Day 261 of my BRIT 2012 mile walk
was hosted by Swansea University http://www.swan.ac.uk/ .
I was warmly welcomed by the Lord
Lieutenant of West Glamorgan, Mr D. Byron Lewis Esq. CstJ, FCA http://www.lordlieutenantwestglamorgan.org.uk/ and the High
Sheriff of West Glamorgan, William Hopkins Esq http://www.highsheriffs.com/
 |
| With the Lord Lieutenant of West Glamorgan & the High Sheriff of West Glamorgan on Day 261 of my BRIT 2012 mile walk in Swansea |
It was a pleasure to spend time
talking to the Lord Lieutenant and the High Sheriff and I am grateful to the
Lord Lieutenant for offering his full support to BRIT and I, inviting me back
to West Glamorgan and for his kind words to the students and staff of the University
today.
It was super to meet all seven of
the Swansea University Student Union Presidents today and to be joined by staff
and students on the walk.
 |
| With the seven Swansea University Student Union Presidents on Day 261 of my BRIT 2012 mile walk |
The University's foundation stone
was laid by King George V on 19 July 1920 and 89 students (including eight
female students) enrolled that same year. In 1921, Dr Mary Williams became the
first woman to be appointed to a Chair at a UK university when she became
Professor of French language and literature. By September 1939, there were 65
staff and 485 students.
In 1947 there were just two
permanent buildings on campus: Singleton Abbey and the library. The Principal,
J S Fulton, recognised the need to expand the estate and had a vision of a
self-contained community, with residential, social and academic facilities on a
single site. His vision was to become the first university campus in the UK.
By 1960 a large-scale development
programme was underway that would see the construction of new halls of
residence, the Maths and Science Tower, and College House (later renamed Fulton
House). The 1960s also saw the development of the "finite element
method" by Professor Olek Zienkiewicz. His technique revolutionised the
design and engineering of manufactured products, and Swansea was starting to
stake its claim as an institution that demanded to be taken seriously.
Work began on the student village
at Hendrefoelan in 1971, the South Wales Miners' Library was established in
1973 and the Taliesin Arts Centre opened on campus in 1984. The Regional
Schools of Nursing transferred to Swansea in 1992, and the College of Medicine
opened in 2001. Technium Digital was completed in 2005 and, barely two years
later, the University opened its Institute of Life Science, which
commercialises the results of research undertaken in the College of Medicine.
Work commenced on a second Institute of Life Science in 2009.
An ambitious campus expansion and
development project is now underway, ensuring that Swansea University will
maintain its momentum, and continue to work for the benefit of the city, its
people and industries.
Swansea University has a vast
array of opportunities for studying including six colleges;
The Academi Hywel Teifi is a centre of excellence for research
and teaching the Welsh language and its literature. The Academi promotes Welsh
for Adults, Welsh degree schemes, Welsh-medium teaching and research across the
university.
ELL is home to research and teaching in Applied Linguistics, English Language, TEFL, English Literature, Creative Writing, Gender and Culture and Medieval Studies.
LTC is home to research and teaching in Modern Languages including Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian and Spanish, Translation and Interpreting and Communication, Media Practice and Public Relations (PR).
They also offer Welsh Medium Provision.
DACE provides community-based learning for adults in South
West Wales. Their programmes include a Preparation course and the part-time
degree for the BA Humanities, Lectures, Pathways, Taster Courses and HE
Certificates and Diplomas.
History and Classics is home to research and teaching in Ancient History, Medieval Studies, Early Modern and Modern History, Classical Languages and Literature and Egyptology. They also offer Welsh Medium Provision for History.
PCS is home to research and teaching in Politics, International Relations, International Security, Public Policy, Development Studies, Comparative Journalism, Digital Media, International Communication, Media Studies, PPE/PPL, American Studies and War and Society.
In addition, Swansea University
has a superb Sport Programme and facilities including;
Performance
and Recreation
Sporting teams and individuals
who compete for the University at any level.
Elite
Sport
Sport in which Swansea University
have partnerships with an elite sporting body which influences the success of
their sporting teams and individuals.
Sport
Scholarships
Each year the University offers
several undergraduate entrance scholarships for outstanding students in their
sporting activity.
Health
and Wellbeing
Swansea is a healthy University and aspires to create a learning
environment and organisational culture.
Sports Village
Swansea University has extensive
indoor and outdoor sports facilities.
Sport
Science
The study of aspects of physical sciences, life sciences, and behavioural
sciences which influence participation and performance in sport.
Swansea University is also a vital partner in taking the Land Speed Record to 1000mph.
The Engineering Adventure
I had the privilege earlier in the year of being invited by my Chairman
of Trustees, Martin Lewis, to a talk at Goodwood House on the progress of the
BLOODHOUND Supersonic car (SCC) http://www.bloodhoundssc.com/ Martin and I share a keen
interest in motorsport and Martin has been involved in supporting British
Motorsport drivers and teams for many years. The talk was an opportunity to
spend some time together in a relaxed atmosphere and I was absolutely
mesmerised by the presentation the BLOODHOUND Team gave and the progress they
are making.
The BLOODHOUND Supersonic Car
(SSC), launched by Richard Noble in October 2008 at Swansea's National
Waterfront Museum, is set to take the land speed record into a whole new speed
regime. The team, with researchers from Swansea at its heart, plans to increase
the current land speed record (763mph) by over 30% to 1000mph.
The three-year science and
engineering adventure is the brainchild of Richard Noble and Andy Green,
current land speed record holders, who smashed their way through the sound
barrier and into the record books in 1997 with Wing Commander Green driving
THRUST SSC at 763mph.
Swansea University’s primary role
in the BLOODHOUND Project has been the contribution of its expertise in Computational
Fluid Dynamics (CFD) research; with Swansea engineers working as part of
the design team on the aerodynamic design of the supersonic car.
Professor Oubay Hassan MBE and
Professor Ken Morgan at Swansea University’s School of Engineering developed
the pioneering CFD technology used to aerodynamically design the successful
THRUST SSC. That CFD technology has since been further refined and customised
to address BLOODHOUND SSC’s ambitious and specific challenges in science,
engineering and maths.
Professor Hassan explained:
"Swansea University has used Computational Fluid Dynamics technology to
simulate, on a computer, the aerodynamic flows that affect the vehicle at great
speeds and to predict how BLOODHOUND SSC will perform under extreme conditions.
Based on this predictive software, and the advanced turbulence modelling and
the effect of the dust cloud created by the vehicle, the design team has
achieved the optimum aerodynamic design – ensuring that the manned supersonic
car will stay on the ground at the 1000mph mark."
Swansea University has further
contributed to the success of the BLOODHOUND Project through the work of Dr
Adrian Luckman, Reader at the University’s School of the Environment and Society.
Dr Luckman conducted a global search of geographical locations suitable for the
record attempts by using a Geographical Information System approach and
satellite remote sensing data products. A long list of 36 potential sites,
based on area and surface characteristics, was produced before the project team
selected Hakskeen Pan, a desert in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa,
as the optimum location for the record attempt scheduled to take place in 2011.
 |
| The Swansea University BLOODHOUND SCC Team |
To help achieve this goal,
Swansea-based engineers and researchers have worked with the BLOODHOUND
Education Team (BET) to successfully roll-out the BLOODHOUND Education
Programme to schools and colleges across Wales.
It was a pleasure to walk at Swansea University today and I am ending Day
261 with 369 miles to go.
Best wishes,
Phil