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Images of Research 2017 Gallery

Click on the images to view a larger version and the abstract. You can also download the IoR 2017 brochure (pdf)



 Health & Wellbeing

<span class=heading><b>A sticky end for parasites?</b> by Pilaslak Akrachalanont</span><br />Parasitic worms have been the scourge of man and beast for centuries, sometimes with fatal consequences. With their growing resistance to drugs, could another creepy-crawly provide a solution? Bees produce a glue substance – propolis – for sealing gaps in the hive; our initial research indicates its ingredients could be key in the fight against parasitic worms, adding further weight to the bees’ eco-superhero status.<br /><span class=small>Image: © 2017 Pilaslak Akrachalanont</span>.  <span class=small>Collaborators: Catherine Lawrence , Katharine Carter</span>
<span class=heading><b>Bon Appetit!</b> by Tara Beattie</span><br />In Malawi, 99% of the rural population use open firewood cook stoves, emitting high levels of black carbon, fine particles and other air pollutants. Prolonged exposure to pollutants is associated with high risks of cardiovascular diseases and respiratory illnesses. The case (pictured left) contains portable air quality monitoring equipment which enables our researchers to measure the amount of air pollutants, and inform the development of interventions to improve air quality.<br /><span class=small>Image: © 2017 Tara Beattie</span>.  <span class=small>Collaborators: Fiona Sutherland, PhD Student who took the photograph and completed the research. Tracy Morse, Iain Beverland</span>
<span class=heading><b>Engagement in the digital age</b> by Mohammad Shafqat</span><br />Organisations are increasingly looking for ways to keep their employees engaged at work. Whilst the abundance of communicative technologies has improved our ability to work on the move, it has also created more opportunities for distraction. Our research is exploring how communicative technologies are blurring the lines between work and personal life, and exploring ways to keep the workforce engaged in today’s digital age.<br /><span class=small>Image: © 2017 Mohammad Shafqat</span>
<span class=heading><b>Inner Sorrow, Outer Smile</b> by Laura Del Carpio</span><br />
Sometimes your face doesn’t mirror what you’re feeling inside. In Scotland, two people die by suicide every day, but what happens to those left behind? Our research asks whether adolescents whose loved ones die by suicide are more likely to self-harm or consider suicide, compared with those affected by other causes of death. Answering this question will improve our understanding of suicide bereavement, and help inform prevention strategies and policies.<br /><span class=small>Image: © 2017 Laura Del Carpio</span>
<span class=heading><b>Parasites: Friend or Foe?</b> by James Doonan</span><br />Like it or not, parasites and humans have co-evolved over millennia. As we work to improve sanitation and eradicate parasites, should we first ask ourselves whether this living arrangement has actually protected our immune systems by preventing the rise of autoimmune diseases, like rheumatoid arthritis? Our research is investigating whether a protein produced by parasitic worms could be used to create new and better medicines to treat autoimmune diseases. <br /><span class=small>Image: © 2017 James Doonan</span>.  <span class=small>Collaborators: Dr Felicity Lumb - Co-creator of content.</span>
<span class=heading><b>Small particles tackling big problems</b> by Yvonne Perrie</span><br />Ensuring global access to safe, effective medicines depends on improving manufacturing methods while keeping the end product financially viable. Nanomedicines are extremely accurate tiny delivery systems that pinpoint the place and time to release drugs in the body, significantly improving medicine’s effectiveness and reducing side effects. An interdisciplinary team of Strathclyde researchers is collaborating to improve nanomedicine production methods, creating better drugs while also working to reduce costs.<br /><span class=small>Image: © 2017 Yvonne Perrie</span>.  <span class=small>Collaborators: Neil Forbes, Carla Roces, Gustavo Lou, Maryam Hussain, Giulia Anderluzzi </span>
<span class=heading><b>The Brain in Focus</b> by Graham Robertson</span><br />The brain is an amazingly complex organ with billions of cells working together. Each neuron (the branching green cells) is connected to thousands of other neurons forming an organised network that they can communicate across. Our research involves growing these cells in a lab and focussing on how they change during injury and disease. By understanding these changes, we are better able to design new therapies to tackle these disorders.<br /><span class=small>Image: © 2017 Graham Robertson</span>.  <span class=small>Collaborators: Cells were provided by Christopher MacKerron</span>


 Energy

<span class=heading><b>Deforestation in the Kitchen</b> by Aran Eales</span><br />A major cause of Malawi’s severe deforestation is the felling of trees to produce charcoal for household cooking, but the problem doesn’t stop there. Pollutants from wood and charcoal burning cook-stoves, used in most households, gravely impact on health. Our Energy for Development group works with Malawian non-profit organisations on several renewable energy projects, including conducting energy audits and deploying improved cook-stoves, which in turn reduce deforestation and improve health.<br /><span class=small>Image: © 2017 Aran Eales</span>
<span class=heading><b>New heights for wind power</b> by Oliver Tulloch</span><br />Why build towers to hold up wind turbines when they can hold themselves up? By using lightweight kites, costs are dramatically reduced, and turbines can reach high altitudes where stronger, more consistent winds can be found, increasing the reliability of power generation. Our research on this concept could take wind power to new heights, further decreasing our reliance on fossil fuels.<br /><span class=small>Image: © 2017 Oliver Tulloch</span>.  <span class=small>Collaborators: Roderick Read - Photographer</span>
<span class=heading><b>Off-grid</b> by Scott Strachan</span><br />Today 1.2 billion people live without electricity. Unable to connect to the national grid due to their remote location, these people rely on fuelwood and kerosene for cooking and lighting, resulting in 4 million deaths each year from indoor pollution. Strathclyde engineers are working to design, build and install systems that provide clean, renewable off-grid electricity, transforming the lives of some of the world’s most vulnerable, poor and isolated people.<br /><span class=small>Image: © 2017 Scott Strachan</span>.  <span class=small>Collaborators: Puran Rahkra Michael Dolan Scott Strachan</span>
<span class=heading><b>Powering business, fuelling change</b> by Aran Eales</span><br />Mobiles, computers, the internet…in the increasingly connected world we live in it’s easy to forget that many rural areas of Africa are not even connected to the electricity grid. However, cheaper and more available solar panels are now bringing power to remote businesses like this barber shop in Malawi. Our Energy for Development research group designs business models for innovative uses of energy, stimulating local economies and reducing poverty.<br /><span class=small>Image: © 2017 Aran Eales</span>
<span class=heading><b>The turbulent life of turbines</b> by Rohaida Hussain</span><br /> 
Have you ever tried to keep hold of an umbrella as it gets pulled in different directions on a gusty day? Similarly, while strong winds enable wind turbines to increase power production, changeable winds can place undue stress on the turbine blades. Our research is looking at ways of reducing the loads placed on turbine blades by developing control systems that can monitor and react to changing conditions.<br /><span class=small>Image: © 2017 Rohaida Hussain</span>
<span class=heading><b>Where will your car charge?</b> by Kyle Smith</span><br />Charging stations like this represent the way of the future. Electric cars are getting cheaper, quieter and cleaner, and ownership is expected to rise sharply. But is our existing power network capable of keeping thousands of cars charged and on the road? Our research identifies designs for connecting these vehicles to our infrastructure that will ensure the success of a widespread, affordable shift to this sustainable mode of transport.<br /><span class=small>Image: © 2017 Kyle Smith</span>.  <span class=small>Collaborators: Kyle Smith, Stuart Galloway</span>


 Advanced Manufacturing and Materials

<span class=heading><b>’Free-from’ matters</b> by Francesca Laitano</span><br />‘Free-from’ foods are increasingly in demand due to a rise in the diagnosis of digestive diseases and other lifestyle improvement needs. However, many of these products are not nutritionally balanced or even particularly enjoyable to eat. By exploring how food molecules interact – through the study of their chemical, mechanical and thermal properties – we are aiming to improve product textures and reduce ingredients, benefitting taste buds and purses alike.<br /><span class=small>Image: © 2017 Francesca Laitano</span>.  <span class=small>Collaborators: Dr.Ashleigh Fletcher (Supervisor); Mr. Gerard Johnston (Technical Support)</span>
<span class=heading><b>Advanced materials and smart coatings</b> by Rafee Abdulmajeed  Rafee Ahamed</span><br />Chaucer said "time and tide wait for no man". Today we harness the tide to power our homes and workplaces, but the relentless passage of time threatens that achievement, gradually eroding our tidal turbines. At Strathclyde we’re working to produce advanced materials like smart coatings with super low friction for wear, which sense corrosion and take steps to repair damage, ensuring turbines continue generating renewable energy for years to come.<br /><span class=small>Image: © 2017 Rafee Abdulmajeed  Rafee Ahamed</span>.  <span class=small>Collaborators: Margaret M. Stack, Cameron Johnstone and John Cullen</span>
<span class=heading><b>Beyond Smart Factories</b> by Abigail Hird</span><br />


Increasingly ‘smart’ factories and products are constantly collecting a wealth of data through the entire product lifecycle. Designers and manufacturers can develop better products by considering data collected beyond the factory walls, as well as from internal sources. Our research seeks to provide a better understanding of how crucial insights from that data could be applied for better decision making, increased productivity and sustainability in the design and manufacturing process.<br /><span class=small>Image: © 2017 Abigail Hird</span>.  <span class=small>Collaborators: Ross Brisco (Photographer)</span>
<span class=heading><b>Colours of drug polymorphism</b> by Monika Warzecha</span><br /> 
This image shows crystals of olanzapine – a drug used to treat bipolar disease, which affects more than 50 million people worldwide. During crystallization, molecules can arrange themselves in different forms. The speed at which these ‘polymorphic’ forms dissolve varies dramatically, impacting the body’s ability to absorb the drug and stabilize the patient. Our research focuses on developing robust methods to control polymorphism, ensuring the drugs can do their job effectively.
 <br /><span class=small>Image: © 2017 Monika Warzecha</span>
<span class=heading><b>Rust Forensics</b> by Athanasios Anagnostakis</span><br />How can destroying materials help us to learn how to make them stronger? Our research focusses on understanding how rust and fatigue affect metals, the damage they cause and where and how cracks begin to show. By actually causing rust, we can study the ways in which it weakens metal, and use that knowledge to help develop early warning systems, or to improve the metal’s properties, significantly extending its life.<br /><span class=small>Image: © 2017 Athanasios Anagnostakis</span>


 Ocean, Air & Space

<span class=heading><b>Burning to reduce fuel burn</b> by Catherine Jones</span><br />Composites (consisting of two or more materials, e.g. carbon fibre and plastic) have revolutionised the aerospace industry.  However these lighter, stronger materials are more susceptible to heat damage than traditional metals. With increasing use of electricity on aircraft, the integration of composites with the electrical system is important. At Strathclyde we’re capturing information on the impact of sustained electrical currents on composite materials, so that we can optimise system design.<br /><span class=small>Image: © 2017 Catherine Jones</span>.  <span class=small>Collaborators: Chris Banks (photo editing assistance).</span>
<span class=heading><b>Dead in Orbit</b> by Bryan Tester</span><br />What if this satellite could repair itself, not using human hands, but with information already programmed into it? It sounds like science fiction, but Strathclyde is already working to realise this concept, and the potential benefit is staggering. Today, damage like this could end a space mission, costing millions in lost investment. But in future, satellites made of so-called ‘programmable matter’ could simply self-heal, then return to business as usual.<br /><span class=small>Image: © 2017 Bryan Tester</span>.  <span class=small>Collaborators: Cal Lomax - Artist</span>
<span class=heading><b>Destruction disruption</b> by Marcello Lappa</span><br />
The growing risk of terrorism attacks in places like airports and train stations demands new safety measures in structural design. This image shows a computer simulation of dust particle dispersion following an explosion. Discovering how gases and dispersed particles behave when subjected to external forces is crucial to developing new safety requirements. We hope the dispersal shape (a four-leaf clover) will prove a good omen for our challenging research.


<br /><span class=small>Image: © 2017 Marcello Lappa</span>
<span class=heading><b>Monitoring under the watchful saint</b> by Samuel Grainger</span><br />
A mural of St Mungo watches over one of Glasgow’s many Air Pollution Monitoring Stations. When Nitrogen Dioxide (an urban pollutant) is exposed to a chemical fabric within the tubes, it forms crystals which are analysed to measure pollution levels. Our research trials a new type of tube which may improve readings by preventing strong winds from agitating the crystals, while maintaining the tubes’ ability to trap pollutants successfully.<br /><span class=small>Image: © 2017 Samuel Grainger</span>.  <span class=small>Collaborators: Sam Bates "Smug" (Mural Painter), Nicola Massey and Fiona Sutherland (Co-workers)</span>
<span class=heading><b>Pollution beyond our planet</b> by Stuart Grey</span><br />This image shows man-made space debris, ranging in size from a paint fleck to a double-decker bus, which accumulated in a single year. Travelling faster than a bullet, this debris can potentially take down our communications and Global Positioning System (GPS), and even prevent manned space flight. Our research aims to predict how space debris moves over time, allowing us to develop a clean-up strategy to tackle this global problem.<br /><span class=small>Image: © 2017 Stuart Grey</span>
<span class=heading><b>Take a deep breath?</b> by Fiona Sutherland</span><br />These tubes are called diffusion samplers. Deployed at different sites throughout Glasgow, they help scientists measure the amount of nitrogen dioxide, and other health-damaging pollutants, present in the air. In this particular experiment, researchers are investigating how the weather affects the accuracy of the equipment in measuring air pollution.<br /><span class=small>Image: © 2017 Fiona Sutherland</span>


 Society and Policy

<span class=heading><b>Breaking barriers to information access</b> by Frances Breslin Davda</span><br />What are the barriers that prevent children from accessing and sharing information, and how might this impact on their adult lives? Our research considers whether childhood interventions could mean that adults have vital access to the information they need. Here, children aged 6-8 are asked to help Jack the Puppet learn about dinosaurs. The children then identify to the researcher what prevents them finding out what they want to know.<br /><span class=small>Image: © 2017 Frances Breslin Davda</span>
<span class=heading><b>Equity, natural resources, the law</b> by Elisa Morgera</span><br />A mining company planted a sign in the middle of territories traditionally used by indigenous peoples in Argentina, indicating its commitment to responsibility. But according to whose views? And to which standards? Our research aims to clarify to what extent international law on environmental sustainability and on human rights can help clarify the respective responsibilities of central and local governments and of private companies interested in natural resource exploitation.<br /><span class=small>Image: © 2017 Elisa Morgera</span>
<span class=heading><b>Let me think critically</b> by Loreain Martinez Lejarreta</span><br />    
The world currently faces great uncertainty. Resolving our issues requires, perhaps above all, an engaged and thoughtful society which can objectively analyse and evaluate conflict and crises. But are we raising our children to be critical thinkers? My research seeks to discover how teachers can help young children to develop critical thinking skills, making them better equipped to meet and resolve the present and future problems of society.<br /><span class=small>Image: © 2017 Loreain Martinez Lejarreta</span>.  <span class=small>Collaborators: Aranzazu Temprano Millan (digital design)</span>
<span class=heading><b>Rethinking Volunteer Tourism</b> by Konstantinos Tomazos</span><br /> 
Volunteer tourism is rife with contradiction – the need for help is clear, but is the tourism industry merely maintaining the problem? Our research explores how a lack of evaluation of self-funded, agency-run international volunteering programmes could be preventing them from bringing lasting change to the communities they target. A balance must be found between what volunteers can deliver, the needs of impoverished children and those of the wider community..<br /><span class=small>Image: © 2017 Konstantinos Tomazos</span>
<span class=heading><b>Social media and you</b> by Petya Eckler</span><br />How does Facebook make you feel about yourself? Our research shows that the more time young women spend on Facebook, the more they compare themselves to others and feel negatively about their own bodies; in some cases it can also lead to dysfunctional eating behaviours. By alerting these young women to the subtle ways in which social media affects them, we can hopefully protect them from its negative effects.<br /><span class=small>Image: © 2017 Petya Eckler</span>.  <span class=small>Collaborators: Deyan Stoev</span>
<span class=heading><b>Venice or Lima? </b> by Maddalena Iovene</span><br />   
Would you consider Venice to be a slum? Of course not, but slums actually follow the same patterns of development as beautiful historic cities around the world; rather than being random, there is a definite relationship between building size, plot and street. By studying their structure, we can develop more culturally responsive planning strategies and ultimately improve the living conditions of many, hopefully eradicating slums altogether.<br /><span class=small>Image: © 2017 Maddalena Iovene</span>
<span class=heading><b>Windows to knowledge</b> by Clara Gonzalez Manich</span><br />Two windows: one framing the Scottish landscape where Glenbuchat Castle is a historical landmark; the other framing the stone masonry pattern used to build the monument wall. Our research focuses on analysing the stone masonry types and techniques used to build 17th-18th century architecture in Scotland. Understanding how these monuments were built is essential to stop further decay and preserve the value and authenticity of such unique heritage.<br /><span class=small>Image: © 2017 Clara Gonzalez Manich</span>


 Innovation and Entrepreneurship

<span class=heading><b>Collaborating beyond the classroom</b> by Ross Brisco</span><br />Collaborative project work is a key part of the learning process for engineering design students but could the use of online social network sites create more opportunities? Our research is investigating the increasing prevalence of social media in aiding students’ research, discussions and informal decision-making. By incorporating the use of these platforms at university, we can better prepare students for industry, by making them better communicators and collaborators.<br /><span class=small>Image: © 2017 Ross Brisco</span>.  <span class=small>Collaborators: Dr Ian Whitfield, Dr Hilary Grierson</span>
<span class=heading><b>Innovation through humour</b> by Gillian Hatcher</span><br />What’s the best way for a chicken to cross the road? An innovative solution is like a funny joke - surprising and satisfying. Comedians are highly innovative individuals, constantly using their creativity to improvise and find new ways to entertain an audience. Our research takes techniques used by comedians and applies them to a new approach for product design teams to generate ideas, providing novel solutions to complex design problems.<br /><span class=small>Image: © 2017 Gillian Hatcher</span>
<span class=heading><b>Monitoring financial blockchains</b> by Daniel Broby</span><br />At one time it took days to send money from Glasgow to London. Today huge sums travel thousands of miles in less than a second. In this era of digital finance, Fintech (financial technological innovation) is transforming the world’s financial ecosystem and how we interact with money. Strathclyde’s Centre for Financial Regulation and Innovation (CeFRI) is working to apply Fintech to make banking faster, cheaper and more secure for everyone.<br /><span class=small>Image: © 2017 Daniel Broby</span>
<span class=heading><b>More than just a garden</b> by Tracy Morse</span><br />At Mfera Secondary School (Malawi), research in sustainable living practices has developed a flourishing garden from the dust. Employing water resource management and crop diversification principles, the garden has over 30 food and medicinal plants. It feeds the students, improving their nutrition, but also teaches them entrepreneurship, providing surplus that can be sold. These life-transforming practices are being adopted further afield, creating a lasting impact on Malawi’s poorest communities.<br /><span class=small>Image: © 2017 Tracy Morse</span>.  <span class=small>Collaborators: Dr Tara Beattie </span>
<span class=heading><b>Narratives from Egyptian Slums</b> by Christine Habib</span><br />“I need this project to keep going” – Um Mehareel. What will truly empower the marginalized women of Egypt’s rural and informal settlements to support themselves and their families? This research gathers the stories of women working in informal settlements around Cairo, enabling their voices to be heard in discussions on future policy and on focussing aid efforts to best help them transform their families’ future through entrepreneurial activities.<br /><span class=small>Image: © 2017 Christine Habib</span>


 Measurement Science and Enabling Technologies

<span class=heading><b>A light shines through</b> by Jacopo Agagliate</span><br />The way that water interacts with light can reveal much about what is living under the surface of our lakes and oceans. Here we see suspended mineral and organic particles being passed in single file through a focused beam of laser light, intercepting and scattering its photons. Studying this process can provide us with information that offers the chance of early detection of serious environmental threats like toxic algae blooms.<br /><span class=small>Image: © 2017 Jacopo Agagliate</span>
<span class=heading><b>Hidden water paths of plants</b> by Roberta Dainese</span><br />Soil erosion and landslides can cause serious damage and endanger lives. Our research is investigating ways of engineering certain plants to effectively stabilise slopes in a low carbon, sustainable way. This image – created using a neutron beam - reveals vital information about water uptake, and its progression through plant branches, helping us to understand the interactions between soil and vegetation, which is the first step to achieving this goal.<br /><span class=small>Image: © 2017 Roberta Dainese</span>.  <span class=small>Collaborators: alessandro tengattini, image processing</span>
<span class=heading><b>Subatomic Surfers</b> by Maria Weikum</span><br />Science has made great advances thanks to particle accelerators but these machines are bulky and uneconomical to run. Our research is exploring the possibility of accelerating electrons, like surfers, with waves of plasma. Known as laser-plasma acceleration, this process (shown here) could enable us to drastically reduce the size of these machines, making cancer therapies, industrial processes and advances in research more accessible and cost-effective.<br /><span class=small>Image: © 2017 Maria Weikum</span>.  <span class=small>Collaborators: Prof. Zhengming Sheng, Michael Chrubasik</span>
<span class=heading><b>Views inside a particle</b> by Frederik J. S. Doerr</span><br />Could you cope without morning coffee, or medicine? We take powdered products like coffee and certain medicines for granted, but if they’re not produced properly they can’t perform effectively. At Strathclyde, we’re working on improving the process of spray drying, which produces powder particles. By studying the properties of those particles which work well, we can improve the process that creates them, to increase the effectiveness of the final product.
<br /><span class=small>Image: © 2017 Frederik J. S. Doerr</span>.  <span class=small>Collaborators: CMAC Researcher and Staff</span>
<span class=heading><b>What lies beneath?</b> by Cedric Sachet</span><br />Damaged concrete coastal walls can be dangerous but surface damage is not an accurate indicator of the actual damage below. Our research uses Non-invasive Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) that enables us to capture images of structural damage deep within a pier’s damaged zones – like X-ray for concrete! Assessing structures in this way could enable repairs to be carried out before they become too costly and, potentially save lives.<br /><span class=small>Image: © 2017 Cedric Sachet</span>.  <span class=small>Collaborators: Dr. Philippe Sentenac</span>