Spring school explores secrets of security science

The two-day school, which was supported by the Economic Challenge Investment Fund (ECIF) through UCL Advances, was open to second- and third-year undergraduates and current masters students from UCL and other universities. The school gave them an understanding of what constitutes security science and developed their presentation, team-working and networking skills. how spectroscopy ? a technique used to assess the concentration or amount of a given chemical ? is used in forensic and security science to identify the precise composition of unknown materials Organiser Dr Hervé Borrion, who is Deputy Director of UCL SECReT, said: "The diversity of background within the spring school's participants reflects the unique vision behind UCL SECReT. In 2009, the centre has recruited 13 students with degrees ranging from forensics to architecture to work on security-related subjects. "For example, three of our students are working on developing an enhanced vehicle x-ray inspection system with a UK company. They are using techniques from the fields of neuroscience, mathematics and medical physics to develop a system with both improved detection performance and a high usability level. "In parallel, another student is examining public acceptability of whole-body scanners at airports with the view to bridging the gap between policy makers and technology designers.