News Release

University of York celebrates new rail link

Business Announcement

University of York

The University of York today announced a major new collaboration with Crossrail Ltd, to support a new course in Computer Science.

Through a new agreement, Crossrail, the company delivering the new railway for London and the South-East -- Europe's largest civil engineering project -- will provide annual sponsorship of £60,000 for the Master of Engineering course in Embedded Systems.

The four-year course offered by the University's Department of Computer Science aims to give students practical experience of hardware and software development and working with a major industrial collaborator.

Crossrail will be involved in the design of the course prospectus and will also provide guest lectures, as well as an annual prize of £250 for the outstanding student. Students on the course will be able to visit Crossrail's premises in London and may also be offered one-year internships on the project.

An embedded systems laboratory in the new Computer Science building currently under construction on the University's Heslington East campus expansion will be named 'the Crossrail Laboratory'.

The agreement will see the establishment of an annual Crossrail public lecture which will feature speakers from the rail sector. The Department will also explore the potential for research projects and workshops with Crossrail.

The Head of Computer Science at York, Professor John McDermid, said: "This is an exciting partnership with a company behind the transformation of transport infrastructure in one of the world's great cities. Crossrail's involvement will result in students with first-hand experience of working with embedded systems, and the technical and personal skills to be of immediate and long-term benefit to industry."

Crossrail's Talent and Resources Director, Valerie Todd , said: "Crossrail is a project of national significance and has always valued investment in training future talent. The Master of Engineering course will help foster such talent by providing a high-quality learning environment creating a large bank of skilled engineers who will be an asset to the industry."

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