Duo of titanic galaxies caught in extreme starbursting merger
A pair of exceptionally rare hyper-luminous star-forming galaxies have been discovered, representing an extreme galaxy merger in the early universe. These so-called hyper-luminous starburst galaxies are exceedingly rare at this epoch; as a pair, they may represent one of the most-extreme examples of violent star formation ever observed. Astronomers speculate that this merger may eventually form the core of an entire galaxy cluster, which are among the most massive structures in the universe. The research team, which include Imperial College London physicists, published their discovery in the Astrophysical Journal. Read the full article on our website.
Could you power a smartphone just by walking?
A team of London school pupils has won top prize at an Imperial competition for inventing electricity-generating insoles. Green Steps, a team of Year 9 pupils from Clapton Girls School, came up with the idea as part of the Schools Challenge programme - a collaboration between Imperial and J.P. Morgan which tasked young people to come up with innovative products to improve our cities. Nearly 150 students from nine London schools took part in the challenge, where they were asked to tackle one of three key urban challenges – transport, reusing resources, and air quality. Read the full article on our website.
'Google Maps for structures' wins Innovate UK award
Imperial alum Pae Natwilai has won the 2017 Design in Innovation Award for harnessing the potential of drones to improve structural inspection. Her start-up, TRIK, uses automated drones to check for damage or defects to large structures - such as oil rigs, bridges, or multi-storey buildings. The drones create interactive 3D models, made up of thousands of photographs, which can be analysed and annotated by inspectors. New photos and data can be added to the model over time, keeping a record of changes to the condition of a structure. Read the full article on our website.
Artificial Intelligence could solve the great challenges of our time, shape tomorrow’s world and even make our home lives that bit more comfortable. Come find out how! From virtual personal assistants, electronic heart surgeons and a robotic companion for autistic children, say hi to AI and meet the real people behind the latest developments and applications in artificial intelligence. Based on the College’s ground-breaking research, the Fringe programme runs throughout the year to give members of the public an opportunity to meet our researchers and find out more about our work. For more information and to register see the event page.
Lecture: 'Mars: delirium, delight and disasters' – 11 January, 19:00
Professor David Southwood will talk about his personal experience of Mars exploration having worked on Russian/Soviet, US as well as European Mars programmes. He will also offer insights into Cassini's triumphant descent to Saturn as observed at NASA. Professor David Southwood - Chair of the UK Space Agency, former Director of Science and Robotic Exploration at the European Space Agency - is the current Senior Research Investigator in the Department of Physics at Imperial College London, focusing on solar-terrestrial physics and planetary science. There is an allocation of free tickets for GSCE and A-level students (first-come-first-served). For more information see the website or email admin@friendsofimperial.org.uk
Year 12 lecture event – 8 February, 13:45
This free event is aimed at students currently in Year 12 who have an interest in studying at Imperial. The event will kick off with a taster bioengineering lecture from an Imperial academic, Dr Jenna Stevens-Smith, giving an insight into what it’s like to study at Imperial. This will be followed by a talk about writing an effective personal statement, covering what Admissions Tutors are looking for. The event will end with a student panel who will talk about their student experience and answer questions about student life. For more information and to register see the event page.
Programmes for schools
Opportunity for teachers to inform research into widening access to medical education
We are currently undertaking research to investigate the challenges of accessing medical education and would like to invite teachers and career advisors working with Year 9-13 students to attend a focus group at Imperial’s South Kensington campus on Wednesday 10 January at 17:30-19:30. The event will include an interactive session on how teachers can best support their students in their application to medicine with Professor Kevin Murphy (Medicine Admissions Tutor). Light refreshments will be provided. For further information please contact Amandip Bisel at a.bisel16@imperial.ac.uk.
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Summer Schools 2018
Applications for the following summer schools will open on 15 January 2018:
Year 9 Engineering Summer School
Year 10 Insights into Science & Engineering Summer School
Year 11 Project STEM Summer School
Year 12 Engineering Summer School
Year 12 Work Experience Programme
Attending a summer school is a great way to discover what it is like to study at Imperial and what life is like as a student in London. For more information including dates, eligibility criteria (and the application links from 15 January) please see our website.
Dr. Me health promotion workshops for primary schools
Dr. Me is an innovative project which aims to encourage children to become more aware of their own health and provide a basic understanding of the management of common childhood illnesses. Schools can book free fun-filled workshops for Year 5 and 6 pupils which are in line with PSHE curriculum. The workshops are delivered by a team of fully trained doctors and medical students, including those from Imperial, and give children the opportunity to ask questions about Medicine as a career. For more information see their website or email c.fung@imperial.ac.uk.
School Visits Programme
Jane Marshall, Imperial's Outreach School Visits Programme Manager, is offering entertaining and informative talks to sixth formers in state schools across London and the South East covering topics including the benefits of a degree and choosing your course and university, writing an excellent Personal Statement and how to perform well at interview. She also offers mock interviews for Year 13 students. Jane is taking bookings for spring and summer 2018 and beyond; you can contact her at j.marshall@imperial.ac.uk.
Resources for schools and teachers
Take a virtual trip around Imperial's campus
School children across the world can now take virtual trips through Imperial's research and education facilities via an immersive platform from Google. The College has worked with the digital education specialists Twig World to create a series of ‘Google Expeditions’ around its Carbon Capture Pilot Plant, animal research facilities, and South Kensington Campus. These virtual tours have now been launched on Google’s educational platform, Google Expeditions; download the app to start exploring!
Departmental outreach
National Heart and Lung Institute
Find more about the National Heart and Lung Institute's activities on their public engagement page.
Physics Department
Find out more about the Physics department's activities on their Outreach page.
Bioengineering Department Find more about the department and their activities on their Facebook page.
Computing Department
Find more about the Computing department's activities on their Outreach page.
