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Improvements in traffic flow on urban road networks have a direct daily impact on citizens, business and tourism. To make improvements, transportation planners and signal engineers rely on modelling and control software that implements mathematical methods designed to optimize traffic flows, signal timings or both. Research by Mike Smith's group at York since 1993 has led to:
University of Cambridge research led to the creation of spin-out company, Cavendish Kinetics which developed a micro electro mechanical (MEMS) process technology that allows MEMS devices to be fabricated in a standard silicon foundry. The company is now producing RF MEMS technology for mobile phone applications allowing faster data transfer and lower power consumption. It initially developed a non-volatile memory product for harsh environments. The company has provided more than 350 person years of highly skilled employment (of which 140 person years are within the period) at offices in the US, UK, the Netherlands, and Korea. It has developed a large patent portfolio and raised tens of millions of US dollars in VC funding.
Interdisciplinary work by microbiologist Smith TJ and materials science collaborators has led to (i) the development of novel environmentally friendly coatings for anti-corrosion and anti-biofouling applications that have attracted attention across diverse industries; (ii) the development of a platform technology that includes an antimicrobial coating currently under investigation for use on orthopaedic prostheses and (iii) associated work quantifying elution of antibiotics from orthopaedic cement in clinical use. The research has been disseminated via journal publications and patents have been obtained. Impact is evidenced by commercial interest, which has led to collaborative field trials under an EPSRC follow-on fund grant and contract research and consultancy funded by industry and the NHS.
Novel numerical limit analysis methods developed in the Department of Civil and Structural Engineering have been embedded in commercial software developed by spin-out company LimitState (http://www.limitstate.com). The software is now used by over 100 industrial organisations in more than 30 countries.
The software can model real-world problems far more quickly (up to 50 times faster) than was previously possible, bringing significant productivity and economic benefits to practitioners and their clients, e.g.:
Professor of Film John Smith has completed over 30 films, videos and installations since joining UEL in 1984. The non-academic impact of this body of work arises from Smith's innovative narrative and filmic aesthetic, which combines carefully-crafted nonchalance with concerned political consciousness. Smith's videos use ordinary environments to raise awareness of and engagement with geo-political conflict, an approach exemplified by the consideration in his 2008 work Hotel Diaries of conflicts in the Middle East, Afghanistan and Iraq. His work's deceptive informality and casual, playful manner achieves broad public engagement, thereby enhancing UK film's innovative reputation and contributing to national artistic heritage. This achievement has been acknowledged by Smith's receipt of many international awards, notably the 2011 Paul Hamlyn Distinguished Artist Award and 2013 Film London Jarman Award.