5. SOME PRACTICALITIES

5.1   Finding your way around

There are plans of the University throughout the precinct which will enable you to familiarise yourself with the location of all departments which you have to visit during your course.

In addition, you will find a floor plan of the Stephenson Building at the main entrance next to the Porter’s Lodge. You should become familiar with this so that you can find your way to individual members of staff, lecture rooms and laboratories.

5.2   Access to facilities (buildings, computing, library etc)

Access to study facilities has some restrictions imposed for security or health and safety reasons (see 8.3 below).

  • Buildings:

    Undergraduate students are not allowed in University buildings outside normal opening hours and must vacate the premises immediately on request at closing times. Normal opening hours are:

    Stephenson Building: 08.45-18.00 Monday-Friday

    Computing facilities located within these buildings are open from 9.00am to 4.45pm Monday to Friday.

  • School Office:

    The School Office is open at the following times:

    Monday

    9am-4pm

    Tuesday

    		 9am-4pm

    Wednesday

    		 9am-1pm

    Thursday

    		 9am-4pm

    Friday

    		 9am-4pm

Available to purchase from the School Office:

AUTOCAD Tokens (A0) £1.50 each
Blue Lab Report Covers 50p per set
British Gear Handbooks £15.00 each
British Standards Handbook £10.00 each

Electronic binding facility is also available at a charge of 50p including comb and covers.

The Engineering Liaison Librarian is:

Jenny Campbell, Tel. 7640, e-mail: Jenny.Campbell@ncl.ac.uk

  • Computing Facilities

    The University (Tree Cluster, Stephenson T15) computing facilities are open to undergraduates during the normal building opening hours (see above), unless they have been booked for class teaching. The other University Computing Service clusters are open to undergraduates (unless booked for class teaching) in a number of locations throughout the University campus. Full details are available on the web at: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/iss/

    All students should obtain a University Computing Service identifier by self-registration at any of the above clusters as follows:

    • Obtain your student card
    • Wait overnight
    • Go to any University PC cluster and follow the instructions for self-registration
    • Wait overnight
    • Use the system

    In case of difficulty consult the ISS Reception Desk (Ground Floor, Claremont Tower).

5.3  Photocopying

Photocopying facilities are available during normal working hours in the School for our own students only in:

  • School Office, Stephenson F10, Tel Ext 6163

and for all students in:

  • The Union Society and Robinson Library.

When copying from texts or lecture notes or worked solutions, you must adhere to the copyright laws and make only single copies for the purposes of personal private study only.

5.4 Personal equipment

You are expected to have certain basic equipment which may also be used in examinations, etc. It will not be provided.

  1. Scientific electronic calculator: The only electronic calculators permitted in examinations are Casio models listed on the Student Services "exam rules" web page: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/students/progress/exams/exams/examrules.htm (see point 12). Should your calculator battery run out or your calculator be confiscated for violating these requirements during an examination, no account of this or compensation will be allowed by the examiners. Borrowing calculators during an examination is not permitted.
  2. To help keep systematic notes and tutorial work you should have your own stapler and hole punch and use A4 ring or lever-arch binders with separator cards. For Laboratory, applications and project work you will need personal Log-books or Lab. Diaries in bound A4 science notebooks with alternate ruled and graph pages. For drawing and design work you will need plain A3 tracing sheet.
  3. Clothing and footwear: you should attend laboratory classes wearing appropriate clothing and footwear as follows:
    • Appropriate clothes are ones that:
      • cover up your body and protect you from hot and/or sharp objects and particles;
      • are not so loose that they can get caught in machinery (a lab coat or overalls would be useful);
      • you won't be too upset if they get dirty and holed.
    • Appropriate footwear:
      • NOT open toed sandals, flip-flops etc. Your footwear MUST protect your feet from falling objects, sharp objects on the floor and falling hot/sharp particles;
      • NOT high/wobbly heels. Your footwear must enable you to stand firm on uneven floors and must allow you to take full part in the work without fear of slipping or toppling;
      • whilst safety shoes are not essential for lab classes, they will be essential for the workshop course later in Stage 1 and it may be best to get some safety shoes now.

5.5  The professional engineering institutions

All students are strongly encouraged to look ahead to their future careers in the profession by joining the engineering institutions as Student Members and attending local meetings, etc. (See Table 5.1 below).

Table 5.1 Professional engineering institution information and contacts
Institution Departmental Notice-board Contact
Institution of Mechanical Engineers Stephenson F Floor,
Outside room F16		 Dr J M Hale
Stephenson Room M39
e-mail Jack.Hale@ncl.ac.uk

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