Chancellor Colin Jackson officially launches new industry-standard spaces
Date: Monday, July 1, 2024
Brand-new industry-leading facilities have been officially launched at Wrexham University, as part of its ongoing Campus 2025 developments.
Chancellor, Colin Jackson CBE was on campus in Wrexham this week as part of several same-day showcase events taking place to unveil a host of ground-breaking facilities and technology, including the new Biomechanics and Performance Sciences Laboratory, the Cyber Innovation Academy (CIA), and the latest phase of the University’s Health and Education Innovation Quarter (HEIQ).
Partners and dignitaries from across the region joined university staff and students to celebrate the unveiling of the state-of-the-art facilities.
First up was the formal opening and tour of the latest phase of the HEIQ developments, which includes a number of specialist spaces including a policing interview room – this multi-functional room supports Policing students with scenario-based study, as well as a number of other subject areas. The room has 360 cameras, which film simulated officer and suspect interviews, which can be watched back to help develop skills and interview styles.
It also includes counselling rooms – these small, confidential spaces were created to meet the requirements of the Counselling programme to provide the appropriate environment to hold practice counselling sessions. These spaces can also be utilised by a number of other areas for a range of simulated learning opportunities, including Social Work conversations, personal tutor meetings and staff one-to-ones.
Members of the Sports team with Professor Maria Hinfelaar, Vice-Chancellor, and Chancellor, Colin Jackson CBE.
Next up as part of the event, the new Biomechanics and Performance Sciences Laboratory was unveiled. The Lab will support students on the institution’s Sport, Football, and Sport Injury Rehabilitation degree programmes, as well as academics, researchers and sporting clubs to explore how exercise can help to understand how the human body works, with the goal of improving performance and reducing risk of injury.
Sport clubs will also be able to benefit from the Lab’s facilities, as well as university staff member’s expertise through the Wrexham Centre for Performance specialist team, who provide support in a number of areas including further developing their performance, health, exercise and nutrition. Teams can access funding through the University’s Enterprise team to utilise this service.
The final unveil of the day was the CIA. Developed in collaboration with Cyber Wales, the CIA aims to further strengthen the institution’s Cyber Security and Computing courses, as well as provide the region with a cutting-edge cyber security hub. The space also includes a cyber escape room, which will not only be available to students but also staff from the military, police, NHS and local authorities for their learning.
Speaking at the launch event, Colin said: “It gives me huge pleasure to officially open these new, world-class facilities, which are already making a difference to students. It’s also fantastic to see the quick progress we’re making in relation to our Campus 2025 developments.
“These spaces replicate real-world, professional settings, which means students will be equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in their chosen professions.”
Professor Maria Hinfelaar, Vice-Chancellor at Wrexham University, said: “I’m extremely proud that we have unveiled our brand-new, industry-standard facilities to our students, staff, partners and stakeholders.
“The progress we have made through our Campus 2025 masterplan has been tremendous and it’s pleasing to hear how our students are already benefiting from these new spaces and equipment.
“We are delighted to be at the forefront of technology-led learning experiences and to be training our region’s future workforce to be experts in their chosen fields. All of these new facilities have practical applications in a real-world setting, which means that our graduates will be well equipped for the world of work once they’ve graduated.”
Dr Simon Stewart, Faculty Dean of Social and Life Sciences at Wrexham University, said: “We were pleased to officially launch and showcase our newest spaces, as well as some of the incredible technology incorporated as part of these developments.
“At Wrexham University, we are continuously pushing the boundaries to deliver cutting-edge, technology-driven education, as well as provide valuable learning experiences, which replicate professional settings, in order to prepare our students to be the next generation of healthcare and public service professionals in our region.”
Matt Clark, Collaboration Support Manager at Wrexham University Enterprise, added: “The launch event was a great opportunity to showcase to attendees about the funding and initiatives available to them. This includes options such as our Knowledge Transfer Vouchers and Mini-Knowledge Transfer Partnerships which can subsidise access to our world class facilities and academic expertise, enabling collaboration to support business needs.”
For further information, sports teams can contact the Enterprise team by emailing: enterprise@wrexham.ac.uk