From Robert Beddington - MSSL Just letting you know that all is going well with the PoleCATS, we heard the other day that we have officially passed the preliminary design review and things are progressing in earnest towards the critical design review in a few months time.  I know Arrow has already been in touch with you, but I wanted to add my own personal thanks to you.  It was your donations that made the visit to the design review in Kiruna possible and kept the project going. We are now at a stage where we can start buying components and so we are in discussions with Aubrey about that.  Go to the Documents section to see some further details about the PoleCATS project that Aubrey asked for  but that might also be of interest to you.  It puts some numbers and clarification to some of the things I mentioned in my impromptu talk at the education supper.  Of course there are lots more details at www.rexuspolecats.com

The Annual Banquet will be held in the magnificent setting of Fishmongers’ Hall, London Bridge EC4R 9EL on Thursday 14th June 2012 at 6.45 for 7.30 pm. The principal guest is Mrs Maggie Aderin Pockcock, MBE who describes herself as a Scientific Instrumentalist.  She is also featured on television and is sure to be a highly entertaining speaker. The musical interlude will be provided by the Mercury Brass Quintet (they will not be playing during dinner). The Fishmongers’ Company in one of the Great Twelve Livery Companies and the Hall is a magnificent example of English Greek revival completed in 1835.  It has a wooden statue of Sir William Walworth complete with dagger.  He was a Fishmonger and Lord Mayor of London who in 1381 supposedly  assassinated the leader of the Peasants’ Revolt, Wat Tyler.  You will also be able to see the famous portrait of H M the Queen by Annigoni. Many of our Livery’s early banquets were held at Fishmongers’ Hall so in some respects it is rather like ‘coming home’. This is the principal function in the Master’s year and he hopes that as many Liverymen, Freemen, Scholars and Apprentices as possible will support him. Applications should be sent to The Clerk.  

ESPRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing Technology in Advanced Metrology Senior Warden, Seton Bennett and I visited this wonderful centre. Professor Xiangqian (Jane) Jiang the Director and Professor Paul Scott Chair of Computational Geometry hosted the visit. It was an absolutely fascinating visit. The measurement technology they are developing is world leading. Rather than try to explain the breadth of their work here I invite you to go to http://www.hud.ac.uk/cimam/ We are hoping to build a strong relationship with the Centre, particularly for our post graduate awards.