja, from centuries old puzzles to current high tech solutions!

What do marine scientists, highways engineers, archaeologists, freight managers, architects, health statisticians and asset managers have in common? GIS, Geographic Information Systems. The GIS course held in September was training delegates from each of these fields, and they came from consultancy firms, local government and academia, from the North East of England to delegates travelling from Nigeria. So why the attraction across such diverse fields? Because 80 per cent of all data now has a spatial element and GIS allows us to map and analyse this information, whether we are planning new bus routes, analysing health trends, or testing archaeological theories.

Although delegates' backgrounds were diverse, they rated the content of the course as excellent or good. Ten per cent of delegates attended the course to extend their skills and broaden their employability; of the remainder, over 90 per cent rated the course as being excellent or good in terms of relevance to their current work.

If you would like further details of the GIS courses we offer, or the opportunity to discuss the relevance of GIS to your work, please contact the Professional Development Unit.

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ITS: Intelligent Transport Systems and Services

15 August 2011

ITS - Intelligent Transport Systems and Services - is the integration of information and communications technology (ICT) with transport infrastructure, vehicles and users. By sensing, collection and sharing vital information, ITS allows people to get more from transport networks, in greater safety, more efficiency and with less impact on the environment. This rapidly moving field requires well trained professional who understand the latest technical possibilities and how such 'smart' systems and services can be deployed and integrated and make significant in-roads in tackling a range of transport and environmental challenges. In response to the shortage of training for those wishing to pursue ITS careers, Newcastle University is launching a flexible programme of ITS training this autumn. The training will be led by members of Newcastle University's highly regarded Transport Operations Research Group (TORG) with industry and government experts leading some sessions. The flexible programme means that training may be accessed as five day CPD courses, or as a full or part time part student studying on the new Masters programme, MSc ITS and Intelligent Mobility.

The training would be suited to those would like to develop a broad understanding of ITS: what it is; where it is deployed; its impacts/benefits and the wider context of the implementation of ITS in terms of policy, economics, integration with other systems and services and behavioural and societal aspects of introducing ITS systems and services.

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New short courses for 2011-12

27 June 2011

The Civil Engineering and Geosciences Short Course programme for 11/12 has just been announced. Thirteen new courses, and an increased number offering formal assessment and credits, will offer engineers and scientists even greater opportunities to flexibly update their knowledge and skills.

A range of five day courses in Geotechnics and Structures are now accessible to CPD delegates who will study alongside students registered on our Masters programmes.

The series of one day Transport and the Environment courses, which are based on both research and extensive work with Local Authorities, was launched with the Air Quality and Health course in June, and will continue with three new courses this year:

Modules from the new MSc ITS and Intelligent Mobility will be attractive as five day standalone courses for those seeking research informed training in this area:

The new MSc programme is currently pending approval and has an anticipated commencement date of September 2011.

The University is a leader in Engineering Biology through Molecular Microbial Ecology and this exciting new five day course, which may be attended by CPD delegates alongside Masters students, will be a great way to get the latest generation of tools in molecular microbial ecology into the hands of engineers.

Full details of the 11/12 programme at www.ceg.ncl.ac.uk/cpd. You can download a brochure or request one from the Professional Development Unit.

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One day course in Air Quality and Health

11 March 2011

Accredited by the Institute of Air Quality Management.

On Thursday 16th June 2011 Newcastle University will be running a new one day course in Air Quality and Health.

The course is a one day course which is aimed at air quality and health planners and experts who are interested in learning about the sources of air pollution in urban areas; local, regional and national trends in air pollution levels along with how pollution varies spatially and with time over different seasons. They will also learn about the impacts air pollution has on health.

This course will discuss a methodology for carrying out an effective health impact assessment of changes in urban air quality;

The course will be based on the internationally recognised research the Newcastle University Transport team (Margaret Bell and Anil Namdeo) are involved in. Combined with their extensive experience of working with Local Authorities and other partners, the course will be informed by both the latest research and experience of practical implementation.

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Three day course in Terrestrial Laser Scanning

11 March 2011

A new three day course in Terretrial Laser Scanning will be running from 6th to 8th June 2011 and is likely to directly benefit a range of professionals, from both industry and public service backgrounds.

Designed to meet the needs of industry professionals from a broad range of backgrounds, this course, run in association with Leica Geosystems, introduces fundamental terrestrial laser scanning concepts and practices. The course reviews the basic principles of laser scanning, exploring practical surveying methodologies and scenarios. Emphasis is placed on best practice control/registration strategies and underpinning surveying techniques. Course material is delivered through a combination of short lecture-style presentations and hands-on, small-group practicals, utilising state-of-the-art laser scanning hardware and software. Those attending this course will emerge better equipped to exploit the full potential of this rapidly emerging technology, with an improved understanding of best practice working principles.

The course is suitable for those new to laser scanning technology, as well as more experienced users keen to brush up on their knowledge of underlying principles and survey best practice. It is anticipated that participants will have a basic understanding of land survey principles, although extensive knowledge is not essential. Under the guidance of experienced facilitators, delegates will be initially introduced to theoretical concepts, building towards hands-on implementation of terrestrial laser scanning. The course will be restricted to a small cohort, encouraging informal and friendly discussion throughout.

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