Shortly after graduating, Peter landed anexcellent job working for FrontierDevelopments in Cambridge, one of theworld’s leading independent gamedevelopers. ‘The skills I learnt on myundergraduate and master’s degrees gaveme a tremendous advantage, as did thequalifications themselves.

‘This really is my dream job. And for my firsttitle I’m working as part of a highly-talented,

creative team on Frontier’s new action-thriller game The Outsider.’

Frontier works with top publishers and iscurrently developing for all major platformsincluding Xbox360, Nintendo Wii,PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable andWindows PC.

As part of our new six-hour web challenge,teams will have the opportunity tocompete against other schools andcolleges to really show off their webdesign talent. The one-day competitionruns in spring 2009. Students will arrive atthe University of Teesside campus to bebriefed at 9.30am, and will present theirfinished website that same afternoon.

Each team will have the opportunity towork with University staff, to benefit from their expertise and experience.

E-media students will be competing for a £100 prize and a prestigious award.

To express an interest in our events,please email Rachel Jones, Schools &Colleges Recruitment Assistant, atr.jones@tees.ac.uk.

ONE GRADUATE’S

STORY

SIX-HOUR web challenge

ComputingSchool of

NEWSLETTER spring 2009

Teesside’s School of Computing and School of Arts & Media areteaming up to bring an exciting competition to e-media students inthe area. The idea is simple but the challenge is a little tougher –can you design an interactive website in just six hours?

Peter Ellis talks about his new job at Frontier Developments.As an undergraduate, Peter studied BA (Hons) Computer Games Design at Teesside,returning last year to complete MA Computer Games Art – a postgraduate degreefocused on designing and developing creative content suitable for a computer gamingenvironment. ‘The master’s course was an excellent opportunity to improve myshowreel for prospective employers and to focus my work on the next generation gameengine, Unreal Engine 3, as a way of specialising my skills.’

Search me! How does Google work?

Rachel Jones, Schools & Colleges RecruitmentAssistant, describes one of our most popularlectures for schools and colleges in the area.

In November over 70 local college students came to theUniversity of Teesside for a masterclass in the black art of websearch engines.

Dr Mark Truran, Senior Lecturer in Computer Science, delivered a90-minute keynote session exploring the phenomenal size of theweb, the poor quality of user queries and the staggeringchallenges faced by modern search engines.

Students, who came from Bishop Auckland College, HartlepoolCollege of Further Education, Macmillan Academy, Redcar &Cleveland College, English Martyrs School and MiddlesbroughCollege, also learnt about common text analysis techniques.These included term frequency analysis, stemming (reducing aword to its stem or root form), stopwords (filtered out words) andbasic indexing.

The lecture finished with a lighthearted look at searching forimages and an explanation of Google’s famous PageRankalgorithm using Henry Winkler (The Fonz).

We received excellent feedback from both staff and students, withover 80% of attendees rating the event as ‘good’ or ‘very good’.

Chris Williams, Director of Animex, the international festival ofanimation and computer games, will be giving a second lecture:So you want to work in animation? in the spring. For moreinformation or to book a place, contact Schools & CollegesPartnerships by emailing scl@tees.ac.uk.

A warm welcome from theUniversity of Teesside’sSchool of Computing.

We hope our newsletter gives you a trueflavour of our world-renowned courses,research and consultancy. We are proud ofour state-of-the-art computing facilities andstudios, equipped to the latest industrystandards. We have a world-class soundstage with high-definition capture and editingfacilities, various full-body motion capturetechnologies, a walk-in virtual realityenvironment, and many more resources.

Our links with industry and professional bodies areextensive. And we are privileged to have academic staffwho come from both traditional academic environmentsand leading industrial organisations.

I hope you enjoy reading the latest news about the excitingprojects our staff and students are involved with.

Best wishesDr Derek SimpsonDeanSchool of Computing

Welcome

3school of computing newsletter

The School of Computing is partof the research and developmentproject, Conveying Affectivenessin Leading-edge Living AdaptiveSystems (CALLAS). The project, aEuropean Community's SixthFramework Programme, isdedicated to exploringmultimodal affective interfaces –in other words, systems that cancapture various emotionalresponses from users engagedwith interactive media, with afocus on digital art andentertainment. It has €6.5mfunding in total.

Professor Marc Cavazza at the Universityexplains, ‘Within CALLAS, we are chargedwith developing multimodal affective fusion– the process by which emotional cuesfrom various sources are merged into onesingle representation that can capture theuser experience. We are also responsiblefor one of the major demonstrationprototypes – the emotional tree (eTree).This is a virtual tree whose growth patternsreact to the perceived attitude ofspectators.’

‘The installation’s original brief came fromMaurice Benayoun, one of the world’sleading virtual reality artists. Our eTree waspresented at ACM Multimedia 2008 inVancouver and was one of thedemonstrations at the opening of

Teesside’s Institute of Digital Innovation.Talking to guests in front of the eTree was afantastic opportunity to demonstrate ourenthusiasm and skills as the tree capturedpeople’s emotions, conveyed by voice andattitudes, in real-time.’

The eTree was presented at ICT 2008, thelargest exhibition for EU projects. It wasone of only a handful of projects selectedfor news coverage with Steve Gilroy, aresearch fellow at Teesside, appearing onEuronews in over 30 countries.

Alison Brown, Senior Lecturer inComputing at Teesside, hasrecently organised a conferenceencouraging girls to considercomputer science as a seriouscareer choice.

The Girls and Gadgets Conference, held inDecember, emerged after our successfulGirls and Gadgets sessions which werelinked to Computer Clubs for Girls – an e-skills UK initiative in secondary schools.

‘The conference was designed to get girlsexcited about using computers, destroyingthe myth that IT is for boys. I’m veryinterested in encouraging more women toenter the industry.’

Alison hopes the Girls and GadgetsConference will become an annual event.

‘Although teenage girls are now usingcomputers and the internet at rates similar totheir male peers, they are still five times lesslikely to consider a technology-related career.There has been a drop in the number ofstudents taking computing-based subjects atdegree level. And historically women havebeen under-represented in this field, thoughthere is no clear evidence as to why.’

The conference targeted school girls fromYear 9 upwards in a bid to promote computerscience as an interesting and challengingcareer path. ‘We’re keen to continuestrengthening our link with local schools andcolleges. And we want to raise girls’awareness of computer science, and thechallenges and opportunities it can offer.’

Sessions focused on topics such ascomputer games, digital music, multimediaand animation. There were lectures,presentations and workshops, as well asspeaker sessions by computer-industry rolemodels. Speakers came from Microsoft, BlitzGames, the local health authority and localgovernment.

For more information about Girls and Gadgets, email Alison Brown atalison.brown@tees.ac.uk.

The tree of life

Here come the girls!

4

‘Thanks to the excellent support of Teesside’sSchool of Computing, I have recently completedmy PhD Haute Games: Innovative Self and Self-Identity Blendings. It took me four years ofinvestigation. During this period, I spoke about myresearch at both national and internationalconferences which really helped me produce asolid thesis.’

As well as teaching games and animation part time within theSchool, Dr Maggie Parker maintains the University’s Greig Gallery which showcases the artwork of students and invitedindustry exhibiters.

‘As a practising fine artist, I found it daunting to enter atechnically-based learning environment, especially coming froman art college method of working. But throughout my PhD, I hadexcellent supervision which really helped the transition.’

Maggie continues to work with digital images and she alsoteaches digital imagery to older adults who have never used acomputer before. ‘I firmly believe that anything can be taughtthrough the medium of art.’

expoTEES showcases the nextgeneration of digital expertiseemerging from the work of final-year graduate projects fromthe School of Computing.

The spectrum of digital work presented atexpoTEES is extremely wide ranging. Thereare projects which involve advancedcomputer technology to others that centreon storytelling and entertainment. At themidpoint, the relationship between art andscience becomes fuzzy.

Teesside’s artists demonstrate an ability toharness technology and our computerscientists have developed an appreciationof aesthetics and visual design. All ourstudents are required to do an in-depthexploration of a chosen subject anddemonstrate their ability to analyse,synthesise and creatively apply what theyhave studied. Their project contributes to aportfolio of work to present at job interviews.

expoTEES represents a cross-section offinal-year project work. It presents both veryambitious pieces and those who have takena more cautious approach. Barry Hebbron,Senior Lecturer in Computing at the

University said, ‘expoTEES has somethingfor everyone.

Maybe you're just curious about thedirection the next generation of digitalexpertise is taking. Or do you want to be aweb designer or developer, an IT orcomputing specialist, a computer animatoror a games developer?

‘If you're at school or college and you'rewondering if any of these careers is for you,then come and chat to the students andexplore with them – what motivates them,why they chose the path they are on, andwhat they aim to achieve.’

Where art meets computer science

I PRESUME?Dr Parker

expoTEES 2009 is on17 March 2009.

For his final-year project,Paul Haynes created anew level for the existingcomputer game UnrealTournament 3.

5school of computing newsletter

Don’t worry if you lack the necessary qualifications to be accepted onthe first year of one of our games or animation courses. We now offeran introductory foundation year leading directly onto the first year of adegree.

This year-long course offers you the opportunity to develop the skills and gain theexperience you need to join one of the following exciting courses:

• BA (Hons) Computer Animation

• BA (Hons) Computer Character Animation

• BA (Hons) Computer Games Animation

• BA (Hons) Computer Games Art

• BA (Hons) Computer Games Design

Our foundation course is designed to prepare you for your chosen degree course. Itincludes modules to develop a range of key skills including Introduction to Digital Art,Introduction to Drawing Techniques, Sketchbook, Critical and Contextual Studies, and aFoundation Project.

Nigel Kitching, Programme Leader says, ‘The Foundation Year is delivered by a dedicatedteam of lecturers, all with a number of years’ experience. You will be well supportedthroughout the year and encouraged to achieve your full potential.’

Dr Simon McKeown, Reader incomputer animation at theUniversity of Teesside and one ofBritain’s most experienced 3Danimators, is an artist with 20year’s industry experience in TVand computer games production.

‘As an animator I am fascinated by motion– intricate movements which we take forgranted but which also define us. How wewalk and express ourselves is unique toeach person. Disability creates even moreinteresting motions.’

In his current project Simon has capturedthe movement of unusual body shapes. ‘Ihave featured people with cerebral palsy,brittle bones, birth defects as a result ofThalidomide, and other forms of disability.’

His Disabled Motion project asks whetherdisability is about to become virtual. ‘Is ahomogeneous landscape of ideal bodies

all that will be left in 50 years? For the firsttime in history, physical difference andhuman diversity are being removed fromour daily vision. Different bodies and facesare being lost to our visual landscape.’

Simon uses motion capture to reveal theessence of physically-impaired people. Hehas chosen actors with the physical motionof an 'abnormal body' and, using motion-capture technology and software, they arefilmed in 3D in the most intimate and publicof movements. The actors use crutches,wheelchairs, floor movements and bikes, aswell as being filmed unaided. These digitalcaptures form the basis of computeranimation for the gaming industry’s use ofcharacter simulation.

‘The motion-capture files are attached tosimple, identifiable figures: motion-capturefigures stripped of their surfaces andidentity to reveal the bare human essenceof their different realities. Each figure forms

a five-minute performance. The videos haveaudio from the sounds of the moves but nodialogue.’

Simon’s final work is currently beingscreened at the Wolverhampton Art Gallery,having started showing in January 2009.‘It’s very exciting for me! We have plannedmore work and exhibitions, and are lookingto show the work outside of the UK.’

Find out more about Dr Simon McKeown’sDisabled Motion work atwww.disabledmotion.com.

‘I, My, Me, Mine’ – Chris Marsh, BA (Hons) Digital Character Animation (now retitled BA (Hons) Computer Character Animation)

Games and Animation Foundation YearOUR NEW

Animation, animation, animation

6

Dr Simon Stobart describes theSchool of Computing’sinvolvement in an innovativegovernment-backed newprogramme development.

You are probably aware that InformationCommunications Technology (ICT) is anintegral part of businesses globally. Withinthe UK, the ICT workforce currentlycomprises 1.66 million individuals. But whileit’s a key component of the curriculum, upto 46% of employers are reporting severeskills gaps within their workforce.

To address the problem, the government-sponsored Foundation Degrees Forwardproject proposed a consortium of ICTemployers and other sector stakeholders todesign and develop a high-quality NationalInformation Communications TechnologyFoundation Degree.

Employers actively engaged in theconsortium include BT, Orange, O2,Vodafone, Oracle, NHS, The Royal Schoolof Signals and npower. The University ofTeesside is one of only nine UK educationpartners invited to participate.

In December 2008, as a consortium, wesuccessfully agreed the design and contentof the National ICT Foundation Degree. It issector specific, innovatively designed anddelivered, and aligned to business needs.

And the University of Teesside, along withits partners, is moving to approve its owninstance of this government-approvedqualification.

award-winning

Clive Tonge welcomed the new millennium as an MAComputer Animation student atthe University of Teesside. ‘Thatyear represented a major lifechange as it finally dawned onme what I enjoyed doing andwhat I was good at. Since thenI’ve never stopped doing either.

‘During my master’s I directed a coupleof projects. I discovered that I enjoyeddirecting and working with people. Soonafter graduating I began making my ownshort films. I was also offered a part-timepost lecturing at the University – I lecturefor half the week and make films in theother half.’

Clive has made several award-winningfilms and can share his experiences withstudents. Emily and the Baba Yaga, adark, animated fairytale, was played atfestivals all over the world – it won aprestigious Royal Television Societyaward beating a number of primetime TVprogrammes. Over 90% of the film teamwas made up from Teesside graduates.

Next he made Love Lesson, a live actionshort which was chosen by the UK FilmCouncil as one of the top ten shorts of2007. It has also just made the First Cutfor the New York International Children’sFilm Festival. ‘Last year I directed a one-minute animation and live action epiccalled Rocket Girl which was a finalist inthe Raindance Short Circuit competition.And I’m currently developing two featurefilms – one is animated and one is liveaction.’

Introducingour cross-sector ICTfoundationdegree

Clive Tonge with Siobhan Fenton and their award-winning Emily and the Baba Yaga

film making

7school of computing newsletter

Launching our 2009 Vis Awards

For many years, the University of Teesside has beenan attractive destination for international studentsstudying computing, animation, games, and web andmultimedia programmes at both undergraduate andpostgraduate level. Students from Norway, France,India and China are regularly seen studying andworking with students from throughout the UK.

Now we are developing partnerships across the globe to offer ourprogrammes remotely. We aim to provide learning opportunities tothose individuals who want a University of Teesside degree but arenot able for various reasons to commit to studying in the UK.

Currently we are about to approve the operation of an MScInformation Technology at the NIIT college in Gaborone, Botswana. In addition, undergraduate programmes will begin operating in KualaLumpur, Penang and Johor Bahru in Malaysia, Mysore in India andSingapore in 2009. Slightly closer to home, we are also discussing anundergraduate degree with CITEC College in London.

InternationalDEVELOPMENTS

Sandeep Roy from Indiahas completed an MA Creative Digital Media

The Vis Awards are back witha brand new line-up ofcategories to support gamesdesign, games programming,animation, modelling anddigital music techniquescurrently being developed inour School of Computing.

This year, our awards are sponsored byvideo game developers Ubisoft Reflections,based in Newcastle.

‘We are delighted at Ubisoft to be involvedwith the Vis Awards. We recognise theimportance of the University of Teesside’sgames development courses – for the

students who learn essential industry skillsand for the growth of the UK’s world-classdevelopment community.’

The judging panel will comprise staff fromboth the University of Teesside and UbisoftReflections. And you will be able to comealong to a Ubisoft guest lecture to find outexactly what we are looking for in a winningsubmission.

‘As Ubisoft’s only UK-based developmentstudio, Ubisoft Reflections takes pride insupporting this local initiative to showcasestudents who demonstrate exceptionalinnovation in their field. We’re excited to seethe quality of this year’s entries and wish allparticipants the best of luck.’

Together with providing three six-monthpaid internships (with a salary of £14,000papro-rata), Ubisoft will also be presenting aselection of games bundles to the runnersup in the categories of GamesProgramming, Character Animation andGames Design.

So if you have ambitions to work with thethird-largest independent video gamepublisher in Europe, send us your entry viathe Vis Awards electronic applicationprocedure.

Find details at www.tees.ac.uk

Or for more information contact JustinGreetham, Senior Lecturer in Visualisation,on 01642 342692 or emailj.s.greetham@tees.ac.uk.

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UNIVERSITY OF TEESSIDEMIDDLESBROUGH TEES VALLEY TS1 3BA UKTEL: +44 (0) 1642 218121 FAX: +44 (0) 1642 342067

www.tees.ac.uk

This publication is available in alternative formats on request. Please contact the Enquiry Service on01642 342942 or email enquiries@tees.ac.uk.

All details correct at time of publication.

After gaining his PhD, Alan designedmicroprocessor systems and wrote some ofthe first books on microcomputers. ‘Thesebooks helped our students to understandhow computers worked, while also provingpopular with other universities around theworld. It brought me both national andinternational recognition, and helpedTeesside consolidate its reputation as aninstitution known for excellence in teaching.’

‘I was invited to work with the Institute ofElectrical and Electronics Engineers’Computer Society, responsible for publishingmuch of the world’s research into computing.’

Alan was asked to stand for election to theComputer Society’s Board of Governors, andwas elected second Vice President last year.For me the wheel has come full circle. I

began by applying my skills to teaching mystudents, and I am now able to apply manyof the things I’ve learned in the School ofComputing to the profession itself.

‘Although it’s involved a lot of hard work, it’sbeen great fun. Over the years I’ve metscience fiction author Arthur C Clark at hishome in Sri Lanka; I gave a lecture at WestPoint, one the USA’s most prestigiousmilitary academies; visited Washington morethan a dozen times; became friends withIntel’s chief microprocessor designerresponsible for the Pentium IV; visitedMicrosoft’s headquarters near Seattle; andsat next to Steven Spielberg at an awardsceremony. Oh and I’m a visiting professor atthe University of Information Sciences inHavana, Cuba. It’s not been a bad life!’

Professor Alan Clements, Professor in Computing at the University ofTeesside, teaches the design and internal operation of computers.‘Working as an academic is unusual in so far as you serve threemasters – your students, your university and your profession. Over theyears that I’ve taught here, I’ve been able to combine these three goals.'

focus onProfessor Alan Clements

Cartoon by Martin Chatfield, Senior Lecturer in Computer Animation.