In 2006, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council issued a call for proposals to develop taught course centres for doctoral students in the mathematical sciences. This was and is part of a drive to deepen and broaden PhD study in the UK across mathematics. From this call, NATCOR- a national taught course centre in Operational Research (OR) was born. While NATCOR’s provision is of most obvious and immediate benefit for doctoral students in OR, it also gives students in other areas of mathematics an opportunity to develop a range of skills and knowledge of direct industrial relevance. In July 2009 NATCOR completed its first two-year cycle of provision. Cheryl Voake, a doctoral student at Cardiff University, has attended all five NATCOR residential courses and relates her experiences. (Kevin Glazebrook, Director – NATCOR)
Introduction
The National Taught Course Centre in Operational Research (NATCOR) is a new collaboration between six universities to develop and deliver taught courses in Operational Research (OR). These courses are primarily aimed at research students in the first two years of their doctoral training, so embarking on a PhD in OR at the start of the 2007-08 academic year meant it was perfect timing for me to attend the inaugural set of NATCOR courses. The six member universities are Brunel, Cardiff, Lancaster, Nottingham, Southampton and Warwick, each one hosting one of the five week-long residential courses, with the exception of Cardiff University, where I study in the School of Mathematics. These courses are run on a two-year rolling programme and started in early 2008.
In 2006, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council issued a call for proposals to develop taught course centres for doctoral students in the mathematical sciences. This was and is part of a drive to deepen and broaden PhD study in the UK across mathematics. From this call, NATCOR- a national taught course centre in Operational Research (OR) was born. While NATCOR’s provision is of most obvious and immediate benefit for doctoral students in OR, it also gives students in other areas of mathematics an opportunity to develop a range of skills and knowledge of direct industrial relevance. In July 2009 NATCOR completed its first two-year cycle of provision. Cheryl Voake, a doctoral student at Cardiff University, has attended all five NATCOR residential courses and relates her experiences. (Kevin Glazebrook, Director – NATCOR)
Introduction
The National Taught Course Centre in Operational Research (NATCOR) is a new collaboration between six universities to develop and deliver taught courses in Operational Research (OR). These courses are primarily aimed at research students in the first two years of their doctoral training, so embarking on a PhD in OR at the start of the 2007-08 academic year meant it was perfect timing for me to attend the inaugural set of NATCOR courses. The six member universities are Brunel, Cardiff, Lancaster, Nottingham, Southampton and Warwick, each one hosting one of the five week-long residential courses, with the exception of Cardiff University, where I study in the School of Mathematics. These courses are run on a two-year rolling programme and started in early 2008...
