During 2026, there has been major work undertaken on the majority of the BEAR services provided by Advanced Research Computing, which has kept the Architecture, Infrastructure and Systems Group very busy! We understand the past year may have been a frustrating time for BEAR users due to more downtime than usual, but we hope you … Continue reading “BEAR infrastructure improvements in 2026”
Tag: Baskerville
Summer 2026 BEAR Newsletter
Birmingham Environment for Academic Research (BEAR) Newsletter This month’s Editor: Stephanie Thompson In Advanced Research Computing, we’ve been welcoming lots of new starters this month, some of whom will be supporting the Baskerville National Compute Resource, which was turned on for the first time last week! Find out how to be one of the first … Continue reading “Summer 2026 BEAR Newsletter”
New Head of Advanced Research Computing
We’re pleased to share that Dr Andrew Edmondson (Ed) has been appointed as the new Head of Advanced Research Computing (ARC), which is also highlighted in a recent ARC story on the University Sharepoint. Many of you will know Ed from his previous roles as Deputy Head of ARC and founder and leader of the … Continue reading “New Head of Advanced Research Computing”
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 used BlueBEAR to examine 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 … Continue reading “Modelling Birmingham’s Cultural Ecology and Urban Oral History Using BlueBEAR”
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”
March 2026 BEAR Newsletter
Birmingham Environment for Academic Research (BEAR) Newsletter This month’s Editor: Stephanie Thompson 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 … Continue reading “March 2026 BEAR Newsletter”
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”
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”