A tool created in conjunction with the Digital Experimental Cancer Medicine Team to support decisions regarding hospital admissions or discharge in cancer patients presenting with symptoms of COVID-19 has been selected for a NIHR Clinical Research Network award.

In January 2021, our Research Software Engineers worked with the Digital Experimental Cancer Medicine Team (dECMT) to create a tool to support decisions regarding hospital admissions or discharge in cancer patients presenting with symptoms of COVID-19. The tool has been so successful that multiple improvements are now planned.

Cancer patients are at increased risk of severe COVID-19. Decision-making tools for hospital admission, severity prediction and increased monitoring for early intervention are critical. The objective of this project was to identify features of COVID-19 in cancer patients predicting severe disease and build a decision-support online tool - COVID-19 Risk in Oncology Evaluation Tool (CORONET).

vDAL is a bookable space in Research IT where researchers can access VR, MR, mobile devices and high-end graphics workstations for testing, prototype development and collaboration with Research Software Engineers. We are now pleased to announce the addition of the Microsoft HoloLens to our vDAL.

Girish Ramesh from the Textiles and Apparel Group in the School of Materials was one of the first users of our prototype Visualization and Data Analysis Laboratory (vDAL). He used the powerful machines to visualise hair as part of his PhD and also as part of the prestigious Google Summer of Code.

We have just announced a new course – Introduction to Mathematica, which is available now for booking to all research staff and PGRs. Remember that all our courses are free to University of Manchester staff and PGRs!

Touchscreens are very popular for research data visualization but any system deployed must work smoothly and intuitively. There are a wide range of systems available - from expensive purpose-built systems for exhibitions to simple tablet/phone software options available for touching and manipulating data. How do you know which one to choose?

A mobile phone app developed by Research IT has been hitting the headlines recently. Featured on ITV news and Granada Reports as well as in The Daily Mirror, the Manchester Evening News and local newspapers across the region, Linguasnapp is enabling researchers to identify the range of languages used in Manchester.

An Avizo Introduction course will be running at the University of Manchester on Thursday, 13th October. The course is organised by CCPi who have 20 places available.

A number of training courses in research IT will take place in September to coincide with the start of term. The courses are open to all University of Manchester researchers (both staff and post grad).

The deadline for participation in the evaluation of visualization tools has been extended until the 18th of September 2016. Participants currently have an excellent chance of winning an Amazon voucher worth £250, £150 or £100!

Full details of the simple process to evaluate the software on offer and how to submit your feedback can be found on our visualization blog post.

MathWorks are organising webinar to introduce MATLAB, a high-level language and interactive environment for numerical computation, visualization, and programming. The course will take place 2nd August 2016.

MATLAB includes built-in mathematical functions fundamental to solving engineering and scientific problems, and an interactive environment ideal for iterative exploration, design, and problem solving. Through product demonstrations, you will see how this combination allows you to quickly explore ideas, gain insight into your data, and document and share your results.

Please allow approximately 45 minutes to attend the presentation and Q&A session. This webinar will be recorded, so if you can't make it for the live broadcast, register and we will send you a link to watch it on-demand.

For more information and registration please visit the event website.