STEPS 2020 by fusiondesign1

Lancaster Alumni Magazine 2020

THE INVENTOR WITH A SENSE OF FUN LUCY ROGERS TALKS ENGINEERING

COVID-19 HOW YOUR UNIVERSITY IS MAKING AN IMPACT

Keep in touch www.lancaster.ac.uk/alumni

Welcome

Contents

Before launching into my introduction for Steps 2020, please accept my very best wishes to you, your family and friends, wherever you are in the world.

I open with positive news, as we welcome Professor Andy Schofield as Lancaster University’s new Vice-Chancellor. With the altered reality of COVID-19, he takes up post in one of the most challenging periods of the University’s history; and, no doubt, for many people reading this. We look forward to a time when he can travel again to meet alumni across the globe. The unprecedented situation we face is a reminder that, despite all the scientific and technological advances of our 21st century society, we remain at the mercy of nature. It should also remind us that, in the most testing situations, the best solutions are achieved in partnership with others. As the crisis passes – and you will see more in this edition about Lancaster’s contributions to combatting COVID-19 – our work will take on even greater significance, as we seek to build a safer and more equitable world. A global crisis requires a global response, building on the sort of teamwork and spirit of community that has flourished at Lancaster for over half a century. More than ever, community is important – whether that refers to the few streets accessible to you during a lockdown, or the broader Lancaster diaspora of which you are a member.

An Inventor with a Sense of Fun Lucy Rogers talks about the enjoyment of having a portfolio career.

Staying connected is vital to wellbeing; whether physical, emotional, or economic. Even while we can’t meet in person, there are lots of ways for you to stay in touch – email, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Sina Weibo… And as you will read here, our alumni networks remain as busy and diverse as ever. It is always a privilege for us to share news of alumni achievements, with Lucy Rogers – our cover star! – Damian Barr, Lorraine Ritchen-Stones and Sir Kevan Collins this year’s worthy examples. While our alumni continue to do great things, it feels like a footnote to say that Lancaster has enjoyed another great year: triple top 10 in the UK; Times & Sunday Times International University of the Year; launching a new campus in Leipzig; growing to over 15,000 students at Bailrigg – the latter a hub for a truly global higher education offering. While the present crisis will test us, it will not derail our journey of success and discovery. I hope it is a journey that you will continue to share with us. Please stay safe and well and in touch. Nick Fragel Director of Development & Alumni Relations

Alumni in Print A round up of books published by Lancaster alumni.

The Big Day Your wedding celebrations over the past twelve months.

COVID-19 Beating the Virus

University News Updates and developments about your University.

How your University is making an impact and how you can get involved.

You Will Be Safe Here Writer, Damian Barr, tells how his Lancaster days set him up for a happy and successful career.

A Library for the 21st Century Lancaster Library continues to provide resources for alumni long after graduation.

The Power of Education Sir Kevan Collins describes the role of education in transforming people’s lives.

Combatting Climate Change Lorraine Ritchen-Stones tells how she left a 32 year career in health to combat climate change.

Easier by Email Do we have your current email address? Most of our communications use email for speed and to restrict the amount of paper we use. To ensure you receive our Enews, event invitations and other communications, please email us at alumni@lancaster.ac.uk or update your details online at www.alumni.lancs.ac.uk/ details-update We look forward to hearing from you. Keep in touch!

Making a Difference Highlighting some of our philanthropic donors and projects supported financially by our alumni.

Honorary Degrees and Alumni Awards Awards presented in last year’s Graduation Ceremonies.

Published by: Development & Alumni Relations Office E: alumni@lancaster.ac.uk Additional Contributors: Rachel Pugh and Alex Mounsey Designed and produced by: www.fusiondesign.co.uk Cover image: Image © Karla Gowlett

The articles printed here, to the best of our knowledge, were correct at the time of going to press. We cannot guarantee that all articles submitted have been printed and we reserve the right to edit material where necessary. Furthermore, the views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of Lancaster University or the Editor. Steps is available to view online at www.lancaster.ac.uk/alumni as a PDF. If you require this magazine in another format, please contact the Alumni & Development Office.

STEPS 2020 - 2

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LUCY ROGERS GRADUATED: PhD Engineering 2001, Mechanical Engineering 1995 COLLEGE: Fylde

The Inventor with a Sense of Fun During a lunch break on a standup course, inventor Lucy Rogers heard a talk from a fashion designer, who said she needed a better way of showing her creations to clients. Within weeks Lucy had crafted the idea sparked by that unplanned encounter into a set of 3D-printed mannequins, which she posted, to the fashionista’s delight.

“That is how inventions often come about” says Lucy - in random chats with people outside her usual social circle, which is why she finds it such fun. The life of this 21st-century inventor is more practical problem solver than mad fictional hero in the style of Professor Branestawm. In her case, the job description also includes an Engineering Professorship at Brunel University in Creativity and Communication, article writing, conference presenting, TV appearances on Robot Wars, making things - and some stand-up comedy too. “I just like to slip science under the fence,” laughs Lucy, who describes herself as ‘an inventor with a sense of fun’. Her list of inventions ranges from visual tide height indicator and boots that change colour prompted by a tweet, to animatronic dinosaurs that respond to human movement, and - her favourite - the Fartometer, which detects the presence of volatile gases. “It’s all about finding a way to rebrand engineering,” she says. “People think of it as boring, but I like to find the fun solution to a problem and then slip it into the public consciousness.”

It is all rooted in her engineering background, which she established as an undergraduate at Lancaster and then in her PhD in fluid dynamics (also at Lancaster) in which she says she carried out a high level study into soap bubbles. The practical seeds of invention were clearly planted early. Her parents bought old houses and did them up, so DIY was a normal part of her upbringing. She was given a carpentry set for her seventh birthday to develop her wood whittling skills and was inspired in her early teens by participating in The Great Egg Race to find a career that would allow her to be some kind of professional participant. Her first thought was to apply for the Mechatronics course, where she was sponsored by Rolls Royce Industrial Power. She is unashamed about her reasons for selecting Lancaster: “I chose it because it was near the sea, it had an aeroball court and - as a keen kayaker it was close to the Lake District.” Academically, she gained from the manufacturing aspects of the engineering course and thrived in an atmosphere that welcomed a problem-solving approach. She changed course from Mechatronics to Mechanical Engineering after her first year, because she did not get on with the electronics and computing aspects of her studies, which ironically she uses regularly today. It gave her a first lesson in flexibility and the possibilities of changing track in life.

Image © Karla Gowlett

Her sandwich year with Rolls Royce also provided experience and contacts to secure her first job after graduation. Lucy played as hard as she worked at Lancaster – from being ladies captain of the Canoe Club, walking in the Lake District, as part of the Officers’ Training Corps and volunteering for the student URB radio station. In doing so she made friends with whom she is still in contact today and useful professional links. She also managed to burn a boiled egg, which has never been forgotten by her flat mates. Her real inspiration came in her final year when she was offered the chance by the charity, Practical Action, to go to Nepal to spend ten weeks studying ropeways, rather than do one of the projects offered in the Engineering Department. ‘It was a huge adventure,” she says.

“It really started broadening my knowledge. It made me realise that there was the option to go for an alternative and not just for what was on offer.” Youthful dreams of being a professional Great Egg Race participant took a hit after graduation, in her first job as a trainee at Rolls Royce. Following her PhD, she saw the possibilities of self-employment and embarked on the ultimate in portfolio careers, which has seen her working in Space Safety Research, bringing space science into the A level curriculum, judging Robot Wars, writing science columns and founding the Guild of Makers in 2017, not to mention inventing and making new products.

Her real motivation is sharing her love of science, which she believes in doing with a light touch, hence the comedy, which is a more recent addition to her portfolio. She says: “I started using it because when I was giving lectures and talks I thought that ‘professional’ meant ‘not fun’. I was boring myself - so must have bored the audience. Now I enjoy talking more.” Every day is an adventure for an inventor, in Lucy’s view and she feels her time at Lancaster set her up well for a career exploring ideas to the limits. She says: “The University was very friendly, and open. I was never worried about asking lecturers for help outside of lectures. I am still always asking questions. It also stimulated my love of learning - and not just for my subject. That continues.” www.lucyrogers.com @DrLucyRogers

STEPS 2020 - 4

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Alumni in Print 1 ISLA AITKEN

English, 1995, Cartmel Making Pearls from Grit

2 LISA KELLY

MA Creative Writing, 2016 A Map Towards Fluency

3 ANNE MILNE-RILEY

History, 1999, Furness Confidence Guru – Discover a Confident You!

4 MICHAEL PINCHBECK

Theatre Studies, 1997, Grizedale Staging Loss

5 PAUL NUNESDEA

PhD Management Science, 2000 Architecting Collaboration

6 MIKE WELLS

MA Marketing, 1971, Furness Cycling the Camino de Santiago

7 MARGARET THOMAS-EVANS

Independent Studies, 1983, Furness Representing Rural Women

8 STEVE MORGAN

Media & Cultural Studies, 2007, Lonsdale Anti-Sell

9 PENNY WALTERS

Psychology, 1984, Fylde Ethical Dilemmas in Genealogy

10 ANDREW PALMER

MA Contemporary Literature, 1989, Furness The Remembered Dead: Memory and the First World War

11 IAN MITCHELL

History, 1976, County The Battle of the Peaks and Longstop Hill: Tunisia April –May 1943

12 ROBERT POOLE

PhD History, 1986, History, 1978, Lonsdale Peterloo: The English Uprising

13 STEWART COLLINS

History, 1967, Lonsdale The Positive Social Worker

14 FRANK VAN SPLUNDER

PhD Applied Linguistics, 2010 Language is Politics

15 CAROLYN HOLMES

Social Work, 1989, Bowland Manage your Language

16 KAREN WARREN

PG Cert Professional Development, 2019 Workforce Wellbeing

17 NADEEM KHAN

MA Human Resources & Consulting, 2017 Introduction to People Analytics

18 MICHAEL REFFOLD

MA European Languages 2012, BA English Literature, 2008, Slow Phoenix

19 ALEXANDER KELLY & RACHEL WALTON Theatre Studies, 1992/1993, Furness/Cartmel There’s a Room

20 TOM YOUNG

Psychology, 2007, Pendle The Making of a Leader

The Big Day Congratulations to our alumni couples 1 S uzanne-Marie Cleary, Law 2011, Fylde married David Brimer, BBA, Fylde, 2012 2 James McLaughlin, English Language & Literature, 2008, Furness married Natalie Shaw, Mathematics, 2013, Pendle 3 Philippa Hawthorne, Sociology, 2011, County married Shaun Williams, Management, 2011, County 4 Dominic Crowley, Geography & Spanish, 2013, Lonsdale married Nicola Waller, Human Geography 2012, County 5 Neave Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Brien, Criminology, 2012, County married Andy Ellison, MSc Environmental Management & Conservation, 2012, Environmental Science, 2011, County 6 James Leyshon, Politics, 2016, Grizedale married Sophie Kennedy, Theatre Studies, 2016, County 7 Sarah Sumner, English Literature, 2014, Cartmel married Callum Barnes, Mathematics, 2015, Fylde 8 Michael Good, Mechanical Engineering, 2014, Furness married Megan Pickard, Creative Arts, 2013, Furness 9 Laura Hounsome, MA Law, 2011, History & Politics, 2010, County married Stuart Logan, Philosophy, 2006, County 10 James Quinlan, Geography, 2014, Lonsdale married Emily Haigh, English Language & Sociolinguistics, 2014, Lonsdale 11 Max Brown, English Language in the Media, 2013, Grizedale married Lauren Sapple, English Language, 2013, County

12 Francesca Williams, Geography, 2013, County married Huw Marsden, Business Economics, 2013, County 5

13 Nick Padley, Management, 2011, Cartmel married Rebecca Fairclough, English Language, 2011, Cartmel 14 Laura Smith, Biochemistry with Genetics, 2013, Fylde married Sam Lockley, Law, 2014, Fylde

15 Michael Holmes, History and Politics, 2012, Cartmel married Emily Caswell, History & Politics, 2012 Fylde 16 Alanya Coop, English Language, 2010, Pendle married Chris Thorpe, Biochemistry, 2008, Grizedale

Image ÂŠ Suzy Wimbourne photography

17 Nichola Wood, French, 1997, Fylde married Andrew Platt, MPhys, 1997, Fylde 18 Littbarski Adeh, MSc ITMOC, 2015 married Titilayo Akinola, MSc ITMOC, 2015

19 Claire Spackman, French, 2013, Lonsdale married Alastair Shaw, Management, 2013, Lonsdale 20 Martyn Leigh, Human Geography, 2016, Pendle married Magdalena Formella, Biomedicine, 2016, Pendle 21 Jade Braithwaite, Spanish & German, 2013, Grizedale, married James Watson, French Studies, 2013, Furness 22 Christopher Pomfret, MSci Computer Science, 2014, Cartmel married Jessica French, French Studies & Mathematics, 2014, Cartmel 23 Jacqueline Owen, PhD Volcanology, 2013, Earth & Environmental Science, 2008, County married Nikoletta Kalenderoglou, PhD Biomedical and Life Sciences, 2019

STEPS 2020 - 6

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NO PART OF THE UK HAS REMAINED UNTOUCHED BY THE IMPACT OF COVID-19, BUT FROM THE BEGINNING LANCASTER UNIVERSITY HAS BEEN PART OF GLOBAL EFFORTS TO UNDERSTAND THIS VIRUS AND ITS IMPACT ON BOTH THE UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NATIONAL POPULATION AND ON THE NORTHERN COMMUNITIES IN WHICH IT IS INTEGRATED.

COVID-19

Beating the Virus The pandemic has been a shock, which will require us all to adapt. Lancaster has always prided itself on being a powerful contemporary player, rooted in its community and at the top of the game on research. These values have given it the flexibility to respond on a global level, without individuals being neglected.

AT THE SHARP END Virology expertise in the Department of Biomedical and Life Sciences, especially that of Dr Muhamad Munir on influenza viruses, coronavirus and the molecular mechanisms of inter-species pathogenesis of viruses has put Lancaster on the frontline of pandemic science and research. A team led by Dr Munir developed a new smart testing device for COVID19 incorporating artificial intelligence, image processing and molecular virology working with researchers at Brunel University London and the University of Surrey. It is capable of detecting COVID-19 in 30 minutes using an intelligent

smartphone application, at any location with very minimal training. The team is also working on adding a tele-medicine functionality to the mobile app which can control the device and track the userâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s movement. Lancaster University opened its own labs to offer greater capacity for COVID-19 testing of NHS staff and patients after an approach from the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT). University staff from Biomedical and Life Sciences worked with employees from the diagnostic labs at UHMBT using NHS-supplied testing kits, to speed up results.

At the Environment Centre and the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, scientists donated equipment they commonly use to identify viruses in army worms, to help in the global fight against COVID-19. The kit was collected by the military from the campus and delivered to scientists in Milton Keynes, analysing swabs to identify the COVID-19 genome from DNA samples. New emergency-style palliative care guidance to meet the needs of COVID19 patients too sick to benefit from a ventilator were addressed for the first time by Lancaster researchers. In a paper published in The Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, the researchers explained how palliative care needs to adapt in order to help make the best decisions.

Keep in touch www.lancaster.ac.uk/alumni

COVID-19 EMERGENCY SUPPORT FUND The Coronavirus pandemic presents an unprecedented global challenge. We have established the COVID-19 Emergency Support Fund to help us respond to this fastdeveloping situation. As an institution, we are contributing in many ways to help the global response to the pandemic. This includes our scientists working on various projects such as fast testing and new operating models to protect frontline medical staff from the virus. We are collaborating closely with the NHS, local government, our regional

community and local businesses, harnessing the resources of the University to support national and regional efforts wherever we can. We are also continuing to look after the welfare of our students, whether they remain on our campus or are forced to study remotely. Vitally, we want to support our medical school students and recent graduates who are working on the frontline to help combat the virus. These students are now providing essential support to hospitals across the North West. We want to ensure that they do not

fall into financial difficulties during this challenging time and ultimately, thank them for their selflessness and dedication. “For those of us at home who face the challenge of self-isolation and socialdistancing from those we love, being unable to contribute physically to this global effort can leave us feeling helpless. Any donation you can make will help us respond positively to the challenges of Covid-19 and together we can make a real difference.” Professor Dame Sue Black Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Engagement

To contribute to this emergency fund visit www.lancaster.ac.uk/giving/covid19-emergency-fund

TECHNICAL HELP

SUPPORTING NHS RESEARCH

SOCIAL CARE

A team of University engineers and technicians focused their technical expertise in 3D printing, casting and injection moulding to make thousands of curtain hooks per week to help patients retain their dignity in hospital despite the overstretched services. They also made hundreds of headbands for protective face visors for local NHS Trusts.

Departmental Administrator in Mathematics and Statistics, Lauren Emery, transformed her spare bedroom in lockdown into a production line to print 3D face shields for frontline NHS staff. She, and her partner, Stephen McEvoy (who completed his MSc at Lancaster last year) bought a 3D printer, formed a Facebook group and made face shields for £1 per shield. They have supplied GP surgeries, hospitals and care homes in the Lancashire and Cumbria area, including 60 that were delivered to the North West Ambulance Service.

A novel UK-wide study has been brought together to look at the impact of social service closures due to coronavirus on the lives of older people, people with dementia and unpaid carers. An expert team of NHS, voluntary and academic collaborators from Lancaster University, the University of Liverpool, UCLAN, University of Bradford, and UCL, examined the impact of self-isolation on wellbeing.

Michael West, Professor of Organisational Psychology from Lancaster University’s Management School (LUMS) has been serving on the NHS England/Improvement COVID19 national task force for staff support and wellbeing. His research looks at employee engagement and exploring factors that enable teams to be most effective.

A Lancaster psychologist was part of a UK team researching the experiences of UK oncology staff working during the COVID-19 crisis. Claire Hardy from the Centre for Organisational Health and Well-Being is the lead psychology researcher in a team brought together by The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust in London. Collaborators are looking to increase understanding of working in the NHS during the pandemic and to help shape existing and future policies.

For more information about how your University is helping in the pandemic, visit www.lancaster.ac.uk/news STEPS 2020 - 8

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You Will be Safe Here Image Â© Honeybunn Photography

WRITER, DAMIAN BARR, ARRIVED AT LANCASTER UNIVERSITY BY CHANCE, AS A PENNILESS DROPOUT, TRAUMATISED BY A DEPRIVED AND VIOLENT CHILDHOOD, BUT HE LEFT WITH A DEGREE AND THE PERSONAL WILL TO GO ON TO BUILD A HAPPY AND SUCCESSFUL LIFE.

The explanation is stark, says Barr: “Lancaster was a home for me. I felt quiet and safe there and there was a sense of community. I feel enormously grateful to Lancaster for giving me that time and space.” It also provided him with four years of weekly therapy to address the nightmares, anxiety and post-traumatic stress that crippled him as he started in his studies. “That access to free and regular therapy was as essential to me as my degree in propelling me on a trajectory towards a healthy and happy adult life,” he states boldly. “It was not an extra or a bonus. If you have poor mental health, you will have poor career outcomes.”

Lancaster also provided him with an abrupt introduction to his husband - the ceramics artist, Mike Moran - with whom he now shares his life in Brighton. They ran into each other sledging on campus and he considers the meeting to have been the ‘single greatest thing’ that happened to him there. His relationship and the LGBT Society took up most of his social life, although he managed to find time to play the role of Hamlet in a production of Stoppard’s ‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead” and to take part in one or two protests in support of equal rights.

His shocking teenage experiences growing up in 1980s Glasgow, of hunger, homophobia, alcoholfuelled violence and regular beatings from his mother’s partner are described in his 2013 memoir He stayed on for an extra year to complete an MA in ‘Maggie and Me’ (which won him The Political Humour Sociology, because he needed the time. Thanks to and Satire Book of the Year at The Lancaster’s strong industry links he Paddy Power Political book awards, secured a two-week work experience DAMIAN BARR Sunday Times Memoir of the at The Times, which led Year and Stonewall Writer to his first job on of the Year.) the newspaper’s GRADUATED student online His only escapes then PhD Creative Writing 2020, publication. were school and MA Contemporary This proved to the local library. He Sociology 1999, BA Sociology be his passport remembers arriving and English Literature, 1998 into a journalistic at Lancaster to visit career writing COLLEGE his best school friend for a range Heather, having dropped Bowland of publications out of a journalism course including The Guardian, PROFESSION at Napier University and being The Independent, High Life immediately captivated by Writer, Journalist and The Big Issue. “the shiny city on the hill’. and Broadcaster His life is all about books, with fingers Encouraged by Heather, he picked in multiple literary pies. He’s host up the phone and called clearing, of The Literary Salon at The Savoy, spoke to a tutor in Lancaster’s English and Sociology and fronts the BBC’s Big Scottish Book Club, which departments and the secretary of Bowland College, is about to run its second series. He also acts as a and by the end of those calls he knew Lancaster was literary judge, a broadcaster, columnist, playwright and for him. writer of short stories. He couldn’t even afford to have photos taken for his A teenaged Damian Barr could not have imagined student ID, but the secretary assured him he could such a life, or that Lancaster University would prove cut himself out of a family wedding photo. Discretely, to open such a wide and welcoming door into it. Apart admin staff - Diane and Pam - found hardship funding from the academic influence, he says many other for him. They also continued to ’look out’ for him things still stick - he’s learned to ask for help, not to be during his time there, making sure he was turning up afraid not to understand, to realise that ours is not the for lectures and even pointed him to counselling when only story or perspective, and that sometimes there is it became clear that PTSD, anxiety and nightmares a better question to ask. were getting the better of him. “I’m still in touch with Pam now, 20 years on,” he says. “That level of care is He’s about to receive his PhD by publication at his pretty remarkable.” alma mater describing the process and ethics of writing a memoir, and was presented with an Alumni His own experience has made him a passionate Award from Lancaster University in 2017. Summing up advocate for access to psychological support for Lancaster’s legacy, he said: “It has allowed me to feel university students. He says: “Therapy for students is more secure, more able to take up space in the world as important as kitchens or access to a GP.” and allowed me to be successful and happy.” The job of a novelist is, in Barr’s opinion, to imagine www.damianbarr.com the life of others. He says his studies in English and Sociology presented him with texts, patterns and @Damian_Barr

Da ts his Litera hos ry S ian

eives his Alum rec ni n ia

He also spent his second year as an undergraduate on a scholarship at the University of Texas, Austin thanks to a bursary which covered his studies, but not his lodgings. He ended up receiving support from an anonymous benefactor in Glasgow, who asked for nothing but a letter detailing his progress once a month. Whilst in the USA, Barr says he learned more about Shakespeare than anywhere else.

ard Aw

theories about human beings which, alongside his own process of self-scrutiny, prepared him for a career in journalism and then to write his own stories.

n alo

It is difficult to parallel the teenager who found refuge visiting his closest friend, Heather, at Lancaster and stayed, with the award-winning writer, recently described by The Financial Times as a ‘literary impresario’, who is currently promoting his widely acclaimed novel, ‘You Will Be Safe Here’.

STEPS 2020 - 10

Da m

Keep in touch www.lancaster.ac.uk/alumni

A Library for the THE LANCASTER UNIVERSITY LIBRARY IS BIGGER, LIGHTER AND MORE TECH-ENABLED THAN EVER – AND WITH DIGITAL RESOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO ALUMNI WORLDWIDE. CAMPUS IS ALWAYS EVOLVING: COLLEGES RELOCATE, BARS MOVE, NEW EATERIES OPEN. AND YET YOU’LL FIND THE ENTRANCE TO THE LIBRARY, JUST WHERE IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN - NESTLED IN AN UNASSUMING CORNER OF ALEXANDRA SQUARE.

Library e-resources available to Lancaster Alumni worldwide

JSTOR The Scholarly Archive: thousands of academic journals

SAGE Journals: More than 900 humanities, social sciences, technology and medicine journals

he 21st Century Enter the building, though, and you’ll find that it, too, has been transformed from the library of old. Returning alumni, who are welcome to browse and join the library, will find a bright and technologically-enabled space thanks to an £8.6 million refurbishment in 2015 of the original 1967 library building and 1997 extension. It’s very much a 21st century learning environment, providing a place to focus 24/7 during term time. Those working on team projects can book group study spaces, the largest of which boast interactive technology, whilst anyone who wants somewhere to concentrate will find individual workstations in the building’s silent areas, each offering power sockets and USB points. Amongst the digital advancements, though, those who pine for the feeling of a real book in their hands can rest assured: the library’s print collection is vast, with more than half a million printed titles available to browse and borrow within the library building. The real talking point on entering the refurbished library, is Norman. For those that haven’t yet been introduced, Norman is a 12 metre-high Ficus tree. From his location on the ground floor of the library building he draws the eye up three stories through a central atrium to the glass roof above, naturally filtering the air. Next year, in 2021, the library will be extended even further, to continue to reflect the changing ways in which students, staff and visitors want to use the space and to ensure that facilities can keep pace with the growth in student numbers.

Project MUSE: over 650 journals on the digital humanities and social sciences

Henry Stewart Talks Business and Management Collection: a collection of more than 1000 online lectures

Springer Journals: access to science, mathematics, medicine, engineering and economics journals

The £11 million, four-storey project will create more study space for groups and individuals. A-floor will include collaborative research and project spaces and an exhibition area. There will be a new lecture theatre and space for student societies. Living walls will continue the green theme that Norman began. The library is open to all and more than 40,000 people pass through its doors each week: amongst them students, staff, members of the public and alumni. As a Lancaster Graduate you can benefit from the ever-expanding resources and facilities that the library offers, both in person and virtually. Wherever you are in the world, there are a range of online resources provided by the library for personal use. They include online lectures from worldwide experts, business magazines and thousands of scholarly journals in a wide variety of disciplines. Those that can visit the building itself can make use of even more electronic databases and collections via dedicated computers on the ground floor. Of course, visiting alumni are also welcome to browse and read print titles too. Lancaster Graduates can join the library as alumni members for a discounted annual fee of £30, meaning you can borrow up to ten items. To access the library resources available to alumni online, visit the alumni webpages at www.lancaster.ac.uk/alumni and choose ‘Free Online Journal Access’ from the list of Benefits and Services. If you’d like to access the databases that are available through walk in access, visit the information point on the ground floor of the library. www.lancaster.ac.uk/library LancasterUniversityLibrary

EBSCO Business Source Alumni Edition: in excess of 1200 business magazines and journals STEPS 2020 - 12

The Power of Education SIR KEVAN COLLINS. Economics and Politics, 1982, Furness. Profession: Educationalist and Public Policy Advisor

From day one as a Fresher, the young and politically active Kevan Collins knew he wanted to teach, but his years at Lancaster gave him extraordinary opportunities to practise skills that took his passion for the classroom onto a wider national educational stage. Knighted in 2015 for services to Education, Sir Kevan Collins has just stepped down from the job as Chief Executive at the Educational Endowment Fund (EEF) which he has held for the past 17 years, and has no plans for retiring. He is taking on the fight against violent crime as Chair of the Youth Endowment Fund, a £200 million, ten year government-backed initiative focused on tackling youth crime by supporting early interventions for young people at risk.

He continues his classroom links as Executive Vice Chairman of Learning By Questions - the cloud-based classroom feedback app. “Nothing matters more than education” states Collins, on the eve of a fact-finding trip to Australia. The moment he realised the truth of this statement was in a darkroom in Lancaster teaching a troubled teenager on a Dukes Theatre youth scheme how to develop photos, in a post-university year testing his vocation with youngsters. “It was the realisation that all those kids involved in crime - when you got them on their own doing something with them that they wanted to do - had a story to tell and dreams of success,” Collins explains. “Any of them could have been me or my brothers, if we had not had the advantages we had.”

Keep in touch www.lancaster.ac.uk/alumni

opening of the at t

gar House Su e h

“Lancaster gave me huge confidence. I was getting up and speaking to large audiences with the support of tight groups of people I trusted around me. Here you were given the chance to try out things before you did them in the rest of your life.”

Ke va

Lancaster University altered Collins’ world. The penultimate of six sons born into an army family, he had moved around the UK and been to schools in Germany and Cyprus before they settled in Preston and he was sent to school in Kirkham, Lancashire: “Coming to Lancaster changed everything for me. I was on a full grant, I had my own bedroom. I could not believe the freedom I had to become the person I am. Coming from an army family, I recognised that there were levels. I was moving in a bigger world, but not towards something that was overwhelming.” A member of the Labour Party from the age of 14, he became heavily involved in student and local Labour politics and his studies in Economics and Politics only complemented his growing passion for social justice. His real turning point was when he stood for President of the Students’ Union in 1981 on an education platform and won. In a highly politically charged UK, with CND high on the agenda as well as the impending miners’ strike, he became fascinated about the power of people to come together to change an issue: “I found I was able to communicate with people and to make speeches in conferences,” he recalls. The opening of The Sugar House happened on his watch and he discovered that he enjoyed both the planning and the delivery of a complex plan, including the legal and technical details. Galvanised by his experiences on the Dukes Theatre youth scheme he did a teaching certificate at Bradford and Ilkley Community College, designed for people who wanted to work with children from disadvantaged backgrounds. He taught in Bradford, Tower Hamlets and on secondments in Mozambique and India, before moving into a literacy advisor role in Bradford.

‘Teaching people to read is my passion. If you can read, you can learn for yourself,’ he explains. He became Regional Director then Deputy National Director of the National Literacy Strategy, followed by his first national role in 2003 as National Director of the Primary National Strategy. Along the way, he bolstered this passion with a PhD at Leeds University focused on literacy development. His career took an unexpected turn in 2005 when he became Director of Children’s Services at Tower Hamlets and then Chief Executive of the Council for two years, driven by a commitment to social justice and a wish to address inequality. Drawing on his Students’ Union President experience, he had discovered he was a leader and he knew that much of the power comes from the implementation process. He applied creativity to the role and even worked for a week incognito as a trainee (in a Channel 4 ‘Undercover Boss’ documentary) to try and find ways of cutting £50m off the council budget. His move from being ‘a delivery person’ back into education came as Chief Executive of the EEF - an organisation set up to reduce disadvantage by supporting teachers and Head Teachers to discover and share effective practice. One in two schools have now been involved in a study. “I’m deeply committed to the idea of allowing teachers in jobs to take responsibility,” stresses Collins. “Otherwise you are talking about the infantilisation of teachers.” The job with which Collins most identifies is still that of a teacher. He believes that education is a transformative experience, because he has experienced it personally, especially during his undergraduate years at Lancaster. “Lancaster gave me huge confidence,” he muses. “I was getting up and speaking to large audiences with the support of tight groups of people I trusted around me. Here you were given the chance to try out things before you did them in the rest of your life.”

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University News LANCASTER UNIVERSITY APPOINTS NEW VICE-CHANCELLOR Professor Schofield said: “I am tremendously excited to be asked to serve as Lancaster University’s next Vice-Chancellor. It is an outstanding and ambitious university, renowned for its research, its high-quality teaching and its collegiality. I look forward to joining colleagues there as an academic as well as Vice-Chancellor as together we continue Lancaster’s success.”

Professor Andy Schofield was appointed this year as the new Vice-Chancellor and took up his post on 1st May. He was previously Pro-Vice Chancellor and Head of the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences at the University of Birmingham. He was also Professor of Theoretical Physics.

Andy Schofield studied Natural Sciences at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge where he graduated in 1989 winning the Mott prize for physics and the Schuldham Plate. He stayed on in Cambridge where he undertook PhD research in the IRC for Superconductivity working on the theory of high temperature cuprate superconductors. He was elected a Research Fellow at Gonville and Caius College and obtained his PhD in 1993.

Don’t forget you can contact the Careers Service at any point in your career and at any time after graduating from Lancaster for help with the following:

An exciting programme of upgrades and improvements is happening at Peter Scott Gallery.

Peter Scott Gallery is an Accredited museum and a constituent part of Lancaster Arts, a combined arts organisation supported by Lancaster University and Arts Council England.

In 1999 Andy moved to the University of Birmingham and was promoted to Professor of Theoretical Physics in 2002. In that year he won the Institute of Physics’ Maxwell Medal and Prize for work on the emergent properties of correlated electrons. From 2008-2010, Andy was Director of Research for the College of Engineering and Physical Science. In 2010 he became Head of School in the School of Physics and Astronomy before assuming his Pro-Vice Chancellor role in 2015.

CAREERS FOR LIFE

YOUR GALLERY, YOUR COLLECTION

The first phase will enhance the climate control system to ensure the best possible conditions for exhibitions and the care of the University art collection. The gallery is then due to receive a new entrance through the planned Great Hall Foyer refurbishment. The new entrance and refurbished foyer will provide greater visibility for the gallery and improved access for visitors. Curator for Peter Scott Gallery and Lancaster Arts, Richard Smith, commented “We’re thrilled to have the investment in the gallery and for arts and culture on campus. I look forward to the new possibilities for our work with the collection, other institutions and contemporary artists.”

In 1994 he moved to the USA where he worked at Rutgers for two years, before returning to Cambridge. In 1997 Andy was awarded a Royal Society University Research Fellowship to work on theories of non-Fermi liquids. He became Assistant Director of Studies at Gonville and Caius College on the Natural Sciences Tripos.

+ CVs & Cover Letters + Applications + Psychometric Tests + Preparation for Assessment Centres + Interview support + Career Planning + Coaching and Reflective session – Developing your goals and plans

Image © Ian Hughes

You can find out more about their work at www.lancasterarts.org If you’d like to know more about the work taking place at the gallery or feel you can contribute to its work and the future of arts and culture on campus, you can contact the gallery at gallery@lancasterarts.org

There is also a coaching programme for recent graduates. For further details visit www.lancaster.ac.uk/ careers/graduates or email careers@lancaster.ac.uk

HEALTH INNOVATION CAMPUS Hundreds of staff and students are set to move into the new Health Innovation One building on North West Campus when the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. The landmark building on the Health Innovation Campus will be home to Lancaster Medical School and the Division of Health Research – as well as external organisations co-locating on site - to work with the University on ways to reimagine health and social care.

LANCASTER GRADUATE BECOMES CAMPUS DIRECTOR AT LEIPZIG Dr Elisabeth Grindel-Denby (PhD Sociology, 2013) reflects on the move from Lancaster PhD student to Lancaster University Leipzig’s Campus Director. In 2003 Elli (as she is known) was in the early stages of what would turn out to be a long and meaningful relationship with Lancaster.

A new café on site – HIVE – will include a menu focussed on fresh food and healthier options, while still being affordable for those on a budget. A regular programme of events will see members of the HIC community invited to attend and discuss health challenges and potential solutions with opportunities for funding and collaborative project work also on the agenda.

A major staff relocation programme will commence when possible, with classes beginning in the new facilities at the earliest opportunity.

Plans are also in place to introduce various workplace wellbeing opportunities for employees based in the HIC, to encourage healthier, balanced lifestyles. These initiatives will become even more important in the post COVID-19 workplace.

As well as teaching, office space and hot-desking facilities, the building features various meeting rooms and event areas including a dedicated Innovation Lab and Business Lounge.

To find out more about working at the Health Innovation Campus, visit the web page www.lancaster.ac.uk/ health-innovation or contact HIC@lancaster.ac.uk

I also worked as a Postgraduate Tutor, in the Student Registry, and also as the Deputy Bar Manager in the Gregson Community Centre!”

Working in partnership with leading education provider Navitas, Lancaster announced the creation of a new Leipzig campus at the start of 2019. The campus offers Lancaster University degree programmes, with the University retaining responsibility for academic matters, while Navitas provides facilities and maintains responsibility for student recruitment, support services and administrative staff.

In 2011 an opportunity came up and Elli moved on to Nottingham Trent International College where she became Academic Director, later returning again to Germany to become Director of Academic Affairs & Head of Campus Berlin at GISMA Business School. Throughout her career, Elli has built experience in curriculum design, developing academic partnerships, and effective student support. But, Lancaster had made a permanent impact on her life.

The first students for the foundation programme were welcomed to the campus in January 2020.

“I was first on a six-month Erasmus study exchange and from April 2004 on a six-month placement as a Research Associate. I went on to do a comparison study in Germany,” she explains. After this she spent the next two years back at Potsdam University in Germany, before returning to the UK where she immersed herself in life at Lancaster. “I came back to do my PhD in Sociology, looking at partners of international students.

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HELPING FAMILY MEMBERS FLOODED OUT OF THEIR HOMES IN LANCASHIRE ON BOXING DAY 2015 FORCED NHS MANAGER, LORRAINE RITCHEN-STONES, TO THE CONCLUSION THAT SHE NEEDED TO LEAVE A 32 YEAR CAREER IN HEALTH TO HELP COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE.

Combatting Climate Change Within two years of her epiphany moment, Lorraine has not only gained a Master’s degree with distinction in Conservation and Biodiversity at Lancaster, but is already putting it into practice in her prestigious job as Associate Consultant at the universitybased Small World Consulting, working alongside Mike Berners-Lee, a leading expert in carbon footprinting.

LORRAINE RITCHEN-STONES MSc Conservation and Biodiversity, 2018, Graduate Profession: Associate Consultant at Small World Consulting

“I have got my personality back,” says Lorraine. “Doing this has brought together two different areas of my life my experience of putting large schemes into practice and my passion to preserve the environment. Getting here has been very hard, but I have come out of it tremendously happy and I feel my work has a significant value for the world.”

There was no easing into her new role. The day she started at Small World Consulting was the day the Government announced the climate change emergency and the phones became red hot with companies wanting to know how to respond. She found herself handling media interviews, dealing with global companies and is now using her previous experience to project manage the building of a £40m hospital at Blackpool and negotiate contracts with international players such as telecoms, media, technology companies and investment bankers. Changing direction has not always been easy. Despite an NHS career, which started as a nurse and culminated in a role as Programme Manager with Lancashire Care (with an MBA along the way) the University needed convincing about her post 50 change of direction. She had to provide proof of her abilities to apply those skills to conservation as well as gaining academic references in the conservation world.

These came about through her work volunteering with the Ribble Rivers Trust, where she proved she was also fit enough to work in the field in conservation. She still supports the charity today, which aspires to plant 500,000 trees across Lancashire. As a mature student with a grown up family and a home in Preston, she found it surprisingly easy to fit in with a group, most of whom were much younger than herself. Although she did not join in with the on-campus social life, she found herself sharing skills - trading her experience of business and commerce, with younger students’ technical abilities. She found she had a natural affinity with international students, who she could help to find their feet in the community.

Lorraine discovered, at the beginning of the degree, that she was dyslexic, which explained some of her struggles adapting to aspects of the course, but received good support from the University which organised an assessment and equipment to help her complete her studies. She found much of the teaching enlightening and inspirational, including sessions by Professor Christina Hicks who lectured on conservation values which, in turn, influenced her choice of dissertation. The module on Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) has proved invaluable to Lorraine’s paid and charitable work. She learned how to use Arc GIS to map opportunities in the landscape for targeted interventions to mitigate flooding, soil erosion and air pollution and plan where trees need to be planted.

Soon after graduation an internship came up with Mike Berners-Lee, working at Small World Consulting on the University’s research impact case study to maximise its research funding for Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences. One month was extended to two and she was made an associate consultant for four days a week. She also spends one day a week volunteering on conservation initiatives for the Ribble Rivers Trust and she is a Trustee for the Primrose Community Nature Trust in Clitheroe, where the community is restoring a wetland. On climate change, Lorraine retains a positive attitude about the power of individual’s contribution to adapting. She says: “It’s an accumulated effect of all the people in the world that creates the greenhouse gas emissions. As people, we have a responsibility to manage our carbon footprint. If I had my desire, we would all reduce the amount we fly and give up one day a year to plant trees where the science says we need them.”

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MAKING A DIFFERENCE Philanthropy and sponsorship enable us to boost and enhance what we do and help us to drive our contribution to bettering the world and improving society. Here are some of the alumni who give and some of the projects we have supported. You can meet more of our philanthropists online at: www.lancaster.ac.uk/giving/our-philanthropists

MEET THE PEOPLE MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Patron

Pioneer

SIMON LANGLIER

MAJID HUSSAIN

VANESSA GANGUIN

Operational Research, 1980, Cartmel

Law, Fylde, 1998

Law, 1992, Grizedale

“My family foundation (JMWM Hussain Foundation) is proud to be supporting students at Lancaster University. As a graduate of Lancaster, I realise and appreciate the value of Higher Education and in particular the highest standards that current students benefit from at Lancaster. I was fortunate to graduate during an era of nil tuition fees and recognise the particularly difficult financial pressures on current students. I hope that the contribution of my family foundation helps at least some students through their university life.”

Since studying law at Lancaster, Vanessa Ganguin pursued a career in law and is renowned as one of the top immigration lawyers in the country. She founded Vanessa Ganguin Immigration Law in January 2020 and has cited Lancaster University as an inspiration. “The Lancaster law course had interesting units such as gender and human rights at a time few other universities had such options. Lancaster is still cutting-edge for many courses now and I am excited for anyone lucky enough to study there today”.

Simon is a highly experienced senior executive with a successful career at Philip Morris International. His expertise in working in multicultural and multinational environments, together with his effective leadership and people motivation skills have led to the achievement of ambitious results in diverse businesses. “My degree from Lancaster has enabled me to have an incredible career. I would like to do my bit to give others a similar opportunity that they might not have otherwise“.

Pioneer

Ambassador OLUWAFUNKE (FUNKE) AMOBI

MBA, 2008, Graduate “Giving to me goes beyond just sharing material items and money, it is a higher calling. I give because it’s the greatest expression of love and gratitude. My faith teaches me to give, God gave his best as a gift to mankind. I find that in giving, love is expressed. It’s a matter of the heart for me, it’s a matter of fulfilling purpose. Indeed, I feel more blessed giving than receiving. I find that there is no better way to fulfil my life purpose which is “to live, to love and leave a legacy.”

COLLEGE 1000: THE RACE IS ON! The College 1000 campaign was set up in 2017 to provide vital support to students in each of our nine colleges. The overall aim of the campaign is to get 1000 regular donors to support vital initiatives within their college. Since 2017, over 450 spaces have been filled on the College 1000. Over 200 are brand new supporters of Lancaster University – Thank you!

HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY TO DEFYING DEMENTIA Defying Dementia is a wellestablished fundraising campaign that is working tirelessly to tackle the threat presented by Alzheimer’s disease. This year we celebrated our fifth birthday with a Vintage Gala Dinner at Blackpool Winter Gardens, organised by Unique Homecare of Galgate.

Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, over £380,000 has been raised from the campaign since 2015. This support has allowed us to make a number of positive developments, including the recruitment of full time Research Associate, Dr Norah Ulzheimer, who has joined our team working in our campus labs on the development of a drug to slow the progression of the disease. Norah’s position was entirely funded through philanthropic donations and goes to show the real difference that community support has made to our campaign.

w ww.lancaster.ac.uk/giving/ defying-dementia

GRETA BRAMLEY REVISITS BAILRIGG HOUSE From 1968 until 2002 Bailrigg House was home to the University’s Medical Centre which included the provision of a small number of beds for sick students and Sister Greta Bramley was the Sister in charge between 1968 and 1991.

Greta lived in Bailrigg House and, together with her husband Ted, they brought up their two sons. Along with her team, Greta provided a safe haven for many of the students, as without this facility, they would have had to have been cared for in the main hospital in the City Centre. If students needed to be quarantined because of an infection, provision was made for them to take their exams at the Health Centre under Sister Bramley’s care. Upon her retirement, she was presented with an etching of Bailrigg House for posterity and Greta now wishes the artwork to be displayed there for future generations to enjoy. Sister Greta Bramley recently came to campus with her son, Peter to visit the house and to present the etching to Jason Homan, Head of Estate Development.

SANCTUARY FELLOWSHIP WELCOMES SECOND FELLOW

It has been amazing to see the difference that the Lancaster Sanctuary Fellowship has made to our at-risk academic Fellows, who face persecution and barriers to research freely in their own countries, and this wouldn’t be possible without our donor support. As well as changing lives, it’s also brought together a community of people who share a commitment to protecting education. After welcoming our first Fellow last year, we are delighted that, with this support, we have now welcomed a second to the University. “It is hard to overestimate what the Lancaster University Sanctuary Fellowship makes possible; it contributes to an individual’s right to life, to their research and creativity that would otherwise have been terminated and to the future of freedom of speech and expression across the entire world.” – Lancaster Sanctuary Fellow Our goal is to provide ongoing sanctuary to a Fellow in each of our four faculties by 2022.

w ww.lancaster.ac.uk/ sanctuaryfellowship

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Honorary Graduates Each year Lancaster awards honorary degrees to people with outstanding international or leading national reputation in their field. The following awards were made in 2019:

Professor Sir Steven Cowley FRS FREng is a theoretical physicist and international authority on fusion energy. He received a knighthood in June 2018 for services to science and to the development of nuclear fusion.

Dr Frannie Leautier, Chief Operating Officer at the Trade and Development Bank, is a finance and development expert, with global experience leading and transforming organisations in the private, public and not-for-profit spheres.

Dr Xolani Humphrey Mkhawanazi ,former Chancellor of Vaal University of Technology and board member of PLP group was an internationally experienced business leader and Lancaster graduate. In 2019 he received the National Science and Technology Forum’s Ukhozi Award. He passed away in January 2020.

Andy Serkis is a Lancaster alumnus and a world-renowned actor, director and producer. He has taken leading roles in some of cinema’s biggest movie franchises including Lord of the Rings. He is a leading innovator in CGI and performance capture with his company The Imaginarium.

Dan Snow is a BAFTA award-winning historian, broadcaster and television presenter. He has a regular slot on the BBC1 ONE Show and is part of the BBC team presenting anniversary programmes. In 2019 he was awarded an MBE for services to history.

Alumni Awards The University’s Alumni Awards recognise Lancaster graduates who have made a substantial contribution in their field and have developed an outstanding national or international reputation amongst their peers. The following awards were made in 2019:

Ronke Lawal International Business (Economics), 2002, Fylde Director and Founder of Ariatu Public Relations, Ronke uses her PR consultancy to shine a spotlight on black entrepreneurs, helping minority ethnic talent to access life-changing career opportunities.

Collette Roche BBA Management, 1997, Furness

Dr Martin Loučka PhD Health Research, 2014 Martin is widely regarded Collette joined as one of the most Manchester United as outstanding emerging Chief Operating Officer leaders in palliative care in May 2018, having held in Europe. He is Director senior leadership roles of the Centre of Palliative with Ford Motor Group, Care in Prague, the first Siemens, United Utilities research centre of its kind and Manchester Airport Group. She is an adviser to in the Czech Republic. the UK Board of Trade.

Chris Austin CBE MBA, 1993 Chris is Deputy CEO for the Africa Investment Summit. He was previously the Senior Lead, Ebola Response with the Department for International Development (DFID). He was awarded a CBE for services to international development in 2017.

Professor Lucy Rogers PhD Engineering, 2001 Mechanical Engineering, 1995, Fylde Lucy is currently the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Visiting Professor of Engineering: Creativity and Communication at Brunel University. She is a champion for widening participation into science and engineering. See feature on page 3.

In Memoriam For full obituaries please visit www.lancaster.ac.uk/alumni/in-memoriam

Dr Brian Tabner, former chemistry lecturer, passed away on 16 April 2020. He came to Lancaster for his post as a lecturer in Chemistry in September 1966 and retired in 2015. Mark Easterby-Smith passed away on 15 April 2020. Mark spent most of his career at Lancaster University Management School. He retired from being a full-time academic in 2014 shortly after being awarded a Distinguished Professorship. Bill Blackledge, former superintendent of the Biology Field Station, died of Covid-19 on 14 April 2020. Bill took early retirement in the mid 1990s. Martin Cosgriff (MA Contemporary Theatre Practice, 1992) passed away on 12 April 2020 from coronavirus. He was a much-loved actor, director and teacher. Professor J. Keith Wigmore passed away on 11 April 2020. He came to Lancaster as a lecturer in Physics in October 1969. He was Head of Department and Principal of Cartmel College for a period before retirement in 2008. Dr Richard (Dick) Collins, former Director of Combined Science died on 7 April 2020. He came to Lancaster as a research associate in 1968. He later became Director of External Relations and then Director of Combined Science until 2005. John Mowat, retired lecturer in English Literature passed away on 3 April 2020. John joined when the campus was still under construction. He specialised in 18th century literature. John Gilbert, former member of the Department of Maths and Stats and former Councillor, Mayor and Honorary Alderman of Lancaster died in March 2020. He formally retired in 1995. Tom Greenard (History, 1992, County) died suddenly on 10 March 2020 aged 50. Affectionately known as ‘Tom the Pom’ he was a passionate football fan, a devoted father and a talented radio producer. Tony Llewellyn, former member of the Computing Department, died on 5 March 2020. He joined the staff of the University in 1970 and retired in 1997. Tony Madeley former University Safety and Radiation Protection Officer, passed away on 23 February 2020. He twice held the office of Furness College Principal and served on Senate, University Court, the Bars Committee and the Colleges and Residences Committee. He retired in 2011. Dave Checkley (MSc Biological Sciences, 1976, County) passed away on 21 February 2020. He was one of the finest cavers to emerge from both Lancaster University and in British caving generally.

John Leslie Illingworth, subject librarian for over thirty years, passed away on 4 January 2020. He came to Lancaster in September 1966 and retired in 1997. Professor Robin Flowerdew passed away after a long illness. Robin was a member of the Geography Department for about 20 years prior to leaving for a Chair at St Andrews in the 1990s.

Professor Tony Guénault died on 30 October 2019. He came to the Physics Department as senior lecturer in September 1965, awarded a personal chair in 1989 and was Head of Department in the 1990s. He retired in October 1998. Ian Cross, Chancellor’s Wharf Porter, passed away on 26 October 2019. Ian had been a member of staff since 2003.

Dr Xolani Mkhwanazi (Honorary Graduate 2019) PhD Physics, 1984 and Chancellor of Vaal University (SA) passed away on 4 January 2020. He was Chancellor of Vaal University of Technology.

Professor Emeritus Ian Whyte died on 24 September 2019. Ian was appointed to a lectureship in Geography at Lancaster in 1979. He was awarded a personal chair at Lancaster in 1996 and retired in 2012.

Patrick Waterson (Politics, 1980, Cartmel) died in January 2020. He held various offices in the Society of Ancients.

Roger Mace, former Senior Lecturer in Accounting and Finance passed away on 20 September 2019. After his retirement in 1997, Roger became active as a local conservative councillor. He was Mayor of Lancaster in 2017-18 and Leader of the Council from 2007- 2009.

Sir Christopher Audland, KCMG, British diplomat and former Pro-Chancellor of Lancaster University died on 29 December 2019. He joined the Council of the University in 1988 and in 1990 was appointed ProChancellor and Chair of the Council. Dr Ng Cho Nam, (PhD Environmental Sciences, BSc Environmental Sciences 1983, Grizedale) passed away on 13 December 2019. Cho-nam joined the Hong Kong Alumni Association formed in 1986 and was elected as its President in 1989. Margaret Gardner MBE, former staff member for 37 years, passed away on 3 December 2019. In 1964 she was Professor Arthur Clegg’s secretary and in 1974 she assisted Professor Roger Hadley. She became Personal Secretary to ViceChancellor, Professor Philip Reynolds and she worked for the next two Vice-Chancellors. Antony Michael Hulme (PhD Operational Research, 1974, MA Operational Research, 1965, Bowland) passed away on 2 December 2019. As one of the first students at Lancaster, he helped to write the student charter. Admiral Sir John Kerr, former member of the University Council and the Audit Committee, died on 2 December 2019. He was the inaugural Pro-Chancellor of the University of Manchester from 1993 to 2012. David Murphy, former Programme Director of the Executive MBA (2000-2005) passed away on 23 November 2019. He held lecturer positions at Liverpool and Manchester Metropolitan Universities before returning to Lancaster University in 2000. Clive Hodsdon (French Studies, 1976, Lonsdale) died on 21 November 2019. He met his wife, Judith (History, 1974, Fylde) at Lancaster. He was Head of Modern Languages at St Peter’s School, York and retired in 2011. Michela Masci, formerly of the Department of Languages and Cultures, passed away on 14 November 2019. She worked as an Italian Language assistant from 1986 and retired as Teaching Fellow in 2019.

Lesley A. Catchpole (neé Morrey), (International Politics, 1967, Bowland) died on 13 September 2019. She was one of Lancaster’s first students along with future husband, Peter Catchpole. She had a career in systems analysis. Graham Austerberry (English, 1973, Bowland) passed away in August 2019. Graham worked as a careers officer based in Keighley and latterly as Head of Careers at Bradford College. Mandy Gates, Digital Skills Training Assistant in ISS at Lancaster University passed away on 24 August 2019. David Helme, who ran the University’s Bailrigg Service Station with his wife, Ann, for 27 years, passed away on 23 August 2019. Paul Raymond Herrington, founder member of the Economics Department, died aged almost 80 on 18 August 2019. He taught and researched at Lancaster before joining the University of Leicester in 1967. Professor W.M.Fairbairn died on 18 August 2019. Walter joined in 1964 as senior lecturer in Theoretical Physics. He became a reader in 1967, had a personal chair in 1969 and became Head of Department from 1973-79. He was ProVice-Chancellor in 1984 and then the first Deputy Vice-Chancellor until 1993. Professor Beth Harland, who taught Fine Art, passed away on 31 July 2019. She curated exhibitions, published widely on painting and was a founding editor of the Journal of Contemporary Painting. George Cockburn, former University Secretary, died on 16 July 2019. His work led to two of its accredited colleges achieving university status.

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www.lancaster.ac.uk/alumni

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ALUMNI Benefits for Life

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How your Alumni Community Supports You Register on the alumni website and keep informed about Uni news, obtain careers advice for life, join one of our global alumni groups, access online library journals or undertake further study with an alumni scholarship on many of our taught Master’s programmes.

You can also keep connected through our alumni Facebook and LinkedIn pages and the University’s social media Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram pages. Event details will be posted online at www.lancaster.ac.uk/alumni/events Email: alumni@lancaster.ac.uk Keep in Touch!

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