11.06.04
Art, robots and bugs at the Royal
Cornwall Show - CUC showcases wealth of higher education opportunities
The Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC) stand at the
Royal Cornwall Show will give a glimpse of some of the exciting
work being done by students on university-level courses across
Cornwall, ranging from the creative and high-tech to the downright
creepy-crawly.
The CUC initiative has been funded through the Objective
One Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, the
South West Regional Development Agency, Cornwall County Council
and the Higher Education Funding Council for England.
One of the potential stars of the show is a robot designed
and built by students from the University of Exeter in Cornwall's
Camborne School of Mines. Although it may look like an escapee
from the Robot Wars arena, this machine has been developed
to perform rather more scientific tasks underground. The robot
will be charged up and ready to power around the stand on
its caterpillar tracks.
Cornwall's creative streak will be well-represented on the
CUC stand, with images from Truro College's HND in Photography
and Digital Imaging and a diverse selection of work from Falmouth
College of Art's Contemporary Crafts and Foundation Studies
in Art and Design courses. There will also be a display of
contemporary furniture made by students on the Furniture Design
and Make HND at Camborne College. The marriage of art and
science will be on show in the form of objects created using
the new rapid prototyping equipment at Falmouth College of
Arts. Students and local businesses alike have been inspired
by the technology, which allows the user to create physical
prototypes, such as the pair of human hands on display, from
3D computer images.
Younger visitors are expected to appreciate the tank of hissing
cockroaches, courtesy of the Zoological Conservation Foundation
Degree run by Cornwall College on its Newquay campus. These
large insects hiss by expelling air through breathing pores
when disturbed (the males also hiss romantically during courtship).
Visitors admiring the CUC exhibits will be invited to relax
with a free cup of organic tea or coffee, whilst listening
to the latest CD produced by students on Truro College's Jazz
and Contemporary World Music degree course. The drinks will
be served by Hannabeth Johnson of Falmouth-based Mill Valley
Tea and Coffee. Hannabeth was the first person to be employed
through the CUC's Unlocking Cornish Potential graduate placement
scheme.
CUC Coordinator, Gordon Kelly commented: "Our stand
this year really captures what CUC is all about. By enabling
our partner universities and colleges to offer more courses,
we have provided more opportunities for people to progress
into higher education in Cornwall and to go on achieve the
incredibly high standard of work we have seen at the show.
We also want to shake up any misconceptions about higher education
and show how vibrant and exciting it can be."
Editor's notes:
The Combined Universities in Cornwall is a dynamic and visionary
partnership that is one of the driving forces behind Cornwall's
renaissance. This partnership combines the Universities of
Exeter and Plymouth, Falmouth College of Arts, The Open University,
The College of St Mark & St John, and the Peninsula Medical
School, with Cornwall's Further Education colleges - Cornwall
College, Truro College and Penwith College. It aims not only
to provide the students of the future with more choice and
greater opportunities, but also to boost the economic fortunes
of the region for the benefit of one and all.
The CUC initiative has been funded through the Objective
One Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, the
South West Regional Development Agency, Cornwall County Council
and the Higher Education Funding Council for England.
For more information, please contact David Kirk from the
CUC PR & Communications Office:
Tel: 01326 370471
Mobile: 07834676942
Email: david.kirk@cuc.ac.uk
Sue Wolstenholme
Objective One Communications
Objective One Partnership Office
Castle House
Pydar Street
Truro TR1 2UD
Mob: 07973 813647
Tel: 01579 370991
lmroberts@cornwall.gov.uk
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