In 2020/21, we ran nine VIPs, led by 12 academic members of staff working alongside 150 students. We have a total of 7 projects currently running in AY2324.
TBB: Bath biodevices without borders
Like Bath Engineering without Borders (BEwoB), this VIP team joins driven students and dedicated staff with problems that many people are currently facing throughout the world. However, unlike BEwoB, the focus of TBB: Bath Biodevices without Borders is on the development of practical, biodevice-implemented projects that can, and hopefully, will help many people throughout the world, whilst at the same time providing the involved students with practical employability skills. To this end, we intend, as soon as it is once again possible, to travel to areas of the world where we have identified a real need that we can devise a solution to, properly identify the need in that area, then develop a system/design that can help solve this problem.
This VIP team aims to integrate all student years into not just our design and development process, but also into our assessing and implementation processes. This means that even if you are a first year, with no more engineering experience than your first semester modules, you will still have the opportunity to travel to new regions of the world and provide aid to people living there. On the same note, it is possible to join us at any point in your studies, even if this is your final year and you haven’t been a part of any societies or student teams to date.
All skills are welcome and no need for any specific background knowledge required.
TBB is scientifically supported by Electronic and Electrical Engineering C3Bio academics, they will be providing initial project ideas in line with ongoing research projects and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (https://unfoundation.org/what-we-do/issues/sustainable-development-goals ), technical training, dedicated lab space and resources within the Faculty of Engineering and international network contacts.
The team produced a poster for end of Semester 1 AY2223
SDGs: 3 Good Health and Wellbeing, 6 Clean Water and Sanitation & 9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.
Academic Directors: Dr Despina Moschou, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering; Dr Pedro Estrela (Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering); Dr Ben Metcalfe (Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering)
Who can apply in 2023/24? Applications for Semester 1 are open, this VIP welcomes applications from all University of Bath students.
InterPromoting an age-friendly community
This VIP explores how the University can work with BANES and local older adults to help to create a more age-friendly and inclusive local environment. The project could help to inform research and teaching, and has the potential to contribute to local policy making.
In the first year of the VIP students explored what older adults are looking for to help them keep active in their local community, and where they may be interested in doing more with younger adults, including our students. Their work resulted in an event fair for older adults along the same lines as freshers fair. We will build on that experience this year, and explore expanding this or trying out other ways to promote greater links between the University and local older adults in ways that interest them.
Students may investigate questions such as; How can older people’s voices be heard in relation to the research which impacts them across all disciplines? For example, in the design of retirement homes; the use of digital technology to minimise social isolation; the policies around pensions, rural facilities and health inequalities; designing inclusive communities; the use of remote consultations by hospital staff. How can students - the decision-makers of tomorrow - understand the needs, concerns and priorities of people as they get older and how can these be considered in their academic studies? And importantly, how can we help to challenge the negative stereotypes of ageing and older adults through how we teach and learn?
The VIP forms part of the Healthy Later Living Network – a multidisciplinary research network at the University of Bath which brings together leading academics, students, and stakeholders to support the UK government’s Grand Challenge of an Ageing Society. The University is working with business, charities, care providers, research funders, and the community to support generations to remain active, productive, independent, and social connected for as long as possible.
Please note the scope of this project may change slightly before Sem 1 AY2324
The team produced a poster for end of Semester 1 AY2223
SDG: 3 Good Health & Wellbeing
Academic Director: Professor Fiona Gillison, Department of Health - Healthy Later Living network
Who can apply in 2023/24? Applications for Semester 1 are open, this VIP welcomes applications from all University of Bath students.
Creating immersive training experiences in virtual reality
Virtual Reality provides an immersive environment that can feel so real to the user that the experience they gain within it can be applied to the real world. It also allows users to practice tasks that would be too complex, expensive, or dangerous in real-life. It is rapidly becoming a popular tool for providing training in all manner of activities, from using a point-of-sale system to performing surgery. This VIP aims to identify, develop, and deploy VR training activities both within the University and with external partners and in the process develop a best practice guide for the creation and use of VR training tools.
The team produced a poster for end of Semester 1 AY2223
SDG: 9 Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure
Academic Director: Ken Cameron (Department of Computer Science)
Who can apply in 2023/24? Applications for Semester 1 are open, this VIP welcomes applications from all University of Bath students.
Carers Centre carbon reduction journey
New to AY2324
Carers Centre are looking for support from a VIP to support their carbon management plan. As part of their recommissioning with BANES council and commitment to contributing to BANES carbon reduction by 2030, the Carers Centre have been encouraged to look at their carbon emissions as an organisation. In the initial stages the project would be to support the carers centre to provide an outline of the Carers Centre carbon management commitment and collaboration with UoB to BANES as part of the recommission. With the view that first semester would be time for the VIP group to explore the Carers Centre emissions within Scope 1 emissions and prepare a list of recommendations to be presented to the organisation. There would be opportunities for students to learn about the work of the carers centre and understanding what they deliver to their service users within the social care sector.
The project aims to support Carers Centre in creating a carbon commitment outline, help identify their carbon emissions in Scope 1 and provide recommendations on how they can approach their carbon management plan in their organisation.
Project Partners: Carers Centre BANES - Contact | The Carers' Centre - Bath and North East Somerset (banescarerscentre.org.uk)
SDG: 13 Climate Action
Academic Director: Brian Rutter, Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Who can apply in 2023/24? Applications for Semester 1 are open, this VIP welcomes applications from all University of Bath students who have an interest in climate change and supporting a local charity.
Open science – Hardware for microscopy
New to AY2324
The Openflexure Project is a globally recognised exemplar of open science hardware development (https://unctad.org/system/files/official-document/ecosocres2021d30NoteOpenSource_en.pdf). Open development of open science hardware is key to scientific reproducibility and scientific equality. It allows researchers everywhere to understand how their hardware is operating, and also to modify it to their needs. With careful design, open hardware can also allow manufacture and maintenance across the globe, including in low and middle income countries (LMICs).
The core of the Openflexure project is a motorised micromanipulation stage that is built into a compact and high resolution microscope (https://openflexure.org/projects/microscope/build). The project is developed openly, using distributed version control to enable contributions to the project goals, project development and project oversight from anywhere. A main project goal has been high resolution microscopy to contribute to malaria diagnosis in Tanzania, which has driven the core project development in a particular direction. Together with users in other fields a number of design variations have been developed, adapting the core technology to each type of use.
This vertically integrated project will contribute to the development of open microscopy in three possible ways.
A. Development of microscope hardware. The Openflexure Microscope is 3D printed from CAD, which allows many variations of the hardware to address different user needs. Part of the VIP will assess user feedback (eg. https://openflexure.discourse.group/) and identify and address needs in hardware for new uses or needs in enhanced usability of existing hardware.
B. The Openflexure microscope can be built in different versions up to a high resolution (<500nm) robotic scientific microscope. Part of the VIP will assess applications in water quality monitoring in LMICs and applications in cell biology in laboratory incubators, to determine the type of microscope best suited for these applications. The common PLA material has been shown to work in these harsh environments, but there may be better materials such as PET. Environmental testing can be used to assess any improvements over PLA.
C. Positioning of the Openflexure project offering. The Openflexure project is developed by physicists and engineers as a series of different microscopy devices, and the website (www.openflexure.org) presents the possibilities from the device perspective. Many users will start from a scientific or environmental need, and will not necessarily know which device would be suitable for their need. Part of the VIP will assess the way in which the organisation of Openflexure project information could enhance visibility and accessibility of the microscopes for users. We have already seen a shift in perception of the quality of the microscope by switching from prints and renders in vibrant colours to displaying versions in scientific black-and-white or medical blue-and-white.
SDGs: 3 Good Health and Wellbeing, 6 Clean Water and Sanitation & 9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.
Academic Director: Professor William Wadsworth, Department of Physics
Who can apply in 2023/24? Applications for Semester 1 are now open, this VIP welcomes applications from all University of Bath students.
Students for Sustainable Food
Having ran since 2020/21, In 2021/22, this VIP project will build on initial work carried out by two VIPs in the previous year to further help develop and deliver a sustainable food policy for the University of Bath.
This VIP team will be involved with the testing of interventions to change dietary choices amongst students and staff to be healthier and greener, through ideas like food labelling, carbon tax, or nudges to change behaviour.
The team produced a poster for end of Semester 1 AY2223
SDG: 12 Responsible consumption and Reduction
Academic Director: Prof Lorraine Whitmarsh (Director - Centre for Climate Change & Social Transformations (CAST) and Dept of Psychology)
Who can apply in 2023/24? Applications for Semester 1 are open, this VIP welcomes applications from all University of Bath students.
Student Wellbeing
Started in 2019/20, Concerns about student wellbeing and mental health continue to dominate national debate. This VIP addresses the issues at the local level, evaluating interventions and stimulating debate over how best to tackle these challenges in the future. Working with experts from the academic and professional realms, the VIP team will have an opportunity to make a difference to policy and practice at the University and beyond.
SDGs: 3 Good Health and Wellbeing.
Academic Director: Professor Richard Joiner
Who can apply in 2023/24? Applications for Semester 1 are now open, this VIP welcomes applications from all University of Bath students.