Space School Soars to Success

Dundee school children were inspired in White Space when their heroes landed in the city. Astronauts and science specialists from Space Centre Houston made a visit as part of the ever popular Space School.

Youngsters gained valuable experience from the many activities on offer throughout this programme by creating space suits, flying model rockets and building Mars rover robots.

In conjunction with STEM, pupils were encouraged to give science, maths and engineering a second look. By coming to the University of Abertay they can also see that as well as being a learning environment, it is a place where ideas can really lift off.

The course culminated with a graduation ceremony for our young space cadets and the hope many will reach for the stars in their careers.

Blue sky thinking

Dare to be Digital 2008 is up and running here in White Space. Teams of young creative computing minds from all over the world are developing games to dazzle the judges and earn a top contract. EA Games and RealTime Worlds are just two of the major gaming companies who regularly take an interest in this competition with many others following suit.

Blue Skies, pictured above, are confident their submission will tick all the boxes. Origami is a platform game where the main character is made of paper. He can fold himself into any creature and his main defence is inflicting paper cuts on enemies.

Team leader Richard and his colleagues Jade, Alberto, Kev and Johnny are all Abertay students. Do they mind working during the summer holidays? "It's hard work but worthwhile. It's like having a job but better."says Richard with the rest of the team nodding in agreement.

Last year there was an additional accolade for one of the teams. Voodoo Boogy scooped the prestigious BAFTA 'Ones to watch' award for their role play game 'Ragnarawk'. Fingers crossed there will be recognition for all entrants as Dare to be Digital launches more careers.

White Space Official Opening May 2008

The First Minister of Scotland certainly knows which buttons to push.

Following a rousing speech by University of Abertay Principal, Professor Bernard King, it fell upon the Right Hon Alex Salmond to officially open White Space by hitting the big red button.

Virtual curtains projected on to the landmark 'S' bend sculpture opened to reveal a plaque, designed by White Space Solutions, commemorating the event.

Mr Salmond was very impressed with the facilities in White Space. He was given a demonstration of our 3D HIVE and shown the excellent Embreonix sector where students can grow their own company.

Support by the Scottish Government is clear with Mr Salmond confirming White Space will allow the University of Abertay's reputation to grow significantly by playing a major role in boosting the creative economy of the country.

Meet the gang

Ever had those first day at work nerves? White Space colleagues are coming up with ways to soothe that worry. A DVD introducing new staff to the various teams is being created by Gayle and Andy (pictured). This will help build familiarity and offer information about roles and responsibilities.

As well as using a Hi Def camera, the crew are making good use of the green screen available in HIVE. These amazing facilities are available for hire.

Please contact whitespaceinfo@abertay.ac.uk or place a post on our blog.

White Space Day

White Space Day welcomes more colleagues to the importance of interdisciplinary learning and the creation of graduate attributes: Confident thinkers; Determined creators; Flexible collaborators; Challenging complexity; Driving change.

In 2007, alongside demonstrations of new learning technology, our second White Space Day played host to a unique and controversial debate which demonstrated all the values mentioned above. Are books still needed in education? Watch our short video and let us know how you would vote.

Dare to be Digital

Many of our students may be heading off for a well earned summer break but for some the work doesn't stop.
The ever popular Dare to be Digital competition will be launching soon in White Space.

Students from Abertay, parts of the UK and from overseas are creating prototype games and educational programmes in a bid to scoop the top prize.

The competition attracts the attention of the computer industry big hitters including Eidos, EA Games and Realtime Worlds which is based here in Dundee.

It is impossible to miss the energy buzzing around White Space while the competition is underway.

Speak easy

The open bistro and gallery provides the ideal place for relaxation and for informal discussion between lecturer and student. Here one of our Computer Arts mentors is tutoring a student about her web design proposal.

This open area creates a positive and encouraging environment for the constructive exchange of ideas.

Come and experience it for yourself.