Pupils face the future in computing

School pupils from Tayside and Fife will be invited to journey into space, feel what it is like to have a disability, and confront artificial intelligence at the University of Dundee on Tuesday December 20th.

The University will welcome around 60 pupils from 15 schools to the brand new Queen Mother Building for the Division Of Applied Computing’s Christmas Lecture programme.

Leading researchers from the University will present topics specially selected to tie in with the Advanced Higher Computing curriculum. These include fields in which the Division is conducting pioneering research.

Dr Steve Parkes will be talking about his important work for the European Space Agency, Dr Dave O'Mara will present details of his research on the use of humour in devices for non-speaking users, while Dr Stephen McKenna’s talk, "Understanding Images: cells, bones & bodies" shows some of his work on developing artificial intelligence to make computers understand what they are looking at.

Dr Anna Dickinson and Ms Maggie Morgan will be getting their audience to consider what it's like to be disabled in some way, by getting them to wear goggles/mittens/ear defenders, and seeing how it affects their interaction with everyday technology. Dr Nick Hine, meanwhile, is no stranger to working with school pupils, having established a programme of international video conferencing which has linked pupils in Dundee with contemporaries in Canada and Colombia.

"We hope the lecture series will provide students and teachers with a glimpse into the wide range and variety of research being carried out here at the University, and how this research can be applied in the real world," said Dr Ramanee Peiris, lecturer in the Division of Applied Computing.

For more information contact:

Roddy Isles,
Head of Press
University of Dundee
Tel: 01382 344910,
Email: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk