Birmingham Environment for Academic Research (BEAR) Newsletter
We kicked off September with a BEAR Champion meetup, celebrating all the help that our expanding team of volunteers have given over the past academic year and going on a data centre tour to meet our supercomputer, BlueBEAR. As we head into the new academic year, we have updated our training homepage to accommodate the many new workshops that we will soon be adding.
Included in this month’s newsletter:
- News from the Advanced Research Computing team
- BEAR training workshops
- ‘Green software use on HPC’ workshop – 22 October
- How green is the BEAR? 2025 updates
- Tier-1 HPC applications – request for information
- Open calls for access to Tier-1 and Tier-2 HPC facilities
- Join the ‘BEAR Conference 2026 PGR Committee’
- Library guidance on responsible AI tool selection
- CoSeC Annual Conference 2025 – call for presentations
- Case study on use of BlueBEAR to optimise aerodynamic performance
- BEAR drop-in session dates
News from the Advanced Research Computing team
We are pleased to welcome another new member to the Research Software Group, Dr Christine Stawitz, who is joining the team as a Senior Research Software Engineer and Manager. Christine was previously a researcher based at the University of Washington and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (USA) National Marine Fisheries Service.
BEAR training workshops
We are in the process of scheduling our training courses for the autumn term. Dates will be available for booking shortly on the newly refreshed training homepage, including Introduction to Linux, MATLAB, R, Python and NVIDIA workshops. We will be sending a separate email via this list to notify you when booking is open.
‘Green software use on HPC’ workshop – 22 October
The team from ARCHER2 (the UK National Supercomputing Service), will be delivering a FREE in-person course on Wednesday 22 October (10:00-15:30) at the University of Birmingham covering ‘Green software use on HPC’. Book your place via the ARCHER2 webpages.
How green is the BEAR? 2025 updates
Lots of you have been getting in touch with us recently to ask about initiatives around sustainable computing, so we thought it was time to share updates on what we have been working on since we last reported on this area. Have a read of our blog post on ‘How green is the BEAR? 2025 updates’ to find out more and do get in touch if you would be interested in a ‘Sustainable Computing Special Interest Group’.
Tier-1 HPC applications – request for information
Have you applied for access to Tier 1-HPC facilities? If so, please get in touch as we are trying to compile figures on application/award numbers, hours (split by type), and financial value (if known) for an upcoming visit to the University by EPSRC.
Open calls for access to Tier-1 and Tier-2 HPC facilities
Two separate calls for access to Tier-1 and Tier-2 HPC facilities are currently open:
The ‘Access to HPC’ call has just opened inviting applications for access to compute resource on the national services ARCHER2, Isambard 3, and Tier-2 HPC facilities (deadline 6 November).
Access to the Tier-1 HPC facilities Isambard-AI and Dawn AIRR supercomputer for UK-based researchers is available via the Gateway route. It provides flexible support for AI-related research and development projects, such as first-time users of AI supercomputing resources and testing of algorithms, code, and workflows (no closing date).
Join the BEAR Conference 2026 PGR Committee!
Be at the heart of something exciting – gain hands-on experience, build your network, and help shape the BEAR Conference 2026 – an event that inspires and connects Postgraduate Researchers (PGRs) across disciplines. To find out more, you can read about last year’s Committee’s experience running the conference. If you’re a PGR who is interested, then please get in touch with the BEAR User Group Chair, Dietmar Heinke, or our team (deadline mid-October).
Library guidance on responsible AI tool selection
The Library has developed two new webpages to support researchers in using AI tools responsibly in their work:
AI Tools Licensing Review Guidance – This webpage offers clear explanations of the terms and conditions associated with commonly used AI tools in research, highlighting potential issues and considerations.
Evaluative Framework for Assessing AI Tools – This resource provides a structured set of questions to help researchers critically evaluate AI tools and make informed decisions about their use.
CoSeC Annual Conference 2025 – call for presentations
The Computational Science Centre for Research Communities (CoSeC) is inviting submissions to present talks and posters at its annual conference in Manchester on Wednesday 3 December. Invited topics of interest include modelling, scientific reproducibility across computational science, data stewardship, and accelerated computing – see the CoSeC call for details (deadline 31 October).
Case study on use of BlueBEAR to optimise aerodynamic performance
In this month’s featured case study, we hear from BEAR Champion Hibah Saddal (PhD student in Aerospace Engineering), who explains how she uses our supercomputer, BlueBEAR, to optimise aerodynamic performance. Hibah describes the use of open-source tools to explore flexible morphing wings inspired by nature to optimise Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) performance. The simulations require significant computational resources, hence use of BlueBEAR significantly reduced the turnaround time for each simulation. Have a read of Hibah’s case study to find out more.
BEAR drop-in session dates
We are currently holding monthly in-person drop-in sessions on the first Wednesday of the month at 13:30-14:30 on the first floor of Staff House (formerly Café Aroma). We also provide additional virtual drop-in sessions via Zoom for those not on campus or who require specialist help – check the drop-in webpage for updates, as well as details on how to join the sessions. Currently scheduled dates are also listed below:
- Via Zoom – Thursday 25 September, 11:00-12:00
- In-person – Wednesday 1 October, 13:30-14:30 – Staff House, first floor (look for our banner)
- Via Zoom – Tuesday 7 October, 13:30-14:30
- Via Zoom – Thursday 16 October, 11:00-12:00
- In-person – Tuesday 21 October, 11:00-13:00 – Staff Benefits Fair, Great Hall
Missed last month’s newsletter?
Find July’s newsletter here. Sign up to receive the newsletter direct to your inbox by joining our bear-updates mailing list here (UoB login required), or ask to join via email at bearinfo@contacts.bham.ac.uk