Database Trial – Polymer Library

19985223,192x192,r-2We’re re-trialling a database this month that may be of considerable interest to chemists and engineers alike.

The Polymer Library is the world’s largest abstracts database dedicated to plastics, rubber, polymer composites and adhesives. Compiled and written by an expert team, this database sources information from journals, conference proceedings, books and reports to give you a comprehensive look at the information in your field. Find out more about the database and what it can do for you.

To obtain the trial details please login with your University username and password at https://internal.lboro.ac.uk/diss/lb/uniwide/webpages/Trials.html

Access is valid to 6th October 2016.

We welcome feedback – good or bad – on this trial, please contact Steve Corn.

Calling All Ergonomics Students!

ergonomicsIf you need to find articles on universal design, assistive technology, cognitive ergonomics, user experience, driver vehicle ergonomics, health and safety, sporting equipment and lots, lots more – try Ergonomics Abstracts.

With nearly 200,000 online records covering more than 25 years of ergonomics research it also includes trade magazines for the latest trends, as well as books chapters and conference proceedings.

You can find Ergonomics Abstracts from the link in the Design School Subject Guidehttp://www.lboro.ac.uk/services/library/subjectguides/design/– or from the Select Databases tab in Library Catalogue Plus http://lcp.lboro.ac.uk/

Or just ask your Academic Librarian – http://www.lboro.ac.uk/services/library/contact/academiclibrarians –  for more information.

British Science Week

BSA_BSW_RGBHIThis Friday is the start of British Science Week, and to mark the occasion the University is hosting a special series of events across town and campus.

The week will culminate with a Community Fun Day on Saturday 21st March, where you can enjoy practical demonstrations of exciting engineering, as well as hands on experiments for budding scientists.

From our beginnings as a technical institute, Loughborough University has established a reputation for technological innovation and scientific endeavour, and our research is helping to shape the future.

British Science Week (BSW) is a ten-day programme of science, technology, engineering and maths events and activities across the UK for people of all ages. To find out more, visit the BSW homepage here:

http://www.britishscienceweek.org/

National Women in Engineering Day

nwed

Today is National Women in Engineering Day, which has been set up by the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) to celebrate its 95th anniversary. Its overall aim is to celebrate the work that women do in engineering, and to showcase the great engineering careers that are available for girls.

One of the means they use as part of their Magnificent Women outreach activity is a series of resource sheets profiling a notable female engineer. Among these notables is Loughborough’s own Claudia Parsons (1900-1998) who in 1919 became one of the first girls to enrol in Loughborough Technical College’s Engineering Diploma courses, graduating in 1922 to become a beacon for other girls seeking to break into engineering.

To find out more about the Society, visit their website here.

The Queen Elizabeth Engineering Prize

Image copyright freefotouk, reproduced under CC Licence

A new award, worth £1 million, was launched by Prime Minister David Cameron at London’s Science Museum yesterday, with the primary objective of raising the profile of engineering globally.

The Queen Elizabeth Engineering Prize,  funded by an endowment from a number of engineering companies, will be awarded biannually to an individual or team for making “groundbreaking advances in engineering which has created significant benefit to humanity”. The competition is open to anybody of any nationality.

Mr Cameron – joined at the launch by rival political leaders Nick Clegg and Ed Milliband in a rare show of cross-party unity – hopes the prize will go on to assume the same stature and importance as the Nobel Prizes.

Loughborough University enjoys a proud history of engineering achievement, and this is reflected by the rich selection of engineering resources available from the Library, easily searchable via our Library Catalogue Plus system.

Watt's happening at the Science Museum?

On Wednesday 23rd March a new permanent exhibition will open at the Science Museum in London dedicated to the life and work of the engineer James Watt. Launched at a special event the day before by writer and broadcaster Adam Hart-Davies the centrepiece of the exhibition will be the attic workshop of the Scottish inventor which will be opened up to visitors for the first time. When Watt died in 1819 the workshop was locked and remained undisturbed until 1924, when the complete workshop including door, window, skylight and floorboards was transported to the Science Museum together with over 6,500 objects from inside. Although the workshop has been on display, visitors have never been allowed inside until now. Objects inside include the world’s oldest circular saw and Watt’s original 1765 model for the first separate condenser which has been described as “the greatest single improvement to the steam engine ever made”.

Boiler from James Watt beam engine - Loughborough University

Watt beam engine boiler - Loughborough University

The new display is housed alongside his early steam engines which can be viewed in the Museum’s Energy Hall. The University too can boast a James Watt beam engine which stands outside the Students Union. Dated 1850, it was donated to the former College by the London Metropolitan Water Board in 1934 and was re-erected by students.

For more information on the Exhibition visit the Science Museum web page. An interesting background article was also published recently by Adam Hart-Davies in the Daily Telegraph.

For more information on engines and engineering in general don’t forget the databases available via MetaLib such as Compendex and our new service Scopus, both accessible with your Athens username and password.

The Big Bang cometh…!

Copyright © Talke Photography - Creative Commons

Know any budding engineers, scientists or mathematicians aged 11-18? Would they like to showcase their work in a competitive arena? If so, point them in the direction of The Big Bang East Midlands Fair. This free, regional event takes place here at the University in the David Wallace Sports Hall on Wed. 7th July, 9.30am-3.30pm.   As well as all the judging and exhibiting there will be hands-on, interactive activities to enjoy. Winning entries from the regional fairs go forward to the the Big Bang: UK Young Scientists’ and Engineers’ Fair in March 2011.  Over £50000 in prizes to be won! Spread the word about this exciting event and do your bit to encourage the next generation of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM)  specialists.  

 “The Fair aims to excite, educate, stimulate and enthuse young people about opportunities in STEM inspiring them to follow careers in this rewarding field. The Fair also hosts the finals of CREST and Young Engineer for Britain” [from website]

Click  here for full details and registration forms.

Database in Focus: SAE Papers

The next Database in Focus session on Wednesday 26th May shall be taking a detailed look at the SAE Papers database. Of particular interest to any member of staff or student in the Faculty of Engineering, the SAE Papers database includes proceedings, papers and special publications of the SAE.

This course will provide participants with in depth knowledge of the database and allow them to practice their search techniques. The SAE Digital Library references thousands of SAE Technical Papers covering the latest advances and research in all areas of mobility engineering including ground vehicle, aerospace, off-highway, and manufacturing technology.

 Participants will be able to:
– Access SAE papers
– Search for SAE papers
– Refine their search
– Sort and store results
– Set up alerts to keep up-to-date with recent developments

This session shall be taking place in Training Room 2 of the library between 11AM-12PM. In order to register for this session, please book through the Staff Development website here. Please bring your PC and Athens usernames and passwords to ensure you are able to login to the database.

See you there!

Internet Resources Newsletter

irnnewbanner

Culled directly from the Internet Resources Newsletter, here is the latest engineering-related internet news.  As ever, do take a look at the newsletter itself which is always packed with links to both useful and intriguing sites. 

Building Sustainable Design (UBM Built Environment’s latest brand) is a new monthly magazine for building services engineers, architects, clients and all construction professionals who care about sustainable, low energy design in the built environment.

EngineeringDaily.net is a news/articles/discussions magazine by and for in-the-trenches practitioners.

Anyone interested in RSS feeds may like to view the following:

Royal Academy of Engineering News Releases
http://www.raeng.org.uk/feeds/rssnews.aspx

Take a look at 'Magnet'!

art_newsletter_a2
We’re delighted to announce the launch of ‘Magnet’, a newsletter from the Library Engineering Team. Aimed at all Engineering students, ‘Magnet’ will keep you up to date with new developments and resources. The first edition includes details of the drop-in sessions for project students, and how to access the new SAE Digital Library.

‘Magnet’ is available from the Library webpages at:
http://www.lboro.ac.uk/library/about/PDFs/MagnetAut2008.pdf

Perhaps members of staff could give ‘Magnet’ a plug too! 

Feedback (good or bad) is welcomed. Please use the comments box below.