Students working on radio communications were in Bristol recently to receive a national award.

The UK Electronic Skills Foundation teamed up with the Radio Communications Foundation (RCF) and Leonardo for the annual RF competition.

Students from Imperial College, London, Lancaster and Heriot Watt in Glasgow worked on projects from machine learning for a software defined radio (SDR), a low-cost flexible antenna for wearable radio systems and new antenna designs for millimetre wave transmitters.

The prizes were presented by Prof Andy Nix, Professor of Wireless Communication Systems at the University of Bristol, Dean of the Engineering Faculty and Head of the Communication Systems and Networks (CSN) research group (above centre).

“There were ten entries and three finalists – I’m always amazed at what students can achieve in their projects, I’m always stunned by what is achieved, but these three stood out,” said Prof Nix.

The judges included Trevor Gill, trustee of the RCF (above left) and Merv Haynes, head of electronics for Airborne & Space Systems at Leonardo UK, which has a design centre in Bristol.

The overall winner, Jonathan Rawlinson, received £1,000 for his SDR project, with the two runners-up, Max Landles and Scott Dearnaley, receiving £500 each.

The UKESF www.ukesf.org helps develop electronics skills in the UK through sponsorship of students and a summer school

Bristol Universities