Modelling Birmingham’s Cultural Ecology and Urban Oral History Using BlueBEAR

In this case study, we hear from Jack (Wei-Chieh Tsai), a doctoral student from History of Art and Geography who examines how cultural intermediaries, including artists, curators, and cultural organisations, have contributed to urban development. My PhD research examines the role of artistic interventions in transforming post-industrial Birmingham between 1986 and 2016. The project examines how cultural … Continue reading “Modelling Birmingham’s Cultural Ecology and Urban Oral History Using BlueBEAR”

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Binary classification of lung tissue immunofluorescence images by deep learning

In this case study we hear from Ellen Jenkins, a postdoctoral student from the Institute of Inflammation and Ageing. Ellen is looking into developing a deep learning model to automatically differentiate the tissue from the air space. There is an ongoing project in the respiratory research group (CMH, IIA) which utilises samples of human lung … Continue reading “Binary classification of lung tissue immunofluorescence images by deep learning”

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March BEAR Newsletter

Birmingham Environment for Academic Research (BEAR) Newsletter You may have noticed that there was no February newsletter and there was a good reason for this! We were awaiting the release of the exciting news that the University has won funding from UKRI to provide a National Compute Resource (NCR). There are several new posts to support … Continue reading “March BEAR Newsletter”

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Cooling works in data centre – upcoming service disruption

Update – 16:17 on Friday 17 April, 2026 The cleaning of the cooling system is now complete. The effort required to get all the parties involved was a mammoth task which was admirably managed by our AIS (systems teams). The maintenance was essential to ensure optimal performance and longevity of equipment. Particularly given the imminent … Continue reading “Cooling works in data centre – upcoming service disruption”

May 2025 BEAR Newsletter

Birmingham Environment for Academic Research (BEAR) Newsletter As we head into summer, we have a busy events season starting this week with the HPC-SIG in Cambridge, the Thesis Submission event for PGRs, and the BEAR Conference. Hopefully you will have seen that our summer programme of BEAR training workshops (being held online) has now been released, and you can … Continue reading “May 2025 BEAR Newsletter”

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Reflections on the BEAR Challenge 2024

In this blog post, we hear from Ivan Korniichuk, a member of the third-placed team in BEAR Challenge 2024, who gives his perspective on the recent event. I am delighted to announce that our team “return -1” achieved 3rd place in the BEAR Challenge 2024! Participating in this intensive three-day event at the University of … Continue reading “Reflections on the BEAR Challenge 2024”

June BEAR Newsletter

This month we cover lots of past and future events, with blog posts on the BEAR Conference and Baskerville Showcase, together with details on a session at the Postgraduate Research Festival and the BioFAIR Roadshow. We also have some articles on life within the Advanced Research Computing team, to give you an insight into our … Continue reading “June BEAR Newsletter”

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Just about “and managing” in the RSE world, within ARC

The field of research software engineering has grown steadily since the term “Research Software Engineer” (RSE) was coined in 2012. Many research-intensive universities now have central teams of RSEs who, like the Research Software Group (RSG) in Advanced Research Computing (ARC) here in Birmingham, are available to support researchers across the university with their bespoke … Continue reading “Just about “and managing” in the RSE world, within ARC”

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BEAR Challenge 2023

“The event was fun, challenging, and insightful. The best part was that it gave me an opportunity to work and learn something new with my friends. Thank you, team!” This is a quote from one of the participants who attended the BEAR Challenge held between 19th-21st June. The aim of the challenge is to introduce … Continue reading “BEAR Challenge 2023”

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