Internet Research Register announcement

Citation

Dwyer Joyce, R. (1999), "Internet Research Register announcement", Industrial Lubrication and Tribology, Vol. 51 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/ilt.1999.01851cag.001

Internet Research Register announcement

Research in the field of tribology has grown rapidly in recent years. Tribology research groups have sprung up in universities and industries all around the world. It is perhaps because of the pervasive nature of tribology itself that these groups are working in hugely diverse areas; from the nano-scale fundamentals of friction, to the design of lubricant additives, the life of a bearing, or the wear of engine parts. It is becoming increasingly difficult to keep track of who is doing what and where. Conference presentations and journal publications are invaluable, but they tend to describe the end result of research, and often some time after its completion. This is where an online register comes into its own.

MCB has embarked on a new venture with the creation of such an on-line register. Letters were recently sent out to researchers and research groups working in the field of tribology. These letters invited the recipient to submit details of their research to the ILT Internet Research Register. The records will be compiled into the largest online database of world-wide tribological research activity.

The database is accessible in the usual way through a Web browser (like Netscape or Mosaic) and an Internet connection. The register is located at http://www2.mcb.co.uk/mcbrr/ilt/sponsors.asp The database contains details of both university and industry based research by topic, keyword, investigator, publications, and location. The records are being continually updated and monitored for accuracy and completeness. Access to the register will be free to all registrants and to ILT subscribers. We hope that the register will grow into an invaluable source for practising research engineers. You can use it to promote your own work, find out what others are doing, or seek out a collaborator.

As a community we owe it to ourselves to keep each other informed. Science progresses only by the exchange of ideas and information. The Internet has become a facilitator of that exchange. I encourage you to support this exchange of information. You can do this in two ways: first, by ensuring that your section of the research register is kept up to date, and second, by using the register. If some project is of interest, or you see an area for collaboration, then contact the registrant and start the information exchange process.

Rob Dwyer JoyceInternet Research Register Editor

Biography

After completing a BEng in mechanical engineering Rob became an engineer for British Gas. In 1993 he completed his PhD in tribology at Imperial College, London, and then became a research assistant at Imperial College. He currently lectures in mechanical engineering at the University of Sheffield, which he has done for the past five years.

Rob has been active in tribology research for eight years and is widely published. He currently runs a tribology research group consisting of several students and research assistants researching a range of tribological phenomena including abrasive wear, rolling contact fatigue, automotive engine wear, and ultrasonic contact measurement. Rob is also a member of the following committees: EPSRC Mechanical Engineering College; ESDU Tribology Steering Group; Institution of Mechanical Engineers Tribology Group; Institution of Mechanical Engineers Tribology Group Education Sub-Committee.

Rob created his department's Web site in 1994 and has been Web master since. He has also created an Internet WWW Tribology Information site. The site contains teaching and research resources, as well as details of news and events. The service is well used and has the support of the tribology groups of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and Institute of Physics. The address for this site is http://www.shef.ac.uk/~mpe/tribology/tribo.html