Top Performance Student Success Bright Future An inspiration to us ...

14
BUildiNg ON
a degree
Michael Goodwin
iNSPiriNg gaMeS
eNTrePreNeUrS
as one of the leading universities for
developments in the computer games
industry, our popular gamer Camp for
aspiring games developers is
launching a new course designed to
prepare individuals to be the next
generation of video games entrepreneurs.
Gamer Camp: Biz is designed to combine
managerial and business know-how with a
comprehensive and realistic understanding of
the game development process.
Although managers in the industry will not
be coding or designing art assets on a daily
basis, it is vital that they have a comprehensive
and realistic understanding of the game
development process, and how all the disparate
elements operate and come together to
produce the polished game you see on the shelf.
This mirrors the business model of
companies such as Facebook, where all
managers are expected to understand coding
and programming, even if they are not working
with it on a daily basis.
On Gamer Camp: Biz, we give people
who want to work in games an in-depth
experience of the full game development
process combined with all the hard-edged
business skills they need to run a small games
business or manage a studio production.
Gamer Camp: Biz is suitable for both those
in the games industry and graduates with an
appropriate degree who are keen to strike
out on their own.
www.bcu.ac.uk/gamercamp
ProGress 2012
Computing and Games
while we welcome postgraduate
students from a huge range of work
and educational backgrounds, many
of them come to us having previously
studied here at undergraduate level.
Security engineer, Michael Goodwin, was
so impressed with his experience as an
undergraduate that he decided to come
back for his MSc in Computer Networks.
He said that the chance to continue working
with the same staff, from whom he had
enjoyed learning before, was a big draw in
choosing where to take the next step in his
academic career.
“I completed my undergraduate
degree here, and found the course very
interesting, and the tutors very helpful, and
the labs very well equipped,” he said. “All
of the tutors are very helpful and go out of
their way to make sure things are working as
they should. They’re very knowledgeable and
well-experienced staff, who have had years
of ‘in industry’ experience, that they are now
passing on to us.”
He especially enjoyed getting the chance
to build his practical experience with the
equipment that he now uses every day in
his job with a security reseller, supporting
customers, advising colleagues and installing
new equipment.
“It helped having this hands-on
experience, and not just being taught theory
in a classroom,” he explained.
The student experience is another big
attraction, with Michael making the most
of the opportunities on offer.
“Birmingham is a very vibrant city,
catering for many types of students. The
whole atmosphere of the University is good,
the Students’ Union is very well-organised,
and the Millennium Point location is very well
situated in the centre of the city.”
www.bcu.ac.uk/tee/ctn
ProGress 2012
Engineering 15
TraiNiNg
fOr THe
PrOfeSSiONalS
Adam Stubbs
Having already gained a Master’s
degree in Mechanical engineering,
an MSc in automotive Calibration and
Control marked a second postgraduate
course for adam Stubbs.
As a member of the engineering staff
at Caterpillar-Perkins, his supervisor
suggested he might consider enrolling
on Birmingham City University’s relatively
new Automotive Calibration and Control
postgraduate degree, since it offered a
unique study opportunity for professionals
involved in powertrain engineering.
The degree course had been
engineered by Birmingham City University’s
automotive powertrain technology team
when they realised that the automotive
industry had a shortage of calibration and
control engineers.
Adam was so competent in his studies
that he gained the University’s Faculty
of Technology, Engineering and the
Environment (TEE) postgraduate prize.
As a new Caterpillar-Perkins recruit,
Adam was able to apply his training and
expertise directly in the practical and
commercial contexts of daily work-life –
a principle we seek to repeat across all our
postgraduate courses where possible.
Adam’s project involved the successful
development and application of a sophisticated
engineering control approach to the design
complexities of turbocharged diesel engines.
Adam says: “I found all the University’s
assignments relevant, extremely useful and
enjoyable. I would now like to develop
my technical expertise further and gain
chartered engineer status with IMechE.”
In the longer term Adam has thought
about research to gain a doctorate, but in the
meantime is enjoying his favourite pastimes
of mountain-biking and renovating his Fiat
sports car.
www.bcu.ac.uk/tee/edms
frOM
aPPreNTiCe
TO MaSTer
Steven Bourne
experienced engineer Steven Bourne
has gone all the way from apprentice
to Master of Science, picking up
awards and accolades on his way.
His company, eadS astrium, where
he designs telecommunication
satellites as a Structures engineer,
sponsored him to attend one day
a week for his accredited MSc in
Mechanical engineering. it’s an
arrangement that’s worked for everyone.
Steven found that taking the course boosted
not just his skills and knowledge but his
belief in his abilities too, especially in
presenting to large groups.
“My course has provided me with some
excellent engineering skills which have given
me the confidence and ability to do this job. I
believe my academic success has also given
my employer the confidence to trust me
with the responsibilities associated with my
current job role,” he said.
He added that he would recommend
the course to anyone looking to build their
career in the engineering field. “It will help
to cement and expand upon your existing
engineering knowledge and help you to
develop good technical and managerial
skills. Also, if you are a young engineer
wanting to become chartered, it is almost
essential to be educated to Master’s level.”
www.bcu.ac.uk/postgraduate www.bcu.ac.uk/postgraduate