The University of Brighton’s (www.brighton.ac.uk) new £14 million advanced-engineering building was officially opened last month, with an event that also celebrated the role of women in engineering.

The new building is a ‘state of the art’ facility that supports both undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and research; it houses the Advanced Engineering Centre, which has an international reputation for its research into complex engine combustion processes and laser-based measurement techniques, fundamental modelling and computational simulation.

More recently, the centre has also focused on the development of a novel hybrid heat pipe system that could
revolutionise the way heat transfer is managed in everything from satellites to electric cars; this is scheduled to be tested on board the International Space Station.

University vice-chancellor Debra Humphris said: “The advanced-engineering building has opened in our 25th year as a university. It is a great addition to our facilities and an inspiring environment for the next generation of engineering students and researchers.

“The university is extremely grateful to all the bodies whose generous support has made all of this possible.”

The building was opened by Benita Mehra, president of the Women’s Engineering Society. who delivered a lecture on women in engineering from the early 20th century until the present day.