Photo opportunity 3pm, Wednesday 23 April, 1st floor, Ewing Building, University of Dundee.
A postgraduate student will exhibit his design for a solar powered ATM at this afternoon's exhibition of engineering projects at the University of Dundee.
Maheshwur Dayal has developed a solar powered Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) that does not need a connection to a standard grid supply outlet. Maheshwur explains: "In remote, under-developed regions existing supply outlets are inadequate for reliable ATM operation. To allow customers in such locations to have access to full ATM facilities, an alternative source of power such as that provided by solar energy is desirable."
Also on show this afternoon -
Chalermpol Saiprasert has developed a system to test the thickness of banknotes. Devices like these could be used to prevent the millions of pounds worth of fraud that takes places in the UK each year.
Researchers and students in the Division of Mechanical Engineering & Mechatronics at the University of Dundee have been going back to their biology books in an effort to discover the mechanisms by which they can enhance wound healing in humans.
Final year and postgraduate engineering students will exhibit their latest projects this afternoon in an annual exhibition of work which will show some of these latest innovations in tissue engineering.
Sean Joseph will show his project on the fabrication of high aspect ratio miscrostructures and Darren MacIntosh will explain to visitors his investigation of soft-lithography applications in tissue engineering.
Dr Robert Keatch and Dr Mark Pridham are leading the engineering element in a new multidisciplinary team, which brings together biologists, engineers, biochemists, clinicians and mathematicians to investigate Tissue Engineering.
Of most interest to the team is investigating the role the surface structure of the wound plays in regulating cell growth. The team uses microengineering techniques to produce miniature scaffolds (smaller than a human hair) on which the cells can grow. It is hoped that this research will lead to the development of next generation bandages which promote cell growth thus reducing both healing time and scarring at the wound site. This research may also lead to doctors having a better understanding of how tumours form within the body and may lead to early diagnosis and new methods of targeting tumour cells.
By Jenny Marra, Head of Press 01382 344910 j.m.marra@dundee.ac.uk