In-memory computing – EXASOL evaluation

EXASOL (http://www.exasol.com/en/) provides an in-memory computing solution for data analytics. It combines in memory, columnar storage and massively parallel technologies to support high performance, flexibility and scalability. In-memory computing (IMC) is an architecture-style where applications assume all the data required for processing is located in the main memory of their computing environment. In-memory computing (IMC) is a … Continue reading “In-memory computing – EXASOL evaluation”

The Lapworth museum application

The Lapworth Museum App is a collaboration between the  IT Innovation Centre and the Lapworth Museum of Geology at the University of Birmingham. The app was created by 1st year Computer Science student Adedayo Omosanya, winner of the Student Mobile App Competition 2015. [Download Link] The Lapworth Museum App includes the following features: Guided Tours to the Museum:  Visitors can follow up … Continue reading “The Lapworth museum application”

Gesture Control Technology: An investigation on the potential use in Higher Education

For decades, keyboards and mouse have been the main input devices for computers. However, with the rising popularity of ubiquitous and ambient devices, (i.e. PlayStations), and equipment which allows users to grasp virtual objects, hand or body gesture are becoming essential: gesture controls have become central to the human computer interaction system. Gesture control technology is based on … Continue reading “Gesture Control Technology: An investigation on the potential use in Higher Education”

Student Mobile App Competition 2015-2016 Winners Announced

The Award and Demo Ceremony for the Student Mobile App Competition was successfully carried on 18th March 2016. Our finalists have inspired us with their app designs and prototypes.Career Networks provided a great support on the day and interviewed our finalists for their SMAC experiences. External sponsors from IBM, Deutsche Bank and Whitbread came as judges … Continue reading “Student Mobile App Competition 2015-2016 Winners Announced”

Student Mobile App Competition 2015-2016 Final-Demo and Award Ceremony

Time: 18th March 2016, 9:00am – 5:00pm Location: Aston Webb C Block G30 (Careers Network Seminar Room) In the demos and awards ceremony, finalists will present and demo their apps and designs to a panel of experts from industry and academics and to a wider audience.This year, we have engaged a new industrial sponsor, Whitbread (who run Costa, … Continue reading “Student Mobile App Competition 2015-2016 Final-Demo and Award Ceremony”

Oculus Rift: Analysis and potential use in Higher Education

If you don’t know what the Oculus Rift (OR) is, it is a virtual reality (VR) headset that covers your eyes blocking out any sight other than what it’s embedded screens show you. The OR tracks your head movements and where you are in space which is mimicked on the screens in front of you. The OR … Continue reading “Oculus Rift: Analysis and potential use in Higher Education”

Guidelines for Submission of Mobile Apps – Sunday 21st Feb 2016

The final  submission deadline is Sunday 21st February 2016 (this has now been extended from the original deadline of Friday 19th February) Please see below for instructions on what and how to submit your work at this stage: For working prototypes or working apps:  Please email the executable files of your app in a zip file to itinnovation@contacts.bham.ac.uk. Please … Continue reading “Guidelines for Submission of Mobile Apps – Sunday 21st Feb 2016”

New industrial sponsor for SMAC 2015-2016

IT Innovation Centre has managed to secure a new industrial sponsor for the competition winners. Therefore, together with industrial placements in IBM and Deutsche Bank, Whitbread will be offering two paid 12 week summer internships at their Digital Development office in Farringdon, London. The office is a brand new venture for Whitbread. They do both front … Continue reading “New industrial sponsor for SMAC 2015-2016”

Personal safety app: an evaluation of the Companion app and comparison to other safety apps

The Companion app (http://www.companionapp.io) is a free personal safety mobile app created by five students from the University of Michigan, MI, USA. It enables users to invite friends or family members to monitor their journey and check their safety via an online map, without the need for their friends or family members to install the Companion app. Companion … Continue reading “Personal safety app: an evaluation of the Companion app and comparison to other safety apps”

An Overview of MATLAB and other mathematics modelling tools

MATLAB is a numerical computing environment and programming language. It is a commercial software owned by MathWorks, and is widely used in teaching and research. Although MATLAB has a campus agreement which grants the University unlimited usage of the core MATLAB product and a limited selection of toolboxes, the yearly subscription costs in excess of £100k. In this … Continue reading “An Overview of MATLAB and other mathematics modelling tools”