http://www.engsc.ac.uk/nef/news/centre/index.asp The Higher Education Academy - Engineering Subject Centre is a national centre providing subject based support for the UK higher education engineering community in the area of learning and teaching. en-gb webmaster@engsc.ac.uk http://www.engsc.ac.uk/images/logos/logoheaesc.gif http://www.engsc.ac.uk 111 44 Engineering Subject Centre specific News items http://www.engsc.ac.uk/news/stem-oer-guidance-wiki-now-available A collaborative Wiki produced by the STEM Subject Centre's involved in Open Educational Resources has now been launched. http://www.engsc.ac.uk/news/second-call-for-engineering-project-projects An exciting opportunity to receive funding to enable the transfer of good practice across the HE STEM sector, facilitate its wider adoption, and encourage innovation http://www.engsc.ac.uk/news/engineering-education-volume-5-issue-1-available-online From audience response systems to interdisciplinary group exercises, this issue is packed with informative papers. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100809142046.htm Superconducting materials, which transmit power resistance-free, are found to perform optimally when high- and low-charge density varies on the nanoscale level, according to research performed at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory. http://www.rigb.org/contentControl?action=displayContent&id=00000004333 Dr Mark Miodwnik, head of the Materials Research Group in the Engineering Division at King's College London, is to deliver the 2010 Christmas lectures entitled 'Size Matter'. The lectures are broadcast on UK television. For more details click the link. http://www.azom.com/news.asp?NewsID=23469 Researchers have taken one more step toward understanding the unique and often unexpected properties of graphene, a two-dimensional carbon material that has attracted interest because of its potential applications in future generations of electronic devices. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100810122212.htm It turns out that watching paint dry might not be as boring as the old adage claims. A team led by Yale University researchers has come up with a new technique to study the mechanics of coatings as they dry and peel, and has discovered that the process is far from mundane. http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/nov/09/tuition-fees-rise-review-universities The former chief executive of BP was today appointed to run a comprehensive review of the top-up fee system amid warnings from students against a hike in tuition costs. Lord Browne will chair the independent review, which has been charged with examining the impact of tuition charges on who goes to university and the growing cost of universities to the public purse as student numbers expand. It begins today and has cross-party support. Ministers and their Conservative shadows have all indicated that they expect students to be charged more at the end of the review. The review was promised as a last-minute sop to rebel Labour MPs who, in 2004, threatened to reject the bill introducing the higher £3,000 a year fee. It will not report until after the election, prompting accusations that the government – and opposition – are avoiding making the controversial decision about fees a doorstep issue in the run up to a vote. (Courtesy of Guardian Unlimited)