The Brighton Effect Magazine Issue 30

Twenty-first anniversary special

The university comes of age

Spotlight on:

Ben Cooper, Dr Chloe Jagger, Joanna Pirie and Dr Chris Shambrook Issue 30

WINNER 2012

WINNER 2013

WINNER 2014

Julie Howell (Library and Information Studies BA(Hons) 1992)

Chris Riddell (Graphic Design BA(Hons) 1984)

We don’t know until you tell us.

Disability rights campaigner and University of Brighton Momentum mentor

Cartoonist, author and creator of the university’s widening participation character, Professor C Gull.

If you know of someone who studied at the University of Brighton (or its predecessor or partner institutions) who deserves recognition for their achievements, put them forward for this prestigious award.

Contact alumni@brighton.ac.uk for further information and help us celebrate the best to come out of Brighton!

THE BRIGHTON EFFECT – ISSUE 30

WELCOME

01

Dear alumni and friends Welcome to your alumni and friends magazine, especially to our new graduates from 2013.

We would like to thank our newest alumni for their glowing feedback in the National Student Survey which saw the university achieve its highest ranking yet at 86 per cent for overall satisfaction. This achievement coincides with our twenty-first anniversary celebrations as a post-1992 university and is another indicator of just how far we have come. The last 21 years top the excellent foundations of Brighton’s predecessor institutions (going back over 150 years) and continue to reflect the high calibre alumni who have graduated from Brighton.

We are also delighted to celebrate two other key milestones: that of our Hastings campus and our shared institution, the Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS), both of which have achieved so much in their first 10 years.

On page 24 there is a reminder of the benefits available to you, our alumni, but we do urge you to check in regularly with our website – www.brighton.ac.uk/alumni – or social media channels as we add to these core benefits frequently.

In celebrating 21 years of university status, we are delighted to share some of our alumni’s achievements with you. We also hope you will enjoy reading about the impact your generosity has on the university community in the centre pages – Your Brighton Effect. You make this difference happen and your support shapes the institution we all share pride in.

Please remember to keep in touch and update your contact details. It is always a pleasure to hear from you.

With best wishes from the University of Brighton Alumni Association

I am delighted to add my personal welcome to the 2013 edition of The Brighton Effect.

In sharing this magazine with alumni and friends across the globe, we want to demonstrate the substantial contributions made to society by our students, staff, alumni and friends.

We are a university with a genuine commitment to providing positive and collaborative impacts to community, both at home and abroad. You will see examples of these aims throughout this magazine and I hope you feel strongly linked with the university today and indeed with its success and commitment to addressing contemporary issues.

Not least of these is that of the environment and for the second year running, our university was ranked in the top five out of 145 universities and higher education institutions in the People & Planet’s annual Green League.

We have enjoyed celebrating 21 years of university status throughout 2013 and these celebrations will continue into 2014.

Another important date on the horizon is the Research Excellence Framework (REF) which takes place next year and involves the expert review of all the research being undertaken in institutions around the UK. The key to this review will be demonstrating the impact our research has achieved and we will look forward to sharing details of our performance next year.

The university can only continue to achieve the success it enjoys through the ongoing support and involvement of its alumni and friends and so I want to thank you for the part you have played in this success. Do keep in touch and continue to promote the university in all ways possible.

­­­­Contents Welcome 01 Alumni news 02 Catching up with some of our former students’ achievements

University news Research news 21 years

06 08 10

Celebrating 21 years of university status

Hastings hits its first decade

12

Ten years of changing the educational landscape of Hastings and a graduate success story

Ruling the airwaves

14

It’s a tough job but someone’s got to do it – Ben Cooper is that man

A very healthy outlook

16

As BSMS commemorates its tenth anniversary, one of its first graduates, Dr Chloe Jagger, takes us through her working day

Around the campus

18

Sustainability and innovative learning spaces

Performance: it’s a mind game

20

Getting behind the psychology of success with Dr Chris Shambrook

Getting together

22

A round-up of some of our alumni reunions

Your alumni benefits

24

An update on what your alumni association can offer you

The Brighton Effect is published by the University of Brighton Alumni Association FREEPOST SEA8437 University of Brighton BN2 4ZZ Tel: +44 (0)1273 642600 alumni@brighton.ac.uk www.brighton.ac.uk/alumni The views expressed in the magazine are those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent those of the University of Brighton.

Professor Julian Crampton, Vice-Chancellor

To enquire about receiving this magazine in other formats, please contact us on +44 (0)1273 642600 or email alumni@brighton.ac.uk.

Editor Sarah Grant Designer Samuel James Contributors Tracy Atchison, Chalice Bartholomew, Faye Brown, Sam Davies, Solveig Grover, Rebecca Haroutunian, Teodora Lyubomirova, Phil Mills, Andrew Scanlan Printed by Belmont Press, registered to environmental standards ISO 14001 Cover image Andy Weekes © University of Brighton 2013. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the prior consent of the publishers.

02

ALUMNI NEWS

THE BRIGHTON EFFECT – ISSUE 30

Picture perfect

Aiming high

Kelly Angood (Illustration BA(Hons) 2010) captured a lot of media attention this year with Videre, her flatpack pinhole camera.

Helen Kinuthia (Sport and Exercise Science BSc(Hons) 2007) aims to become the first black African woman to attempt to climb the world’s highest mountain. Helen, 26, a teacher, mountaineer and photographer in Kenya, is already in training to attempt to scale all 29,029 feet or 8,848 metres of Mount Everest in 2014.

Kelly explained how her cardboard box camera operates: “The camera works without a lens and instead, uses a pinhole to take photographs onto medium format film.”

Videre went on sale this autumn, retailing at £35.

She was selected from 150 climbers after completing an audition climb on Mount Kenya, Africa's second highest mountain.

She and fellow climber Toby Storie-Pugh will make their attempt as part of Expedition Everest, a Kenyan charity which is organising the climb.

www.thepopuppinhole company.com

Musical memories Chloe Meineck (3D Design BA(Hons) 2012) created a memory box which plays favourite music and contains familiar objects to help trigger memories among dementia sufferers.

The box uses radio frequency identification tags, the same technology used in Oyster cards on London's tube network, which set off a favourite tune, recording or song as each familiar object in the box is handled.

Chloe took two years researching the positive effects of music for those with dementia before developing the box which is unique to each patient. She said: “Listening to music from certain periods of their lives can help prompt even their most inaccessible memories.”

Chloe is setting up her own company focusing upon how interaction with objects can have a therapeutic or educational outcome. She wants to continue involving the elderly in her designs: “I am interested in codesigning with older people, using technology, and finding out where interventions can be designed and made to help them.”

The university’s Sport and Exercise Science Consultancy Unit in Eastbourne is supporting Helen and has offered her the use of the unit's climate chamber which helps people adjust to higher altitudes.

Dr Neil Maxwell, Principal Lecturer, said: “Environmental physiology is a particular strength at the university where research and consultancy activity is embedded in the curriculum. Supporting Helen and her team will give some of our students the opportunity to apply their knowledge and importantly, be inspired by a graduate from the same course they are studying on.”

www.chloemeineck.co.uk/

Coaching hall of fame Dr Gary Brickley (Sports Science BSc(Hons) 1994, Exercise Physiology PhD 2000, Cardiology MSc 2003) joined the likes of Sir Alf Ramsey, Sir Alex Ferguson and Duncan Fletcher when he was awarded a Mussabini Medal at the Sports Coach UK awards.

The medal recognises coaches who have helped athletes to outstanding success on the world stage.

Gary is coach to Great Britain paracyclists; Dame Sarah Storey OBE, David Stone MBE and Dr Darren Kenny OBE, who have won multiple gold medals at the Paralympics in Beijing and London.

Community art for park regeneration

More success in the bag?

Photographer celebrates 100 years

The Level public park close to the Grand Parade campus has been undergoing a revamp. Brighton alumna Sarah Arnett (Fashion Textiles Design with Business Studies BA(Hons) 1994) was appointed as the community artist to design new artwork installations for the north lawns.

Three-times Brighton alumnus Richard Simmonite (Dance with Visual Practice BA(Hons) 1999, Design and Technology PGCE 2011 and Product Innovation and Development MSc 2013) is competing against major brands for a sustainability prize. Bag Re:Born – a conventional waste/ recycling sack cleverly disguised as a durable and reusable shopping bag – has been shortlisted in the Sustainability Leaders Awards 2013. It is one of the few micro enterprises in the final of a major national award alongside multinational businesses such as Samsung, Tesco, Unilever, Lloyds, RBS, Marks & Spencer and BT. www.bagreborn.com/

We were delighted to wish a happy 100th birthday to graphic illustration alumnus Thurston Hopkins, who reached his centenary year in April. Thurston, whose work as a photojournalist earned him The Guardian’s acclaim as an “unsung hero of photography” for his humanist perspective, was a regular contributor to the Picture Post magazine.

Sarah’s work focuses on Brighton’s precious elm tree collection and will be unveiled in 2014.

Thurston served in the RAF photographic unit, followed by a career in advertising photography and teaching before he retired in the late 1960s.

THE BRIGHTON EFFECT – ISSUE 30

Jollier hockey sticks Fresh from his graduation, Evan Mackrill (Product Design BSc(Hons) 2013) has already got the market excited about his impact-suppressing hockey stick.

ALUMNI NEWS

03

Splish splash!

He has tested his product and Evan, 22, already has an investor helping him and his partner create a company to market the new stick and to exploit his designs. www.evanmackrill.co.uk

Field hockey players can suffer bone-crunching vibrations when stick meets ball but Evan’s design has been developed to dampen the impact far more than traditional sticks.

He has created a stick with dimples indented on the rounded side, creating more surface to disperse vibrations over a greater distance before they reach the players’ hands.

New charity to scotch poachers Steve Roest (Business Studies BA(Hons) 1989) has co-founded a charity called ShadowView to enable environmental groups to support conservation and to directly counter activities such as illegal forestry, rhino hunting and marine wildlife crime.

The aerial surveillance technology has already been used successfully in collaboration with the League Against Cruel Sports to monitor suspected illegal hunting in the UK and SPOTS International who protect against the decimation of endangered animals in Africa. www.shadowview.org

Through the deployment of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or eye-in-the-sky drones, agencies are able to monitor and survey conservation projects, including poaching and habitat destruction.

A former University of Brighton student is making a splash in the bathroom industry.

investment from ISIS Equity Partners to enable further expansion.

Within seven years of starting out from his bedroom in Eastbourne, Chris Li has established Luxury For Less as a multi-channel online bathroom retailer supplying consumers direct via www.BathEmpire.com.

Chris, aged 29, enrolled on a degree in accounting and finance in 2003 and left to focus on his business ventures. He said: “The entrepreneurial spirit I had at university spurred me towards setting up a company which is now at the forefront of an online transformation in the bathroom industry.”

Company revenues are expected to reach £20m in 2013 and Chris recently secured an £8.5m

Ones to watch…

A trio of enterprising arts alumni have formed a film production company called Bat On Ball Creations, based at Zu Studios in Lewes, East Sussex.

Creative director Merry (Meredith) Colchester (2011), who founded the company, works with fellow graduates Balint Revesz (2012) and Ruben Woodin Deschamps (2011) specialising in film and visual arts production. The creative trio describe their venture as a collective of passionate filmmakers with experience in short film, documentary, music and promotional video production. And with a range of awards and industry experience behind them, they look well placed for success. www.batonballcreations.com/

Positive role model award

Putting netball in the spotlight

Judith reaches Jerwood shortlist

Paris Lees (English Language and English Literature BA(Hons) 2009) won a national award for her work championing media representations of transgender people. In her role as editor of META – a digital publication for gender, transgender and feminist issues – Paris beat thousands of nominees to scoop the Positive Role Model for LGBT at the annual National Diversity Awards.

Former Students’ Union VicePresident, Katy Ritchie (Sports Exercise Science BSc(Hons) 2006) represented England Netball on BBC1’s The National Lottery in December. As national development manager, Katy leads England Netball’s Active Women Back to Netball campaign which won the National Lottery Sports Project of the Year 2012.

Congratulations to Judith Alder (Fine Art Printmaking BA(Hons) 2003) who was shortlisted for the prestigious Jerwood Drawing Prize. Judith was selected from nearly 3,000 artists. Although she didn’t win the prize, her work is part of the exhibition which will be showing in four venues across the country.

A transgender woman herself, Paris has been instrumental in campaigning through Trans Media Watch (TMW) to improve representation of trans people on Channel 4 and assisting with testimony for the Leveson inquiry. metamagonline.wordpress.com/

Katy commented: “Back to Netball coaches have inspired women across the country to return to the sport and it proves that there is a real thirst for traditional female sport out there.”

An active member of Eastbourne’s artistic community, Judith co-founded the Eastbourne studio space, Blue Monkey Studio and is organiser of a growing artists’ network, Blue Monkey Network, is run in partnership with the Towner gallery in Eastbourne.

04

ALUMNI NEWS

THE BRIGHTON EFFECT – ISSUE 30

From page to screen

By royal invitation…

A number of sporting University of Brighton alumni were invited to the Queen’s Garden Party at Buckingham Palace, London in May. The garden parties are prestigious events with more than 30,000 people attending each year.

Brighton alumni (and an honorary graduate) who attended included Dr Gary Brickley, Senior Lecturer at the School of Sport and Service Management and coach to three paracycling gold medallists; Kate Allenby MBE, a British modern pentathlete who won bronze at the Sydney Olympics 2000;

Dr Chris Shambrook, a sports psychologist for the Team GB rowing team; Ben Hawes Olympic hockey player for Team GB and Andrew Allford, Team GB Badminton coach for the London 2012, Beijing 2008 and five world championships. Paralympic cyclist and honorary graduate, Dr Darren Kenny OBE, who was a medallist at Athens, Beijing and London, also took part.

Dr Gary Brickley said: “It was wonderful to be part of such a unique event with fellow Brighton alumni. It is a testament to the success of our graduates that so many have been honoured in this way.”

Grand fellowship for Isabel Readers with young children may be very familiar with Tilly and Friends on CBeebies.

Tilly’s creator, author and illustrator Polly Dunbar (Illustration BA(Hons) 1999) has successfully transferred her popular book characters to a television series which regularly features in the top four ratings on CBeebies.

Graduates scoop architecture awards Two new Architecture BA(Hons) graduates from 2013 have won top awards from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).

Chris Poulson won a RIBA prize for excellence and earlier received the Diploma Prize from the university for his study of the City of London and a proposal for adapting an office block on the north bank of the Thames into housing and community use.

Wan Ning Oon received a prize for excellence and the university’s Degree Prize for her project focusing on a wig factory in east London.

Polly, who is also associate producer on the programme, has realised great success with the Tilly and Friends franchise, debuting on CBeebies Radio in July and releasing a Tilly and Friendsthemed magazine. www.tillyandfriends.com/

In February, Brighton alumna Isabel Rock (Fine Art Printmaking BA(Hons) 2005) scooped a prestigious £10,000 national fellowship for printmaking. Only six people receive the annual award from The Arts Foundation, the Brighton-based charity which supports and promotes artists.

She was presented with her award by sculptor Sir Antony Gormley OBE. Isabel said: “I'm totally thrilled to win this award. It means recognition of my work so far and it gives me the opportunity to do a big research project which will

include some travelling, gathering of new ideas, studying new skills and hopefully coming up with some exciting, awesome new drawings.”

Top award for nurse

New dads go commando

Faye takes home gold

Anna Bamford (Nursing Studies BSc(Hons) 2002) has been recognised for her 20 years’ service in helping people with HIV. As HIV clinical services manager at Sussex Community NHS Trust, Anna was given the 2013 HIV Nursing Award by the National HIV Nurses Association.

What do a degree in physical education and a military background qualify you for?

Authoring a no-nonsense parenting manual for new fathers of course!

Faye McClelland (Physiotherapy BSc(Hons) 2013) won her fourth paratriathlon world title in September. Faye’s success was hard won after sitting out most of the year studying for her degree finals.

Anna moved to Brighton in 1998 to work as a clinical nurse specialist, developing HIV care in the community. Her work includes home nursing visits, health checks and access to other services for adults living with HIV.

Commando Dad written by Neil Sinclair (Physical Education 1997) uses military terminology to guide new dads through the life-changing regime of parenthood.

The book’s popularity was boosted enormously by Prince William’s use of it in preparation for the birth of Prince George. Neil has clearly found a market with four international deals being signed. www.commandodad.com

She took gold in the Tri-4 category at the recent ITU Paratriathlon World Championships in Hyde Park. Faye won the Tri-4 event at Hyde Park in 2009, 2010 and 2011, and is the current world and European champion.

Faye, who combined her Physiotherapy BSc(Hons) with paratriathlon events, is also European and national paratriathlon champion.

THE BRIGHTON EFFECT – ISSUE 30

ALUMNI NEWS

05

Alumnus Award winner 2013 Graphic design alumnus, illustrator, writer of children’s books and political cartoonist Chris Riddell (Graphic Design BA(Hons) 1984) was named the university's Alumnus Award winner 2013.

The multi-award-winning illustrator and writer was one of the first alumni to join the university's Alumni Advice Network and has given his time and talents repeatedly to support the work of

the university. In 2011, the university approached Chris to advise on the creation of an engaging widening participation character for local primary schools.

Chris designed the new character – Professor C Gull – who has become a figurehead for the university's programme to encourage children from nontraditional backgrounds to consider higher education.

Blazing a trail for safety

Pedal power

A revolutionary bike light invented

by Emily Brooke (Product Design BSc(Hons) 2011) has been hailed as a major breakthrough in tackling one of the biggest causes of cycling deaths.

A new power system which turns bicycles into electric bikes – developed by Stephen Britt (Computer Science BSc(Hons) 1999) – has moved a step closer to market.

Blaze projects a laser image of a bicycle from handlebars onto the road ahead, alerting motorists to the cyclist's presence. It warns drivers wanting to turn left or right but who can't see cyclists riding alongside them – otherwise known as the notorious blind spot.

Stephen’s battery-powered motor and gearbox propels a bike for up to 10 miles before needing recharging. The lightweight mechanism can be fitted to any bike in 15 minutes and allows the full range of gears to be used in the normal way, making climbing hills much easier.

Emily won a scholarship to an entrepreneurial summer school at Babson College, Massachusetts, after being nominated by beepurple, the university's enterprise network. She was also selected as an inaugural member of Entrepreneur First, an accelerator programme encouraging graduates

Debunking financial jargon Stockbroker turned sheep farmer, Beck Wigmore (Management and Tourism 1998) has published a quirky informative book to help people understand money matters. The Larder, The Fridge and The Freezer demystifies the world of finances and investments and is informed by Beck’s own career in finance. It was described by broadcaster Dr David Lewis-Hodgson as “easy to read, comprehensive and highly instructive without ever being patronising”. The book is available on Amazon and there are plans to release it as a Kindle version. http://amzn.to/1dJ2lp2

to start a business. Blaze has been launched to the public and Emily was featured on the BBC’s The One Show as an up and coming inventor. www.blazecomponents.com

The voice in Lindy’s head Lindy Jones (Teacher Training BEd 1978) has released a book and audio book about her battle with terminal illness.

With motor neurone disease draining her strength and ability to talk and eat, she has written about life in a “strange new world of serious illness” whilst remembering and exploring her previous one as an “energetic teacher and healthy woman”.

Critics have described The Voice in My Head is Perfect as “moving and funny” and “a warm and witty memoir exploring a deeply painful journey with fierce honesty full of love, laughter and affection”. www.lindyjones.co.uk

Do you have an innovative product or service you would like to develop? Get in touch with beepurple@brighton.ac.uk to find out how the university can help.

Dark tale draws critical acclaim A graphic novel, Montague Terrace, co-produced by Warren Pleece (Digital Media MA 2010) with his brother Gary Pleece went on sale earlier this year to critical acclaim.

Set in a crumbling 1930s apartment block, sharing all kinds of darkly humorous tales about its diverse occupants, the novel was chosen as Graphic Novel of the Month (March 2013) by The Guardian and The Observer and has been reviewed in The Telegraph and by Paul Gravett in April’s Art Review. http://montagueterrace.co.uk/

Recipient of the university’s Innovation Award and winner of the National Barclays Bank ideas competition worth £50,000, Stephen received support and advice from the university's enterprise team which helps students, alumni and staff to develop their ideas.

Golden strokes Oliver Hester (Architecture BA(Hons) 2012) was part of the winning team which scooped gold at the para rowing World Championships on Korea’s Lake Tangeum. GB’s mixed coxed four team successfully defended their title with a time of 3:16.12.

Oliver is pictured in the middle with team mates Pamela Relph, Naomi Riches, James Fox and cox Oliver James.

06

UNIVERSITY NEWS

THE BRIGHTON EFFECT – ISSUE 30

Top teacher

Happy birthday Cupp In July the university celebrated 10 years of helping hundreds of community groups through our Community University Partnership Programme (Cupp).

Cupp’s expertise has supported more than 150 partnership projects over the past decade, and each year over 300 students have undertaken community activities, a model that has now been copied by other universities up and down the country.

In May, Kevin Fossey, Senior Lecturer in the School of Education was awarded one of the UK’s top awards for teaching.

Current and former students gathered to celebrate when Kevin was presented with the Pearson Teaching Award for Outstanding Contribution to Education at The Dharma Primary School. Kevin was credited with making “an exceptional contribution to the lives of young people he has taught and inspired during his career”.

Kevin, whose career spans almost 40 years, was nominated by 160 of his students and by Peter Murdock, head teacher at The Dharma Primary School, Europe's only primary school based on Buddhist principles.

Peter Murdock said: “Kevin has been committed to helping children worldwide, raising funds and offering his expertise to create a much needed school for Malagiri in an impoverished part of Nepal.

The survey says yes!

Many thanks to our most recent cohort of graduates whose glowing feedback provided us with our best ever National Student Survey results. We topped the national average by one per cent with students reporting their overall satisfaction at 86 per cent. Our sister institution, BSMS, topped the medical school league tables with a 95 per cent ranking.

“Quite simply, Kevin is a master teacher, a rare individual with the ability to teach with warmth, passion and a wonderful sense of humour that has students and colleagues of all ages held in rapt attention.”

Kevin who was “incredibly touched” by the award, thanked his nominators and said: “Over the past 40 years I have worked with some amazing pupils, students, colleagues and parents and have appreciated learning from each other and developing together. It has been a privilege and a joy to observe their growth in confidence and to be a part of the education of so many young people. If I had my time again I would not hesitate to choose the same career path.”

In February Kevin was also awarded the university’s first Excellence in Community Engagement Award recognising his lifelong commitment to education and his excellence in engaging educational communities both locally and internationally in Nepal.

University wins bronze award The university received an Athena SWAN Bronze award for developing employment practices which further the careers of women in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM). The award is for “establishing a solid foundation for eliminating gender bias and developing an inclusive culture that values all staff in STEMM-related subject areas”.

Carol Burns, the university’s Registrar and Secretary, said: “This is a significant achievement which highlights the considerable amount of hard work by colleagues across the university and underlines the university’s commitment to equality of opportunity for all.”

More than 120 academics are actively involved with Cupp and at a time when universities are struggling to fund community partnerships, the Brighton continues to invest £250,000 each year into its programme.

Cupp has been recognised nationally and internationally, winning multiple awards. The university is one of a handful of UK universities which is a signatory to the Talloires Network, an international association of institutions committed to strengthening the civic roles and social responsibilities of higher education.

Cupp's academic director, Professor Angie Hart, said: “It's exciting to work for a university that is so visionary about community engagement and is willing to invest in it. This 10 year anniversary really brings home to me the scale of our work.” www.brighton.ac.uk/cupp

Aspiration award winners An ex-soldier suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, a single mother and a woman with agoraphobia were among 14 students from the University of Brighton at Hastings who were recognised at the annual Hastings and Rother Aspiration Awards celebration lunch.

The financial awards aim to support, encourage and recognise students from the Hastings and Rother area who face significant challenges in their day-to-day lives.

Guests included the winning students and both the Mayor of Hastings, Councillor Alan Roberts, and the Deputy Mayor, Councillor Bruce Dowling. The awards were presented by Annette Shelford, who graduated from the Hastings campus in 2010. Annette has since been heavily involved in promoting our widening participation agenda through fundraising activities.

Through Annette's efforts and working with the university's alumni association, almost £25,000 has been donated to support this initiative.

Green League success

Dan wins Youth Award

Yet again, the University of Brighton has been placed among the top universities in the country for sustainability. Brighton was ranked fifth out of 143 universities and higher education institutions in the People & Planet’s annual Green League.

Dan Pothecary, Education and English Literature student at the university’s campus in Hastings, has won a top award for his work in the community.

Hannah Smith, People & Planet’s Green League Manager, said: “The University of Brighton has made an impressive move to the very top of People & Planet’s Green League and this year’s performance only confirms their position among the pioneers leading the higher education sector’s transition to a low-carbon future.”

Councillor Alan Roberts presented Dan with the Hastings Youth Award after he was nominated for his work as a widening participation student ambassador. Dan visits schools to talk to pupils who may never have considered university as an option.

He also worked on a project to encourage primary school boys to read.

THE BRIGHTON EFFECT – ISSUE 30

Flipped teaching Alumnus-turned-lecturer Dr Bhavik Patel has successfully implemented a new approach for teaching undergraduate science.

Although reverse learning (more commonly known as flipped teaching) has been used widely in schools and in business and humanities subjects, it had rarely been used for the sciences.

Bhavik explained: “Students are given an electronic video lecture that covers the key scientific theory.

This electronic lecture is studied before a taught workshop, which focuses on any areas of difficulty and on applications of the studied theory.

The students are supported with an online blog, where they can post comments and direct the areas they would like the lecturer to cover.

“Not only do students study the material before the workshop session, but this form of learning has also enhanced attendance and grades.

“There are many benefits. From the lecturer's perspective, there is more scope on how the material that needs to be delivered is covered. The lecturer can also gain a feeling on the progress made by students in the topic covered and develop a closer relationship with their students.

“From the students’ perspective, they can take ownership of their learning; they can see the relevance of particular topics and most importantly, can see the lecturer answer any questions or problem areas they have identified.

“Students can also cover the electronic learning material in their own time and speed.”

Students have hailed the new system as an effective teaching method which emphasises independent learning and group work.

Reducing child deaths in Zambia The university has been awarded a £30,000 government grant to help set up the first paediatric nursing course in Zambia where thousands of children die every year before their fifth birthdays.

Zambia is a low-middle income country and life expectancy is 46 for men and 50 for women; 85 per cent of the population live on less than $1 a day. Common diseases include HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, diarrhoea and vaccine-preventable conditions including malaria and respiratory infections.

MBE for BSMS professor

Honorary graduates 2013

Sube Banerjee, BSMS Professor of Dementia and Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist at the Sussex Partnership Foundation Trust, has been awarded an MBE for his services to people with dementia.

It has been our privilege to welcome some of the leading contributors to the worlds of education, science, literature and health as our newest recipients of honorary degrees over the last year: • Hasan Bakhshi • Patricia Barnett • Neil Bartlett OBE • Les Dawson OBE • Professor Tim Jackson • Dick Knight • Karen Middleton CBE • Elizabeth Mills OBE • Chris Thomson • Nigel Walker.

His distinguished career has included roles such as Senior Professional Advisor, Older People’s Mental Health, Department of Health, 2006–2010; Clinical Lead for National Dementia Strategy for England 2007–2009 and Chair of the Dementia Commissioning Guidelines Group, Department of Health, 2010–2011.

http://bit.ly/1arsFBY His research focuses on improving the quality of life and care of older people with dementia, as well as other mental health problems.

07

Boot-iful mementoes

University researchers created a unique pair of baby booties from donated breast milk to mark World Breast Milk Donation Day. Design lecturers Nick Gant and Tanya Dean collaborated with Gillian Weaver, manager of the milk bank at Queen Charlottes & Chelsea Hospital, and chair of the UK Association for Milk Banking's national forum, to create the booties from a protein in breast milk.

Nick and Tanya used breast milk which could not be used for donation and would otherwise have been discarded. They transformed the protein into a hard plastic type material and moulded it into the booties.

The School of Nursing and Midwifery will be working with the Lusaka School of Nursing and the Brighton-Lusaka Health Charity Link.

There is currently no postregistration education provision for the care of children in Zambia. The university's project aims to provides nurses with the knowledge, skills and competence to care for sick infants and children admitted to hospital.

UNIVERSITY NEWS

The new course is building on ties established in 2005 when the Brighton-Lusaka Health Link was set up between the University Teaching Hospital (Zambia), Brighton and Sussex University NHS Trust and our joint medical school, BSMS. The School of Nursing and Midwifery joined the Link in 2007.

The booties are part of Nick and Tanya's Sole-Searching Project which has seen them make shoes from many unusual waste materials.

Nick said: “The aim is to highlight the importance of breast milk donation, and more broadly to challenge people's perceptions about so-called waste products.”

Flying high with bespoke courses

Lecturer wins £10,000 teaching prize

The university has launched some new postgraduate courses tailored specifically for senior RAF officers.

Designed for trained personnel who wish to develop their existing skills within an academic framework, the courses are structured to fit around work commitments.

Congratulations to Dr Juliet Millican who won a national teaching award worth £10,000.

She was appointed a National Teaching Fellow of the Higher Education Academy in recognition of her central role in a programme which brings the local community and the university closer. The Fellowship Scheme recognises and rewards excellent learning and teaching.

Applicants who have completed the Senior Officers Study Programme at RAF Cranwell will be eligible for a fee exemption for specific courses. www.brighton.ac.uk/bbs/raf

As deputy director of the university’s Community University Partnership Programme (Cupp) Juliet has been developing student-community engagement programmes since 2004.

08

RESEARCH NEWS

Making malaria buzz off

Scientists at the University of Brighton won a £194,000 grant

by Leverhulme Trust to study the mosquito’s buzzing sound in a bid to hinder the spread of malaria which kills up to 3,000 people – mainly children – every day.

Professor Ian Russell, an auditory neuroscientist, will be co-leading research with Dr Gabriella Gibson, an expert in mosquito sensory behaviour, into the mechanisms by which male and female mosquitoes use their buzzing to recognise and perhaps attract each other. The aim is to understand the significance of mosquito love duets and how they might be used to control the breeding behaviour of mosquitos and the spread of malaria.

Ian said: “Malaria is one of the world's biggest killers and by learning more about mating sounds and habits of mosquitoes we can learn ways to control their breeding habits and, in the long term, reduce the spread of malaria.”

Award to further health and social care research Brighton is one of the member universities to share in a £5.2m National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) award. The NIHR Research Design Service South East (RDS South East), formed in 2008 to increase the quality and quantity of successful grant applications from researchers, includes the universities of Brighton, Surrey and Kent. Its services are open and offered to individuals seeking funding for applied health and social care research from open national peer-reviewed funding programmes.

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Investigating freshwater ecosystems Dr Gary Bilotta is leading a team of university researchers to monitor river water quality in the Arctic. The project, funded by the European Union, aims to understand the contrasting water quality requirements of different freshwater ecosystems.

Gary has also been leading a research team which was awarded £85,000 to develop a new technique to help improve the biodiversity of freshwater ecosystems and save millions in monitoring costs by targeting the most polluted areas.

The team will be monitoring the water quality of pristine rivers in Iceland and Finland and this project will add to existing water quality research, by Dr Bilotta and PhD student Magdalena Grove, in pristine rivers in the more temperate climate of the UK. Results will feed into the development of improved water quality guidelines to support healthy freshwater ecosystems.

The project, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the Environment Agency, will focus on developing a new approach to monitoring and controlling particulate matter, from nano-scale colloids to sand-sized sediments.

Particulate matter is one of the most common causes of reduced water quality and can have a damaging and costly effect on the health of freshwater ecosystems.

Gary said: “This research and resultant biomonitoring tool will be extremely valuable in the implementation of international water quality legislation, such as the EU Water Framework Directive, saving millions of pounds in monitoring costs in comparison with traditional high-resolution monitoring/sampling approaches and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of compliance with environmental legislation.”

Research backs harmonious flights Dr Harry Witchel, a psychobiologist from BSMS, has backed plans to have orchestras playing in airport terminals to improve passengers’ pre-flight experience. Harry, who authored a music psychology book, You Are What You Hear, said listening to music has positive emotional and physical effects on the body.

Heathrow is partnering with the London Philharmonic Orchestra to give its 70 million passengers a musical send off in 2013. Research has shown that music promotes relaxation and helps calm pre-flight nerves.

Huw helps WHO Professor Huw Taylor was invited to Geneva to help the World Health Organisation (WHO) to write a future policy on sanitation safety planning. Huw’s practical researchbased guidance will be provided to practitioners in low-income countries.

Huw’s work in the university’s Environment and Public Health Research Unit has covered the provision of safe water supplies in Africa and the disinfection of contaminated wastewaters in medical emergencies while working with international partners including Unicef, Médecins Sans Frontières and WaterAid.

Harry, who is regularly called in as an expert on TV and radio, said the body is influenced by different kinds of music and has demonstrated this with a series of experiments.

“As music is associated with increased levels of happiness, it makes sense to apply this to departures at Heathrow, given the wonderful opportunity of having the orchestra there for travellers.”

Can maths unlock secrets of the spine?

Feet do the talking

University scientists have been awarded a grant of £100,000 from the Leverhulme Trust to investigate how mathematics can help doctors better understand deformities in the human spinal cord.

By developing a mathematical model, scientists aim to demonstrate how the changes in the pressure of the cerebral-spinal fluid can cause the cavities to form and grow without the need for invasive medical investigations.

Dr Paul Harris, who is leading the research, hopes that providing an accurate mathematical model could lead to improved treatments of spinal deformities.

New research by Dr Christopher Morriss-Roberts in the School of Health Professions revealed that sportsmen’s choice of footwear spoke volumes about their personality type.

According to his research based around the concept of podolinguistics – the ability to communicate feelings or attitudes via the foot and shoe – men’s trainers signalled sporting characteristics.

Christopher discussed his research with world experts and said: “I have always felt that understanding why people wear the shoes they do and what those shoes mean to them are fundamental to our role as a podiatrist.”

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Cutting carbon Additional research funding means the university is a step closer to bringing a new engine to market which has the potential to reduce carbon emissions in heavy-duty vehicles. The UK’s innovation agency, the Technology Strategy Board, has awarded the university £170,000 to progress its collaborative work with Ricardo UK on the CryoPower engine.

Most car manufacturers produce electric or low-emission hybrid vehicles but heavy-duty trucks and similar vehicles are proving more difficult to convert. Ricardo's new CryoPower engine concept focuses on a split-cycle combustion process instead of refining existing four-stroke engine technology. The concept is based on a split cycle, temperature controlled system, which increases engine efficiency.

The new research will bring in heat exchanger specialists, HiFlux and an advisory panel drawn from the heavy duty engines and vehicle sector, with the ultimate aim of bringing the engine to market.

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Forging a world-class research partnership The University of Brighton has renewed its Memorandum of Understanding with the Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) following a visit to Malaysia by Professor Andy Cundy, Dr Ray Whitby and Dr Rob Morgan, University of Brighton experts in geoscience, nanotechnology and clean energy.

This world-class research partnership will enable collaborative research projects in the fields of nanotechnology, green energy and green technology. The new agreement was signed in Brighton

by Datuk Ir (Dr) Abdul Rahim Haji Hashim, for UTP, and Professor Julian Crampton, the university’s Vice-Chancellor.

Can burns victims heal themselves?

Professor Andrew Lloyd, Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering, said: “Through strong partnerships of this nature, the university seeks to develop and widen its international research base. This partnership exemplifies how universities across the globe can work effectively together for mutual benefit.”

Gender doesn’t matter According to research by Dr Gary Stidder, PE teachers can teach school pupils of the opposite sex just as well as they do pupils of their own sex. Gary’s findings showed that that teaching ability was the most important factor, regardless of whether the teacher is a Sir or Ms.

International burns injuries expert Professor Anthony Metcalfe, Professor of Burns and Wounds at the university and Director of Research at the Blond McIndoe Research Foundation is investigating ways to help burns victims regenerate new nerves and skin to leave minimal scarring.

His work is based on the belief that humans once had the ability to regenerate from burn injuries just as

Hedgehogs beat the odds

Physics expert to advise on £1.4bn project

Dr Dawn Scott teamed up with the RSPCA to research the diminishing population of hedgehogs, numbers of which have dwindled from 30 million in the 1950s to approximately one million today.

Investigations showed that rescued hedgehogs stand as good a chance of surviving when released into the wild during winter as they do being kept in captivity.

Alison Bruce, the university’s Professor of Physics, is to play a leading role in a new £1.4bn project which hopes to unlock some of the universe’s closely guarded secrets.

Alison will help decide the direction of science at the new Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR) centre being built in Germany.

Research focused on how and where hedgehogs lived in winter to determine their over-winter survival rates. Dawn said: “The research hopefully will tell us more about their movements, how they survive the winter and about weight they lose, information that will help us with conservation efforts in the future.”

RESEARCH NEWS

The facility will house four main experiments, with the UK most involved through a £10m contribution to one called Nustar, for Nuclear Structure, Astrophysics and Reactions.

the liver can recover from injury. He will be working on new approaches to regenerative medicine to improve treatments and hopefully revolutionise therapies for wound healing.

The aim is to develop a holistic approach, working with patients to gain a clearer understanding of the impact of such injuries to patients’ lifestyles.

Gary’s research challenges common perceptions of the biological sex of a PE teacher being a significant factor in teaching secondary physical education. His study focused on the school-based experiences of trainee PE teachers in opposite-sex secondary schools in Kent and East Sussex. The trainee PE teachers believed that professional integrity, competence and generally just being good at their job, were more important than issues associated with their biological sex.

Global Health Research

Words from the wise

Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) has become a prestigious Wellcome Trust Centre for Global Health Research – one of only five in the UK. The centre supports researchers working in public health and tropical medicine to develop their careers, and fosters interchange between institutions in the UK and those based in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

In May the university offered a unique opportunity to hear three world-leading authorities speak on social sciences, arts and science during the Brighton Festival of Research. Our guest speakers were: Dr Etienne Wenger – Learning in landscapes of practice: recent developments in social learning theory Sir Mark Moody-Stuart – Natural resource development and developing economies Sir Christopher Frayling – Slaying the sixth giant: the arts and aspiration.

Professor Melanie Newport, the centre director, said: “This award gives external recognition that BSMS is evolving as a centre of excellence in global health and will allow us to further develop our contribution towards improving the health of some of the world’s poorest people.”

You can catch all three events online at www.brighton.ac.uk/ eventsonline.

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21 YEARS

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Happy birthday to us! The academic year 2013–2014 signifies a milestone for us as we celebrate 21 years of university status. On 1 September 1992 our new title of University of Brighton was inaugurated, but it was on 16 February 1993 that our new Articles of Government were approved by the Privy Council. So, we officially come of age on 16 February 2014.

Thanks to its foundation of over 150 years of expertise and development, today’s University of Brighton is a pioneering institution whose innovation and research equips us perfectly to address contemporary challenges. In the last 21 years, our student numbers have doubled from 11,000 to 22,000 studying over 500 courses.

Academic awards made each year have increased from just under 3,000 to over 5,500 and we have a global network of over 115,000 alumni.

We also celebrated 21 years of our photography course at Grand Parade. Led by Magnum photographer, Brighton alumnus and senior lecturer, Professor Mark Power, our photography alumni pooled some of their most significant works from the last 21 years to create a book, funded by an online auction of signature prints.

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As part of our twenty-first anniversary celebrations, we invited our alumni to gather their former classmates and friends together and celebrate with us. Twenty-one dinner parties took place around the world and we would like to thank everyone who got so enthusiastically involved. The events took place between March and August across the UK, Europe, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Dubai, Mexico and the US.

David Garbutt – Architecture BA (1969)May 2013, Brighton, UK “Our dinner was at the Terraces Bar and Grill with views over the Brighton Pier and Marina.

It was a wet and windy day and the kite surfers gave us a great side show displaying their skills leaping up over the big waves. Graduates in attendance were Carol Wyrill (nee Baird), Malcolm Nickolls, Jim Boyd, Alan Stephens and Geoff James.”

Nikos Chatzivrettas – Civil Engineering MSc (2000) March 2013, Thessaloniki, Greece “Despite an uneasy period for the economy in Greece, the twenty-first anniversary of the University of Brighton was a good reason to bring back smiles to the faces of Greek alumni.

It was a perfect opportunity for all of us to have a great laugh remembering the years we spent at the university. We celebrated our optimism, youth and energy so that the thirty-first University of Brighton celebration would find us in better conditions.”

Helen Terry – Secondary Physical Education with Dance BEd(Hons) (1990) April 2013, Houston Area and Montgomery, Texas, USA “We had a fabulous time hosting a dinner. Thank you for the opportunity. We enjoyed the occasion and appreciated feeling connected to the University of Brighton when we live thousands of miles away.”

Paul Mcleod – Youth and Community DipHE (2003) June 2013, Brighton “Although a decade had passed since many in the group had seen each other, the years meant nothing, as good friendships were rekindled. The nature of the group, the course and its tutors had fostered very honest, strong friendships. All agreed it had been a very special evening with excellent company and good food. I am sure it will not be another 10 years before we meet again.”

21 YEARS

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HASTINGS

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10 OUT OF 10 FOR MARGARET! One essential ingredient in the success of the Hastings campus during its first 10 years has been its director, Margaret Wallis. Margaret joined Brighton Polytechnic in 1989 as a lecturer in library and information studies. In taking on the leadership challenge of the new Hastings campus in 2003, Margaret not only brought her extensive institutional knowledge of the University of Brighton to Hastings, but a tenacious ambition to provide excellent higher education opportunities to an area undergoing much-needed regeneration.

Margaret has led the Hastings campus with dedication, imagination and passion. She has never missed a graduation celebration for her successful students and her pastoral ethos has meant the compact campus has always maintained a personal touch and warmth.

This is no small feat: balancing strategic leadership with a genuine commitment to the students and community the campus serves.

Margaret is well recognised in the Hastings community, and sits on several trusts and committees including the Vertical Education Partnership, which aims to support students from primary through to higher education in partnership with Sussex Coast College Hastings, and the Hastings and St Leonards academies.

Ten years ago, the first university centre in the country opened in the heart of Hastings town. University Centre Hastings signified an important step forward in widening participation to make university education accessible for everyone by providing on-thedoorstep higher education opportunities to the Hastings and Rother area.

When University Centre Hastings opened in 2003 with 40 students, five staff and three courses, it began as a partnership led by the University of Brighton with the University of Sussex, the University of Greenwich, Canterbury Christ Church University and the Open University. Over the next five years it expanded to around 600 students, 50 staff and 22 courses.

In 2009, the University of Brighton took over full responsibility for the centre, which officially became the university's fifth campus. Today it accommodates 850 students, 100 staff and offers 37 courses. It’s success has attracted praise in both the Times Higher Education and Guardian newspapers, as well as being nominated for Widening Participation Initiative of 2009 at the prestigious Times Higher Education awards.

The campus has evolved to become the University of Brighton in Hastings, with its own distinct identity and specialised courses including media, nursing and social sciences.

As such, Margaret has helped pioneer a legacy in the south-east’s education – widening participation and communityfocused engagement through teaching.

Margaret has also played a major role in establishing financial assistance for disadvantaged students through philanthropic support, enabling them to overcome challenges in pursuit of their education. In the year that the campus celebrates its first milestone, Margaret is handing over the reins as she retires from her position. She leaves an indelible legacy: raised aspirations and achievements in the Hastings community through her love of learning. On behalf of everyone at the alumni association, we thank you Margaret. You have changed so many lives for the better, and as you know, education is a lifelong gift.

We wish you a long and happy retirement.

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We hear from one of our Hastings alumni, Joanna Pirie, who graduated in 2009 with a Broadcasting Media FdA, on the impact her course has had on her career.

“I started the foundation course not knowing what I wanted to do. It was only once I got into the course and found the lectures so interesting and the tutors had so much knowledge, that it gave such a great insight into the industry. It was great to take on roles to produce university promotional videos and actual script-writing lessons, editing on real Avid software and from then I knew I wanted to work in television.

“My senior lecturer (Jo Macdonnell) gave me a contact at the BBC on Holby City. I managed to get an interview from Jo’s recommendation and I got my first job at Holby City as a floor runner.

“From that moment my career has flourished.

I now have four years’ work experience in the television industry, have achieved promotion regularly and with each job gained more experience and responsibility. I have progressed from runner to senior production coordinator working on dramas, factual and consumer series for broadcast channels such as BBC, talkbackTHAMES and Channel 5.”

Tell us about a typical day…

“I start by going through about 20 emails from the crew, post production and my production manager. When the production team arrives, I ask the director for a shooting schedule for the filming day. I also ask the researchers to find out location-specific information such as opening times, parking, filming permissions and green room locations.

“Once I have this information, I begin to put a call sheet together. This is the bible for a filming shoot. It contains every bit of information the filming team and office needs to know regarding who’s on the shoot, where, what times, when things are happening and who to contact in an emergency. It is very detailed and takes a lot of time to put together.

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“Next I plan travel logistics for the crew and presenters. I use Google maps to locate everyone and a hire car company which offers us preferential rates. It’s all about blagging in this industry to get the best deals – I always have to think about the budget! I also look at hotels for any of the crew who need to stay overnight.

There’s a bit of pressure to get a nice hotel as close to the location as possible, so that the crew don’t have to travel far on the morning of the shoot, especially if they have an early call time such as 6am!

“I contact our crew and camera equipment hire company which provides us with crew (cameraman and sound recordist) for the day and also any camera equipment we may need. I have to make sure that we can afford it and think about what we need, ie two cameras (one for each presenter) plus a monitor for the director to see what’s being filmed, plus lights (if we’re inside a dark house for example).

“When I receive the shooting schedule from the director I finalise the call sheet and get a production pack together for the team. This includes everything from call sheets, release forms, public liability documents, crowd filming notices, research forms and scripts.

“As well as any last-minute changes to deal with, I also hand out petty cash floats and per diems (daily allowances) to the crew. Floats are given to the runners to be used for lunches, parking, permits, snacks, teas and coffees – basically anything needed by the team while on the shoot.

“My day ends by using my time productively on the train commute home: writing purchase orders or replying to emails on the train – it’s a long journey (London to Worthing) so I try to use the time wisely.”

What is the most surprising thing you have learnt in your career?

“How many man hours go into making a TV programme! For the antiques programme I work on at the moment, I’d say an average of about three weeks’ work goes into making a 30-minute programme. For films and big budget shows it could be months or even years.”

What is the most useful tip you have picked up on the job?

“Make friends with everyone. This industry is so small once you get into it, everyone knows everyone, and if you are ever looking for the next job, you never know who you might need to contact to get it.”

What advice would you offer students hoping to follow a similar career?

“Do it! It’s so much fun, although hard work, there are lots of perks and it’s all about working as a team. Start as a runner – it’s the best way to learn as much as you can, and this will really help you become an all-rounder when you start to move up into a higher position. The runner is one of the most valuable members of the team, you get to assist every member of the production team and learn all aspects of the production process – how could you ask for more?”

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ALUMNI PROFILE

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As Controller at BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra, Ben Cooper is no stranger to controversy. Soon after taking up post in 2011, Ben was charged with revamping the breakfast slots. This involved ousting popular resident DJ Chris Moyles and replacing him with Nick Grimshaw.

Earlier this year, Ben had to make a call on the publicly divisive debate of whether to air Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead on the Sunday Official Chart Show. The song was revived as an anti-Thatcher anthem after the death of former prime minister, Baroness Margaret Thatcher in April. Ben described the decision as a “difficult compromise” because it balanced respect for someone who had just died with freedom of speech issues.

Ben studied a Public Administration HND at Brighton Polytechnic (Eastbourne campus) and graduated in 1990. Last year, he returned as a guest of the Alumni Advice Network to share his industry insights with students – one of whom was lucky enough to secure a day’s work experience at Radio 1. Broadcasting student Chalice Bartholomew interviewed Ben about his career.

HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN RADIO? I was studying at the Eastbourne campus when I took up a work placement at the local radio station. This experience led me to realise this is what I wanted to do. So rather than doing my year top up, I took a job at BBC Worcester and Hereford, being paid £30 a week.

I then moved on to Three Counties (radio station) for a year in Luton where I was a producer. I worked with a really difficult presenter on the drive-time show. Whilst working there I saw an advertisement for a producer at Radio 1 and thought to myself, ‘I could do that’. I used my experiences at Three Counties Radio in my interview for Radio 1 and then I got the job. I was thrown in at the deep end producing Nicky Campbell, which then led me to work with Jo Wiley (another Brighton alumna).

I was the second producer to Chris Moyles as the previous one only lasted two weeks. I then went to work on commercial radio at Capital FM. I learnt a lot about commercial radio but I missed the people at Radio 1. I was really lucky to be able to get back into Radio 1; I had a different role which was the head of mainstream at BBC Radio 1. This led to me suggesting to my boss about Chris moving to the breakfast slot.

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WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU HAVE GIVEN TO A YOUNGER VERSION OF YOURSELF? Always ask questions and be inquisitive. Make sure you know how everything works, as there is going to be a time when someone misses their bus, is going to be ill or even hit by a bus! Then they will be in a panic and ask if anybody knows how to work the equipment, then you will be able to put your hand up and say that you know how. Then that would be your shot.

ALUMNI PROFILE

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Always ask questions and be inquisitive

WHAT WAS IT LIKE BEING AT THE EASTBOURNE CAMPUS? I had a brilliant time! Don’t tell anyone but I bunked off one of my lectures once because it was sunny and we all went to the beach. I did a lot of plays and ended up doing a bad rendition of Cabaret!

WHAT DOES YOUR JOB ENTAIL AT RADIO 1 AND 1XTRA? Every day is different – that’s what I love about my job and it is to run two radio stations. On a day-to-day basis I have to choose DJs that I think are going to relate to young audiences, know their music and can be entertaining. I also need to decide which shows they present and what music is played.

HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT FINDING NEW TALENT? There are many different ways we go about finding people: the traditional ways such as those starting out on community radio, moving up to local and then to commercial hoping to be discovered. Or through agents putting people forward. We’ve started to find people in new ways too; we take a lot of people from TV then transfer them to radio. Take Matt Edmondson… we were sent videos that he had uploaded to Holy Moly (an entertainment website), now he’s presenting Fearne Cotton’s slot.

WITHIN YOUR RADIO CAREER WHICH HAS TO BE YOUR PROUDEST MOMENT? WHEN DID YOU THINK TO YOURSELF ‘RIGHT MY MUM WILL BE PUTTING THIS ON THE MANTELPIECE’?

I think it must have to be getting this job. When I was eight years old I was given a radio, I was obsessed with it... so definitely getting my dream job.

HAVING BEEN SUCH A VALUABLE ASSET FOR OVER EIGHT-ANDA-HALF YEARS, HOW DIFFICULT WAS IT LETTING CHRIS MOYLES GO, BEARING IN MIND THE AUDIENCE MIGHT GO WITH HIM?

Quick fire round

I’ve worked with Chris for years. The thing is with Chris I wanted him to leave on a high, and leave at the top of his game rather than to just fade out. I was really pleased that he chose to say that he was hanging up his headphones on his show, then posting it on Twitter so he could tell his audience first.

Oh that’s really hard, I’m trying to think of someone who looks like me.

I AM AN AVID RADIO 1 LISTENER, AND I FEEL THAT NICK GRIMSHAW WORKS PERFECTLY WITH RADIO 1’S TARGET DEMOGRAPHIC. HOW DID YOU KNOW HE WAS THE MAN FOR THE JOB?

Listening live or podcast?

The thing with Nick is he is a character. He has this brilliant ability to be able to tell a story – he makes the smallest detail interesting. Nick really knows how to engage with his audience.

WITH THE RESHUFFLE OF DJS TENDING TO BE A LOT YOUNGER, DO YOU FEEL THAT YOUNGER GENERATIONS WILL KEEP RADIO ALIVE? People thought cassette tapes were going to be the end of radio as you could record what was playing, that the Walkman was going to be the end of radio because you could listen to your own CDs, but they weren’t. They thought that the iPod was going to be the death of radio but it wasn’t. Radio will constantly evolve and becoming more visual will keep it alive.

What DJ would portray you in a film of your life?

It could be a DJ’s personality…

Even though he’s older than me, I think Simon Mayo.

Listening live.

Producing or presenting Presenting – nothing beats that buzz of seeing that red light go on.

Favourite live lounge?

Coldplay – I remember when the plugger came in telling me about this band and how he loved them and how good they were and how he knew I would like them. The next day we got hold of them to come in and do a performance for us. It was right around the time their song Yellow came out.

It’s amazing to see them now selling out stadiums.

Breakfast or drive time?

Breakfast as it’s what you get up to, and keeps you engaged for the rest of the day.

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BSMS10

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Overall, being a doctor is such a fun, rewarding job, and I love the work-life balance that I am able to achieve… until I start to revise for the next exam!

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BSMS10

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A VERY HEALTHY OUTLOOK It’s a very special year for Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) as it hits its first official milestone – 10 years. There are plenty of plans in the pipeline to celebrate the school’s achievements over the last decade, details of which can be found online at www.bsms.ac.uk/bsms10.

Dr Chloe Jagger was among the first students when BSMS opened in 2003. She graduated in 2008 and now works as a general practitioner (GP) in Surrey.

Chloe talked us through some of her memories of her time at BSMS, why she remains closely connected to the school and walked us through a working day.

“I imagine starting at any medical school must be exciting, but as one of the first to enter BSMS, we had the additional buzz of energy from the staff. They had been planning and waiting for students for so long and were all keen to start teaching. The equipment, lecture halls and facilities were fab. Of course there were occasional hiccoughs, but there was an excellent team of enthusiastic staff and our teaching was well planned.

“As a new medical school there were no established societies. We were lucky to be able to join both Sussex and Brighton clubs, but wanted to establish a strong identity at BSMS too. And as typical medics, we wanted to work hard and play hard. I was one of the founder members of MedSoc (the medical students society run by students to provide services for their peers), involved in arranging balls and social events.

“I loved taking part in dissection in the early years and enjoyed the early trips to primary and secondary care. I think the integrated structure of the teaching has helped me clinically in my career. I enjoyed rotating through each of the placements, and at the time particularly loved obstetrics and gynaecology. I remember attending a drinks reception to officially open the Audrey Emerton building in the third year, and loved the clinical skills teaching and simulations there.

“I did cardiology, gastroenterology and orthopaedics in my first foundation year (F1) in Chichester which was great, then moved to Epsom Hospital for foundation year 2 (F2) and did accident and emergency, obstetrics and gynaecology, and general practice.

“I got an obstetrics and gynaecology runthrough training post in Severn deanery, moving to Bristol the following year to start my specialist training. However I was surprised by my GP placement; I had loved it, which wasn’t the plan. I remember being told as a student that the majority of us would train as GPs, yet never thought GP was the career for me – how wrong I was! I swapped to GP training and have loved it. I never realised until I specialised, but I am a generalist, and love that in the surgery I see patients with problems that cover the whole breadth of my knowledge.

“As part of training I also do shifts at the Harmoni 111 centre (an out-of-hours nationwide GP service) seeing patients at weekends. I am hoping to be able to do a third specialist training extension that will enable me to do more teaching and work towards medical education qualifications, as well as learn more about management and leadership.”

Worst aspect of job “As a GP I am learning to deal with the responsibility and uncertainty, and sometimes chat to friends about difficult situations.”

Best aspect of job “It is really rewarding when I diagnose a tricky case, or when patients feel better due to my interventions. We have a day of teaching each week as GP registrars. This consists of lectures and small group work, as well as teaching sessions and presentations.”

Proud to be a BSMS alumna “I have stayed involved with BSMS in a variety of ways. I joined the Alumni Advisory Board, as I was always part of the team organising events whilst a student, so it feels natural to continue. I think it would be great to set up regular alumni reunions in future. I am also part of the BSMS interview team, which I love. It is so interesting to see the candidates and hear their enthusiasm for medical school.

“I enjoyed the small group work we did as part of GP teaching as students, and would love to continue teaching, potentially as part of the BSMS GP teaching team in future?”

Tuesday 13 August 07.50am Arrive at surgery. First of many cups of tea. Check mail etc.

08.10am Morning surgery starts. I love the challenge of not knowing what I will encounter next. I try to look through each patient’s notes on the computer before they arrive so that I have an idea of what to expect – but often I’m surprised.

I really appreciate learning the consultation models at university now, as I put them into practice every day.

10.50am Coffee with my colleagues in the practice. I like this social element of what could otherwise be quite a solitary job. We discuss any interesting or tricky cases and share out the extra patients to be seen in the emergency pool. There can be between two and 40 extras between us each day.

11.30am See the extra patients and go on home visits. My practice covers three beautiful Surrey villages so I enjoy getting out and about, and nosing round the amazing houses! I often spend a little extra time chatting to housebound patients as some of them are fairly isolated.

1pm Hope to get a drug rep lunch! No freebie pens or post-its anymore though unfortunately.

2pm Admin time. As a registrar, I am still learning the ropes and it can take me a while to get through all of the referrals and check patients’ results.

3pm Afternoon surgery starts.

5.45pm Home, unless I have more admin to do from the afternoon patients.

Farewell to the dean Professor Jon Cohen has announced he is stepping down from his role as dean of BSMS, effective from December. Professor Cohen has been with the medical school since its inception and has been at the helm of its success during its first decade.

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AROUND THE CAMPUS

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Tom Munson (Interior Architecture BA(Hons) 2011) and Carly West (Interior Architecture BA(Hons) 2010), have been working with Professor Anne Boddington, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, and Steven Jones from the university’s estates and facilities department on an innovative project to introduce social informal learning spaces (SILS) across the university.

The project builds on the work of the Centre of Excellence for Teaching and Learning through Design (CETLD) and aims to support graduate designers to create new spaces for groups of students and users. Focusing on unused or underused spaces and existing communal spaces across the university’s campuses, the project looks at these spaces to create vibrant, stimulating and positive environments for conversations, socialising and learning.

Steven Jones, project manager, explained: “Universities and creative institutions all over the world have recognised a need to address changing student needs and have invested in new environments specifically designed to accommodate them.”

The design team gathered feedback to identify what students and staff felt was most important for a productive and enjoyable working and social environment that encouraged people to remain in the university and learn collectively.

Areas that tended to score highly included the need for comfortable seating, consistent access to Wi-Fi and to power, access to refreshments and longer opening hours.

Tom Munson said: “The environments that are eventually created will have been directly informed by the users – students, staff and our visitors. All users will be central to the design decisions taken and be involved throughout the process.”

Carly West added: “Our designs are in the form of sketches, plans and 3D visualisations that show how spaces might be arranged and what could be in them to create inspiring spaces to work, meet and socialise. We are now developing the first of these into designs for implementation.”

The team aims to achieve its SILS goals by making the spaces comfortable and attractive destinations – drawing people to them and encouraging them to stay. At the same time they will be bold and ambitious. A brand for SILS is being considered with the student body and university users so that everyone is clear where these areas will be.

Professor Anne Boddington, who chairs the project group, said: “It is positive to see our graduates implementing research findings as a means to support and improve students’ experience and learning. Carly and Tom have created a broad palette of ideas.

“Our spaces have become places that encourage communities of students and staff to talk and to spend longer working and socialising within the university. These first prototypes will signal a conceptual and symbolic change, as well as creating a more welcoming and conducive atmosphere for social meetings, conversation and collective learning, before and after lectures as well as simply somewhere to relax.”

THE BRIGHTON EFFECT – ISSUE 30

GET ON YOUR E-BIKE

The university's work in sustainability has already been recognised by its achievement of a Silver Standard of the environmental management system, EcoCampus.

In a bid to encourage more people to take up cycling, the university invited staff across Brighton sites and members of the public from Brighton & Hove to try out its new electricallyassisted bikes (e-bikes).

GREEN FUNDING FOR SU

TIME FOR CHANGE

Brighton Students’ Union fought off competition to become one of 25 unions around the country to secure funding for its student-led environmental project. The funding followed a successful bid to the NUS Students’ Green Fund.

The University of Brighton has set the most ambitious target of any university in the country to reduce its carbon emissions by 50 per cent in five years. To achieve this goal, more than 23,000 students and staff at the university have joined the biggest campaign of its kind to cut carbon.

Brighton SU will use the award, worth £222,624 over two years, to galvanise its members as green champions through its programme, Bright ‘n Green. A network of students will deliver and support activities addressing sustainability problems in Brighton in the areas of transport, employability and accommodation.

C-change champions the commitments the university has outlined in its strategic plan, both to remain in the top 10 of the People and Planet’s Green League (we were fifth this year out of over 140 HEIs) and to fulfil our ambition of halving our carbon footprint by the academic year 2015–2016.

http://studentsgreenfund.unioncloud.org/ nav/the-projects/bright-n-green

Over the last year, c-change has introduced a number of schemes to help staff and students reduce their impact upon the environment. www.brighton.ac.uk/sustainability/campus/ cchange

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SILVER FOR SUSTAINABILITY

EcoCampus was launched in 2005, with funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), to help universities identify, evaluate, manage and improve environmental performances. EcoCampus is closely aligned to ISO 14001, the international environmental management system standard.

The artwork for the highly visible campaign was designed by alumnus, Simon Bottrell (Graphic Design BA(Hons) 1990), with the c-change campaign delivered by the environment team, which includes three alumni, Ed Bending (Geography BSc(Hons) 2010 and Geographical Information Systems and Environmental Management MSc 2013), Dorinda Kealoha (Geography BSc(Hons) 2001 and PGCE 2003) and Abigail Dombey (Continuing Professional Development 2001).

AROUND THE CAMPUS

HOUSE MADE FROM WASTE Britain’s first house made almost entirely from thrown-away waste is taking shape on our Grand Parade campus.

The project, backed by TV presenter and designer, Kevin McCloud, has been coordinated by architect and senior lecturer, Duncan BakerBrown and is an example of how low-carbon homes can be built cheaply and quickly.

It has attracted support from all sectors of the community including Green Party Brighton MP Caroline Lucas, local schoolchildren, Freegle, Brighton & Hove City Council and the Mears Group. Materials used in the house include old toothbrushes, denim jeans, bicycle inner tubes, DVDs, discarded construction waste and plastic razors.

E-bikes are fitted with rechargeable batteries which help when riders pedal against headwinds or up steep hills. They are very popular on the continent but have yet to become widely used in the UK. The project is led by senior lecturer Dr Frauke Behrendt, and is funded by a three-year grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). The research team has been working with Brighton & Hove City Council over the past year to trial the e-bikes across the city. The public event is co-funded by the Local Sustainable Transport Fund.

BUILDING A GREENER FUTURE A new cement alternative developed by University of Brighton researchers could dramatically reduce the carbon emissions produced by the construction industry.

Geopolymer is an environmentally friendly alternative to cement using waste materials.

Cement production is the third highest producer of carbon dioxide (CO2) after transport and energy generation, and is responsible for five per cent of the world’s CO2 emissions.

Geopolymer is a cement-free concrete which produces much lower CO2 emissions during manufacture and has the added bonus of being more resistant to deterioration than traditional concrete. It can be produced using waste materials such as pulverised fuel ash, slag waste from blast furnaces, and crushed waste glass. Steel fibres can also be added to prevent the concrete from deteriorating by reducing shrinkage and preventing cracks.

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ALUMNI PROFILE

THE BRIGHTON EFFECT – ISSUE 30

Interview by Teodora Lyubomirova, final year Sports Journalism student

In the space of nine years, Dr Chris Shambrook completed a sports science degree, a PhD in applied psychology and landed the job of psychology consultant for the British rowing team. After graduating from the University of Brighton in 1997, he worked with the nation’s top rowers in four Olympic cycles including the home games in London.

Chris knows all about maintaining consistent performance, and claims university graduates should have the same focus on performance as elite athletes.

“At various times I’ve been asked what to do by students and it’s becoming increasingly easy for me to say, ‘Well, if you really want to be in the world of sport, you need to apply the same principles to yourself.’ It’s never going to be something you walk straight into. You need to be highly competitive, push yourself forward and be resilient.”

His winner’s mindset was cultivated here at the university and through his desire to succeed.

After completing his Sports Science BSc(Hons) in 1991, he wasted no time in returning to Brighton to get stuck into a PhD in applied psychology, a decision he felt was obvious for him.

THE BRIGHTON EFFECT – ISSUE 30

ALUMNI PROFILE

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THINK LIKE A WINNER In May, Chris returned as a guest of the Alumni Advice Network to the Eastbourne campus. He spoke to a packed lecture theatre about translating the mental attitude of elite sports performance to maximise personal performance in any sphere, including academic challenges or career applications.

“At the time it was absolutely the right thing,” said Chris. “It was a desire-driven kind of thing since I was getting more and more focused in the area of sport psychology and the university felt like the right environment to stay part of.

“The degree itself gave me a really solid ground in terms of being able to be a real expert in understanding sport through the eyes of a scientist, rather than a spectator.

“It provided me with critical analysis skills, an appreciation of the skills needed to work with performers and also ways of evaluating the effectiveness of any psychological innovation.

That foundation of knowledge continues to be relevant nearly 17 years later,” said Chris.

The university has continued to develop its sports science courses as theories and techniques change and improve. And it’s not just the courses that have moved forward.

Chris commented: “Campuses are unrecognisable and the university has allowed everything to really move on in terms of bringing the cutting edge of sports science.”

TRANSLATING ELITE PERFORMANCE INTO BUSINESS SUCCESS As sports psychologist to Team GB’s rowing team, Chris’s undertakings don’t end with the rowers. He’s also a director of K2 Performance Systems Ltd – a private business concerned with applying the methods of sport psychology to businesses in order to enhance their performance.

According to our Brighton alumnus, there are plenty of similarities between sport and business, and a few valuable differences.

“Similarities are a real high level of competition, very small margins between success and failure, tiny margins for error, and the cost of error is very high,” explained Chris.

“Athletes spend a lot of time on preparation and practice before they are ready to compete. In the world of business, however, things happen every day and you need to develop great habits in a limited amount of time to tackle the day-to-day competition.”

“With more experienced athletes you’re looking to help them make the most of their own psychology so they become ever more exacting in the use of their mind. The younger ones need to build great habits and learn as quickly as possible.

These principles are clear to most of K2’s customers, who are rarely struggling but who want to work towards an even better performance. “Just like an athlete who qualifies for a major event would still have the drive to understand what can be improved to get even closer to the finish line,” added Chris.

“They have to have the desire to step up and test themselves and it doesn’t matter if it’s the Beijing Olympics or the London Olympics, the first Olympics or the fourth, it’s that desire that should drive them to find out how good they can be.”

Through open or private sessions, through individual or group consulting, K2 strives to develop its methods and provide further understanding to its customers. Recently, to mark its tenth year on the market, K2’s team opened the Performance Room – an online resource full of performance tools, thought pieces and inspirational articles to help you think, prepare and perform like elite athletes.

“What we’ve done is hand over to customers the intellectual property we’ve created over the last 10 years. It works in the same way as great chefs giving their recipes,” summed up Chris.

“We want our customers to have performance independence, a place where they can find quality information and apply great performance tactics to their own businesses independent from us as consultants.”

A WINNING MINDSET But while he can provide his business advice online, face-to-face contact with athletes is vital. In order to understand how to cope with the annual competition cycle or make the most of being celebrities, athletes need to focus on the psychological elements. The principles are similar regardless of age.

At last year’s London Olympics, the psychology team made sure the environment worked for the athletes. The athletes learned to exploit the home advantage rather than simply hope for it to make a difference.

INSPIRED THINKING Starting his fifth Olympic cycle with the rowing team after the success of London 2012, Chris looked back at the legacy of one of Britain’s rowing legends – Sir Steve Redgrave CBE. “Steve made it very clear that with the right attitude there really could be rowing success.

I joined the team in 1997 at the start of his last Olympic cycle, and got to work with one of the most amazing athletes that has ever performed.

“Every day the rowers train at the RedgravePinsent Rowing Lake and there is no doubt that his legacy is the foundation of the success that followed in the last 15 years or so.” http://theperformanceroom.co.uk/

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ALUMNI REUNIONS

THE BRIGHTON EFFECT – ISSUE 30

OLD SCHOOL TIES On Tuesday 30 April, Bob Shanks organised a return trip to the university for a group of 1960s science and engineering alumni. We were delighted to welcome back: • Chris Barlow (Pharmacy 1963) • Chris Bramsdon (Mechanical Engineering 1963) and Sue Bramsdon • John Chatfield (Mechanical Engineering 1963) • Tony Garner (Pharmacy 1963) and Margaret Garner • Chris Goddard (Building Engineering 1963)

• John Powell (Computing 1963) and Jane Powell • Bob Shanks (Mechanical Engineering 1963) • Bern Steeples (Mechanical Engineering 1963) • Dick Watts (Mechanical Engineering 1963) • Jan Watts (Pharmacy).

Dr Dal Koshal, Assistant Head of the School of Computing, Engineering and Mathematics and Professor John Smart, Head of the School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences provided a tour of the Cockcroft and Huxley facilities including the design studios, flight simulator, clinical skills unit and laboratories.

Marvelling at some of the technology they saw, one alumnus commented “that is the future” while another explained how the return trip to campus stirred up “a mixture of emotions”. Our alumni enjoyed a ‘school dinner’ in the Cockcroft canteen and caught up on bygone days.

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ALUMNI REUNIONS

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RADIO DAYS Seasoned radio broadcaster Gareth Rogers (Education 1970) kindly invited current broadcast students to join him and his industry professionals at a BBC Radio Brighton/Sussex reunion in February. Gareth joined his Falmer contemporary and fellow BEd graduate, Mike Fox, who was involved at BBC Southern Counties radio in subsequent years.

The students interviewed Radio Brighton’s pioneer broadcaster John Henty about the early days when the station – then based in The Steine – opened in a snowstorm and proved the value of local radio in such an emergency. Other interviews included BBC financial correspondent Nigel Cassidy and former Radio 4 Today presenter Mark Coles – who was a student

protege of Gareth's when he produced the Sunday night youth and music programme Turn It Up which featured a large number of future national broadcasters including former Falmer languages student Jo Whiley of Radio 1 and 2 fame.

The broadcasters shared advice with the students to help with their future career direction and aspiration.

Gareth commented: “All my ex-colleagues were impressed by the high quality of questions and were delighted to continue the conversation in a social atmosphere once the recordings were finished.”

GOOD SPORTS Our Class of 1988 Sports Science alumni had a lively reunion over the August bank holiday weekend. Organiser Andy Moreland was joined by Andrew Jones, Clare Hall-Salter (nee Manford), Trudi Grant (nee Lucas), Colin Relton, Mike Scott and Paul Humphries for a tour of the gym facilities at Hillbrow, which they commented, had changed considerably since their time as students.

The fun continued with 10-pin bowling, pizzas and a night club as well as visiting some local haunts such as Beachy Head and Birling Gap. Plans are already afoot to celebrate 25 years of Sports Science at Chelsea in three years’ time.

If you would like to join the next reunion contact alumni@brighton.ac.uk.

ARTS ALUMNI RECEPTION Brighton’s graduate show always draws a big crowd and this year, we opened the doors to returning alumni with a private reception on the Grand Parade campus. It was great to welcome nearly 100 arts alumni back to the faculty to view current graduates’ work and catch up with them.

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ALUMNI BENEFITS

THE BRIGHTON EFFECT – ISSUE 30

Here’s a reminder of some of the exclusive benefits available to you as alumni. Email us at alumni@brighton.ac.uk if you are interested in finding out more.

NUS EXTRA CARD Continue to enjoy student discounts nationwide and internationally using the NUS Extra card, including 10 per cent off every Co-op shopping bill. All alumni, no matter when you graduated, can apply for the card through your alumni association. Cards are £12 and are valid for 12 months; the additional ISIC element for international shopping is £2.99.

POSTGRADUATE DISCOUNTS ON FURTHER STUDY Alumni who completed their undergraduate degrees with us are eligible for preferential discounts of up to 15 per cent off postgraduate courses.

DISCOUNTED ACCESS TO UNIVERSITY FACILITIES All alumni are eligible for discounts at our stateof-the-art sports facilities and our extensively stocked libraries.

ALUMNI ADVICE NETWORK The Alumni Advice Network provides a tangible connection between graduates and students and is a flexible way of sharing knowledge and experience. Seasoned professionals impart industry insights and careers advice to students eager to know more about professional life beyond university. It is a great way for alumni to develop your own mentoring skills and review your strengths and if you participate in the award-winning Momentum mentoring programme, you will also receive professional training and certification of your participation.

CAREERS We are one of the few universities in the UK which extends our offer of career support as a lifelong service to all alumni.

• Each year we run a careers fair, employability courses, employability skills programmes and industry-focused events.

• You can access one-to-one professional careers guidance by telephone, email or face-to-face meetings.

• One of our most popular services is CV reviews to enable you to present your experience, skills and qualities to the employers you want to work for.

• You can search our vacancy database for graduate-specific jobs and opportunities.

• We also organise paid internships for our graduates and have a flexible entrepreneurship scheme to help you launch your business. www.brighton.ac.uk/careers

Your business can work with leading researchers, specialist technology and benefit from the latest thinking at the University of Brighton. With a proven track record of delivering professional training to creatively tackle business problems, our specialists are keen to explore new ways that our wealth of teaching professionals, resources and research could be of use to your organisation. These can be anything from short courses to bespoke masters programmes. www.brighton.ac.uk/business

GET ONLINE Our social media networks play a vital part in spreading the message about what the university and our alumni offer. We are always happy to retweet your successes and opportunities, share good news and events on Facebook or encourage professional engagement through our LinkedIn groups.

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

@brightonalumni

Education is a lifelong process and our dedicated business specialists collaborate with businesses and communities to provide highquality development opportunities for employers.

www.facebook.com/ universitybrightonalumni University of Brighton Alumni Association

THE BRIGHTON EFFECT – ISSUE 30

ALUMNI SERVICES

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Tailored training and development for employers As continuous professional development and lifelong learning become increasingly important themes in business and education, the University of Brighton has launched a new unit to work with employers wishing to develop their staff.

• Our training and development team works to design tailor-made courses in the wide range of subjects available across the university.

• Courses can be developed from scratch, or based around University of Brighton modules customised to suit the needs of the organisation.

• In-company training programmes can be incorporated.

• Courses can be delivered at convenient intervals and times in the workplace.

BESPOKE MASTERS COURSE – APPLIED COMPUTER SCIENCE MSC • Developed in partnership with FDM Group, IT services provider run by Sheila and Rod Flavell, both Brighton alumni.

• Part of FDM’s own graduate training programme, preparing graduates for their careers as IT consultants.

“We have learned a lot along the way. When we designed the course we had roughly equal input with the university and we have continued to collaborate ever since. As far as we know, our approach is unique.

And we believe it improves our chances of attracting high-calibre graduates as they can further their careers as well as gaining practical skills. We are getting a high level of enquiries from new graduates as a result of this offer.”

Alex Linssen, MSc Programme Coordinator

DEVELOPED IN PARTNERSHIP – HIGHWAYS MANAGEMENT MSC • The university also worked in partnership with the South East Seven group of councils and private highways contractors Balfour Beatty, May Gurney and Amey to develop the Highways Engineering MSc. • This is the first postgraduate qualification in the UK to cover this specialised area, equipping civil engineers to meet the specific demands of public sector highways management.

CUSTOMISED SHORT COURSE – WASTE MANAGEMENT • Businesses in the Manor Royal Business District near London Gatwick Airport chose to customise one of our existing waste management courses to suit their needs.

• The course ran at one of their premises.

• As a direct result of the course, any of the businesses are saving money by reducing or modifying their waste streams.

“We wanted a tailored learning environment for the businesses in Manor Royal so they could get the latest information from people who know the most about it and we wanted to shape the course content to suit our needs.”

Steve Sawyer, Executive Director for Manor Royal Business District Other recent clients include: Priory Group, RAF, Surrey Highways, Pensions Regulator, LOCOG and BSK-CiC. For more information about how we can help your organisation take advantage of our customised training options across the full range of university specialisms contact traininganddevelopment@brighton.ac.uk 01273 643577 www.brighton.ac.uk/business

WHY YOUR SUPPORT IS PRICELESS For students like Craig, who cares for his disabled mother, balancing his course with a part-time job and family commitments is a challenge. Thanks to your donations, our students can pursue their studies and fulfil their potential through our student hardship fund.

The University of Brighton aims to help everyone reach their potential, no matter what else is going on in their lives.

Text UNIB13 ÂŁ5 to 70070 to donate ÂŁ5.

Thank you for making a difference. giving@brighton.ac.uk +44(0)1273 641842 www.brighton.ac.uk/alumni/campaign/