Sheffield University

Department of Electronic & Electrical Engineering, 1974-1982

Shellield University

The University Of Sheffield which received its Royal Charter In 1897 (the picture shows Firth Court, named after Mark Firth a Sheffield steel manufacturer & University benefactor, which opened in 1905 & originally housed most departments)

If ever there was ever a life changing event in my life, going to university was it ! When I look back in my life I can see that going to university completely altered the course of my life for the better. In my childhood I loved learning about science (I would read science books in preference to anything else and build my own science experiments just for the enjoyment) but knew nothing much about university. The opportunity of going to university was entirely unplanned and arose while I was completing a 5 year avionic apprenticeship at the Aircraft & Armament Experimental Establishment. As part of that apprenticeship I was taking yearly examinations and found myself with them all completed a year ahead of schedule (in fact, with three times the number required). My good fortune was having an extraordinary boss who recognised the potential in me and made it his project for the year to help me and, as a result of his efforts, my employers sponsored my attendance at university.  Apart from changing the course of my life, it made me understand the importance of people and how individuals can be critically important in your life, and you in theirs. As a result of this experience, whenever presented with a choice between better facilities or better people,  it was a simple decision for me, I always chose people over resources!  Being sponsored by the Aircraft & Armament Experimental Establishment (with its major dependencies on science & engineering) meant I was required to go to a top UK engineering university; Sheffield University was one of handful of universities offering ‘approved‘ engineering degrees at that time and so I went there, joining as an undergraduate, then becoming a postgraduate and finally working there as a temporary lecturer (a university I was very happy in!). Once more a few special people played a critical role in my opportunities. Aside from completing a PhD on software engineering, I was also involved in one of the earliest bespoke portable computers, the Ferranti MRT (microprocessors was a newly emerging technology at that time).

Mappin Building

Sir Frederick Mappin Building which houses the engineering departments (the building was opened 1904 & named after Frederick Mappin, a Sheffield Master Cutler,  owner of a steel manufacturing company & University benefactor)

In 2017 the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering celebrated its centenary, an occasion that saw many of the staff and students from down the years having the opportunity to be reunited at an event held on Saturday 22nd July 2017 in ‘The Diamond’ building. A website and a special book were produced to mark the occasion. If you would like to look at some ancient looking photographs of students that started their Electronic and Electrical Engineering (EEE) courses in 1974/75 then look at this “Rouges Gallery” of pictures that I managed to salvage from my time as a lecturer (they are copies taken from the notice board outside the EEE departmental office). The first picture is the B.Eng Electronic & Electrical Engineering group that started in 1975, second the 1974 entry (I attended a preliminary year with this group), third the 1978 B.Eng in Electrical & Electronic Engineering graduation class and finally the postgraduate group in 1979 (when I started my PhD). If you are interested in making connections with past colleagues, check out the Sheffield University Engineering Linked-in network or, of course, drop me an email.

Undergraduate Students:

Sheffield78(BannerVersion)sSheffield University Electronic and Electrical Engineering Staff & B.Eng Graduates 1975-1978

Some names from these days are:

  • Hamid Benzekri
  • Anthony N Berry
  • Stephen R Bowen
  • Trevor D Bray
  • Paul Brooks
  • Victor Callaghan
  • Martin S Cook
  • Anthony A Cwik
  • Paul K Davenport
  • Bolhassan Dee
  • Martin S Elliott
  • Guan T Eho
  • Bouaiem M Fodil-Cherif
  • Keith R Fowler
  • R J French (combined honours)
  • Edward J Fuidge
  • Bharat Gadher
  • Stephen W Gardiner
  • Nicolaos Geges
  • Sotirios Georgoulis
  • G Glossop (combined honours)
  • Norani B Hamzah (Mrs)
  • Demetri Haroulis
  • Toeng S Hiu
  • H R Hoar (combined honours)
  • Robert (Reb) E B Holland
  • Andrew P Horllox
  • Stephen W Horlock
  • Ram K Jaswai
  • Nicolaos Kokkinaras
  • Paul Kokonis
  • Dionisios Kontoyannis
  • P Levesley (combined honours)
  • Stephen R Lincoln
  • Sim G Loh
  • Ibraham Mahiouz
  • J W J Mather (combined honours)
  • Stephen J Mee
  • D K Miller (combined honours)k
  • Amarath Mukhopadhyay
  • Jin K Ng
  • Peter R Nicholson
  • George N Ochodo
  • Lars S Ostlie
  • Duncan M Owen
  • Trevor M Padmore
  • Graham Patterson
  • Christopher E Pogmore
  • Michael J R Polson
  • Alan Potts
  • Keith N Prettyjohns
  • Graham J Roberts
  • Jane M Roberts (Miss)
  • John G A Rogers
  • Robert Saltarelli
  • Peter R Sheperd
  • Ghanleb M Sweilch
  • Andrew Tay
  • Sin K Teoh
  • Ian A Thomson
  • Glenn A Trotter
  • Keith A Turner
  • Husam K Zakaria
  • George Zoumbos

Postgraduate Researchers/PhD students (in 1978-79):

  • M C Abdulrida
  • M R Abro
  • Mike F Adams
  • S N M Aladhami
  • M M Alkaise
  • D A Al Mukhtar
  • A H A Badr
  • J Blatbios
  • R J Bujko
  • Victor L Callaghan
  • A N M M Choudhury
  • Anthony A Cwik
  • Phil Darby
  • F Fouz
  • A Germenlis
  • M P Godwin
  • E Gurdenli
  • M Hargreaves
  • M M Hasan
  • Dave Hogg
  • M Issquckis
  • Bob Longstone
  • K H S Marie
  • John M Marsh
  • N P Maxfield
  • Steven J Meek
  • A W Nelson
  • R Ozkilic
  • Mike J R Polson
  • D Pooladdej
  • Keith N Prettyjohns
  • Sion Quinlan
  • S Sali
  • Robert (Rob) Saltarelli
  • G H Tan
  • I P Thomas
  • D P Turner
  • A J Wilson
  • Claude Yonnet

Research masters:

  • M Antivani
  • P A Claxton
  • G T Eoh
  • I B Ibrahim
  • S Kopatsaris
  • N D Nkwenti

Staff:

And last (but not least):

    • Nick Russell (a third year student that I supervised during the time I was a lecturer in Sheffield, just one year, before I got a permanent job at University College Cardiff)
    • John Dobson (brother of a friend of mine (Carolyn)
    • Pete Benson RIP (studied Mechanical Engineering – married my sister)
    • Dr Tony Fields (studied Control Engineering)
    • Maurice Shakeshaft (studied Control Engineering)
    • John Hutchinson (studied Chemical Engineering)
    • Prof Treveor Benson (studied Experimental Physics as ug & Electronic and Electrical Engineering as pg)