UPM SKYPE EXCHANGE 6

In December we run a Skype exchange with students at Madrid Technical University (UPM); here are the practical guides that we created for students in English & Spanish.

ACADEMIC AND PRACTICAL GUIDE

Imperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom. Imperial was established in 1907. In 2007 the College celebrated the 100th anniversary of its founding and became independent from the University of London.



Coat of Arms of Imperial
College London. Author: Eusebius



Imperial College’s main campus is situated in South Kensington, a prime London location reached easily by tube, bus or cycling routes. The other Imperial campuses in central London are also well served by transport links.

An important feature is the variety of pupils.The students at this university came from more than 125 countries, which gives the university a multicultural environment.

The library is open 24 hours but most other buildings close at 11 pm. It is located next to the Queen's lawn. They have a range of different study zones. Each floor is designated as either group, quiet or silent study to help everyone find their own preferred work space. Their book collection contains material to support both taught courses and research.

Imperial College Union has over 300 clubs and societies, amongst the highest number in the UK. Published weekly, “Felix” is the free student newspaper of Imperial College London. It aims to be independent of both the College itself and also the Student Union. The editor is elected annually from the student body.

Sport Imperial's facilities offer free gym and swimming pool to all students. There is no timetabled teaching on Wednesday afternoons, giving everyone the chance to take part in a wide range of activities.

Concerning the accommodation, Imperial College owns and manages twenty halls of residence. Over three thousand rooms are available, guaranteeing first year undergraduates a place in College residences. The majority of halls offer single or twin accommodation. Students’ bedrooms are provided with basic furniture and acces to shared kitchens and bathrooms. Most rooms have wi-fi access.

Something worthy of note is that Imperial College is accepted as one of the best universities in the world.

Mercedes Bellón Crespo and Josué Del Valle Blaya

UPM SKYPE EXCHANGE 5

In December we run a Skype exchange with students at Madrid Technical University (UPM); here are the practical guides that we created for students in English & Spanish

 

How to Take Advantage of a Stay in London

London, considered by many with New York, Tokyo and Paris one of the four “alpha/global” cities, offers an infinite range of possibilities and opportunities and anybody would see his or her expectations fulfilled there. What follows is a possible brief itinerary to make the most of the cultural and leisure offer of an exceptional and outstanding city.



Diliff, The Palace of Westminster at night
seen from the south bank of the River Thames.



If only one aspect of London has to be singled out, it is undoubtedly its cultural attractions. The museums are varied and renowned, for instance, the British Museum, where we find relics and antiques, those from ancient Egypt standing out, like the Rosetta Stone. We must mention the Victoria and Albert Museum (the world’s largest museum of decorative arts and design), the National Gallery (containing masterpieces of painters such as Caravaggio, Monet, Rembrandt, Van Gogh or Velázquez), the National Portrait Gallery, and the Natural History Museum. Finally, focused on entertainment, the wax museum of Madame Tussauds, in Marylebone, and the Science Museum are two excellent options.

Theatres are abundant in London. The most interesting ones are probably those located in the West End, mainly devoted to the performance of musicals. As well as the West End, this city has a lot of other emblematic places, such as Piccadilly Circus (recommended for going out),

Leicester Square

(with some of the major cinemas in the world), the cosmopolitan street market of

Portobello Road

, or the ethnic enclave of Chinatown.

If we are looking for a shopping street, we may make our way towards Knightsbridge, a road spanning the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. On the other hand, if we feel like spending a day at a theme park, surely Thorpe Park, Surrey, is a good choice.

For strolling and relaxing, there are two prominent green spaces in London: Hyde Park and Regent’s Park. At the first one, we can visit Winter Wonderland, a place where we can do activities like ice skating during the Christmas season.

At O2 Arena and Earls Court Exhibition Centre, we can attend concerts and sport shows, whereas at restaurants like Boisdale, in Belgravia, we can taste top quality British cuisine.

To finish, we might say goodbye to the city with its impressive view from above on the London Eye, the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe, situated on the banks of the River Thames.

 Juan Manuel Domínguez López



UPM SKYPE EXCHANGE 4

In December we run a Skype exchange with students at Madrid Technical University (UPM); here are the practical guides that we created for students in English & Spanish

London Engineering Works: THE WOBBLY BRIDGE

There is a great variety of monuments and other popular places to visit in London. Who doesn’t know the most emblematic monuments of London, such as Westminster Abbey, the London Eye, the British Museum or the Tower of London?

However, one of the most innovative engineering structures is actually unknown for most non-British people: the Millennium Bridge, officially known as the London Millennium Footbridge. This suspension bridge is made of steel and it crosses the River Thames, linking Bankside with the city. The bridge was designed and built due to the beginning of the new millennium, being inaugurated in 2000. That’s the reason of its name.

The design of the bridge was the subject of a competition whose winners were Arup, Foster and Partners and Sir Anthony Caro. The bridge's suspension design had the supporting cables below the deck level in order to improve the view and respect the height restrictions. Its eight suspension cables allow the bridge to support a working load of five thousand people at one time. Those two characteristics are essential for its double function: tourism and transport.

At first, the Millennium Bridge was very criticized because it was temporally closed due to a problem with vibrations. Despite the fact that this problem was rapidly solved, the affectionate "wobbly bridge" epithet remains in common usage amongst Londoners.

Pedro Fernández Gaspar

UPM SKYPE EXCHANGE 3

In December we run a Skype exchange with students at Madrid Technical University (UPM); here are the practical guides that we created for students in English & Spanish

LEISURE AND CULTURAL GUIDE OF LONDON

London is the capital of the United Kingdom and with nearly eight million inhabitants is one of the most important cultural centers in the whole world.

Therefore you can find some relevant museums or galleries like the British Museum where you can find millions rare things from around the globe, from prehistoric to modern times. In 1824 the National Gallery was founded and nowadays it contains and amassing collection of Western paintings. The national gallery of British art is at Tate Britain, in 2000 this collection moved to Tate Modern. Nevertheless, if you are looking for a more scientific museum you should go to the "Albertopolis", a cultural and scientific quarter. Three major national museums are located there: the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum. If you want to meet fake famous people you can also visit Madame Tussauds Wax Museum.

London city is also home to many orchestras and concert halls, such as the Barbican Arts Centre, where you can find London Symphony Orchestra, Cadogan Hall and the Royal Albert Hall. London has also two opera houses: the Royal Opera House and the Coliseum Theatre.

However if you are looking for modern music you should go to London’s arenas shuch asincluding Earls Court, Wembley Arena and the O₂ Arena. Several music festivals are held in London for example the Wireless Festival. An important place for music is the Abbey Road Studios where The Beatles recorded many of their hits.

In London there are also huge parks like the Royal Parks of Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens at the West of central London and Regent's Park on the northern part of the city. In the last one you can find the London Zoo the oldest scientific zoo. If you walk a bit you can reach Primrose Hill where you can enjoy one of the best places in the city to view London’s skyline. Hyde Park is popular for sports and sometimes hosts open-air concerts.

             If you are a shopaholic you will be delighted because in London there are loads of different places to go shopping. If you’re looking for 'high street' shops you can go to Oxford Street, which sometimes become really crowded. Alternatively for a less busy, more relaxing shopping experience, you can go to Covent Garden, where you can have an expensive cappuccino, and watch some street theatre at the same time.

Moreover there are some flea markets in London where you can buy whatever you had never thought before. There are flea markets about Arts and antiques, flower etc. It is very famous the one in Portobello Road where you can find great antiques

"Portobello Market" Copyright Rosalind Mitchell

If you travel with friends there are a lot of places to go in our free time. The main attraction for foreign people and native citizens of course, are pubs because there are so many types. For example people can choose between the traditional pubs where you can drink beer and others option like pubs with live music, or gastro-pubs where you can have a good meal with friends.

CLARA FABIANA GONZÁLEZ MIGUEL

JAVIER DOMÍNGUEZ MARTÍNEZ 

UPM SKYPE EXCHANGE 2

In December we ran a Skype exchange with students at Madrid Technical University (UPM); here are the practical guides that we created for students in English & Spanish:

The technical scientific world is the starting point for development and improvement in any field nowadays. Several centres and universities all over the world are focused on this type of research. We will concentrate on two academic centres located in London and in Madrid.

Firstly, Imperial College is one the most prestigious universities all over Europe whose research is divided in many departments.  However, we will just address here the Physics Department. One of the most eye-catching topics is the search for the origin of mass, in which fundamental particles and the forces between them are studied. For this task, an accelerator R&D is used. Apart from this, astrophysics, photonics or plasma physics are some other remarkable research-groups.

Furthermore, next to London we can find another important centre: Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. It is considered as one of the most important centers in the UK, it is at the forefront of international science. One of its current goals in particle physics is to complete the 'Standard Model'. For this aim, particle physics experiments can be massive, some of them using high energy particle accelerators of many kilometres in diameter.

Moving forward to Madrid, Technical University of Madrid (UPM) also has a significant research plan. Just to mention a few: Material Science Department (ETSICCP), Solar Energy Institute (ETSIT) or Industrial Electronics Center (ETSII). For instance, the Materials Science Department’s main research is on concrete, rocks and quasi-brittle materials in its thermo-mechanical behaviour side.

Finally, without having mentioned even the slightest part of universities research, we easily realize the impact in our lives of the above mentioned progress. For this reason, it is extremely important to keep the financing of the research programs in universities and to urge young students to participate in them, as they may become the future researchers.

Juan Elizaga López-Jurado

Marta Bartolomé-Herrero

UPM SKYPE EXCHANGE 1

In December we ran a Skype exchange with students at Madrid Technical University (UPM); here are the practical guides that we created for students in English.

Life at University is always a new experience and having the opportunity to study in more than one University can broaden your mind in various aspects. Programs such as ERASMUS enable you to make this experience come true. Among all the European Universities, Imperial College is one of the most prestigious ones, being ranked 5^th on many Technological University World rankings. However, before going there, it is useful to get to know some facts about life at Imperial College. Here you will find some useful information about the academic and daily life at University.

            Regarding the educational structure, the classes are divided into three types. First the lectures, on average three hours a day, where theoretical explanations are taught and there is a ratio of around 30 students per class. Then, the laboratories, with mandatory attendance, they are considered of vital importance in all the technological studies. And finally, the tutorials; they are also compulsory. They consist of six to eight students being together with one professor at fixed times given at the beginning of the school year.

            The knowledge acquired is measured through examinations that sum up for 75 % of the final mark. The other 25% is assessed through the coursework done all throughout the year.

            In addition, all students at Imperial College have a tutor assigned since the beginning of their studies that they can contact for any problem or doubt they may find during their studies.

            Concerning the accommodation, the University provides exchange students a suitable room in a residence on Campus. Its prices vary from ₤65 to ₤120 per week. Besides, there are plenty of cheap places to eat on Campus.

            During the free time a wide range of activities are provided by the University. There are over 100 societies you can join. This will help you get to know new people at University who share your own interests. People at Imperial are very open minded since there are students from so many different nationalities.

Francisco Javier López-Rubio and Mª Jesús
Alonso-González