News
April 2013
School of Construction Management and Engineering receives Silver Award for Athena SWAN charter
Reading Construction Management PhD student receives prestigious award
February 2013
University expertise helping us build for a greener future
Construction Excellence Berkshire Event at Reading University
The University of Reading and Faithful + Gould collaborating in pioneering new research
Professor Stuart Green to chair The Great Debate
January 2013
Raising awareness of renewable energy systems
December 2012
Construction Management and Engineering experts respond to the publication of the UK Energy bill
November 2012
Dr Graeme Larsen MCIOB receives CIOB Premier Research Paper Award
October 2012
Dr Tabarak Ballal participated in the Wokingham Schools' Careers Fair
Dr Jacopo Torriti appointed to Defra advisory panel
University boosts research expertise in sustainable technologies for the built environment
September 2012
School Teaching and Learning Excellence Rewarded
August 2012
University welcomes expert in sustainable buildings and environment
July 2012
Professor Tim Dixon invited to present at launch of the Work Foundation's report
May 2012
Successful graduates to share their Reading experiences
February 2012
Design changes could save lives by cutting hospital infections
January 2012
Japanese Minister visits Reading to build construction course links
New programme builds on sustainability research
School of Construction Management and Engineering receives Silver Award for Athena SWAN charter
The School of Construction Management and Engineering is pleased to announce it has been awarded a Silver Award for its commitment to the Athena SWAN charter for women in science.
The Athena SWAN charter is aimed at advancing the careers of women in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM) employment in higher education.
The November 2012 award round had the large number of submissions to date, with 96 submission. The School is one of only thirteen schools and departments to have been granted a silver award, which is valid until April 2016. They will be presented with their award at an event to be held at The Royal Society of Edinburgh in June.
Head of School Professor Stuart Green said: “I am delighted that the School has been recognised for its commitment to advancing women’s careers in science and engineering. We hope in turn to influence practice within the construction sector which needs to avail itself of the best available talent irrespective of gender."
Reading Construction Management PhD student receives prestigious award
Rui Zou, a PhD student at the School of Construction Management and Engineering has received an award titled "Chinese Government Scholarship for Outstanding Self-financed Students Abroad", one of only 25 awarded.
The award ceremony was held at the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in London and the certificate was presented by Mr Liu Xiaoming, the Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to the United Kingdom.
Professor Roger Flanagan, Rui Zou’s PhD supervisor, said of this achievement “There are only about 25 awards of this type, so I am so proud he got it. He is a lovely student, very hard working and committed – it is well deserved. ‘
University expertise helping us build for a greener future
The University of Reading's cutting-edge research and teaching expertise in sustainable design, construction and the built environment will be showcased at the sector's biggest event next month.
Running March 5th-7th at the London Excel, Ecobuild brings together 1,500 exhibitors and last year attracted over 57,000 visitors from all over the world.
For further details and the official press release, see this link
Construction Excellence Berkshire Event at Reading University
March 26th Construction Excellence Berkshire Event at Reading University - Collaboration in 2012 - the rise of social technologies and networks (Collaboration is one of the pillars of Constructing Excellence. Historically collaboration has been promoted through the use of contracts, common processes and tools including project extranets. Social Media and other technologies are now playing a key role in how we collaborate both formally and informally. In this event speakers will share how they use social technologies and networks to share knowledge, keep up to date with industry leading initiatives and collaborate with others within their own business's, projects and the wider industry.)
Speakers:
Dr Milan Radosavljevic is Director of Teaching and Learning at the School of Construction Management and Engineering at the University of Reading. Milan will be speaking on how Social Technologies are being used to facilitate academic research and collaboration with the construction industry. https://www.reading.ac.uk/cme/about/staff/m-radosavljevic.aspx
Rick Cooper is BIM Consultant at Unit4, providing SaaS project extranet and collaboration software. Rick will discuss how he uses Social Media to keep up with the latest developments in BIM in his role as BIM Technology Champion for the Unit 4 Business. http://www.linkedin.com/in/collaborator
Russell Curtis is a founding Director of RCKa Architects, keen blogger and Evernote Ambassador. RCKa are using social tools like Evernote to collaborate online within their business. You can find out a bit more about this here:http://blog.evernote.com/blog/2012/09/05/evernote-an-architects-toolbox-and-quality-management-system/
The University of Reading and Faithful + Gould collaborating in pioneering new research
The University of Reading and Faithful+Gould (F+G) are collaborating in a pioneering new research designed to critically evaluate current interfaces between project and cost consultancy and the wider construction supply chain. Victoria Fillingham will undertake the research, supervised by Dr Milan Radosavljevic and Dr Stephen Gulliver from the University of Reading and members of the F+G’s BIM working group, led by Adrian Malone, see link below for more details, http://www.fgould.com/uk/articles/faithfulgould-and-university-reading-bim/
Professor Stuart Green to chair The Great Debate: Homes of the Future
As part of Reading Science Week 2013, Professor Stuart Green will chair this year's Great Debate. Organised by the Engineering Institutions of the Thames Valley, four speakers will discuss how we create sustainable homes for the future.
The debate will be held on Whiteknights campus in the Palmer Building from 7pm on Tuesday 19 March. Please download the pdf for more information.
Reading Science Week runs 15-24 March and forms part of National Science and Engineering Week, a 10-day programme of around 4500 events running throughout the whole of the UK. Organised by the British Science Association (BSA) the aim is to celebrate science, engineering and technology and its importance in our lives. Additional Reading events include science busking, stargazing, and a public discussion on how water companies plan for the future. The full programme can be downloaded here.
Raising awareness of renewable energy systems
In 1998, the roof of the engineering building at the University of Reading needed refurbishing: asbestos panels were no longer safe, and the Buildings Office was looking at options. Dr Anne Wheldon, then in the School of Mechanical Engineering, realised that this was the perfect opportunity to install solar panels on the building. The panels were installed as integral roof panels – more formally known as building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) – and the energy fed directly into the electrical substation in the basement of the building.
Fast forward fifteen years, and not only has the BIPV been instrumental in improving the energy performance of the building (the DEC (Display Energy Certificate) rating has gone up from F to C since 2009), but its function now extends beyond mere energy efficiency.
Dr Emmanuel Essah took over responsibility for the BIPV in 2009, and has worked to expand its use. In the engineering building foyer there is now a live feed of the energy generated by the panels. As Dr Essah explains, the display of such live data is critical in helping the public to understand the basic principles of energy saving and to appreciate what a renewable energy system can do. This message is more easily conveyed using a visual display – visitors to the building see how many cups of tea can be made from the energy generated! As we head into summer and the energy generation potential increases, Dr Essah anticipates the display moving from tea cups to kettles, and finally computers.
In addition to improving public awareness, the BIPV is also used as a teaching tool. After winning a grant from the University’s Research Endowment Trust Fund (RETF) in 2011, Dr Essah’s students have used the BIPV for a range of projects, including optimisation and characteristics of PV panels, and factors affecting their efficiency. Students enjoy engaging with the tool, and the immediate feedback they receive.
Looking to the future, Dr Essah hopes to ascertain the actual lifespan of BIPV. Manufacturers currently predict 25 years, but Dr Essah is confident that these panels – already in place for 15 years – will keep going strong, and is looking forward to monitoring impacts on their efficiency over time.
Dr Graeme Larsen MCIOB receives CIOB Premier Research Paper Award
On 15th Nov 2012, SCME Director of Post Graduate Research Studies Dr Graeme Larsen attended the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) International Innovation & Research Awards 2012; were he received the 'Premier Research Paper Award' for his paper entitled 'Understanding the early stages of the innovation diffusion process: awareness, influence and communication networks'. Dr Larsen, who lectures in construction management, has spent more than 10 years researching innovation diffusion and how firms operate within networks in order to be competitive through innovation. The types of innovation studied have ranged from organizational structures through to new technologies and approaches to sustainability.
The judges commented 'An inspirational research paper that enables practitioners to rethink and understand the process of innovation. It is a fascinating piece of work with a novel approach.'
Outreach Activities - Dr Tabarak Ballal, Director of Undergraduate Programmes
In her new role as Director of Undergraduate Programmes and a STEM Ambassador, Dr Tabarak Ballal participated in the 'Wokingham Schools' Careers Fair' organised jointly by Wokingham Business, Skills and Enterprise Partnership in conjunction with The Wokingham Federation of Secondary Schools. This initiative encourages local businesses, employers, universities and colleges to support and offer career advice to the young people of Reading and Wokingham.
Around 1300 Year 9 school pupils attended the morning session (9:00am-2:45pm) with a further 1000 Sixth Formers attending the evening session (4:00pm-8:00pm) accompanied by their parents.
The School of Construction Management and Engineering provided an informative and interactive stall including a state-of-the art 'Theodolite'; samples of wall and roof insulation, architectural drawings, a power-point presentation on 'Construction: A Career Choice for All!' and a brainteaser 'Construction' quiz.
Dr Ballal was joined by current undergraduate students in their first year of studies: Stephanie; Elspeth and Rhiannon who talked to school pupils about why they chose to study 'Construction'. She was also joined by two final year students: Conor and Ashley who showcased their second year winning design project and inspired youngsters by the quality of work produced using Computer-Aided Design. Mrs Christina Duckett - Lecturer in Construction Technology and Helen Spence provided valuable support on the day too.
"This is the first time that the School of Construction Management and Engineering has participated in a local outreach programme of this scale. I am extremely proud that I have been able to make a positive contribution on behalf of the School and offer advice to young pupils embarking upon a critical stage in their development" Dr Tabarak Ballal.
The event was held on Wednesday 17th October 2012 at Loddon Valley Leisure Centre in Lower Earley. You can view the article from the Wokingham Times here
School Teaching and Learning Excellence Rewarded
The renewable energy MSc team (Dr Maria Vahdati, Lucia Gwinnell, Dr Phil Cocker, Dr Runming Yao, Dr Emmanuel Essah, Dr Katherine Hyde, Dr Dan Drew, Dr Jacopo Torriti and David Patrick) and Dr Milan Radosavljevic from the School of Construction Management and Engineering at the University of Reading provide a unique course which combines technical components of renewable energy with economics, energy policy and carbon management.
http://www.reading.ac.uk/internal/staffportal/news/articles/spsn-466355.aspx
Professor Tim Dixon invited to present at launch of the Work Foundation's report
Professor Tim Dixon (recently appointed Chair in Sustainable Futures in the Built Environment) was invited to present his recent work on low carbon cities at the launch of the Work Foundation's report on 'Low Carbon Jobs in Cities' on 19 July in London.
See these links for the Presentation Summary, Powerpoint Presentation in pdf format, and The Work Foundation blog
Workshop: Facilitating climate change adaptation; the potential for water conservation and reuse in West Africa.
The School of Construction Management and the Walker Institute at the University of Reading are holding a research workshop to discuss the reuse of water in West Africa on 7th June 2012, 9.30 to 16.30 at The University of Reading, Science and Technology Centre
See pdf link for further information
To register please email: Linda Holland, l.a.holland@reading.ac.uk
Successful graduates to share their Reading experiences
See our recently launched exciting Alumni Profiles which allows successful graduates to share their Reading experiences in a profile. Alumni are asked between questions about their time at the University and provide a snapshot of them as a person. See two profiles from our SCME alumni below
Tom Evison, Quantity Surveying and Construction Management BSc, 2009
See Lian Ong, Quantity Surveying B.Sc. (Hons.), 1974
Design changes could save lives by cutting hospital infections
Door handles, security buttons and wash hand basins can have a major impact of the level of hospital associated infections, finds new research led from the University of Reading.
The work has been conducted by HaCIRIC, the world's largest research programme into healthcare infrastructure, part located at the University of Reading. The Health Service Journal this week reports findings from the research.
Click link below for full article http://www.reading.ac.uk/about/newsandevents/releases/PR431698.aspx
Japanese Minister visits Reading to build construction course links
Japanese Minister visits Reading to build construction course links Postgraduate students studying construction at the University of Reading can now learn from Japanese expertise in the sector thanks to a new partnership. The University's School of Construction Management has teamed up with the Overseas Construction Association of Japan Inc. (OCAJI). The new collaboration means all MSc Construction Management students now have the opportunity of an internship with a Japanese company during their studies.
Click the link below for the full article
Japanese Minister visits School of Construction Management and Engineering
New programme builds on sustainability research
A new initiative is seeking to bring together academics from across the University with research interests relating to sustainability in the built environment. The objective is to showcase the University's breadth of activity in this high profile area with a view to increasing funding and collaboration opportunitiies.
Click the link for the full article http://www.reading.ac.uk/internal/staffportal/news/articles/spsn-429086.aspx