NHS Scotland partner InnoScot Health and Heriot-Watt University have further strengthened their strategic relationship through the award of an honorary professorship.
Elaine Gemmell, Head of Regulatory Affairs at InnoScot Health, has been conferred the title of Honorary Professor in the Edinburgh-based university’s School of Engineering and Physical Sciences in recognition of her expertise.
The award reflects Elaine’s service and contribution to Heriot-Watt, and the close ties forged, particularly with the university’s Medical Device Manufacturing Centre (MDMC) which helps Scotland’s SMEs translate medical device concepts into commercial products.
A five-year collaborative partnership was signed by InnoScot Health and Heriot-Watt University last year to help fast-track innovation in medical and healthcare technologies. As part of the MDMC Advisory Group, Elaine is pivotal to the development of this strategic relationship, supporting ongoing projects, training, and development.
Commenting on the award, Elaine said: “I am both surprised and delighted to be awarded the title of Honorary Professor in the School of Engineering and Physical Sciences at Heriot-Watt University.
“I enjoy a strong relationship with the university and share its ambition to accelerate medical device innovation across Scotland and beyond.
“I am privileged that my contribution has been recognised in this way and will continue to share my knowledge, experience, and expertise in medical device regulation to support healthcare innovators across Scotland.
“When we come together and pool our expertise, the impact is greater; so, I look forward to continuing my work with the University and building further networks and collaborations across the sector.”
Elaine joined InnoScot Health in 2002 and helped establish the organisation. With more than 20 years’ experience in medical device development, she is a certified ISO 13485 /ISO 9001 Lead Auditor and has experience of regulatory approval and CE marking for medical devices.
Elaine led InnoScot Health spinout company Clear Surgical, helping to launch two innovative devices – The Oplight™ and Cannulated Forceps – onto the market; and previously worked with Motorola Semiconductors for 20 years, gaining experience in manufacturing, design, and technical marketing.
Elaine now provides extensive regulatory expertise to NHS, academia, and industry. She sits on a range of advisory boards and provides training, presentations, and expert comment on a range of medical device related topics.
Executive Chair of InnoScot Health, Graham Watson, said: “This honour is a testament to Elaine’s valuable regulatory expertise, and commitment to sharing that knowledge to drive forward healthcare innovation in Scotland.
“Elaine’s knowledge and experience of medical device regulation is invaluable in the fast-moving world of innovation and is a vital driver of our commercialisation work at InnoScot Health.
“As one of our original staff members, Elaine has been continuously involved in shaping the organisation since 2002 and this award is incredibly well deserved. Congratulations Elaine!’
These Scottish universities give you the best chance of working for a Big Four Accounting Firm
Heriot-Watt University ranks as the best Scottish university for landing a job at a Big Four Accountancy Firm, with 991 graduates working for PwC, Deloitte, EY or KPMG.
University of St. Andrews and The University of Edinburgh rank second and third respectively in Scotland.
London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) ranks as the best university in the UK for landing a Big Four job.
Heriot-Watt University ranks as the best Scottish university for landing a role at a Big Four Accounting Firm (PwC, Deloitte, EY and KPMG) according to a new analysis of LinkedIn data.
As undergraduates return for their final year of university this Autumn, many will have their mind set on a career with some of the UK’s largest and most reputable graduate employers.
However, as places for these graduate roles become more competitive, many will be wondering how their university stacks up in terms of career prospects.
Online trading platform and broker CMC Markets, analysed LinkedIn data for the Big Four Accounting Firms, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Deloitte, Ernst & Young (EY) and KPMG, to see where their current employees most commonly attended university.
The analysis looked at the UK’s top 60 universities, including all 24 that are members of the Russell Group, to see which universities have the most graduates working for a Big Four Accounting Firm. The figures were also calculated as a proportion of each university’s enrolment size, based on student enrolment for the 2020/21 academic year according to the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
Scotland Universities ranked for Big Four Accounting Jobs
1. Heriot-Watt University – 991 graduates (8.8% of enrolment size)
Heriot-Watt University ranks as the best Scottish university to attend if you want to pursue a career at the Big Four, with a total of 991 university graduates currently employed across these firms. When accounting for the number of students enrolled in a typical academic year at Heriot-Watt, this works out at 8.8% of the total enrolment size placing it top of any Scottish university in the list and 10th overall in the UK.
2. University of St. Andrews – 927 graduates (8.1% of enrolment size)
University of St. Andrews ranks the second-best Scottish university to attend if you want to pursue a career at the Big Four. The university has a total of 927 graduates currently employed across these firms, which works out at 8.1% of the total enrolment size. St. Andrews ranks 12th overall in the UK in terms of graduates in Big Four Accounting roles.
3. The University of Edinburgh – 1,983 graduates (5.2% of enrolment size)
The University of Edinburgh ranks as Scotland’s third best university to attend if you want to pursue a career at the Big Four. The university has a larger total of 1,983 graduates currently employed across these firms, which works out at 5.2% of the total enrolment size. Edinburgh ranks 33rd overall in the UK in terms of graduates in Big Four Accounting roles.
4. University of Strathclyde – 1,202 graduates (4.9% of enrolment size)
University of Strathclyde ranks as Scotland’s fourth best university to attend if you want to pursue a career at the Big Four. The university has a total of 1,202 graduates currently employed across these firms, working out at 4.9% of the total enrolment size. Strathclyde ranks three spots behind at 36th overall in the UK.
5. University of Aberdeen – 580 graduates (3.6% of enrolment size)
University of Aberdeen ranks as Scotland’s fifth best university to attend if you want to pursue a career at the Big Four. The university has a total of 580 graduates currently employed across these firms, working out at 3.6% of the total enrolment size. Aberdeen ranks 40th overall in the UK.
6. University of Glasgow – 1,339 graduates (3.6% of enrolment size)
University of Glasgow ranks as Scotland’s sixth best university to attend if you want to pursue a career at the Big Four. The university has a total of 1,339 graduates currently employed across these firms, also working out at 3.6% of the total enrolment size. Glasgow ranks 41st overall in the UK.
7. University of Stirling – 293 graduates (2.0% of enrolment size)
University of Stirling ranks as Scotland’s seventh best university to attend if you want to pursue a career at the Big Four. The university has a total of 293 graduates currently employed across these firms, working out at 2.0% of the total enrolment size. Stirling ranks 51st overall in the UK.
8. University of Dundee – 279 graduates (1.7% of enrolment size)
University of Dundee ranks as Scotland’s eight best university to attend if you want to pursue a career at the Big Four. The university has a total of 279 graduates currently employed across these firms, working out at 1.7% of the total enrolment size. Dundee ranks 53rd overall in the UK, nearing the bottom of the list.
Top UK Universities for Big Four Accounting Jobs
1. London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) – 5,776 graduates (42.9% of enrolment size)
2. University of Cambridge – 3,401 graduates (15.4% of enrolment size)
3. Oxford Brookes University – 2,355 graduates (13.2% of enrolment size)
4. Durham University – 2,702 graduates (13.1% of enrolment size)
5. University of Lancaster – 1,732 graduates (9.9% of enrolment size)
University ranking by percentage of alumni who list themselves on LinkedIn as working for a Big Four firm
Rank
UK University
PwC Employees
Deloitte Employees
EY Employees
KPMG Employees
Total
Total student enrolment (for the 20/21 academic year)
Number of alumni working at The Big Four as a percentage of current enrolment size
1.
London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
Are you aged between eight to 14, have a visual impairment and would like to play football?
Then come along to a free, one-hour introductory session on Sunday, October 16th, from 9 to 10am at the Oriam Sports Centre on Heriot Watt University’s campus in Riccarton, west Edinburgh.
This taster session is aimed at partially sighted young people. No previous football experience is necessary and the session will be tailored to include all footballing abilities.
It has been organised by national sight loss charity RNIB Scotland, Bathgate Thistle Community Football Club and the Scottish Football Association.
Neil Atkinson (24) from Livingston, who was diagnosed with the condition Stargardt’s macula dystrophy at the age of eight, is the coach.
“This session will be pitched towards players with some level of sight,” he says. “We have regular footballs as well as bell-balls. And it’s an indoor court with a hard surface so that the ball can be located more easily by sound.
“The hour-long session will consist of a short warm-up then some focused training, working on fundamental skills; bulwark, passing, movement, finishing and some game situations. We will try to meet the individual level of each player. The session will be focused on fun, and on developing the players’ skills and confidence.
“For the last portion of the session, we’ll have an open game, allowing players to use some of the skills they’ve learned in the previous exercises. Players are free to make it competitive, but ultimately the focus is on enjoyment.
“Family members and friends are also welcome to come along and participate and support a partially sighted individual. It’s only an hour long session but I will be there after the session for any questions and to help with advice for any participant. If there are players and parents who aren’t sure if the session would be appropriate, I’d be more than happy to talk to them to find out if it is accessible “
There will also be a small number of follow-up sessions in the weeks following for anyone who cannot make the 16th October.
For further information, contact Neil Atkinson on 07858 687 528, email neil.atkinson@rnib.org.uk, or book a place:
Edinburgh Business School helping support entrepreneurs
Applications are now being accepted for the Edinburgh Business School Incubator
The scheme is designed to provide early stage entrepreneurs with office facilities and expert advice to advance their ideas
Deadline for applicants is Monday 13 June 2022
It has helped entrepreneurs take the next step in their careers and now the Edinburgh Business School (EBS) Incubator at Heriot-Watt University is back for another year!
Applications are being accepted from early-stage entrepreneurs looking to access facilities and a suite of expert support and advice to advance their ideas.
The EBS Incubator, provides specialist, one-to-one mentorship, free desk space as well as dedicated training and workshops to encourage, support and develop entrepreneurship.
And against a backdrop of rising inflation, applicants will be pleased to learn that there are no costs involved. Their only financial obligation is to fund their own Public Liability insurance.
A space in the Incubator is for one year although there may be an option to extend.
Anyone can apply, providing they are not a full-time undergraduate or taught postgraduate.
Professor Laura Galloway is leading the Business Incubator at EBS. She says there has never been a more important time to encourage growth in the sector. “The cost of living crisis and rising inflation has created a perfect storm among small and medium sized enterprises,” she said.
“To access the support needed to help drive forward these ventures, which are vitally important to the UK economy, means there has never been a more important time for dedicated schemes, such as our EBS Incubator, to be made available.”
Since its launch in 2018, the EBS Incubator has assisted more than 50 companies and played a pivotal role in helping participants access grants and other finance and refine their offerings.
Professor Galloway, adds: “The Incubator’s aim is to create a diverse community of new-start firms and provide them with support that would help them take their business ideas and ambitions to the next stage.
“That’s why today I am calling on all fledgling entrepreneurs who would benefit from the dedicated, tailored support, to get in touch.”
Among the current Incubees include the digital communications platform, Tecive, whose Director, Mael Abgrall, spoke of the benefits of the scheme, saying: “The incubator helped us reach the next stage for our start-up, greatly improved our focus and helped us take the steps to grow our business.
“Additionally this was a great opportunity to meet, work and get feedback from like-minded people.”
The deadline for applications is noon on Monday 13 June 2022.
Applications will be considered by a committee who will decide which businesses are shortlisted to give a five-minute pitch explaining their business and how the incubator will benefit them.
University recognised for world-leading research in Physics; Mathematical Sciences; Engineering; and Architecture, Built Environment and Planning.
Heriot-Watt University is top in Scotland for its world-leading Physics research, in the REF 2021 results released today. Physics also came top in the UK for its world-leading research outputs and saw 97% of its research classed as world-leading.
Overall, 86.8% of the university’s research is classed as world-leading and internationally excellent.
Three joint submissions between Heriot-Watt and the University of Edinburgh – in Mathematical Sciences; Engineering; and Architecture, Built Environment and Planning – were ranked in the top four in the UK, based on the quality and breadth of the combined research, as defined in the Times Higher Education REF Power rankings.
This ranked Mathematical Sciences and Engineering first in Scotland and third in the UK, with Architecture, Built Environment and Planning coming first in Scotland and fourth in the UK.
The REF provides a robust and thorough assessment of the quality of universities’ research in all disciplines, providing accountability for public investment in research and demonstrating the benefits of that investment.
The REF results, announced Thursday, 12 May, are a valuable opportunity to measure the extent to which an institution’s research strategy is working.
Professor Steve McLaughlin, Deputy Principal of Research and Impact said:“Our strong performance in the REF 2021 shows that our research, and our shared research, continues to go from strength-to-strength, focusing on major global challenges, interdisciplinarity and collaboration.
“Physics has done outstandingly well, and is an area of well-established excellence, further recognised in the 2021 Queen’s Anniversary Prize for photonics.”
In total, 157 UK universities participated, submitting over 76,000 academic staff. Submissions included research outputs, examples of the wider benefits of research and evidence about the research environment. This material was assessed by a series of expert panels comprising UK and international researchers, external users of research and experts in interdisciplinary research.
Overall, the panels judged 41 per cent of the submitted work to be ‘world-leading’ (4*) and a further 43 percent to be ‘internationally excellent’ (3*). The assessment provides rich information on the strengths of UK university research that will be helpful for businesses and other users of research to identify potential partners.
Professor Richard A. Williams, Principal and Vice-Chancellor for Heriot-Watt University, said the achievement is testament to the commitment and determination of everyone at the university.
He adds: “Our achievements in the REF 2021 results reflect the marked growth in the influence of our specialist research, and the investment we are making into our global research capacity, which is integral to our Strategy 2025 theme of Excellence in Research and Enterprise.”
Speaking on behalf of the four UK higher education funding bodies, Steven Hill, Chair of the REF Steering Group and Director of Research at Research England, said:“These results today reinforce the UK’s position as a world leader in research, corroborating the views of international commentators and highlighting our trajectory towards global research leadership across a broad set of disciplines.
“They represent an exceptional achievement for UK university research and demonstrate the huge return on public investment in research.
“REF is at the forefront of approaches to capturing the impact from research and demonstrates a substantial range of benefits. The real differences made to people’s lives, both across the UK and around the world, that are narrated through the impact case studies are in many cases humbling and, in our current times, a significant example of this is provided in our universities’ outstanding contribution to the Covid pandemic.
“Universities and their staff have had to respond to the pandemic in multiple ways. Their commitment to working with the funding bodies to deliver REF 2021 has been considerable. The incredible contribution both of those making the submissions and of our expert panels, through these unprecedented times, has allowed us to deliver a rigorous and timely set of results.”
Working on our adaptable strategy for modern construction solutions to meet the world’s carbon agenda, we manufactured a world first: a house fully constructed from Scottish-grown and pressed cross laminated timber. A huge collaborative student success of proving the existence and ability for the new industry in the UK, contributing to the development of the local economy.
The students played a key part in all of the processes in designing and working with industry at all stages, introducing over one hundred young professionals to the sustainable benefits of mass timber production and the solutions required to overcome the technical complexity and associations with using timber as a building material.
The immense effect of celebrating the positive environmental impact and carbon reduction across social media has spread the message to many thousands more people worldwide.
Designing to the constraints of transportation via containers, the design required flexibility and de-mountability which challenges the wasteful approach of single-use residential properties that ultimately lead to demolition.
Our commitment to reduce embodied carbon is matched with the need to operate a thermally and energy efficient house. Priorities were placed on minimising energy use from manufacture to as-built and continually improving the resilience to the changing climate requirements across both Scotland and Dubai.
The innovation and solution to creating a low carbon design is further aided with the use of recyclable, natural materials such as hemp insulation and wood fibre rigid insulation. These work with the timber structure to create an organic, safe environment for the occupants, free of emissions and VOC’s often associated with alternative materials. We believe this is a key driver for the success of the design solution and the achievement felt by the students constructing this.
Windcatcher
The courtyard is integral to the experience of the house as it provides a private outdoor recreational area. Therefore, we had to think creatively to make it a comfortable space.
We looked to regions with warmer climates for inspiration as it was evident that conventional air conditioning systems and fans would not be suitable. The Windcatcher is a hallmark of traditional Persian architecture, but it had to be adapted to fit our design philosophy.
When designing our ideal windcatcher, our team reimagined what is usually quite an active, angular structure to one with complex curves and soft edges. Our design incorporates an entirely passive functionality of natural airflow through our concrete model, in alignment with our ethos.
Along with the tower, we designed a conformal bench to close off the courtyard. This is an example of creative integration; the bench follows the curves of the tower while fulfilling the criteria for courtyard privacy.
This design was made possible by using 3D printed concrete, provided by Concreative in Dubai. This manufacturing process is truly at the leading edge of construction.
We therefore achieved a creative outdoor cooling solution that requires no power, has almost negligible running costs and is extremely reliable. Fundamentally, the windcatcher is a creative redesign of an age-old concept in order to create an outdoor cooling system in harmony with a modern house.
Architecture
Our house exploits architectural strategies to embrace a balance of open, celebratory community areas and small, focused private spaces. The living room and dining/kitchen area flank the external courtyard, facing each other across retractable triple-glazed doors.
The living room and the dining area benefit from luxurious high ceilings, giving an expansive feeling to these rooms, encouraging gathering and communal engagement. Conversely, the bedroom and study are enclosed spaces, wrapped in the thick CLT walls (both internal partitions and external) providing thermal, acoustic and visual separation for quiet enjoyment and focus.
Reconciling traditional Emirati architecture and its emphasis on privacy with the open-planned character of Western design posed an even greater challenge for the team. Hence we created a hybrid by using the courtyard as a space that divides the two halves, whilst keeping them connected.
The interior design celebrates its engineering: we leave the timber walls visible and tactile where possible, and enjoy the aesthetic of revealed services runs and some of our high-tech energy-saving solutions; the HVAC runs above the kitchen, the recycled waste brick wall; the water conservation in the bathroom.
Windows can open, enabling users to decide to welcome in an evening breeze when suitable and to pull hot air from high levels through the house.
Website
To ensure smooth and efficient management of our construction process, we built our own bespoke web-based tracking systems; our talented developers coded internal tools from scratch that allowed us to work smarter.
QR code stickers were placed on each panel and scanning them would take you directly to that panel’s page. Members could track and monitor the condition of panels to ensure all knowledge was up to date and centralised. Moreover, the intelligent system aids communication with working with the often-unfamiliar material and/or building methodology.
We also re-made our website from the ground up to be faster and more aligned to the ESTEEM brand. Using React, we’ve built a modular and component-based foundation that allows us to more easily expand upon as things change.
Minecraft
What started as a crazy idea, quickly evolved into reality as we took on new members to help create an experience of our house unlike any other. We recreated our house in our own Minecraft world, making it accessible to everyone.
It took around 3 months of working out the dimensions – we wanted to make it realistic, but not compromise on the feel – and retexturing the Minecraft assets, pixel by pixel, to show the actual materials that we will be using.
AR/VR
With the COVID-19 pandemic and continuing travel restrictions, we used augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR) to bring the ESTEEM House and its experience to everyone around the world. It is a means to showcase and describe the story behind our innovative ideas and solutions to visitors of the house in an engaging and educational way.
To make the experience of using the AR experience seamless, we hosted it on Zappar which eliminated the need for users to download an app before use.
Our creative solution to make VR accessible is to use Mozilla Hubs. It’s web-based and allows several visitors to communicate and discuss amongst themselves during a virtual tour given by a tour guide.
It supports VR headsets but doesn’t require one.
For visitors who meet us in person, we use the Oculus Quest to showcase the VR experience.These technologies are instrumental in preserving the hard work that we’ve put into the ESTEEM House, especially to showcase areas that aren’t immediately visible.
These experiences will still be accessible even after the competition is over.
JAIRIS ALVARES
TEAM ESTEEM is the Heriot-Watt Edinburgh Team participating at the Solar-Decathlon Middle East
The prototype construction phase started on October 24th with the Welcome Ceremony in Dubai, where all the teams participating were introduce to everyone. It was a great experience and something we have been waiting since 2019.
The assembly started on October 25th in which we had to take all the materials, equipment, CLT panels and more from the containers.
In case you missed our ship journey to Dubai, we had 5 containers, that arrived in London Gateway on September 10th, 2021, and then all containers got transferred to the NAGOYA EXPRESS, which arrived in Dubai on Sunday 12th, of September 2021.
Alex MacLaren, faculty leader, said: “I have been delighted by the support afforded us by the university and am excited to develop other experiences like this in future years; as a learning experience, but also as an urgent mandate to transform the ‘norm’ in our construction practices. So, who knows- next stop, Solar Decathlon Europe in 2023?”
The calendar you see below will be our journey everyday while in Dubai.
We will be building the house from October 25th to November 8th, which give us a total of 15 days to construct the ESTEEM house.
After that we will have the Opening ceremony where the public is welcome to see our house and interact with all the technologies and innovations we added to the design.
The exhibition time runs from November 11th to November 25th at Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, Dubai.
However, we will have virtual tours for anyone that is not in Dubai, you can book it with our Eventbrite link:
Martin Juricek, Architecture Leader, said: “Our build in wardrobe was completed and the kitchen fit out is well underway as well. We started fitting plasterboard onto walls in the bedroom.
“We focused on underfloor insulation, cladding and plant room equipment fit out. We run into a lot of issues and as it kept delaying our work we had to have a break where we discussed new more efficient ways of going forward. Overall, it was another difficult day on site but it got us further on the way of construction”
Alakbar Zeynalzade, AudioVisual Leader, added: “Working at the construction site is hard work in the heat of Dubai, especially near midday. Regardless, it’s meaningful work and I enjoy my time there.
“My role is to take pictures and videos whilst I’m there, but I also take part in the construction too. It’s fun solving problems on the site as they arise, e.g. missing piece of equipment so we have to be creative and work around it”
Ahmed Usaamah Ifthikhar; Construction Leader, explained: “The work we did on site helped insulate and cover some of the gaps from the inside and outside. It was useful in understanding how it works.
“We witnessed the wall panels get positioned into place and once this was done, we tightened the bolts. Every day on site helped me learn and understand more about how our building will function and how it will perform in terms of heat gain wise”
Pranav Chachara; Web Developer, said: “While this was a first time experience for me, I had a blast on site.
“Getting hands on with helping out around the house is super fun. I’ve also finally achieved my dream of being Bob the Builder!”
Zuhair Ahmed, Health and Safety Leader, agred: “We faced many challenges such as the inavailability of the labours on afternoon, while we managed to have good progress by ourselves looking forward to complete our house perfectly and win. Count down started and any minute would be valued.”
As you all might know; at Team ESTEEM, we like to innovate. Therefore, we have created our ESTEEM house in Minecraft. I know! It is amazing.
We work for almost 3 months planning, building, and refining our design which has allowed us to bring you the ESTEEM House in Minecraft. With the help of Apex Hosting, we are hosting this world for anyone to explore at mc.esteem.house.
We have also hide some little easter eggs for you to find along the way. You can find more information with this link ESTEEM Minecraft House! We wanted to show to everyone our house and give the opportunity for kids to see how engineering can be fun as well.
Have you heard of Augmented Reality (AR)? Yes? With the help of VRCraftworks, we have created a world where you can come visit the house virtually, interact with the materials and have a meeting with other people. Did I mentioned you can share your screen as well?
Our house was built by a team of innovative and inspired students and staff, and to showcase their hard work we developed augmented reality interactions placed around the house.
By scanning one of our many QR codes, users will be shown a beautiful 3D image on their smartphone, alongside text describing in detail the planning and decisions our team made in order to create a modern home.
And for those who won’t be able to view the house in person, our virtual reality model of the house will be available on Oculus devices for an immersive off-site tour of the house.
With the help of VRCraftworks, we have created a world where you can come visit the house virtually, interact with the materials and have a meeting with other people. Did I mentioned you can share your screen as well?
and you will be able to experience it yourself, TeamESTEEM members jump in and out of the world all the time so you might be able to speak to us as well!
We are working harder than ever as we approach the end of the construction phase. In order to make the most of our time, we’re installing multiple parts of the house at once. Nearly all of our cassettes (insulation panels) have been attached to the house and we’re working with our sponsors to get the systems and electricals installed.
We need to be exact in the way that we connect our house up as DEWA will be monitoring and measuring our usage and generation which will impact our score! All of the parts of our 3D printed concrete Windcatcher have arrived and we are so excited to see it all together soon!
We are posting everyday about our progress on social media, please follow this link to see the #ESTEEMHouse:
The prototype construction phase is over, which means the ESTEEM house is on the way to Dubai!
The NAGOYA EXPRESS is currently carrying our 5 containers. It left London for Dubai on Sunday (12 September).
Alex MacLaren, faculty leader, said: “This sort of experience is transformative. The excitement of playing an instrumental part in a project of this size whilst studying for a degree will stay with these students forever; and inform their ambition and confidence in their future careers.
I have been delighted by the support afforded us by the university and am excited to develop other experiences like this in future years: as a learning experience, but also as an urgent mandate to transform the ‘norm’ in our construction practices. So, who knows – next stop, Solar Decathlon Europe in 2023?”
Sustainability is essential to the future comfort of people on this planet. We’re glad to have been able to work with our partners, university and course leaders to develop, innovate, and now can share that on a global stage.
We have been working on the project for over 2 and a half and with the competition starting in less than a month. We are getting the team ready and trained to showcase the innovative ideas and technologies our ESTEEM house has.
Jessica Haskett, Construction Manager, said: “This prototype experience has been the culmination of over 2 years of collaborative design work. The interdisciplinary working has allowed me to share thoughts and challenges with students that study a variety of subjects and, together, engineer some of the best solutions.
“Being hands-on with construction work is a professional opportunity – I have placed some knowledge given through academia into practicality, in a way that my courses hadn’t done previously.
“Team ESTEEM has connected me with many industry professionals and offered an opportunity that I was not able to get due to my academic placement cancellation. Managing the team on site every day is a challenge but with the support of the student team, we have ensured that nothing is insurmountable, and we continue to celebrate our pride in the project every day”
There were many challenges on the way, but we managed to accomplish the prototype and shipping stage of our project with collaboration and teamwork.
Alex explained further: “Shipping a whole house, in prefabricated components, was always going to be a major challenge.
“We were working with key sponsors and partners who have experience of this, so we used that expertise in every possible way: from advice about import/export and Customs (a very complex area now!) to strategies for container loading and the very significant haulage logistics”
We asked Alex some other questions and this is what she shared with us:
-How was working with students and recent graduates from Heriot Watt University?
This really was an experience of learning alongside the students: the logistics of deconstruction and shipping were new to me as well. There were some very tough times; changes in scheduling and unexpected challenges with freight timetable changes and container availability: and it was being part of the wider Team ESTEEM that helped to keep my spirits up, and my outlook optimistic.
“This is a really ‘can do’ team: and also, a team of hard grafters. There are 78 timber CLT panels and 43 prefabricated insulated cassettes in this build: making each one of those is a combination of focus, precision, manual labor – and of course it gets repetitive and exhausting! But that didn’t stop anyone: and the camaraderie on site was wonderful.
-What was the most exciting thing that happened during the construction?
We have one very large CLT component; it forms the upstand for our south-sloping roof and has a number of window apertures; it’s a really core part of the three-dimensional experience of the house. But it’s a fragile and complicated panel in its own way, and the lifting plan was complicated and required input and advice from structural engineers and the crane operatives. Seeing that panel rise overhead and then be bolted into position was a very big moment for all of us.
There was also something wonderful about seeing the panels squeeze into place in the containers; we’d been rehearsing a three-dimensional virtual jigsaw puzzle in our computer drawings (we called it ‘container jenga’) to ensure that we were making the most efficient packing schedule we could, reducing our carbon footprint and optimizing our operation. It worked: at times only just-!- but it was almost unbelievable to see those little 3d jigsaws in their massive, real-life scale!
-The collaboration with sponsors, logistics and organization.
My list of people ‘without whom we couldn’t have done this’ just grows and grows. This project has been an edifying reminder of how good people are. From our colleagues on site and in the factory to our sponsors overseas and around the country, people pulled out all the stops to get this project ready and get their kit to us for shipping against a very tight deadline. We’ve called in favours from all over the university and from friends and partners beyond the many logos displayed on our webpage. A massive, massive thank you to everyone involved- you know who you are!
Some team members shared their experiences of being on site:
Simon Klekot, head of HR & Recruitment: “Being involved in Construction Site gives me a different perspective of the project than doing my HR and Recruitment job. I learn so many technical aspects of engineering which I even will be able to use in the future in things like my own house refurbishment“
Srivathsan Karunanithi, Health and Safety Officer: “I had an amazing time with the prototype, and I learned a lot. With the house now being off to Dubai I feel really excited and thrilled to see that happening”
Carlos Fitzpatrick, Audiovisual: “I’ve learnt so much on this construction site. From practical skills to theoretical knowledge, simply being a part of the construction has been extremely fruitful for me and the way I think about engineering. Having just finished the first year, being able to learn a lot from older students was a great bonus”
This is the beginning of a new chapter for team ESTEEM, with the competition starting soon we are preparing and finalizing the design, planning and deliverables.
This is the second time Heriot-Watt University has participated in a Solar Decathlon Competition and it might not be the last time that we see HWU students transforming the construction industry!
Olympic medallist plans to launch three new Swim Academies in Edinburgh this Autumn
Olympic medallist turned entrepreneur Michael Jamieson is diving into a new pool of business opportunity by opening three new Edinburgh venues for his hugely over-subscribed Swimming Academies.
The Edinburgh initiative will launch on Saturday, 18 September, and each succeeding Saturday, at the University of Edinburgh pool in The Pleasance, which will accommodate 200 learners, and will be followed on 4 October by classes at the Novotel Hermiston Gate pool for adult and baby, under 3-year-olds. Shortly afterwards the Academy will launch classes at Oriam, Heriot Watt University, a 4 days a week offering in a world class sports facility.
The expansion from his successful West of Scotland operation puts the Michael Jamieson Swimming Academy (MJSA) back into the fast lane after it was hit, like all other people-facing businesses, by the last 18 months of Covid restrictions.
The Academy’s classes at the Glasgow University and Radio Clyde pools are now operating again with 400 and 300 learners respectively, and Hamilton College pool, with capacity for 600 learners, will re-open on Monday, 27th September.
Further expansion in the west will come with the opening of the Argyle Hotel pool in Glasgow for 150 learners on Friday, 1 October.
Michael, 33, who won silver at the 2012 London Olympics, said: “We have a team of over 20 teachers operating in Glasgow and Edinburgh and will be adding to this in the coming months to ensure an efficient transition to our offerings in Edinburgh.
“Pre-Covid we had 800 kids swimming weekly. We are looking to support around 1500 by the turn of the year with the addition of the new facilities. We are also rolling out an educational curriculum alongside our swim programme to support the early development of positive self-talk and early elements of emotional intelligence.
“We have had support from mental health professionals and psychologists to develop this content and it is something I believe will set us apart in the sector.”
The energetic Glaswegian has distinguished his Academy by using private and hotel pools rather than local authority facilities.
He said: “We are able to create a healthy working relationship with private facilities and share in the passion of offering value to the community. We have targeted these venues specifically to offer the best product, with the best partnership teams in the area.
“I have a fantastic relationship with the team at the University of Edinburgh and have many happy memories there. We are excited to partner with them to offer a rewarding learn-to- swim journey now and in the future.”
On the series of drowning deaths across the UK during the recent spells of warm weather, Michael believes this has emphasised to many parents just how important it is to teach children to swim from the earliest possible age.
“There have been too many tragic stories recently in Scotland. Too many kids are leaving school without basic water safety skills. Without significant investment and support, we will continue, sadly, to see the disparity in the numbers of kids unable to swim by the time they leave school.
“Swimming pools are notoriously expensive to maintain but we must find creative strategies to offer a life skill in our communities in a financially sustainable manner.”
After consolidating his Edinburgh Swim Academy initiatives, Michael plans to expand further into a wider range of fitness and healthcare businesses.
“Our immediate plans are to protect and consolidate this exciting growth phase we are in currently. We are actively looking for further venue partners in Glasgow and Edinburgh to keep up with the increasing post pandemic demand for kids’ sport.
“It’s great to see such an appetite for swimming and we are committed to spreading our valued product around Scotland. Our smaller class ratios enable us to ensure our kids have a rewarding experience, building a strong rapport with our Level 2 qualified teachers.
“We maintain a high level of in-house competency training and only employ Level 2 qualified teachers to ensure we are providing the best product in the market. The majority of our teachers are qualified in Mental Health First Aid & this is something we are passionate about continuing.
“It’s an exciting year for us and I am proud of the team we have put in place. Creating sustainable growth is the challenge, but we have the core team and support team behind us to do so.”
We are Team ESTEEM, a Heriot-Watt student team participating in the world’s largest design and construction competition, the Solar Decathlon Middle East where we designed and currently build a solar-powered sustainable house of the future.
Team ESTEEM is hosting an online conference where participants will be able to listen to panels about innovation in construction and network with industry experts, technology focused companies and ESTEEM representatives.
The event takes place on Wedneday July 28th at 12pm on Airmeet platform.
