Product design as a vehicle to integrate arts and sciences in design education

In many parts of the world, Higher Education has often considered arts and sciences as an odd combination and many institutions have avoided this particular mix. Historically, this has been the accepted view; however, this view is changing. This paper provides a detailed account of curriculum development and strategies for enabling arts and science disciplines to blend in an effective way. It shows how strong alliances can be built in line with industry and general design practice expectations through “Live Projects”, that is projects sponsored by industry or other clients. The case studies provided in the paper are based on work conducted in the Product Design and Engineering Department at Middlesex University. The paper further demonstrates the importance of industry involvement, and how industrial collaborations can be managed to ensure that the academic provision is both relevant to the sector as well as responding to the needs of students. The paper was presented at the International Association of Societies of Design Research (IASDR07), held at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The papers for the conference were reviewed in a double blind review process, and the conference was attended by an audience of over 400 delegates, focusing on emerging trends in design researc

S.I. Units (revision) playing cards: units, symbols, quantities, equations & abbreviations in science, technology, engineering & maths

The study and use of SI Units is fundamental to all subjects within the Engineering & Physical Sciences. The International System of Units has it's origins in the late 17th century, however, it is now recognised worldwide as the standard by which all Science and Engineering are based. This revision tool, developed by members of the Autonomous Systems Lab at Middlesex University, allows the learner to practice the application, use and combination of 52 of the most frequently used SI Units. A useful pocket-sized reference to all seven SI Base Units, 22 Derived Units and 23 Other Units this product seeks to educate and demystify this complicated and heavily rule-based system. Designed for use by Engineering and Physical Sciences students at all educational levels from School, College to University degree and beyon