Remember, Remember -it's officially November.

After a very warm October culminating with the hottest Halloween in UK history, autumn appears to have finally arrived. It is officially November and in a few days bonfire night will be celebrated throughout the country.

 

Many of our international students – or even home students for that matter- may not be aware for the reasons behind the 5^th of November celebration. So here is a brief history lesson:

In the year of 1605, when James I was king of the UK, many laws were passed that discriminated against Catholics in the country.

 

 

Many Catholics resented the law that forbade them to practise their religion in public.

 

On November 5^th a group of disgruntled Catholics, led by Robert Catesby, planned to blow up parliament and kill James I and all his MPs. They put barrels of gunpowder in a cellar underneath parliament and Guy Fawkes was in charge of lighting the fuse.

Before Guy had a chance to light the gunpowder, he was discovered by James I and the Gunpowder Plot was averted. After being tortured in the Tower of London, Guy Fawkes confessed and was hung along with his fellow conspirators. Their bodies were cut up and taken to the four corners of the UK to warn other people who were considering assassinating James I.

James I, delighted that he had survived the attempted assassination, wanted to celebrate and burnt replicas of Guy Fawlkes on a huge bonfire. Since then, Bonfire Night has remained a British Tradition.

There is also a famous English Folk verse that is used to commemorate 5^th of November:

Remember, remember!
The fifth of November,
The Gunpowder treason and plot;
I know of no reason
Why the Gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot!
Guy Fawkes and his companions
Did the scheme contrive,
To blow the King and Parliament
All up alive.
Threescore barrels, laid below,
To prove old England's overthrow.
But, by God's providence, him they catch,
With a dark lantern, lighting a match!
A stick and a stake
For King James's sake!
If you won't give me one,
I'll take two,
The better for me,
And the worse for you.
A rope, a rope, to hang the Pope,
A penn'orth of cheese to choke him,
A pint of beer to wash it down,
And a jolly good fire to burn him.
Holloa, boys! holloa, boys! make the bells ring!
Holloa, boys! holloa boys! God save the King!
Hip, hip, hooor-r-r-ray!

This November Milton Keynes will be celebrating Bonfire Night with a funfair in Campbell Park.

Big Data and Business in Milton Keynes

You may have heard the hype in the media relating to Big Data. People are referring to data as ‘the new oil' where progress is going to come from in the future. Big Data promises to improve services, discover new products and through analysis offer solutions to problems old and new. And there is the possibility of making lots and lots of money!

But what is Big Data and how can you use it to grow your business or generate more profit?

 

Simply put, big data is information. This information can be complex, dynamic, noisy, structured and un-structured. It may also be corrupted or incomplete. It can be found in databases, mobile devices, sensors, social media, blogs, websites, smart-meters and financial systems. Traditionally we think of data as measurable, being comprised of vectors- a string of numbers and coordinates. But data from sources such as Twitter, Facebook, Google, CCTV data or even court records look nothing like that and therefore researchers need new tools in order to extract the useful information from this data.

 

This is where a Data Hub comes in handy – as the technology can capture and analyse any data, regardless of what type, how much, or how fast it is moving. Through unique algorithms, data can be gathered and analysed and more informed decision made.

 

UniversityCampus Milton Keynes is working in collaboration with the Open University, BT and Milton Keynes Council on creating a Data Hub for Milton Keynes. The MK:Smart project, led by the Open University, aims to make Milton Keynes into a smart city and UCMK is at the forefront of this with the Data Hub that will be located at its city centre campus on Avebury Boulevard.

 

Already there are examples of companies and organisations using Big Data to improve services and performance. Germany’s national football team used Big Data to win the World Cup in Brazil. For the German team, one of their key targets ahead of the World Cup was to improve their passing speed.

Together with software company SAP, the German Football Association (DBF) developed an application called Match Insights, which analyses vast amounts of data about members of the German team and their opponents, based on their on-field performance.

The team was able to reduce average possession time from 3.4 seconds in 2010 down to 1.1 second in 2014 with the help of big data analytics.

"SAP’s involvement has transformed the football experience for coaches, players, fans, and the media," Oliver Bierhoff, manager of the German national football team told The Telegraph.

 

"Imagine this: In just 10 minutes, 10 players with three balls can produce over seven million data points. With SAP, our team can analyse this huge amount of data to customise training and prepare for the next match."

As well as enabling the German team to analyse its own performance, Match Insights can help coaches and players to identify opponents' strengths and weaknesses, and inform defensive tactics.

The software can extract data on individual players, and present it in the form of digital personas, so that it is "as simple to use as their favorite video game", according to Chris Burton, general vice president of global sponsorships at SAP.

The MK Data Hub will curate and make available a variety of Big; Data sources to small and medium sized enterprises in the Milton Keynes and surrounding areas. These will include: local and national open data resources, data streams from key infrastructure networks (energy, transport, water), relevant sensor networks, satellite data and data crowd sourced from social media.

Another example of how Big Data can be used by is how online dating agency, Match.com has improved prospects for their clients.

 

Match.com estimates that it has more than 70 terabytes (70,000 gigabytes) of data about its customers. Applying big data analytics to the information their customers willingly give when joining the sites is helping the agencies, in turn, provide better matches for these same customers. More satisfied customers means more profiles which means bigger profits.

For more information about Big Data or to get involved with the MK:Data Hub visit UCMK website, MK:Smart or contact Rajinder Sharma on: Rajinder.sharma@beds.ac.uk

Healthy eating for students

UCMK provides tips on foods to avoid and healthier take-away options available close to the University.

Studies have proven that a balanced and healthy diet can help boost brain power, memory and overall happiness and wellbeing.

Food is the fuel for our bodies and yet during student years it is tempting to live on fast food: often cheap and satisfying but unfortunately not always healthy.

Many takeaway meals can push you over your recommended daily maximum amount of salt, fat and sugar. This can eventually lead to a variety of health problems, such as heart disease and diabetes as well as reduced energy levels, foggy-brain and low moods.

The UCMK campus is centrally located and close to a variety of eateries. Check out our top picks for healthy waist-friendly meals at reasonable rates:

Chopstix, 75 Midsummer Place, MK9 3GA, 01908557000

 

Takeaway noodle bar and café offering a selection of hot Chinese-style dishes, all prepared using authentic noodles and fresh ingredients.
 

SUBWAY at MK Hub, 01908 231548

 

Whatever you're in the mood for, SUBWAY stores have a huge range of Subs, wraps, salads, treats and drinks to choose from. Subs are made fresh in front of you, exactly the way you want it on the bread of your choice. You choose the salad and sauce you like too.
 

Pret a Manger 67 Midsummer Place, MK9 3GB, 0207 9325 306

Fresh food to eat in or takeaway: from sandwiches, soups, pies and salads to wraps, sushi, noodles and a selection of hot and cold drinks.

Ed's Outside Diner, 5 Midsummer Place, MK9 3GB, 01908 661 893

 

American classics: from burgers to hotdogs to pancakes and eggs. Ed's Diner provides an array of high calorie comfort food as well as salads and snacks for every apetite.

 

 

 

Beauty by numbers, or why mathematics is so pleasing on the eye

In a fortnight’s time I shall be presenting a master class on behalf of the Royal Institution to a group of fourteen year olds which I hope makes them think again about beauty.  What might surprise some people is that I won’t be talking about art or literature, but numbers.  The aim of the session is to show how we all use mathematics (and frequently without even realising it) in the most practical ways in our everyday lives, and to try to awaken in them the fascination and enthusiasm I have for the subject.  Along the way I very much hope they will see just how elegant and beautiful this world of numerical problem solving can be.

Think of the man or woman who delivers your post.  They walk, cycle or drive over a specified area where they have to stop to pick up or deliver post at numerous individual locations.  Speed and efficiency demand careful route planning to avoid retracing steps unnecessarily.  The postie in question might not realise it but there is some complex mathematics involved in choosing the right way to go – so much so that companies spend a lot of money on software which calculates all the variables involved in producing the most efficient routes.  It’s just one example of the kind of real world applications which can inspire people to see how important numbers are and to want to know more about them. 

It is sometimes easy to forget that “life, the universe and everything” are governed by mathematics, from the movement of the planets to a masterly football free kick.  Before the 2002 World Cup an Oxford academic wrote a surprisingly lengthy paper on how David Beckham was a phenomenal mathematician without even knowing it.  His research actually showed that to bend a ball with the skill and accuracy of such an expert ought to be impossible.  The precise knowledge of wind speed, air pressure, humidity, the degree of friction between ball and boot and ball and grass, the exact weight and volume of the ball – all of these and many more highly significant numbers are essential ingredients for finding the top corner of the net.  Without realising it, the paper argued, the England captain was making numerous mathematical calculations (and assumptions) every time he took aim for goal.

Now if none of this strikes you immediately as beautiful or captivating then I allow me to provide you with the proof.  Researchers at University College, London, showed a number of complex equations to mathematicians while subjecting them to brain scans.  The most beautiful formulae provoked an identical neurological response as when they were played music from the great composers, lighting up the emotion centre of the brain.  What is fascinating is that a particular formula called Euler’s Identity:

has been considered by many mathematicians for hundreds of years as particularly elegant.  The researchers discovered that it was also the one which provoked the greatest emotional stimulation in readers’ brains. 

Einstein called mathematics, “the poetry of logical ideas,” while the philosopher Schlegel described it as, “a sensuous logic.”  I just hope that the young people I will be talking to can also see the lustre and charm of numbers, and that they are both vital to and beautiful adornments for all our lives.

Overcoming Milton Keynes Barriers to Growth

A really interesting meeting took place in Milton Keynes a few days ago.  Business people from companies large and small came together with people from education including UCMK and Milton Keynes College under the auspices of the city’s new Chamber of Commerce.  They’d all come to meet Lord Adonis who was schools minister and Transport Secretary in the last government.  He’s on a nationwide tour gathering information to put into Labour’s growth strategy which is expected to be a cornerstone of the party’s election campaign.

It was really interesting to hear business people talk about borrowing money to expand.  We’re constantly hearing how difficult it is for companies to get money from the banks, yet those in Milton Keynes who wanted seven figure sums say borrowing such amounts really isn’t a problem.  Perversely, it was those directors who needed between quarter and half a million pounds who said it was a real struggle.  The old adage is still true; owe the bank a pound and the manager will forever be on your back.  Owe them a million pounds and he will take you out to lunch.

If one expression rang out loud and clear from the event it was skills gap.  There were irritations about recruits being unable to spell properly, being incapable of writing coherent reports, using text speak in business documents and so on, and this related as much to graduates as to employees at any other level.  However, many of those same individuals were extremely adept with their digital skills and understood effective electronic communication, use of social media etc.  What was not entirely surprising from my own experience but which should be shocking is the inability so many employers identified among recent graduates to turn up on time, to meet set deadlines and to take a degree of responsibility for their own work.

One thing the meeting suggested to me that people are coming to understand more is that not everybody should go to university.  Apprenticeships and Higher Apprenticeships (some of which are equivalent to an MSc) are starting to come into their own, and that has to be a good thing.  Some skills are better taught in the apprenticeship environment, and the association of the individual with a business throughout their training can only help to build those so-called soft skills relating to communication and employability.  Perhaps it is time for schools to be brave and to say to some of their students, “You have a great future ahead of you and actually, taking a good apprenticeship might be a better route for you than the obvious one of going to university.”  Germany is always held up as the example of best practice in this area and it’s often pointed out that in that country vocational skills are not looked upon as in any way less valuable than academic ones.  It’s all about what the individual can bring to the business and a degree certificate per se doesn’t always guarantee their value.

Getting the apprenticeship model right will require cooperation between, schools, Milton Keynes College and ourselves.   There are areas where we compete with each other for pupils – and that’s not a bad thing.  Competition ensures we don’t become complacent and that we’re all always striving to provide the offering that young people will choose.  However, there has to be a coordinated approach so people can move between the different kinds of institutions with a seamless integration of opportunity.  We have to be flexible – not all employers can afford to have a number of their people taking the same day off every week for the College-based element of their apprenticeships.  Our joint offerings have to fit the people being trained AND the businesses they’re being trained for.  I look forward to Lord Adonis report, but even more I look forward to sitting round some more tables with colleagues from business and education to find the best ways of closing that skills gap.

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Big Data is changing the world for us all

Big Data is coming soon to have an impact on your life.  In fact, the use of big data is already changing the way you shop and the way things are sold to you.  Every time you go to buy a book on Amazon it will make recommendations about other books you might like.  It achieves this by crunching untold numbers of tiny bits of information, not only about you but more importantly about all the other people around the world who read the books you like.  There is a lot of big data out there.  Google Chief Executive, Eric Schmidt, says five Exabytes of information were generated from the dawn of civilisation up until 2003.  That same amount of information is now created every two days.  If that weren’t enough, one Exabyte is one billion gigabytes or 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 different pieces of information.

With that in mind, MK:Smart, the multi-agency project to analyse big data relating to transport, water and energy in Milton Keynes, is going to have to look at a lot of information.  We’re going to be ready to go in March, but we’re still working out which pieces of data are the right ones to use to provide answers to the questions at the heart of the project.  The clever bit is not just working out how to process it and relate different collections of data to each other but deciding what to keep and analyse and what to ignore.  Not that it’s that simple of course.  Data which is useful for improving traffic flow may be of no value to the study of water usage and vice versa.  Information can only be defined as junk in relation to a specific project and it might be absolutely pivotal to another.  Therefore, everything we collect we will need to store in such a way that it can be accessed when it does become relevant.

If this all sounds a bit esoteric it’s important to understand just how important big data can be.  The American McKinsey Global Institute produced a report about big data eighteen months ago.  It points to the experience of the German Federal Employment Agency.  In British terms this would be a combination of Job Centre Plus, the National Careers Service and a big chunk of the Department for Work and Pensions.  The Agency employs 120,000 people and it has embraced big data techniques to help it manage such a sprawling bureaucracy more efficiently.  The results have helped it save more than £8bn to date, a little less than the entire annual budget of the Home Office.  If MK:Smart can be anything like as successful the results for everyone who lives here will be transformational.

In such a new world there are opportunities and gaps to be filled.  From September 2014 UCMK plans to offer a new Bachelor of Science Honours Degree in Data Science.  The same McKinsey report I referred to earlier reckons on an immediate shortfall of up to 190,000 graduates in this field in the United States alone.  It’s an area where government, the corporate world and academia are going to be competing for the most talented people and there will be some very exciting and well-rewarded careers to be had.

Big Data will change the world, and it’s incredibly exciting and exhilarating to think that here at UCMK we’re going to be right at the heart of that change.