ECS Intranet:
IAM News Archive
Silicon Valley comes to the UK (AND Southampton) - come to the appathon!
The University of Southampton is one of six universities in the UK which will be hosting this year's 'Silicon Valley comes to the UK' appathon event.
Imaging technology throws new light on ancient artefacts
New technology which makes it possible to study the finer details of some of the world’s greatest historical artefacts has been developed by computer scientists and archaeologists at the University of Southampton in conjunction with academics at the University of Oxford.
WebSci'11 conference takes place in Koblenz as official ACM event
Web scientists from around the world will be attending the third Web Science Conference which begins on Tuesday 14 June and takes place at Koblenz, Germany.
Agents help schedule efficient charging of electric cars
Researchers in ECS-Electronics and Computer Science at the University of Southampton have designed a new pricing mechanism based on an online auction protocol that makes it possible to charge electric vehicles without overloading the local electricity network.
Opening business minds to open data
The new Google magazine, 'Think Quarterly', features an article in its first edition by Nigel Shadbolt, Professor of Artificial Intelligence in ECS-Electronics and Computer Science at the University of Southampton.
Pelagios: Mapping the culture of Antiquity online
A project which will make it easier to discover and map online information about ancient places begins this month.
ECS researcher to review Transparency impact for Cabinet Office
ECS academic Dr Kieron O'Hara has been asked to lead a review of the impact of Transparency on Privacy to inform the UK Government's approach to the release of public data as part of the Transparency agenda.
Best student paper award for ECS at ISWC 2010
Heather Packer, a research student in the ECS Intelligence, Agents, Multimedia research group, won Best Student Paper Award at the prestigious ISWC 2010 conference, held last month in Shanghai.
Conference at British Library will explore ethics and the Web
Behaviour and morals online, including this week’s Wikileaks scenario, will be discussed at a workshop on Ethics and the World Wide Web, which will be held at the Foyle Centre in the British Library tomorrow (Thursday 2 December).
Tackling the theory, algorithms and applications for data modelling
A researcher in the University of Southampton’s School of Electronics and Computer Science has just received funding to develop new approaches to data modelling and model-free data processing.
ECS researcher highlights need for transparency on the Web
The need for more transparency in Web-based information systems has been highlighted by an academic at the University of Southampton’s School of Electronics and Computer Science.
New model to trace the origins of information
The first community model capable of tracing the origins of computer-generated information is now available. University of Southampton researcher, Professor Luc Moreau, says that the new model will lead to better degrees of trust online.
Nick Jennings listed today as one of the world's top researchers
Professor Nick Jennings of the University of Southampton’s School of Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) has just been listed as one of the world’s most highly cited researchers.
ECS sensors record glacier dynamics – are they slip-sliding away?
Researchers at the University of Southampton have been awarded a Leverhulme Trust Research Project Grant to study the movement of glaciers.
New science to enable humans and computers to interact more effectively
A major new research project led by Professor Nick Jennings of the University of Southampton will aim to develop true partnerships between people and computers.
Three ECS Professors featured among the UK's top 100 scientists
Three Professors from the School of Electronics and Computer Science feature in the list of ‘100 most important figures in British Science’ published in today’s (Thursday 7 October) Times newspaper.
Conference breaks new ground in highlighting the importance of Web Science
A major two-day conference held this week at the Royal Society was a huge success for Web Science and for the organizers, Professor Nigel Shadbolt and Professor Dame Wendy Hall of the School of Electronics and Computer Science, Professor Bill Dutton of Oxford University, and Professor James Hendler, of Rensselaer Polytechnic University.
Technology to improve safety in the ‘danger zone’
Engineers in the School of Electronics and Computer Science will unveil new technologies to improve communications in ‘danger zones’ at a symposium in Farnborough next week.
Web Science sets future scientific agenda at Royal Society meeting
As part of the Royal Society’s 350th anniversary celebrations a two-day discussion meeting on Web Science will take place in London on 27 and 28 September. The Royal Society discussion meetings address the major scientific questions of the 21st century, aiming to identify and map out vital subjects that will help set the agenda for future generations of scientists.
Now we've got the data, how can we use it?
After advising the UK Government on the release of huge quantities of public data, ECS Professor Nigel Shadbolt is now encouraging people to come up with innovative ways of putting the data to use.
Professor Dame Wendy Hall appointed to lead new Faculty
Professor Dame Wendy Hall has been appointed Dean of the new Faculty of Physical and Applied Sciences in the University of Southampton.
Who Gives a Tweet? Nuanced feedback for microbloggers
Academics are launching a study this week to understand what aspects of Twitter content are considered valuable, and how that impacts presentation and perception of online identity.
Google funding for discovery of ancient texts online
An ECS researcher is part of a team which has just secured funding from Google to make the classics and other ancient texts easy to discover and access online.
ECS releases all public data in open linked data format
In what is believed also to be a world-first, ECS has become the UK’s first University department to release all its public data in open linked data format.
Repository ranking underlines Southampton’s global influence
The University of Southampton’s School of Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) EPrints repository of research publications is now one of the top ten in the world, according to the official world ranking of institutional repositories (published this week).
Wendy Hall receives honorary degree and city freedom in Greece
The unique contribution to research and innovation of an ECS Professor has been recognized by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
Examining Ancient Manuscripts in a Digital Age
New imaging systems which will enable a more in-depth study of ancient artefacts will be available within a year.
ECS Professors invited to join Public Transparency Board
It was announced on Monday 31 May that Professor Nigel Shadbolt and Professor Sir Tim Berners-Lee of the School of Electronics and Computer Science will be members of the Government's new Public Sector Transparency Board.
Professor Nick Jennings elected to AAAI Fellowship
Professor Nick Jennings of the School of Electronics and Computer Science at the University of Southampton has been elected a Fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI). The official citation mentions Professor Jennings’ “significant contributions to the theory and practice of multi-agent systems, including industrial applications, practical coordination techniques, and market-based control mechanisms.” The Fellowship will be officially conferred in Atlanta in July.
Best paper award for computerised agents
A system of computerised agents which can manage energy use and storage in homes won a Best Paper Award at an international conference on autonomous agents yesterday.
ECS monitors as we switch off for Earth Hour
As the University joins institutions and individuals worldwide to switch off lights and appliances during Earth Hour, researchers in the School of Electronics and Computer Science will be using their new GridCarbon iPhone app to see just how much carbon has been saved.
Southampton and Oxford to partner in new Institute for Web Science
The Prime Minister Gordon Brown has announced £30M of funding to take forward research on the next generation of the World Wide Web.
£30 million institute for Web Science will lead the way in Web 3.0
The Government today announced the creation of the new Institute for Web Science.
Professor Dame Wendy Hall re-appointed to top-level Council
The Prime Minister has re-appointed Professor Dame Wendy Hall to the Council for Science and Technology (CST).
ECS research features in new BBC SuperPower series
Research on the development of the World Wide Web in the School of Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) is featured in a new BBC season of programmes, Superpower, which began on Monday 8 March and runs for two weeks.
£4.2 million grant ensures a sustainable future for software
The UK's first Software Sustainability Institute (SSI) is being established with a grant of £4.2M from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
Why we must study the Web
Students from a whole range of disciplines are being invited to go along to the Royal Society in London next week to hear why they should study the World Wide Web.
Web Science 'comes of age'
The Web Science Trust has been granted charitable status, in a move which will enable greater focused, global development of the discipline.
Sparkling victory for ECS researchers in Lemonade Game
A team of three researchers from the School of Electronics and Computer Science defeated agents designed by researchers from Princeton University, Brown University, Rutgers University, Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Michigan to win the inaugural Lemonade Game Tournament, contested on the Web earlier this month and run by Yahoo! researcher Martin Zinkevich.
ECS Professors lead development of data.gov.uk
Professor Sir Tim Berners-Lee and Professor Nigel Shadbolt have led the development of the new data.gov.uk web site launched today by the Government.
New app to measure carbon intensity of the UK electricity grid
As temperatures drop below freezing and demand for energy soars, engineers at the University of Southampton have launched a new iPhone application to monitor the UK electricity grid.
Key role for Nigel Shadbolt in local government data release
Speaking yesterday at No.10 Downing Street, the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, announced that he had asked Professor Nigel Shadbolt of the School of Electronics and Computer Science at the University of Southampton to lead a panel of experts who will oversee the release of local public data, ensuring that it is linked effectively across relevant agencies, authorities and government departments.
ALADDIN scoops Engineering Award for "stunning collaboration"
The ALADDIN project, which uses agent-based technology to tackle natural and man-made disasters has just received the Aerospace and Defence award in this year’s Engineer Technology & Innovation Awards.
ECS researcher to undertake first Internet-scale musical analysis
ECS Professor David De Roure is one of the principal researchers in a new project which enables the online analysis of a wide variety of music from all over the world.
New social networking tool to improve well-being awareness
Researchers at the University of Southampton have developed a new social networking tool that users have described as not only improving reflection and awareness of their own well-being, but also raising their interest in others.
ECS Professors influence UK policy change on public data
ECS Professors Sir Tim Berners-Lee and Nigel Shadbolt are behind the significant change in policy towards public data announced by the Prime Minster yesterday (17 November).
ECS Professor appointed e-Social Science National Strategic Director
Professor David De Roure has been appointed to the new role of the Economic and Social Research Council’s (ESRC) National Strategic Director of e-Social Science, with Dr Marina Jirotka of the Oxford e-Research Centre as Deputy Director. Both are part of the e-Research South consortium.
GLACSWEB probes face new challenge in Tijuana
The GLACSWEB project has entered a new phase with a planned deployment of its electronic sensors in the Los Laureles Canyon in Mexico.
Universities face challenges of embracing the World Wide Web
The challenges which face the World Wide Web in its next phase and the need for academics to embrace its further development will be outlined by Professor Dame Wendy Hall next week.
Professor Dame Wendy Hall to present the future potential of WWW
Professor Dame Wendy Hall from the University of Southampton’s School of Electronics and Computer Science will celebrate the 125th anniversary of IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) next week with a lecture on the progress of the World Wide Web and its future potential.
ECS Professors update UK Cabinet on public data access
ECS Professors Nigel Shadbolt and Sir Tim Berners-Lee, creator of the World Wide Web, visited No.10 Downing Street last week to update the Cabinet on progress on making government data more open and accessible.
New approach to industrial web applications wins award
A new paper by ECS academics proposes a new way for engineers to use the Semantic Web.
Dame Wendy Hall honoured by R&D Society
Professor Dame Wendy Hall, FRS, FREng, Web pioneer and leading campaigner for women in science, is to receive the 19th Duncan Davies Medal from the Research and Development Society for her outstanding contribution toward making the UK the best-performing research and development environment in the world.
ECS academic on e-Science mission to United States
Professor David De Roure of ECS is one of two British academics embarking on a visit to the US next week to establish changing practice in e-Science.
Towards healthiier communication
Computer scientists in ECS are using social networking tools to explore if individuals can enhance their personal and social wellbeing over time if they quickly share how they feel about issues such as their busy-ness, enjoyment, health and stress via these networks.
Social networking for scientists changes the culture
The MyExperiment social networking site for scientists is the subject of a new video from JISC (the Joint Information Systems Committee), which explains the background to the project and key features which have already contributed to its success.
ECS researcher's computerised negotiating agents go commercial
Computerised agents developed by an ECS academic which will negotiate the best online deals for buyers and sellers will be fully operational by the end of the year.
ECS launches involvement in BBC Digital Revolution
The School’s involvement in the BBC’s groundbreaking ‘Digital Revolution’ series was launched last week at ‘WebFest09’.
myExperiment encourages new research using new methods
myExperiment, the social networking site for scientists, has set out to challenge traditional ideas of academic publishing as it enters a new phase of funding.
ECS professors to advise Government on public information
Professor Nigel Shadbolt and Professor Sir Tim Berners-Lee have been given a special role by the Prime Minister to help transform public access to Government information.
EPrints helps create world's first repository for the visual arts
A repository which will make it possible for colleges and individuals in the arts to store and present their work in a creative way will be unveiled tomorrow (Wednesday 3 June) at the Whitechapel Gallery, London.
Agents which haggle and resolve conflict
A new series of algorithms which enables computerised agents to haggle and to resolve conflict have been devised by a team led by Professor Nick Jennings.
Professor Dame Wendy Hall elected Fellow of the Royal Society
Dame Wendy Hall DBE, Professor of Computer Science in the University of Southampton, has been elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society, it is announced today (Friday 15 May).
Haggling on your mobile - BBC previews new ECS research
As UK consumers aim to resurrect the ancient art of haggling to get more for their money, researchers in ECS are developing a program that will take on the hard work of negotiating prices down.
National Academy of Sciences recognition for Web inventor
Sir Tim Berners-Lee, Professor of Computer Science in ECS, has been elected to the US National Academy of Sciences (NAS).
Digital images reveal the secrets of Roman painting
Cutting-edge imaging techniques are being used in the digital restoration of a 2000-year old Roman statue.
Prestigious Schlumberger Foundation award for PhD student
An ECS PhD student has received a prestigious Fellowship award from the Schlumberger Foundation.
Academic promotions for ECS researchers
The University of Southampton announced this week that five members of ECS academic staff had received promotions.
Research partnership aims to improve disaster response
Global aerospace and defence group BAE Systems has teamed up with leading universities in a £6m project aimed at developing technologies that will benefit the UK’s emergency services.
Making the computer work for us - the end of the Post-It?
dr mc schraefel of ECS is working with researchers at MIT on a project that aims to see computers being as easy to use as Post-It notes.
Dame Wendy Hall leads new engineering diversity campaign
The Diversity in Engineering Campaign, being launched today (Thursday 15 January) by the Royal Academy of Engineering and led by Professor Dame Wendy Hall of ECS, aims to ensure that UK engineering blazes a trail to a diverse profession that will benefit from the skills of all sectors of society.
New Years Honours - Dame Wendy Hall
Professor Wendy Hall, CBE, has been appointed DBE in the New Year Honours List for services to science and technology.
RAE 2008: Exceptional success for ECS
ECS researchers have achieved exceptional success in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise.
New tool to audit the use of private data
A prototype will soon be available for a new method to audit the use of private data which has been developed by ECS computer scientists.
ECS plays key role in two new Centres for Doctoral Training
The EPSRC today (5/12/08) announced a £250M investment in UK science and engineering. ECS will play a key role in two of the new Centres for Doctoral Training awarded to the University.
New release of computerised agent simulator
A new simulator which will lead to the creation of more effective computerised agents in disaster scenarios has been made available by an ECS research team.
Three ECS Professors join elite group of IEEE Fellows
Three professors in the School of Electronics and Computer Science have been named Fellows of the IEEE.
Computerised agents to cope with disasters
A system which will use networks of computerised agents to cope with disaster scenarios such as outbreaks of fires, will be outlined by an ECS researcher on Guy Fawkes night.
Eureka! Southampton scientist to improve the pathway to discovery
dr mc schraefel has been awarded a Royal Academy of Engineering Senior Research Fellowship, sponsored by Microsoft Research, to improve the path to discovery for scientists.
Tim Berners-Lee named No.1 Agenda Setter by silicon.com
Silicon.com has named ECS Professor Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, as its No.1 Agenda Setter.
New mathematical model can measure political party power
A new algorithm developed by ECS researcher Dr Edith Elkind can be used to predict political power balances.
More evidence that autonomous agents are emerging from the laboratory
For the second year running an ECS dissertation on computerised agents has won the BCS Distinguished Dissertation Competition, indicating that agents are becoming a reality.
Tim Berners-Lee announces World Wide Web Foundation
Speaking in Washington last night (14 September), Sir Tim Berners-Lee unveiled an exciting new vision for the next phase of development of the World Wide Web …
Gaming technology points way to future learning, says Nigel Shadbolt
Gaming is already pointing the way towards learning technologies of the future, according to ECS Professor Nigel Shadbolt.
Mischa keeps a diary with a difference
ECS researcher Mischa Tuffield is building an electronic log of everything he does, as part of the Memories for Life project co-ordinated in the School.
Professor Wendy Hall elected as ACM President
Professor Wendy Hall has been elected as President of the Association for Computing Machinery, the first person from outside North America to hold this position in the ACM’s prestigious 60-year history.
New Web Science Laboratory for Tsinghua and Southampton
The Graduate School at Shenzhen, Tsinghua University, in China, and the University of Southampton have agreed to set up a joint laboratory focused on Web Science.
Three ECS professors consider the Web's future
Fifteen years ago (30 April 1993) CERN announced that the Web could be used free by anyone. To mark the anniversary, three ECS professors comment for the BBC on the Web's future.
New book looks at the end of privacy
A new book by two ECS academics considers the changes in our private and public lives that have been caused by pervasive computing and the Web.
ECS developers win $5000 repository challenge
Developers from ECS, Southampton, and Oxford University won a $5000 challenge competition which took place at the OR08 Open Repositories international conference.
University of Southampton announces institutional Open Access mandate
The University of Southampton announced a University-wide Open Access mandate at the Open Repositories (OR08) conference last week (4 April).
OR08 to set new missions for universities
Powerful new ways in which universities are self-archiving their research output are being showcased at the Open Repositories 2008 (OR08) conference, hosted by ECS.
Web Science at the Royal Society of Arts
Professor Wendy Hall, Professor Sir Tim Berners-Lee and Professor Nigel Shadbolt addressed the Royal Society of Arts yesterday (11 March) to celebrate the new science of Web Science.
Berners-Lee named most influential over 150 years
Professor Sir Tim Berners-Lee, OM, FRS, who holds a Chair of Computer Science in ECS, has been named by Intel as the most influential person in technology over the last 150 years.
Developing decentralised systems for industry
Professor Nick Jennings and Dr Alex Rogers demonstrated decentralised systems developed for BAE Systems, Rolls Royce and Qinetiq at a conference in London this week.
MapSnapper - a new algorithm for digital map technology
New technology to enhance digital map technology is being presented by an ECS academic at the Electronic Imaging conference in California this week.
Call to bridge the digital divide
Dr Kieron O'Hara, Senior Research Fellow in ECS, discussed new ways for Information Communication Technology (ICT) to bridge the digital divide, at a conference in Portugal on 30 October.
New ways to retrieve photos on the Web
New ways to search and archive images found on the World Wide Web will be revealed by Dr Jonathan Hare at a Royal Institution lecture in London on 4 October.
ARGUS project named winner in The Engineer Awards 2007
The ARGUS project, a large-scale research programme involving BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, Qinetiq, and the Universities of Oxford and Southampton, has received The Engineer Technology and Innovation Award 2007.
ECS to develop automated agents for the stock market
An ECS team which won an automated trading agent competition believe their entry may form the basis for an automated stock market.
ECS disaster simulation system wins championship prize
An ECS-designed system which relies on computerised agents to act on its behalf during emergency scenarios has been awarded a RoboCupRescue championship prize.
Tim Berners-Lee appointed member of the Order of Merit
Professor Sir Tim Berners-Lee FRS has been appointed a member of the Order of Merit (OM) by HM Queen Elizabeth II. Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, is Director of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), Senior Research Scientist at MIT, and Professor of Computer Science in ECS. (13 June 2007)
IAM agent repeats trust success in ART competition
For the second year running an ECS team has won the Agent Reputation and Trust (ART) competition at the International Joint Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems, held this month in Hawaii.
Web inventor's lecture to be webcast live Wednesday 14 March
Professor Sir Tim Berners-Lee's inaugural lecture at ECS on Wednesday 14 March will be webcast live to the world at 5 pm GMT.
Web inventor testifies to US Congress on future of World Wide Web
Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web and Professor of Computer Science in ECS, is today testifying on the future of the Web before the committee of the US House of Representatives that has jurisdiction over the Internet.
Professor Wendy Hall joins opening panel of ERC launch conference
Professor Wendy Hall will be attending the launch conference next week of the European Research Council in Berlin. Professor Hall is a founding member of the ERC Scientific Council.
International workshop asks what Grid can learn from Web 2.0
A workshop organized by Professor David De Roure at the Open Grid Forum demonstrated the first opportunity to see what Grid can learn from the successes of Web 2.0.
Web inventor considers history and prospects of the World Wide Web
Professor Sir Tim Berners-Lee, FRS, inventor of the World Wide Web, will be looking back and forwards at the Web's development, in his inaugural lecture at Southampton, which takes place on 14 March.
Shill-bidding: ECS researchers propose a solution for online auctions
ECS researchers have proposed a solution to ‘shill-bidding’, a disruptive but increasingly prevalent practice which threatens the integrity of online auctions such as eBay.
EPrints potential raised to 'a new dimension'
A new version of the open access software EPrints, being launched today (24 January) in San Antonio, USA, takes its potential to a ‘new dimension’, according to EPrints Technical Director, Dr Leslie Carr.
Sign Petition to Support EC OA Policy
Please sign OA petition.
The European Commission, the European Research Advisory Board (EURAB) and the European Research Councils have each recently recommended adopting the policy of providing Open Access to research results. (Very similar recommendations are also being made by governmental research organisations in the United States, Canada, Australia, and Asia). There are powerful non-research interests lobbying vigorously against these policy recommendations, so a display of support by the research community is critically important at this time. A consortium of European organisations -- JISC (Joint Information Systems Committee, UK), SURF (Netherlands), SPARC Europe, DFG (Deutsches Forschungsgemeinschaft, Germany), DEFF (Danmarks Elektroniske Fag- og Forskningsbibliotek, Denmark) -- is now sponsoring a petition to the European Commission to demonstrate support for these recommendations on the part of the European and worldwide research community. Signatures may be added by individual researchers or universities and research institutions. Researchers, lab directors, institutute directors, university research VPs and DVCs, are all strongly urged to register your support.
OA petition
Web inventor receives 'engineering's Nobel Prize'
Professor Sir Tim Berners-Lee, FRS, has been awarded the 2007 Charles Stark Draper Prize, presented by the US National Academies National Academy of Engineering.
'Sugar cubes' will record a lifetime of memories, predict experts
A conference organized by ECS and taking place at the British Library on Tuesday 12 December will debate the role science and technology will play in the future of memory.
Open source software to identify the origin of data
For the first time ever, the origins and authenticity of computer-generated data can be traced by open source software developed in ECS.
Predicting the future of memory
UK experts on the science and technology of memory will meet at the British Library on 12 December, in a colloquium organized by the ECS-based Memories for Life network.
GLACSWEB features on BBC News at Ten
A BBC film crew this month accompanied researchers from the School on one of their regular visits to the Briksdalsbreen glacier in Norway, which has this year shown a dramatic retreat of around 100 metres.
BluScreen tailors ads to audiences
Researchers in ECS have developed an interactive advertising technology which identifies passers-by and allows them to download information to their mobile phone or PDA.
ECS professor warns of 'skills crisis' in computer industry
In his first major interview as President of the British Computer Society, Professor Nigel Shadbolt told the BBC that the UK was in danger of no longer being a provider of 'really major insights in the information age.' Read interview
Southampton and MIT launch Web Science collaboration
The University of Southampton and MIT have launched a new scientific research initiative on Web Science, aiming to produce the fundamental scientific advances necessary to guide the future design and use of the World Wide Web.
New British Computer Society President is Professor in ECS
Professor Nigel Shadbolt of ECS takes up office today (Wednesday 1 November) as President of the British Computer Society, with an agenda of public engagement for his year at the helm of the organization.
Map Snapper - new digital map technology on the go
An innovative new system from the School of Electronics and Computer Science and Ordnance Survey makes paper maps more flexible by combining the traditional map with the vast resources of the Web.
Pushing the boundaries of access to cultural content
At the Museums Association conference in Bournemouth this week ECS researchers are demonstrating how some of the latest developments in multimedia knowledge technologies can benefit the cultural heritage and creative industries.
Professor Wendy Hall honoured for outstanding technical leadership
Professor Wendy Hall, Head of the School of Electronics and Computer Science, and one of the leading figures in UK engineering and technology, will receive the 2006 Anita Borg Award for Technical Leadership at a ceremony in San Diego, California, on Thursday 5 October.
New models to improve the reliability of virtual organisations
Models of virtual organisations that operate within reliable and trustworthy parameters are being developed in ECS. As the market for virtual organisations grows there is a need to ensure that computerised agents can be trusted.
New partnership will empower e-Science
ECS is playing a major role in a new partnership which will help ensure the UK's international leadership in e-Science. The partnership, OMII-UK, was launched at the country’s premiere e-Science event.
ECS Professor made Fellow of Royal Academy of Engineering
Nigel Shadbolt, Professor of Artificial Intelligence in the School of Electronics & Computer Science, was this week named a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.
ECS a force to reckon with at WWW2006
The 15th International World Wide Web Conference, WWW2006, was attended by around 35 staff and students from ECS.
ECS double success at AAMAS 06
Teams from ECS carried off two major awards at AAMAS 06, the Fifth International Joint Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems, held this month in Hakodate, Japan.
Stevan Harnad--Southampton's globe-trotting archivangelist
Southampton's globe-trotting 'archivangelist' Professor Stevan Harnad, is currently promoting the benefits of University Open Access Self-Archiving as invited keynote speaker in Europe, the United States and Canada.
OMII-UK awarded e-Science funding until 2010
ECS plays a leading role in a partnership of UK universities, working to ensure the UK's international leadership in e-Science, which has received £5.6 million in funding.
Little book addresses some of our biggest systems
An unusual booklet published this week by Professor Michael Luck of the School of Electronics and Computer Science aims to highlight the development of agent-based computing and to illustrate the wide reach of this exciting technology in our everyday lives. 50 Facts about Agent-Based Computing features companies and organizations which have successfully implemented agent technologies in their operations.
Wendy Hall named one of UK science's 'outstanding women'
International Women's Day, 8 March makes a fitting backdrop for the launch of a contemporary photographic collection celebrating the outstanding achievements of six world-class British women who have achieved leadership positions in the fields of science, engineering and technology. One of these six women is Wendy Hall, Professor of Computer Science, and Head of the School of Electronics and Computer Science.
New self-powered sensor networks on the horizon
A research team led by Professor Neil White has been awarded a £400,000 Platform Grant by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to explore new directions in the field of intelligent sensors, which could lead to wearable self-powered devices and accelerate developments in health care and biometrics.
Building trust and validation into distributed computer networks
The School of Electronics and Computer Science is a leading partner in a European research project which will build trust and validation into distributed computer networks. The EU Provenance project will enable users of Grids—networks of computers at distributed locations–to understand the process by which a particular result was generated. This is fundamental to many real-life applications in science, engineering, medicine, and supply chain management.
ECS launches new MSc in Web Technology
A new MSc in Web Technology is one of two exciting and innovative new courses launched by ECS to run from October 2006. The new Web Technology course covers the current and emerging technologies being used to support web-based software systems. The new Complexity Science MSc addresses the critical challenges facing the computational and biological sciences, by focusing on the underlying principles of complexity common to both.
Computing power breaks new boundaries in understanding stem cells
Computer scientists are developing Virtual Research Environments which should lead to a better understanding of stem cells behaviour. Dr Gary Wills and Dr Yee-Wai Sim at the School of Electronics and Computer Science are working on the Collaborative Orthopaedic Research Environment (CORE) project, funded by the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC), to develop Virtual Research Environments (VRE) for orthopaedic surgeons.
Computer agents to aid disaster recovery scenarios
An ambitious five-year research programme is aiming to find solutions for some of the most complex and challenging problems that we currently face. Disaster recovery, particularly the restoration and maintenance of decentralised data and information systems, has been chosen as the real-world application for the ALADDIN project, which comprises a team of experts led by Professor Nick Jennings of the School of Electronics and Computer Science
WWW2006 Conference registration opens
Registration for the 15th annual World Wide Web Conference 2006 has been opened by the University of Southampton's Professor Wendy Hall. The four-day event, to be held in the UK for the first time, will take place at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre between 23 and 26 May 2006. It is expected to attract 1500 to 2000 delegates and will bring together key players from the international community.
'WWW2006 will be the meeting ground for the brightest minds and the broadest thinkers to discuss, debate and set the future direction of the World Wide Web,' said Professor Wendy Hall, Head of Southampton's School of Electronics and Computer Science, the conference organisers. 'Attendance will be vital for anyone wanting to keep ahead of emerging technologies and innovation on the web.'
Data provenance project endorsed by industry
A project which will provide a means of tracing the origins of computer-generated information has received a seal of approval from industry. Professor Luc Moreau from the School of Electronics and Computer Science and John Ibbotson from IBM UK Ltd have showcased the initial results of the EU Provenance Project to IT analysts with very favourable results. The two-year project, which borrows its name from the trusted, documented history of works of art, aims to extend this concept to the computer science industry.
GLACSWEB - a cool mission - featured in IEEE Spectrum magazine
This month's edition of the prestigious Spectrum journal, published by the IEEE, features an in-depth report on the GLACSWEB project, directed by Dr Kirk Martinez of the School of Electronics and Computer Science, in association with Dr Jane Hart of the University's School of Geography.
GLACSWEB is monitoring sediment movement in the Briksdalsbreen Glacier, in Norway, using a series of wireless probes inserted deep into the ice.
ECSS "Open Invite" Meeting
If you would like to join the ECSS committee or help out with any of our events, please attend our “Open Invite” Meeting this Thursday November 24th at 5.30pm in the Stile Pub (near Zepler).
All positions are available to all ECS members and will take effect upon the next Societies Committee Elections before Easter. More information will be provided at the meeting on Thursday.
We also need your help/suggestions for organising our ECSS Christmas Party!!!
If you are interested, or have any questions, please email society@ecs.soton.ac.uk.
ECSS Christmas Party -- Tickets NOW Available!
The ECS Society (ECSS) is hosting this year’s Student Christmas Party 2005 for ALL members of ECS, on December 13th at the SUSU Garden Court from 7pm-1am!!
This year’s event will be an OPEN MIC competition with special features including:
-- LIVE Jazz Band!
-- Guest DJ playing your favourite Christmas tunes!
-- Circus Acts!
-- Comedians!
-- The REAL Santa Claus, and your chance to have your picture taken with him!
-- Prizes for BEST performances! Sign up here: http://society.ecs.soton.ac.uk
-- Private Bar!
-- Buffet!
-- Snow!
And the BEST PART:- Its all FREE to ECS members! Simply show your ECS Student ID to any member of the ECSS Committee and you’ll receive your ticket which includes a Buffet and 1 free drink!!! You must show BOTH your ID and ticket upon entry.)
** Pick up your tickets in Zepler Reception WEEKDAYS 12.45-1.45pm NOW!! **
If have any questions, please email society@ecs.soton.ac.uk.
Merry Christmas To All!
--The ECSS Committee--
WWW2006 — Registration opens for 15th annual web conference
Registration has now opened for the 15th annual World Wide Web conference which is being organized by the School of Electronics and Computer Science. WWW2006 is being held in Edinburgh from 23 to 26 May next year, the first time that this prestigious conference has been held in the UK. The conference delegates, who are expected to number around 1500, will include the world’s leading academics and researchers in the Web, as well as business leaders, industrial technologists, and key standards bodies attracted by the strong programme of keynote presentations.
Roadmap on agent-based computing to be launched
A roadmap which suggests how agent-based computing could develop over the next decade will be launched this month. The Agentlink III Roadmap, which has been compiled by Professor Michael Luck at the School of Electronics & Computer Science (ECS), will be launched at ATC, the Agent Technology Conference in Stockholm, on Tuesday 18 October 2005. The document was developed as a result of an extensive 18-month consultation with experts in agent technology, including the 192 members of Agentlink III and experts in the Americas, Japan and Australasia.
New training course to support Open Access
In a move to make scientific research more freely available, the University of Southampton is running a series of training courses for those planning to set up institutional repositories.
The University, one of the key players in the global Open Access movement, has launched EPrints Services, to provide a range of advice, support, and practical help to all those planning to set up, or maintaining, an institutional research repository.
£1.5 billion lost annually in potential return on British science
The UK is losing around £1.5 billion annually in the potential impact of its scientific research expenditure, according to one of the key figures in the global open access publishing movement. Professor Stevan Harnad, Moderator of the American Scientist Open Access Forum and Professor of Cognitive Science at the University of Southampton's School of Electronics and Computer Science, has calculated the potential return on the investment in scientific research findings that are being lost to the UK each year through the limitations of the current academic publishing environment.
National exhibition features Web inventor
Professor Sir Tim Berners-Lee is featured in the Defying Distance exhibition currently on show at the National Portrait Gallery, London. The exhibition of photographs by Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin focuses on the profound impact that telecommunications have had on the way we live and think.
Leading academics back UK Research Councils on self-archiving
Academics from some of the UK’s top universities are giving public support to the UK Research Councils’ (RCUK) proposed self-archiving policy. The academics, who include inventor of the World Wide Web, Southampton Professor Sir Tim Berners-Lee, have co-signed a document refuting claims made by the Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers (ALPSP) that the RCUK policy would have ‘disastrous consequences’ for journals.
ECS graduate receives top scientific accolade
Professor Judith Bishop, graduate of the School of Electronics and Computer Science, has been named Distinguished Woman Scientist of the Year in South Africa. Professor Bishop is both a graduate of ECS, having received her PhD in the 1970s, and a former member of staff, who taught in the School in the 1980s and 1990s. She is now based in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Pretoria, and works on frameworks for distributed systems that prolong the lifetime of highly expensive software by enabling machine-dependent components to be monitored, identified and exchanged.
Network aims to advance memories for life
As computers become capable of storing a lifetime's worth of memories and researchers explore prosthetic memories for humans, scientists at the University of Southampton have set up a network to develop a better understanding of how memory works and how it might be augmented by technological developments. One of the principal investigators is Professor Nigel Shadbolt from ECS.
Professor Wendy Hall appointed to European Scientific Council
Professor Wendy Hall, Head of ECS, was today named by the European Commission as one of the 22 eminent founding members of the new Scientific Council of the European Research Council (ERC). The European Research Council is a new funding organization for frontier research across Europe, including science and technology, social sciences, and the humanities, which will be part of the Seventh Research Framework Programme (2007-13).
Creating the 'outdoor classroom'
New technology from the School of Electronics and Computer Science has been trialled by pupils from the south of England. Using the latest handheld gadgets they brought history to life in stories they wrote in the grounds of Chawton House, the Elizabethan manor house that once belonged to Jane Austen's brother, Edward. Jane lived on the Chawton estate from 1809 to 1817, her most prolific writing period. A group of Year 5 students from Whiteley Primary School in Hampshire used the new technology in a unique initiative which is part of the Equator Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration.
Professor Wendy Hall elected new Senior VP of national Academy
Professor Wendy Hall has become the first female Senior Vice President of the Royal Academy of Engineering and plans to work with the Academy to attract more women to the discipline. According to Professor Hall, Head of the School of Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) at the University of Southampton, who was elected at the AGM of the Academy on Wednesday 6 July, there is a pressing need for more women engineers--not only to achieve a more healthy gender balance in the industry but because society needs their input in design so that products can be used satisfactorily by both sexes.
Professor Nick Jennings elected FREng
Professor Nick Jennings of the School of Electronics and Computer Science has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, the UK’s national academy for the promotion of engineering and technology.Professor Jennings is Deputy Head of School (Research) and Head of the Intelligence, Agents, Multimedia Group. He is Director of the newly established £5.5 million BAE Systems/EPSRC Strategic Partnership in Distributed Data and Information Systems.
CombeChem, ambitious e-Science project, receives additional funding
An e-Science project which is helping chemists to analyse and store the massive quantity of data being produced by modern combinatorial techniques, has been awarded additional funding of £415,000 by the UK's Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). CombeChem is one of the most ambitious uses of Semantic Web and Grid computing. Led by the School of Chemistry, the School of Electronics and Computer Science (ECS), and the Southampton Statistical Sciences Research Institute (S3RI) at the University of Southampton, the project will facilitate the measurement, storage and reuse of information on thousands of chemical compounds.
New senior academic appointments in the School
It was announced last week that four members of the School had been awarded Personal Chairs. In addition to the four new appointments: Professor Sheng Chen, Professor Paul Lewis, Professor Manfred Opper, and Professor Mark Zwolinski, Dr Hugh Davis, Head of the Learning Technologies Group in the School, has been appointed as University Director of Education.
New environmental monitoring sensor technology showcased
Sensor technologies geared towards understanding glacier dynamics and floodplains were exhibited at The Royal Academy of Engineering Annual Soirée and exhibition on Monday 27 June. The GLACSWEB and FloodNet projects, which were both developed by scientists at the Schools of Electronics & Computer Science (ECS) and Geography, demonstrate advances in pervasive computing and illustrate how networks of wireless sensor probes can be used to measure environmental conditions.
School students challenged to find a cure for malaria
In the first project of its kind, school students will have the chance to design compounds with anti-malarial potential.
Scientists in ECS and the University's School of Chemistry are presenting a challenge to school students to come up with a cure for malaria. The disease, which currently kills one child every 30 seconds, has developed resistance to existing drugs, so there is a growing demand for new compounds.
New study demonstrates worldwide readiness for Open Access mandate
A wide-ranging new international study across all disciplines has found that over 80 per cent of academic researchers the world over would willingly comply with a mandate to deposit copies of their articles in an institutional repository. The findings of the study, carried out by Key Perspectives Ltd, for the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) in the UK, have been greeted by Southampton's Professor Stevan Harnad as 'a historic turning point in the worldwide research community's progress towards 100 per cent Open Access'. Southampton is the only UK university that already has a self-archiving mandate.
The Future of the Semantic Grid
The development of the Semantic Grid will be addressed at an international conference in Heraklion, Greece, on 1 June, by Professor David De Roure, Head of the School's Grid and Pervasive Computing Group. Professor De Roure will highlight the progress of the Semantic Grid towards a high degree of easy-to-use and seamless automation which will enable flexible collaborations and computations on a global scale.
EPrints developer wins UKUUG Award 2005
UKUUG (UK Unix and Open Systems User Group) has given its annual award for 2005 to Christopher Gutteridge of the School of Electronics and Computer Science for his work on the Open Archive Software: GNU EPrints. Christopher has been developing and supporting GNU EPrints 2 package over the last four years. The package is now used worldwide in universities and research institutions to enable researchers to share their research effectively, via the web, and to provide accessibility to scientific findings.
New ways for museums to explore and share their collections
Museum curators and researchers will soon be able to investigate and study works of art in multiple museums and galleries without leaving their desks.
This development is made possible by the SCULPTEUR project, completed this month. The project, which is the first of its kind, has unlocked the digital potential of the collections such as the V&A and the Uffizi. Over a three-year period, computer scientists from the School of Electronics and Computer Science and IT Innovation Centre have helped project partners find new ways for the associated museums and galleries to search, explore and share their rich multimedia collections.
Tony Hey to join Microsoft as Corporate Vice President
Professor Tony Hey is to join Microsoft Corporation as a corporate vice president to co-ordinate their Technical Computing Initiative. He will work across the company to co-ordinate Microsoft’s efforts to collaborate with the scientific community worldwide.
Currently Director of the UK’s e-Science Programme, Tony Hey has been a member of staff of the School of Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) since 1986, and was Head of School from 1994 to 1999.
AgentLink researchers seek feedback on future of agent technologies
Researchers in the School of Electronics and Computer Science have produced an interim report on agent technology on which they are inviting feedback from industry. The AgentLink III consultation document is said by ECS Professor Michael Luck, co-ordinator of the initiative, to set out a roadmap which aims to put Europe at the leading edge of international competitiveness in agent technology. AgentLink’s role is to promote research, development and deployment of autonomous, problem-solving computational entities across industry and academia.
Towards the Semantic Web: the Power of Networks
Professor Wendy Hall CBE, FREng, Head of the School of Electronics and Computer Science at the University of Southampton, will give the sixth annual Athena Lecture at Imperial College London, on Wednesday 4 May. In her lecture, Professor Hall will draw on her own experience and her personal research journey, to emphasize the powerful role that networks can play, both in computing, but also in tackling issues and problems in research and academic life more generally.
ECS researcher applies knowledge management to politics
Dr Kieron O'Hara, Senior Research Fellow in ECS, has written a book which will be of particular interest to the UK's political parties as a general election looms on the horizon. Dr O'Hara has taken his expertise in knowledge management for organisations and looked at how it could be applied to a government, a country, or a political party. His new book, After Blair: Conservatism Beyond Thatcher, published this month by Icon Books, embarks on a quest for an ideological answer to the Conservatives’ difficulties.
AI expert calls for e-defence for the UK
The need for the UK military to develop e-defence so that it can compete with the rest of the world will be highlighted by Professor Nigel Shadbolt next week. His call will be made when he delivers the British Computer Society/Royal Signals Institution annual lecture on 'Web Intelligence' at the National Army Museum, London, on Wednesday 9 March. Professor Shadbolt, who is Professor of Artificial Intelligence at the School of Electronics and Computer Science, will focus on how Artificial Intelligence is being woven into the World Wide Web and review how these developments are likely to shape future military capabilities.
International meeting in Southampton could create worldwide OA policy
A meeting of international institutions which have signed up to Open Access (OA) could result in a united policy creating a huge growth in free access to research findings. The Berlin 3 Open Access Meeting: Progress in Implementing the Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities will be hosted next week by the University of Southampton.
Chemistry of a cuppa: Helping to digitize laboratories of the future
The brewing of tea formed a crucial component of a project which successfully took traditional paper laboratory books and moved them to digital formats. That knowledge and experience is now being put to use in a subsequent project by researchers from the School of Electronics and Computer Science who are aiming to apply similar techniques to Bioinformatics.
'Greatest Briton' accolade for Tim Berners-Lee
World Wide Web inventor, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, was last week named Greatest Briton 2004 in a ceremony in London. Receiving his award at the Royal Courts of Justice, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, who last December accepted a Chair of Computer Science in the School of Electronics and Computer Science, said that it was an 'amazing honour'.
Conference endorses Open Access mandate
The benefits available to universities which provide Open Access (OA) to their research were highlighted at a two-day workshop on institutional self-archiving held this week at the University of Southampton. Institutions which self-archive could experience increased ease with Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) compliance, double the amount of research exposure and impact, and gain access to advanced technologies which will revolutionise the information industry, said conference speakers.
An Open Access mandate for the UK
The need for a nationwide policy to ensure that UK researchers and their universities derive the benefits of providing Open Access (OA) to their research will be examined at a two-day workshop (25/26 January) on institutional self-archiving at the University of Southampton. During the event, Open Access Institutional Repositories: Leadership, Direction and Launch, academics from ECS will share their experience and expertise in making scholarly and scientific research freely available online. They will be joined by research funders and other universities and institutions to discuss the way forward to 100 per cent OA in the UK.
Provenance: improving authenticity of computer-generated information
There is currently no standard means of proving the source of computer-generated information. There is therefore no way of auditing the information or tracing how a particular result was achieved. However, a new EU-wide project will provide a means of tracing the origins of computer-generated information, as well as creating a standard for the industry. The EU Provenance Project, funded by the Sixth Framework Programme, borrows its name from the trusted, documented history of works of art, and aims to extend this concept to the computer science industry. ECS is a major partner in the Project.
Open Access: Southampton workshops to pave the way forward
Open Access to scientific and academic research publications is one of the hottest topics currently engaging academic and knowledge managers, publishers, and libraries. ECS expertise in EPrints and in establishing institutional repositories will form a major part of the agenda of two free workshops, being held later this month for UK university institutions planning to set up their own repositories.
University of Southampton to provide free access to academic research
The University of Southampton is to make all its academic and scientific research output freely available. A decision by the University to provide core funding for its Institutional Repository establishes it as a central part of its research infrastructure, marking a new era for Open Access to academic research in the UK.
Tim Berners-Lee, World Wide Web inventor, to join ECS
The inventor of the World Wide Web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, is to take up a Chair of Computer Science at the University of Southampton's School of Electronics and Computer Science.
He will hold this position alongside his current appointments as Senior Research Scientist at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, and Director of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).
Revolutionising breast cancer treatment through knowledge management
UK scientists have designed a knowledge management system which could enable medical practitioners to make speedy, informed decisions about breast cancer patients. The project pulls together information which was previously held in separate locations and it has the potential to revolutionise patient diagnosis and management.
From zzstructures to mSpaces: New ways to compare Web navigation tools
Surfing the Web could become a much more effective experience thanks to new approaches endorsed at this year’s ACM (Association of Computing Machinery) Hypertext Conference. For their comparison of new models, called Hyperstructures, for representing information on the Web, dr monica schraefel from the School of Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) at the University of Southampton and Michael Mc Guffin from the Department of Computer Science at the University of Toronto received an ACM SigWeb Special Research Distinction, Awarded for Excellent Presentation of Theoretical Concepts.
Prisoner's Dilemma Competition won by ECS team
A solution which allows computer agents to collude, rather than compete with each other, has won this year’s recreation of Axelrod’s classic Iterated Prisoner’s Dilemma competition.
The winning solution was devised by a team from the University of Southampton’s School of Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) which met the competition’s 20th anniversary challenge to resolve the original dilemma in a noisy environment where moves could be misinterpreted.
Agent technologies will boost business efficiency
This year's Agent Technology Conference, taking place in Zurich on Friday 1 October, will bring together world-leading agent technology experts and representatives from traditional industries to report on how they are using autonomous computer agents to perform functions in the workplace. The conference is co-ordinated by the School of Electronics and Computer Science, working with colleagues at the University of Liverpool.
