Students win bursaries for innovative instruments

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mssl.ucl.ac.uk/" target="_self">UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory

UCL Mechanical Engineering

The Worshipful Company of Scientific Instrument Makers

Two postgraduate students from UCL have won bursaries of £1,000 from the Worshipful Company of Scientific Instrument Makers.

Robert Bedington (UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory) received his award for developing miniaturised space plasma spectrometer instruments, which measure the energy and electrical charge of particles.

The technology has many potential applications, including their use in the manufacture of much smaller and cheaper space weather satellites.

Reducing the size and cost makes feasible large constellations of such satellites, which would greatly improve the accuracy of space weather forecasts.

David Western (UCL Mechanical Engineering) won his bursary for work on the interpretation of electrogram recordings from within the heart, and on the development of computer algorithms to automate the interpretation of these recordings.

It is hoped this will enable a massive increase in the amount of available human data pertaining to arrhythmias - disturbances of the normal electrical rhythm of the heart - and the creation of novel treatments for heart conditions.

The Worshipful Company of Scientific Instrument Makers awards bursaries each year to outstanding candidates at 10 leading UK universities.

Image: A satellite orbiting the Earth

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