ALUMNI NEWS
Computer Science student wins £5,000 bursary
ALUMNI NEWS We’re always proud to hear what our alumni do – and there’s no doubt that you’re one of the best advertisements for the University. We caught up with just some of our proud graduates to find out how they are progressing. We’d also love to hear from you, too. Why not share your successes with fellow alumni?
Alumna flies in for visit One of our international graduates enjoyed a whistlestop tour of the Wolverhampton Campus when she flew over from Dubai. Analisa Mediano, who attained a Masters of Business Administration (distinction) at Westford School of Management in UAE, a partner of the University of Wolverhampton, visited the city in 2016 for a few hours to attend her graduation, but never had chance to look around the University. So, in December 2019, the alumna, who lives in Sharjah, UAE, and works in government as a compliance executive, flew to Gatwick for a five-day visit to England during which time David Wedge, Alumni Relations Manager, took her on a tour of the campus. She said: “I did not get a chance to see the entire campus during my graduation in 2016 as I had to fly back to Dubai after the ceremony. In spite of needing to leave soon, I always wished to visit Wolverhampton again. “The staff were very friendly and helpful and I thought the campus was clean and modern with well-laid-out
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buildings, offices, lecture halls, and laboratories. I’m so grateful for Mr Wedge’s exceptional hospitality and professionalism. My visit wouldn’t have been possible without his support.”
Poet published debut novel Former student Rob Francis delved into his Black Country roots for his debut novel, which was published earlier this year. Rob, who lives in Dudley, completed his PhD in Creative Writing in the School of Humanities and now teaches Creative and Professional Writing at the University. His debut novel, Bella, published by Wild Pressed Books, was launched officially at the Tilstone Studio in the University’s Arena Theatre. He has written five poetry chapbooks, Transitions (The Black Light Engine Room Press, 2015), Orpheus (Lapwing Publications, 2016), Corvus’ BurntWing Love Balm and Cure-All (The Black Light Engine Room Press, 2018), Lamella, (Original Plus, 2019) and Fieldnotes from a Deep Topography of Dudley (Wild Pressed Books).
One of our postgraduate students has won a £5,000 bursary to help him in his Master’s degree research. Iman Hussain is studying MSc Computer Science and was awarded the bursary from the Richardson Foundation, set up by one of the Black Country’s most famous business families. “£5,000 is a large amount and I want to make sure I use it for good,” he said. “It breaks down a barrier and gives me access to equipment that could be used to level the playing field. “Suddenly I have the resources to pursue projects that would otherwise have been shelved, I can dedicate more of my time to helping the people around me through technology.” His research focuses on the development of smartphone apps: one of the projects he is working on aims to redistribute food that will otherwise go to landfill. “Food waste is a huge issue, with about one-third of food thrown in the bin,” he said. “My idea is to have restaurants access the app and use it to see where their excess food can be distributed.” His other idea centres on a virtual reality history app that will allow the user to view cities such as Wolverhampton through history. “It would work in a similar way to Pokemon Go,” he said. “Virtual reality would mean we would find ourselves in Wolverhampton in the 19th century or Birmingham in the 1930s and you could really see how the streets had changed over the years.” Thanking senior lecturer, Herbert Daly for encouraging him to apply for the bursary, Iman added: “From my undergraduate days, Wolverhampton has given me the support I needed and I really appreciate that. It’s why I wanted to stay here for my postgraduate studies. It’s given me a fantastic platform and I’m really looking forward to carrying on.”
SUMMER 2020
