Northumbria Newspaper - Autumn 2016 edition by Northumbria University

Autumn 2016 • northumbria.ac.uk •

Top 50 University in the UK

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NORTHUMBRIA Forecast: A Bright Future

Issue 11

UNIVERSITY NEWS

Paralympic glory for Northumbria’s medal-winning students

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Northumbria stars in world rankings

The University has been recognised among the world’s elite institutions, scoring the maximum 5 Stars across a number of categories in a prestigious rating system.

ccording to the latest QS Stars University Ratings, the University achieved 4 Stars overall and 5 Stars in five categories, namely Teaching, Employability, Internationalisation, Facilities and Inclusiveness. Northumbria’s results in the Teaching category suggest an “excellent teaching environment” with

E ID S IN

the University achieving full points in Overall Student Satisfaction and Student Satisfaction with Teaching. Employability was one of Northumbria’s best performing categories and a key component of its success in the recent ratings. The institution achieved full points on the Graduate Employment Rate indicator with an impressive 94% of

Northumbria closes the gap 3

graduates employed within 12 months of graduation. Full points were also awarded for the University’s Careers Service, which has more than 40 full-time equivalent careers advisors across campus. The University also performed exceptionally well in the Internationalisation category, for having at least 50 International

Sandyford building acquired by the University 4-5

Research Collaborations with QS Top 500 universities and a high level of staff and students originating from abroad. Northumbria’s excellent facilities achieved nearly 90% of the available points; namely its £30 million purpose-built sports building, worldclass IT infrastructure, a wide range of student societies and easy access to medical facilities.

‘We Are Global’ special feature 11

Full points were also awarded to Northumbria for its scholarships and bursaries with about 8% of turnover being spent on Scholarships. With 100% disabled access and at least 15% of students identified as low income, the University scored 5 Stars in the Inclusiveness category.

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NORTHUMBRIA UNIVERSITY NEWS

CONTENTS NORTHUMBRIA UNIVERSITY NEWS 9

News

1-5, 9, 20, 33-34

Business and Law

7, 20-23

Health

8, 10, 23

The Big Interview

We Are Global special 11-16 Best of The Conversation 17 Environment 18 Science and Technology

19, 24

Culture 25-29 Features 30 Sport 33-36

WE ARE NORTHUMBRIA

WE ARE GLOBAL

A typical 5 Star institution is considered world-class and to achieve 5 Stars across five categories highlights our growing reputation as a university with cutting-edge facilities alongside internationally renowned research and teaching. FRONT COVER The QS World University Rankings by Subject – a global survey of universities – shows that the University scores highly for Architecture, coming in at 169th for this particular subject. The QS Stars rating system covers broader criteria than any world ranking and shines a light on the excellence and diversity of the rated institution. Professor Jon Reast, Pro ViceChancellor (International) at Northumbria University, said: “The results of the QS Stars University Ratings are further evidence of our

international strengths across a number of key disciplines. “A typical 5 Star institution is considered world-class and to achieve 5 Stars across five categories highlights our growing reputation as a university with cutting-edge facilities alongside internationally renowned research and teaching.” Northumbria is also ranked in the world's Top 150 under 50 - Times Higher Education's ranking of the top 150 global universities established after 1966. Universities in this league table are ranked on their teaching, research, citations, international outlook and industry income. Universities from 39 countries are

represented in the global league table and Northumbria is one of just 24 UK institutions in this prestigious group.

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New Pro Vice-Chancellor for Business and Law at Northumbria Professor John Wilson has been appointed to the role of Pro Vice-Chancellor for the Faculty of Business and Law at Northumbria. He takes up his new position in January 2017.

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Professor John Wilson

rofessor Wilson joins from Newcastle University Business School where he has been the Director since November 2012. With an academic record as a world-class researcher, his appointment will further enhance Northumbria’s growing reputation for research strengths. Previous roles have included Professor of Strategy and Director of Programmes at University of Liverpool Management School (2008-2012), and Director of Research and Professor of International Business at University of Central Lancashire (2004-2008). Professor Wilson is a regular speaker at major conferences, and a member of numerous learned societies. He has facilitated and led significant change in his current role, working through consultation

and engagement; his recent successes have included the triple accreditation (AMBA; EQUIA; AACSB), and improvements in research reflected in an improved outcome in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework. Commenting on his appointment, Professor Wilson said: “Northumbria’s Faculty of Business and Law is recognised for academic excellence, pioneering teaching and international research, so it is an exciting opportunity for me to join at this time. My focus will be on helping the Faculty, and indeed Northumbria University, continue to enhance its global reputation and appeal.”

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Top students continue to favour Northumbria

Attracting higher grade students is helping Northumbria close the gap with the leading Russell Group of universities, according to the Sunday Times Good University Guide for 2017. As with the National Student Survey results earlier this year there are clear success stories and examples of excellence. Improving the employment prospects for our graduates is extremely important, and it is significant that we have outperformed the sector in this metric. Professor Andrew Wathey CBE, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of Northumbria University

dentifying the upward trend, the recently published league table for UK universities included the quote: “Northumbria has been raising entry standards rather than expanding further, so much so that it now has the lowest-ranked Russell Group universities in its sights.” With average UCAS entry points of 364, Northumbria is currently ranked 47 in the Sunday Times Good University Guide of UK universities for entry standards. The success builds on the recent Confirmation and Clearing process during the summer, when high grade students continued to choose Northumbria above others. In an increasingly competitive and challenging environment, these results confirm the University’s continuing appeal and ability to offer an outstanding learning experience. Northumbria’s focus on creating more courses in the top 30 is also working, with 13 subjects making it in this year’s guide. This compares with 11 subjects last year and is further evidence that the University’s overarching ambition to be in the top 30 of universities in the UK remains on track.

Northumbria also raised its graduate prospects score by 5.6% in the Guide - outperforming the sector average growth. Almost 72% of 2014/15 graduates were recorded in the report as being in professional jobs or graduate-level study. With a score of 81.2% for Teaching Quality, Northumbria was also ahead of seven out of the 10 universities ranked between 30 and 40. These included Reading, Manchester, SOAS, Edinburgh, Heriot Watt, Liverpool and Queen Mary. Across subject areas Northumbria was ranked in the top 10 on Teaching Quality in Chemistry, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Iberian Languages and Physics and Astronomy. It also ranks higher than the University of Cambridge in seven subject areas; Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, English, Geographical and Environmental Science, Iberian Languages, Physics and Astronomy and Politics. Professor Andrew Wathey CBE, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of Northumbria University, said: “As with the National Student Survey results earlier this year

there are clear success stories and examples of excellence. Improving the employment prospects for our graduates is extremely important, and it is significant that we have outperformed the sector in this metric. And on graduate jobs as well as entry standards we are making significant upward strides. Our £52 million investment in the city centre campus, and growing numbers going on to postgraduate study are just two examples of how we are transforming the student experience, and as the benefits take hold I am confident our forward momentum will continue.” In August the results of the 2016 National Student Survey (NSS) revealed Northumbria was also outperforming the sector for student satisfaction. The National Student Survey asks final year students at all UK universities to rate their experiences of studying at their chosen university. They are questioned on the quality of their course, the facilities they use and how they have been supported in their personal development, with their answers used to help prospective students to make informed choices on

Top 20 courses in the UK*

Physiotherapy

*Guardian University League Table 2017

Education

Nursing

the best place to study. Northumbria University scored an average of 86% overall satisfaction, and performed above the sector average in the areas of providing academic support; prompt and clear assessment and feedback; and in personal development. The University’s learning resources also received particular praise, with 92% of students stating that they were satisfied with Northumbria’s library resources and IT services. The average score for this question across the sector was 87%. Northumbria was ranked 65th in the Sunday Times Good University Guide for 2017 and third in the North East. Metrics include entry standards, teaching quality, student experience, research quality, graduate prospects, student-staff ratio, services and facilities spend, firsts/2:1s and completion. Improvements were recorded in five of the metrics.

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Criminology

NORTHUMBRIA UNIVERSITY NEWS

NORTHUMBRIA NEWS

New world-class facilities for STEM students

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) facilities at Northumbria have undergone a stunning transformation this year thanks to a £6.7m investment.

onstruction work took place over the summer at Ellison Building on City Campus to refurbish building, laboratories and facilities which will introduce new cutting edge technology to the University and support the launch of new degree programmes, such as Automotive Engineering, Civil Engineering and Physics. Significant investments in new technology include a bespoke Engine Test Cell facility, wind tunnel, scaled tutorial mock-ups of working automotive systems, 50-tonne test frame and actuator, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and improved 3D printing facilities. The project, co-funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England, will create and equip new laboratories to deliver new undergraduate and integrated Masters courses in Automotive Engineering, Civil Engineering, Physics, Mathematics and Computer Science. The facilities will also enhance existing research and teaching activity for the University’s current 3,500+ STEM students, while helping Northumbria develop even stronger collaborations with industry. Pro Vice-Chancellor for Engineering and Environment, Professor Glen McHale, reflected on the recent developments: “This investment will enable Northumbria to complete its vision for a revitalised, comprehensive STEM offer. The refurbished facilities and new programmes will complement Northumbria’s £3.3m, HEFCE cofunded, Think Physics initiative to improve progression to STEM by under-represented groups. “It also demonstrates the University’s ambition to become a national beacon for STEM education.” The building work is taking place in two stages, with the first phase completed in September 2015. This included the refurbishment of three laboratories, an improved anechoic chamber, the creation of an IT Hub and a new meeting space all in Ellison E block. The design incorporated glazed partitions to maximise the use of natural light and to showcase the new laboratories and equipment. The second phase, due for completion this year includes the refurbishment and redesign of a suite of laboratories and workshops on the ground floor of C and E block of Ellison Building. This includes the creation of a new Civil Engineering Geotechnics Laboratory

and refurbishment of a Mechanical Engineering manufacturing cell. A new Civil Engineering Structures workshop is also being created with a large testing frame featuring a 50-tonne actuator to test large beams and an automotive test facility which includes a wind tunnel large enough to accommodate 25% scale model vehicles. A new bespoke engine test cell suite will allow testing and teaching on multi-cylinder industrial engines, alongside cutting-edge equipment to analyse exhaust gas emissions and fuel consumption. A new automotive laboratory is also being created. There will also be increased Rapid prototyping Makerspace, a new and improved 3D print facility and an improved student service area to streamline and enhance the student experience. A microscopy and material characteristics suite, featuring a new Scanning Electron Microscope and an Alicona infinite focus 3d microscope will also be created. Finally, there will also be improved wet lab facilities, incorporating fume cupboards. Professor McHale added: “Early in the project brief it was clearly identified that realising project ambitions would not only require refurbishment and creation of space but also the procurement of new equipment. “The project will significantly enhance facilities with new state of the art provisions and also offer an opportunity to introduce exciting new equipment to the University. This new equipment will support and enrich the undergraduate and integrated Masters programmes enabling Northumbria to deliver a first-class teaching and research experience.”

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Artist's impression of STEM facilities

Timeline for Building a Better Northumbria By end of 2016

• Construction underway for new Computing and

Information Sciences building. • Start work on Student Central by expanding University Library into Squires Building. • Agree designs for new extension to rear of Sutherland Building to create a School of Architecture. • Develop designs for new Lipman Building.

By end of 2017

• Student Central developed in University Library. • New Computing and Information Sciences building complete

and ready to be used for teaching. • Construction begins on new extension to Sutherland Building to create School of Architecture. • All professional support services moved into Pandon Building. • Work to commence on the proposed refurbishment of Lipman Building.

By end of 2018 • New School of

Architecture and Built Environment complete and ready to be used for teaching.

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NORTHUMBRIA NEWS

Artist's impression of new Computer and Information Science building

Sandyford Building acquired by the University The recent acquisition of Sandyford Building from Newcastle College is set to further enhance Northumbria’s learning environment for students. The purchase of the five-story property at City Campus West will immediately expand the excellent teaching and research resource available on campus, and will provide highquality extra learning spaces while building work is underway elsewhere.

ice-Chancellor and Chief Executive, Professor Andrew Wathey CBE, said: “Acquiring Sandyford campus is excellent news and makes obvious sense because of its location. This also strengthens our wider campus Estates Plan by helping to ensure that we continue to develop a world-class learning environment for our students. The significant improvements in our sector rankings and research strengths in recent years have lifted our international reputation, but they have also raised the expectations of our stakeholders. Continuing to invest in our campus like this is a key part of meeting these expectations, and achieving our vision 2025.” The new facility forms part of the University’s plans to invest £52 million over the next two years to improve its campus estate and continue to transform the student experience.

Work has started on the expansion of the City Library into Squires Building to give a brand new space for all the University’s student services. This important development will allow students to access to Careers and Employment, Student Support and Wellbeing, and International advice in one central location. The current works will complete in time for students to access the space from Summer 2017. Over the summer period the dated Rutherford Hall on Ellison Place was demolished to allow the construction of the state-of-the-art new Computer and Information Sciences building equipped with the latest cuttingedge computing technologies, this building is on track to open in December 2017.

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Professor Andrew Wathey, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Northumbria, and Adam Serfontein, Northumbria's Board of Governors, at the Sandyford Building on the day the deal was completed.

NORTHUMBRIA UNIVERSITY NEWS

THE BIG INTERVIEW

The Big Interview: Damon Kent

Following the announcement of a major £52 million investment in improvements to buildings and facilities for students, Northumbria University News meets Damon Kent, Director of Campus Services, and a Northumbria graduate himself, to find out more about the plans for the University’s estate… For example, can they provide enterprise and work-related learning opportunities, support placements and graduate employment, or perhaps provide financial support for learning and research activities. This helps us to develop longer term partnerships outside of the immediate estate projects.

Q: Why is Northumbria investing £52 million in its campus? A: Research in the HE sector confirms two-thirds of students regard the facilities as an important factor when making a decision to apply to a University, so it’s massively important to ensure that we provide a campus environment which outshines those provided by other universities. New students have different expectations and continuing to invest in our estate will help ensure that we can deliver the best possible student experience, both academically and socially. We have four key projects in our estate plan: Student Central accommodating all studentfacing services; new buildings for Architecture and Computer & Information Sciences students, and a major refurbishment of Lipman Building. Since we announced our plans, we have also purchased Sandyford Building from Newcastle College which will provide us with further opportunities. Q: Why is it so important to keep spending money on our estate? A: Student Central is a great example of how we can invest to bring improvements for our students. At the moment, our students access support services across 18 different locations in nine different buildings across three campuses. It’s difficult for them to know where to go with the different enquiries they may have. Student Central will be a convenient place on each campus, providing all student-facing services in one location where they can access the advice, help and support they need, no matter what that may be. We’re seeking to provide the best facilities on offer to students to maintain our competitive edge. We want to support courses which have high demand, such as Architecture, with additional space and we also want to continue to improve the standard of facilities based on student feedback received through the National Student Survey. However, this investment is not just about the buildings themselves. It’s also about providing world-leading research equipment and technology in state-of-the-art, learning and teaching spaces. For some of the projects, more than half of the budget is being spent on equipment rather than the actual build costs.

Q: What course did you study at Northumbria and how has it helped your career? A: I studied Estate Management here, graduating in the early 1990s. I came here because it was the best course on offer, with the best reputation and quality academics, some of whom are still here. After graduating I worked in London for a major property investment company before moving to Northern Rock and then Virgin Money I returned to Northumbria in 2012 to lead Campus Services. There is a lot of complexity in managing a university estate and the vast range the support services. It’s like a small town in terms of the size of the campus, the types and spread of buildings, the nature of the activities we do within them and the number of people using them. The campus environment has such a direct influence and impact on the quality of life for student and staff, so it’s a huge responsibility, but there is also a lot of appeal in playing a part in creating the future legacy of the campus too.

Damon Kent

Q: Have any plans been agreed for Lipman and Sandyford Buildings? A: Initially Sandyford Building will provide what we call ‘swing space’. We can move teaching and other activities in there while we refurbish and develop our other buildings. This will mean far less disruption for students and staff while building works are underway and will give us time to plan how we can best utilise the building in the future. It was a logical building for us to purchase, having been extensively refurbished by the College a few years ago and centrally located in the heart of City Campus West. With regard to Lipman Building, we are currently working with the Faculty of Arts, Design and Social Sciences on their long-term estate plans, to assess what space they need to deliver their long-term academic ambitions.

Q: Are there any plans for Coach Lane Campus? A: We’ve invested around £1.5m over the last two summers upgrading the Clinical Skills facilities and refurbishing the student hub space and café areas at Coach Lane. We’re also preparing to base one of the new Student Central hubs in the Coach Lane Library. This will ensure students receive the same set of services as those at the City Campus. Q: When will we be able to share the architects’ plans for the new Department of Architecture and Built Environment? A: We’ve just appointed Page\Park, an internationally renowned architecture practice to lead on designing and developing our new architecture studio spaces. They have worked on a number of major buildings, including the Glasgow Centre for Contemporary

Art, the Scottish Opera and projects for the universities of Edinburgh and St Andrews. They have a number of our alumni working there and I know our academics are excited to be working with them. Q: Do we often work with companies who employ our graduates? A: The design teams we appoint always employ a number of our graduates, be they the architects, project managers or the structural engineers. This is clearly down to the quality of our graduates who are in demand from the best employers. When we appoint designers and contractors we look to work with organisations that have a solid reputation for delivering quality projects, but also those firms that can support the University’s Opportunity Funds in Student Participation and Research, Enterprise and Innovation.

Q: What is your favourite University building, and why? A: I think it would have to be Sutherland Building; partly because I have my own memories of law lectures in there when I was a student here; and partly because of the history of the building. It was built in 1887 and is Grade II listed of architectural importance. It’s been the Medical School of Durham University, a naval warehouse during World War II and then the Dental School of Newcastle University; I’m also looking forward to the challenge of sympathetically extending the building with brand new architecture studio spaces. Student Central will be completed by September 2017, in time for the next academic year. The new Computing and Information Sciences building will be ready for students from January 2018 and the Architecture building will be ready for teaching from September 2018.

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NORTHUMBRIA NEWS

Northumbria takes the high ground in business ethics research Northumbria has recently been rated among the world’s top 50 institutions in an academic report measuring the impact of research into business ethics.

Northumbria colleagues raise I more than £2,600 to build a classroom in Nepal Four Northumbria colleagues have raised more than £2,600 to build an earthquake-proof classroom in Nepal.

he devastating earthquakes in Nepal destroyed most rural schools, making young girls more vulnerable to trafficking. Figures from Childreach International showed that 12,000 children a year fall victim to child trafficking and it was feared that the figure was as high as 20,000 in the 12 months following the earthquakes in 2015. On learning that children in education are 80% less likely to be trafficked, International Development staff Lynne Duthie, Andrea Scott and Wendy Avery, with Joy Grenyer who supports international students in Student and Library Services, formed a Childreach Action Group to build a semi-permanent, earthquakeproof classroom. By March 2016 the team had raised £2,200 from collecting money at

the cloakroom at the Northumbria staff annual Snowball, donations from colleagues in lieu of sending Christmas cards, talks at Whitley Bay Rotary Club and Whitley Bay Inner Wheel by Joy and Wendy as well as bake sales and a raffle. In August, Equine Touch massage sessions for horses by Wendy and donations from customers from colleagues, friends and family took the final total to £2,670.18. Speaking before their mammoth fundraising endeavour, Joy Grenyer, Student Support Manager (Visa Compliance), said: “I’ve been to Nepal and seen first-hand the mountain village schools that were destroyed in the earthquake. “We all watched the film Sold which was previewed at the University that told the story of how children are trafficked out of Nepal. When we were told the building of the schools was fundamental to

keeping girls safe, we thought trying to raise money to build one such school was a good cause.” Northumbria University graduate Dr Tshering Lama returned to Newcastle last year to promote an internationally acclaimed film, Sold, which tells the story of a teenage girl who is trafficked from her home in rural Nepal to a brothel in India. Dr Lama came to Northumbria in 2002 to take a degree course in health development studies. He was the first student from the Hyolmo ethnic group in Nepal to go to a British university. He stayed on to take a MA in public health and then a PhD in tele-medicine to improve healthcare in remote parts of his home country by linking people to medical experts for advice.

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n the latest analysis of citations in ethical business practice, published in the August Journal of Business Ethics, Northumbria was also ranked 9th in the UK – making it the highest placed University for business ethics research in the North East. The study, A Citation Analysis of Business Ethics Research: A Global Perspective, considers citations of articles published in ten business ethics journals between 1999 and 2012. Its aim is to rank the world’s leading institutions in business ethics research impact. Ranked 50th for the first time in Northumbria’s history confirms the University’s growing international reputation for research quality and impact. It also follows success in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) process, where the University recorded the UK’s 4th largest increase in quality-driven research funding. A growing reputation and international profile in research is helping to attract leading academics from around the world to Northumbria. Learning from the best through research-informed teaching and studying at a university pushing the boundaries of knowledge can also enhance the overall student experience. Ron Beadle, Professor of Organization and Business Ethics at

Northumbria’s Newcastle Business School, said: “‘Northumbria is committed to the principles of responsible business and management in all of our teaching, research and wider work. We have a long history of producing worldleading research in business ethics and are delighted that the influence of our research has been recognised. We are very proud of work on Corporate Social Responsibility with regional employers such as Northumbrian Water and professionals in the North East Initiative for Business Ethics and the Responsible Business Network North East. We will continue to create research and partnerships that promote genuine business excellence and would be happy to hear from professionals and employers who would want to work with us.’ Northumbria has a global reputation for tackling some of the world’s biggest challenges. With world-leading experts and through a series of multi-disciplinary research themes it seeks and answers and solutions with real scientific, social and economic impact.

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HEALTH

Sharing our expertise across the world Northumbria Academics Susan Dawson (Second from left) Barry Gledson (right)

Northumbria and BIM Academy win hat trick of awards Margaret Rowe (right) with nurse educators from Thailand and a SIM mannequin at Northumbria University

A university education isn’t just for individual students wanting to focus on a particular subject. A major part of Northumbria University’s portfolio is in developing bespoke training courses for global organisations to ensure their staff are at the forefront of the latest developments in their field.

he University works with organisations in a number of ways to support their changing needs. We provide and develop short courses. We offer professional qualifications, sponsored projects and continual professional development courses and we also offer executive coaching to help businesses respond to new innovations or regulations. One successful example of this work is with the Thai Ministry of Public Health. The Ministry has been sending its staff to Northumbria’s campus in Newcastle for the last two years to undertake intensive training sessions on how to use simulated adult, child and infant mannequins in healthcare teaching. The mannequins can be programmed to display a range of conditions, such as heart failure, stroke or asthma attack, helping students to practice and perform core skills and emergency procedures before going onto the wards and working with real-life patients. A number of nursing colleges in Thailand are now beginning to use the patient mannequins. As Northumbria University has used these specialist devices when teaching nurses for a number of

years, the Thai Ministry of Public Health has been sending staff from its colleges to the University to learn how to use the mannequins in nurse education and training. To date, more than 130 Thai nurses have undertaken extensive training at Northumbria’s Coach Lane Campus in how to use the mannequins in their teaching scenarios. Margaret Rowe, former Associate Dean for Business and Engagement in Northumbria’s Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, explained: “Northumbria University can develop programmes to meet bespoke requirements for any organisation to meet their needs. This isn’t only in healthcare, it is also in areas that the University teaches in, such as leadership in education, creative thinking, business management and leadership, for example. “We have developed a strong partnership with the Ministry of Public Health Thailand over the last few years, who come to us for the quality of our teaching and research, and our very strong relationships with a number of countries. Our initial partnership around nurse education proved so successful that it has been widened out into

other important policy agendas, such as family medicine and public health policy. Panphet Sakulkoo, a registered nurse working in the Boromarajonani College of Nursing in North East Thailand, recently spent two weeks studying at Northumbria. “It is a great opportunity to study here,” she said. “The teachers have given me more information, more skills and more experience that I can apply in my own teaching.” Margaret added: “There is a lot of demand for universities to provide professional training and we have a great deal of interest from countries around the world, particularly China, with people from Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin coming over to Northumbria to learn from our leading academics and researchers.” Northumbria University can provide businesses with a varied range of support, including finding ways to identify and bid for funding assistance.

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Academics from Northumbria University, in partnership with the BIM (Building Information Modelling) Academy, have been celebrating a triple award win.

uilding Information Modelling, known as BIM, is the structured creation, sharing, use and re-use of digital information about a building, including 3D models, throughout its entire lifecycle. BIM Academy is an innovate joint venture between Northumbria and Ryder Architecture, which is helping to bring construction into the digital age and inspire greater collaboration. Its work in industry directly informs learning, teaching and research innovation at Northumbria, which is recognised as an international centre for excellence in BIM. Since its launch, the academy has gone on to win a host of international awards including Build New York Live, with high-projects including the Sydney Opera House and ongoing work in Hong Kong and China. Northumbria and BIM Academy’s latest hat trick of awards came at the Research Innovation Sustainability and Enterprise Awards 2016, which took place at the recent Sustainable Ecological Engineering Design for Society conference. The University’s academics won the 'CIOB Best Academic Paper Award', and the SEEDS 2016 'BIM Award'. Meanwhile at the RISE Awards: The Andrew Platten Award for BIM Training was awarded to the partnership between BIM Academy and White Frog Publishing Ltd.

Barry Gledson, Lead researcher and Programme Leader in Construction Project Management said: “From a research perspective, we were thrilled to recently receive multiple awards for our collaborative cross-departmental paper. This work explored how Building Information Modelling can be used as a vehicle for active projectbased learning in order to augment the key employment skills valued by prospective employers.” The RISE Awards 2016 recognise the excellence of work produced collaboratively and across departments and in conjunction with internal and external professional partnerships. Susan Dawson, Senior lecturer in Architecture and Built Environment at Northumbria, co-author of the award-winning paper added: “These awards truly demonstrate our excellence in working collaboratively internally, across departments and externally with industry partners in the true spirit of Building Information Management. It is a joy to be part of this dynamic and international success.”

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Spike Reid (left), Shilpika Gautam (middle) and Pascal Dubois (right)

Graduate’s Ganges expedition to raise awareness of pollution A globetrotting Northumbria University graduate is about to set off on one of his most arduous expeditions yet, paddling almost 1,600 miles down the Ganges river to investigate the effects of pollution.

esign for Industry graduate Spike Reid has undertaken a number of global expeditions since graduating from Northumbria University and serving as President of Northumbria Students’ Union for two years. He has led expeditions to countries including Afghanistan, Kyrgystan, Siberia and Nepal and spent seven months circumnavigating the globe investigating the human impact of climate change. Adventurous Spike has a passion for stand-up paddle-boarding. He has already paddle-boarded the length of the River Shannon, across the breadth of England, and the entirety

off Portugal’s Algarve. Earlier this year he was part of the first ever crew to paddleboard around the Caribbean island of Martinique. He is now seeking support to fund possibly his toughest challenge, in which he will travel to Asia and spend three month’s paddle-boarding down the Ganges – one of the longest rivers in Asia and one of the most polluted rivers in the world. Approximately 450 million people – over 6% of the world’s population – live and work alongside the river, which has led to it becoming filled with garbage, sewage and agricultural pollutants and waste. It is estimated that the river absorbs more than a billion gallons of waste each day.

The Ganges is also the most sacred river to the Hindu religion. Many bathe in the water as an act of purification and millions of bodies are cremated or immersed in the river following death. With two team mates, Spike will set off from the source of the Ganges in the Himalayas. They will have to hike 155 miles to the glacial source before paddle-boarding 1,569 miles south east through India and Bangladesh to the Bay of Bengal. The team will investigate how the levels of human-driven pollution increase as the river flows from the glacial source of the river in the Himalayan mountains through to the densely populated towns and cities of India and Bangladesh. As well as analysing the pollution and condition of the river, they will also be documenting the impact of pollution and hope to release an educational film next year. Spike and his team mates Shilpika Gautam and Pascal Dubois are selffunding the £50,000 expedition. They have already raised almost two-thirds of the money needed and are hoping to raise further funds from donations to cover the remaining costs. Spike explained: “We are undertaking this project to raise awareness of the huge amount of pollution – particularly from single-

use plastic – which is disposed of into the Ganges and other waterways around the world. “The Ganges is one of the world’s most prominent and significant rivers, as well as being a critical pillar of India’s cultural and spiritual identity. It supports a huge proportion of the world’s population and a number of diverse ecosystems. “However, this river-of-life is now facing an accelerated death due to the immense strain placed on it from human activity and interference. Unsafe water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene are a burden for fragile healthcare systems and in India alone, more than 100,000 people die of water-borne diseases annually. “This is an issue of global relevance and urgency as all this waste and these pollutants end up in our oceans, endangering marine life and eventually finding their way into our bodies through the food chain. Recognising, addressing and taking action against water pollution is essential to life, to human survival and to civilisation itself.” Facing such polluted waters, Spike and his team mates are at obvious risk of illness themselves. They have been vaccinated against hepatitis, typhoid, tetanus, polio and will are taking a range of antibiotics with

them on the expedition to help protect themselves from dysentery. They are also at risk from the river itself, with white water rapids, strong currents and even attack from the three species of crocodiles living in the river, although Spike jokes: “Luckily only two types will want to eat us. The other type is only interested in fish!” Spike added: “Although we have raised two thirds of the funding we need for this project, we are still short of where we need to be. Brexit has made our funding goal around 12% higher than initial estimates and we still need £20,000 to cover costs relating to safety and logistics, analysis of the samples we collect and the production and editing of our documentary. “Every bit of funding we receive will go directly to the project and every single contribution counts.” Anyone wanting to support Spike and his team mates can do so at www.igg.me/at/gangesSUP You can also follow their adventures on social media by following GangesSUP on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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NORTHUMBRIA UNIVERSITY NEWS

HEALTH

Students expand their mental health knowledge in Sri Lanka Dr Mohamed Badar, (left)

In 2016, 15 Northumbria University students travelled to Sri Lanka to undertake a voluntary Mental Health Placement with SLV, a graduate-led volunteering organisation, which runs psychology-focused placements in Sri Lanka and also Bali, Indonesia.

uring their the placement volunteer team planned and ran therapeutic activity sessions in psychiatric facilities for individuals living with a wide range of mental health issues. In addition to their time at the hospital, volunteers also worked at numerous schools and social initiatives for children and adults with disabilities and taught English in the local community. The training was provided by local experts and non-governmental organisations who know the country the best, enriching volunteers’ knowledge of global mental health, which is advantageous for those looking to pursue a career working with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds. Northumbria students worked with the local community, whilst living with the home comforts of a Sri Lankan family. This completely immersive experience gave students a unique insight into the Sri

Lankan culture and daily life. For today’s psychology students, who wish to pursue a career in the mental health sector, it’s important to gain worthwhile, hands-on work experience. After the completion of this placement, volunteers are a step ahead in a competitive graduate market after utilising and developing important skills in their chosen field of study, as well as gaining an in-depth understanding of mental health from an additional cultural perspective. One of the students, Francesca Revell, said: “I would recommend SLV to anyone wanting to gain experience in mental health and teaching whilst exploring such a beautiful country and having the chance to travel and experience a new culture. “The National team are great - very friendly and helpful with projects and the homestay family was brilliant - they were very welcoming and I felt very at home. I really enjoyed my eight weeks in Sri Lanka!”

During the placement, Northumbria students lived out of their comfort zone for most of the week, having to discover non-verbal ways of communicating in a place where sharing a common language is difficult. The weekends, however, were a different story. Volunteers had their weekends free to roam the lush, tropical island of Sri Lanka and uncover its many secrets.

DISCOVER MORE www.slvvolunteers.com

Northumbria Law expert discusses Syria and Iraq An expert in Islamic Law from Northumbria University recently gave his views on the so-called Islamic State (ISIS/IS/Daesh) at an international conference.

r Mohamed Badar, Associate Professor at Northumbria Law School, also discussed the humanitarian issues arising from the conflicts in Syria and Iraq. He joined a prestigious group of speakers from the United Nations (UN) at Brunel Law School last month to present his current research on ‘ISIS and the Crime of Direct and Public Incitement to Commit Genocide’. The conference, entitled ‘ISIS and its Implications for Human Rights & Humanitarian Law’, explored international and home-grown terrorism, torture, extra-judicial killings and human rights violation and the persecution of LGBT minorities. Speakers included Dr Ahmed Shaheed, UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, Mr Nazir Afzal OBE, Chief Executive of the Police and Crime Commissioners for England and Wales and Sir Michael Wood of the

UN International Law Commission. They were joined by British Conservative politician Baroness Elizabeth Berridge, Professor Clive Walker of Leeds University and Professor Robert Winemute from Kings College London. Dr Badar served as Senior Prosecutor and Judge in Egypt from 1997-2006. He also served as a senior Police investigator in Egypt (1991-1997). He was a member (investigator) of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry to investigate and report on allegations of human rights violations during the civil unrest in Bahrain in February/March 2011. You can view Dr Badar’s blog at http://mohamedelewa-badar.blogspot.co.uk/

DISCOVER MORE www.northumbria.ac.uk/law

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WE ARE GLOBAL

WE ARE NORTHUMBRIA

WE ARE GLOBAL

Jon Reast, Pro Vice-Chancellor (International), Northumbria University

elcome to this special supplement focussing on Northumbria University’s credentials as a centre for world leading academic excellence, innovation, diversity and research. The world is getting smaller and becoming more connected every day. At Northumbria, we recognise and respond to this fast paced, dynamic world and are operating on a global scale more than ever before Northumbria’s connections, fantastic learning experience, international community, as well as Newcastle’s role as a global city, all combine to make the University the perfect place to work and study. Our international, world-leading academics bring with them industry experience from some of the biggest companies from around the world and take part in internationally excellent research which they incorporate into every aspect of their teaching.

We collaborate with some of the world's biggest, most respected household names to give our students the industry experience they need to develop their skills. We also offer the chance to study abroad which broadens international perspectives and increases knowledge of different cultures and languages.

We have built our place in the global community and we work hard make sure the relationship we have with our international students is world-class; we work together, support each other and achieve together. Northumbria University is a new kind of University that creates global graduates for the 21st Century.

We are proud that Newcastle is a city which recognises the important contribution that our international student population from over 130 different countries around the world, makes to the community. At the start of the academic year we joined education partners from across the city to welcome our new international students to Newcastle. This spirit of togetherness was great to see, and yet again reminds us of that our city is unrivalled across the globe for the welcome given to its visitors.

We are Northumbria, we are global.

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NORTHUMBRIA UNIVERSITY NEWS

WE ARE GLOBAL

NEWCASTLE: A GLOBAL CITY

Newcastle is a vibrant, multi-cultural city with a global reputation for its warmth and friendly culture. It boasts a cultural history and sporting passion that can rival any city in the world.

eflecting this spirit, the city’s leaders in education, business and local government joined together with a series of events designed to welcome students to the area at the start of the academic year. Organised to coincide with the International Welcome Weeks of the city’s three Higher Education institutions, Northumbria and Newcastle universities and Newcastle College, the celebrations

started with a flag-raising ceremony organised at the city’s Civic Centre. The flag raising ceremony marked the beginning of the celebrations. The ceremony marked the start of a 25 day-long welcome to Newcastle’s new and returning students, during which the flags of all 152 countries were displayed in rotation on 30 flagpoles outside the Civic Centre and around the city. At the ceremony more than 100 international students,

Jon Reast, Northumbria Pro Vice-Chancellor (International) joins representatives from the City’s academic, business and political institutions at the ceremonial flag raising

We welcome

Over

students from

members of staff, represented

across the globe

by nationalities

32,000 1,300 130+ countries

representatives of Newcastle’s academic, business and political institutions, and consular staff from France, Sweden and Norway joined Newcastle United Chief Executive Lee Charnley, to hoist the flags from across the globe. Throughout the period seven spotlights, located at prominent and iconic locations across the city, including Northumbria’s City Campus East, lit up the sky each evening, with their beams converging above Grey’s Monument. Fireworks marked the beginning and end of the 25 day celebrations. The international student welcome week organised by Northumbria gave overseas students the chance to explore the city and the North East, with visits to St. James’ Park and other wellknown local landmarks, and to meet other students from around the world and the UK. Jon Reast, Pro-Vice Chancellor (International) at Northumbria University, said: “Northumbria’s international students and staff play a crucial role in helping to position

the University at the centre of global academic excellence, innovation, diversity and research. Newcastle is a fantastic destination to work and study, and the welcome events showed our new students how important they are, not only to the academic institutions, but also for the city as a whole.” Nick Forbes, Leader of Newcastle City Council, said: “Newcastle is

a global city, and every year we welcome thousands of students from across the world to study here. These students enrich our city while they are here, and many go on to be ambassadors for Newcastle when they graduate.”

DISCOVER MORE www.northumbria.ac.uk/weareglobal

Work closely with

The UK’s most

partner universities, colleges and schools

(The Times Higher Education’s Leadership and Management Award)

500+

‘Outstanding Student Services Team’

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WE ARE GLOBAL

A GLOBAL COMMUNITY

When you join Northumbria, you are joining a global family. The University welcomes over 32,000 students from 132 nationalities to live, learn and make lifelong friends here. University life is new and exciting, but can also be challenging at times.

orthumbria has an award-winning support network that is Customer Service Excellence accredited offering a range of services including international support to help you with any issues students might face. Our Welfare, Immigration and Funding Advisers offer free confidential guidance on a wide range of topics including Immigration/visa issues, working in the UK and student finance. Sue Broadbent is the University’s Head of Welfare Immigration and Funding Support and she says that it’s vital to view a new international student’s time in more rounded terms. “I like to think of the students’ time as a ‘journey’ here at Northumbria in Newcastle and London,” she said. “From start to finish we are here to support all, but with international students there are added elements that we need to think of.” As soon as international students accept an offer from the University, the work begins to welcome them: “We provide a guide to get students ready to come here, with essential information on visas, health care,

Work with

150+ companies globally

accommodation, cost of living, checklists and more. This is all backedup with communications all designed to keep students feeling comfortable with the choice they have made to come and study here. Our staff abroad are well trained, so they can offer support along the way as well.” added Sue. “The University offers a summer school programme for some conditional place holders which is also a really important element. These happen on campus before the academic year, and during this time we integrate visa workshops, as well as English lessons, to help them settle as quickly as possible. We’re one of the only universities to do this and the feedback has been fantastic.”, she continued. Once students arrive into Newcastle and London the next stage of their journey begins, Sue continues: “We offer a meet and greet service to all students as they arrive, which delivers them directly to their accommodation, which is a really important element of their welcome here. In the following days there will be a number of events to help them

Students' Union has over 100 societies, including 14 international societies with 500 members

settle ranging from a big international welcome event to smaller orientation gatherings at the Students’ Union which will help them meet new people in a similar position, and hopefully make friends.” But the support doesn’t end with making sure that students are comfortably settled into the country and the University, “Issues can come up for a whole number of different reasons, some big and some small.” Sue goes on: “We have fantastic Support Advisors here in the team,

who are each trained to offer guidance on a whole range of topics ranging from finance, visas, health issues even driving licenses – we also support those students who are here with their families and we can help with local schools and accessing the health care that they need too.” Northumbria also offers crisis support in times of need. Sue added: “When things do go wrong for students we can help in a number of ways, from stepping up our oneto-one support to offering financial

help if they suddenly need to go home at short notice.” The final part of a student’s journey at Northumbria is no-less supported: “We are able to give expert help on what their options are next, offering guidance on the rules and regulations around visas if students want to stay and work or continue with their studies, or help with their transition back to their own countries.” “We are really proud of the service we offer students, from the seamless entry to advice from our multidisciplinary advisors on a range of issues our international students can expect the very best support whilst they are with us.” Once they graduate our international students join a family of 180,000 alumni spread around the world in over 160 countries. More information on how to make the most of this network is available at www.northumbria.ac.uk/alumni.

DISCOVER MORE www.northumbria.ac.uk/ssw

Voted UK’s best student city

four times in the last eight years

(MSN Travel Survey 2009, 2010, 2011 and WhatUni Student Guide Choice Awards)

Regional offices in China, India, Malaysia, Thailand and Nigeria

NORTHUMBRIA UNIVERSITY NEWS

WE ARE GLOBAL

GLOBAL LEARNING

At Northumbria our approach to creating a distinctive global learning experience that engages, empowers and inspires is simple but powerful. Every student’s learning experience is underpinned by an international curriculum and academic rigour, delivered by world-leading academics from all over the globe. Northumbria’s academics have an excellent track record in world-class research and international industry practice, and they bring that excellence into every aspect of their teaching.

DR TANJA BUELTMANN (GERMANY)

DR RODRIGO LEDESMA-AGUILAR (SPAIN)

CASE STUDY BY CHELSEA KEITH (UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS) TURN TO PAGE 16 TO READ CHELSEA'S STORY

DR RICHARD B. NYUUR (GHANA)

PROFESSOR YU XIONG (CHINA) Professor Yu Xiong is the Chair of Technology and Operations Management in Newcastle Business School of Northumbria University. He is the only UKbased committee member of the prestigious All China Youth Federation, and the only UK based award holder of high profile May 4th Medal presented by provincial Chinese government.

DR RODRIGO LEDESMAAGUILAR (SPAIN) Dr Rodrigo Ledesma-Aguilar joined Northumbria as a Lecturer in Physics and Electrical Engineering in 2013. He graduated as a Doctor in Physics from the University of Barcelona in 2009. He then moved to Oxford University as a Marie Curie Fellow in the department of Theoretical Physics. More recently, he worked as a postdoc in the Oxford Centre for Collaborative Applied Mathematics.

PROFESSOR IGNAZIO CABRAS (ITALY) Professor Ignazio Cabras is Newcastle Business School, at Northumbria University’s Director for Research Ethics and a member of the Strategic Management and International Business Group (SMIB). Ignazio's publication record includes more than 50 published works comprising journal articles, books and book chapters, and research reports.

PROFESSOR KHAMID MAHKAMOV (RUSSIA) Khamid Mahkamov has MEng and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Bauman Moscow Technical University in the field of Heat Engines. Professor Mahkamov is a member of Editorial Board of the Journal of Renewable Energy (Elsevier) and of International Council for Stirling Cycle Machines. In 2010 he won IMECHE Harold Disney Prize for the best 2009 paper in the power industry.

DR TANJA BUELTMANN (GERMANY) Dr Tanja Bueltmann is an expert in diaspora and migration history, especially the history of ethnic associational culture. With a strong background in Scottish History, she then moved to New Zealand to pursue her doctoral research on the country's Scottish immigrant community. Returning to Europe in early 2009, she was then appointed to join the History team at Northumbria.

Autumn 2016 • northumbria.ac.uk •

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WE ARE GLOBAL

Our international students come from over 132 countries and we have more than 180,000 alumni spread around the world in over 160 countries.

DR ANN-MARIE EINHAUS (GERMANY)

Northumbria has

Northumbria is ranked

international students, including students from EU member countries.

in the UK for international student satisfaction in the International Student Barometer survey 2015.

3,264

PROFESSOR KHAMID MAHKAMOV (RUSSIA)

6th

DR MIKHAIL BATUEV (RUSSIA)

CASE STUDY DEXTER MUDONDO (UNIVERSITY OF KOREA) TURN TO PAGE 16 TO READ DEXTER'S STORY DR NIKOS MAVROUDIS (GREECE)

CASE STUDY BY JOANNA PALNOCH (FIJI CASE STUDY) TURN TO PAGE 16 TO READ JOANNA'S STORY

PROFESSOR YU XIONG (CHINA)

PROFESSOR IGNAZIO CABRAS (ITALY)

DR GITANJALI NAIN GILL (INDIA)

DR NIKOS MAVROUDIS (GREECE)

DR ANN-MARIE EINHAUS (GERMANY)

Dr Gitanjali Nain Gill has been an academic since 1993 employed at India’s leading university, Faculty of Law, Delhi University, where she experienced a distinguished academic career finishing her tenure as a Reader in June 2011. Dr Gill was the sole Indian to be awarded the 2006 Fellowship on International and Comparative Environmental Law, Budapest, Hungary by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).

Dr Nikos Mavroudis is a Senior Lecturer in Food Science and Programme Leader in Food and Nutritional Sciences. He joined Northumbria University in June 2010 after a nine year successful career in Unilever R&D. Nikos has developed an active global network in academia and industry and a substantial and ongoing international reputation in the domain Food Engineering and Separation of Functional Actives.

Originally from Germany, AnnMarie has lived in the North East since 2007. After gaining her MA from Freiburg University, Germany, she undertook her doctoral research in the Department of English Studies at the University of Durham and taught at both Freiburg and Durham before joining the Department of Humanities at Northumbria as a lecturer in January 2012.

DR MIKHAIL BATUEV (RUSSIA) Mikhail is a lecturer in Sport Management. After completing a Finance degree in his home city of Samara, Russia, Mikhail entered the business of football, the sport that he has always been passionate about. He worked with Red Bull energy drink for more than seven years and contributed to athlete marketing courses of this brand. From 2011 to 2015 Mikhail completed a research project on evolution of extreme sports.

DR RICHARD B. NYUUR (GHANA) Richard is a Senior Lecturer in Strategic Management and International Business at Newcastle Business School. His research includes foreign direct investment (FDI) in emerging economies, international business strategy, SMEs’ adaptiveness and internationalisation strategies, international human resource management, and corporate social responsibility.

NORTHUMBRIA UNIVERSITY NEWS

WE ARE GLOBAL

GLOBAL STORIES

Northumbria boasts extensive prestigious global connections with businesses, research and education partners around the world which is critical to delivering an outstanding learning experience. The University’s award-winning cultural partnerships and the 150 global companies that it works with give students opportunities to work on a project or undertake a placement with a reputable household name. This experience builds a student’s skills and confidence and connects them with industry, enhancing their employability upon graduation. Over 400 Northumbria students study abroad each academic year, drastically increasing their employability prospects.

Dexter Mudondo is a third-year student at Northumbria University, studying International Business Management. He is currently doing his first semester of study abroad at the University of Korea at Senjong campus, finishing in December. He is studying Korean language, Korean culture, and operations management, principles of marketing, as well as English conversation and composition. What made you pursue the opportunity to study abroad? “Like many people I’ve always wondered what it’s like to live in another country, which is completely different from mine. Furthermore, I wanted to experience new culture first-hand and meet different people.” What made you choose Korea University? “I had a friend who is doing the exact same course as me at Northumbria University, but one year above. He

studied in Korea for a semester and recommended going there during my mandatory study abroad year that is part of my degree. Korea University is one of the best universities in Korea, which made my choice to specially go there.” Did you find it difficult to get used to new culture? “The culture definitely came as a shock, but the people are great here, very honest and friendly. The hardest thing is the language barrier, but for me that’s not a big concern

as I’m able to still communicate with people in other ways.” In your opinion, what are the main benefits of experiencing study abroad? “Main benefits are experiencing a new culture, learning about it and getting a real understanding. I still have some time left here, so after this semester I will know much more.” What has been the highlight of this experience so far? “So far, the thing that stood out the most was how accepting the young

Koreans have been to me, they understand that they can learn from me and I can learn from them, so it’s a two-way process.” Would you recommend it to other students? “100%, this is an opportunity of a lifetime and we are so lucky that our University offers such a wide range of places to go to for study abroad programmes.”

Six Northumbria students raised over £6,400 and volunteered for a social enterprise charity based in Fiji. The University team joined a traditional village, became a member of a Fijian family and helped contribute to education, youth and sports development projects while working on behalf of Think Pacific. One of the volunteers, Joanna Palnoch, found out about the opportunity after being emailed by one of her Geography lecturers. What attracted you to get involved? “I’ve always wanted to get involved in an overseas volunteering project like this, but I liked how this particular project was advertised for Northumbria University students. Being a keen hockey player within the university, I liked how this project concentrated on youth and sports development, encouraging physical education to young children who don’t get much outreach to sport. I also favoured the shorter length of time spent away, as some projects can run for several months.” Did you do any fundraising to help with funding the trip? “Yes, Aly and I, a fellow volunteer, did a mini raffle at one of our hockey social events and I also held a coffee morning back home with friends

and family. I feel it’s important to get as much fundraising in as possible, as it takes the pressure off the financial aspect and at the same time it’s rewarding to spread the word of this exciting project to friends and family.”

village life in the evenings, whether that was mat weaving, bingo/quiz or dancing. Then at the weekends we would have gone on excursions with the rest of the team, usually all of the village children joined. These were always great days out.”

How long was the trip and what did it involve? “The trip was four weeks in total, consisting of three weeks actually in the village itself and a few days either side spent at a resort for a briefing/ de-briefing by the project leaders. During our time in the village, we all stayed with a family who ‘adopted’ us as their own, they provided us a place to sleep, shared their food and told stories about their lives. “During the week, we taught in the school during the day, coached sport in the afternoon and enjoyed

What activities did you do during your spare time? “During the week we spent our evenings either with the team playing bingo, doing a quiz or playing cards, or it was always special to spend it with our families telling stories and playing games with the children. “At the weekends we went for days out to different waterfalls, jumping off rocks and playing in the river- the simplest things always brought out the most enjoyment in everyone. We also spent our Friday evenings in the

village hall, drinking typical Fijian grog and dancing with the locals.” What was the highlight of the whole experience and what did you learn from it? “Meeting the children and spending quality time with them was the biggest highlight. I’ve never met more energetic, generous and selfless children in my life. They were always so keen to learn when in school, listening to everything you had to say and learning everything we taught off by heart. “Having the opportunity to introduce so many different sports to them was also amazing and hopefully has created many lasting memories for them all.”

Chelsea Keith is a third-year student at Northumbria University studying English Literature. She studied at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, which is in Central Illinois about 150 miles south of Chicago. She studied several modules including Literature of Fantasy; Victorian Literature and Culture; Slavery and Identity; American Literature 1914-1945. What made you pursue the opportunity to study abroad? “It had been a dream of mine since I was little to go to university in America. The first time I thought about it I was about 11 and wanted to go to Harvard Law School - I even wrote to them telling them I was interested in studying there (I was always super eager), and they even sent me a prospectus back. This dream never left me and so when I started studying at Northumbria I began looking into the opportunities that they had and which connections they held

in the US.“ Did you find it hard to get used to the new culture? “There was naturally an adjustment period but I didn't find it difficult, I had been preparing myself to leave the UK for about a year and a half prior to going away and so in that time I think I really prepared myself for it to be different. I was very fortunate though that everywhere I went the people I met were incredibly friendly and so I never really struggled with that.”

In your opinion, what were the main benefits of experiencing study abroad? “You're able to experience a whole new life and culture within the safety brackets of university - it allows you to test the waters of something that you're considering that perhaps you wouldn't be able to experience any other way. In addition to this, I was able to experience a very different style of teaching and learning - which I am hopefully going to be able to incorporate into the way I structure my personal learning for my final year at Northumbria.”

What was the highlight of your time in America? “Making new friendships - it's the best feeling knowing that I have connections with people all over the world.” Would you recommend it to students considering the option of Study Abroad/ Exchange/ Erasmus? “Most definitely! I experienced four of the most amazing months of my life in Illinois and it's something that I think people should 100% get involved in if they have the opportunity.”

Autumn 2016 • northumbria.ac.uk •

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FEATURE

The Conversation is a collaboration between news editors and academics to provide informed news analysis and commentary that’s free to read and republish. At Northumbria, our academics have been working with The Conversation to produce independent, quality current affairs journalism on some of the latest topics to hit the news. Here are some of our top picks… Why do you feel like you’re falling when you go to sleep? Ever get that falling feeling when you’re about to nod off? Jason Ellis, Professor of Sleep Science, explains the science behind ‘hypnic jerks’ and what to do if they’re keeping you awake.

Five new sports announced for Tokyo 2020, but where does the future of the Olympics lie? Surfing, skateboarding, sport climbing, karate and baseball are added to the list of Olympic sports for the first time at Tokyo 2022. Mikhail Batuev, Lecturer in Sport Management, explains why and discusses what this means for the future of the Olympics.

Athletes, you’re doing weight training all wrong Glyn Howatson, Professor of Human & Applied Physiology, writing alongside colleagues from the University of Stirling, debunks the traditional beliefs behind weight training and tells us that it’s not the weight of your weights that matters after all.

Are the Beatles still more misunderstood than Jesus? In March 1966, John Lennon had suggested in an interview that the Beatles had grown more popular than Jesus, sparking huge controversy. Brian Ward, Professor in American Studies, explores the publication that first printed the claim and the motives behind it.

Mood around immigration has made Britain a nastier place The rhetoric surrounding immigration and refugees is based, in essence, on the simplest of ideas: it casts groups of people as “the other” – essentially an “enemy”. Tanja Bueltmann, Associate Professor, discusses how the mood in Britain is affecting how we talk about immigration.

How Tony Blair, Jack Straw and Lord Goldsmith come out of the Chilcot Report Seven years after the Iraq Inquiry (known as the Chilcot Inquiry) began its work, its report finally provided a critical but balanced analysis. Rebecca Moosavian and Conall Mallory, Senior Lecturers in Northumbria Law School, explore the outcomes for the report for the key individuals involved.

DISCOVER MORE theconversation.com

Save the environment from posh crusties – it’s a working-class issue too Environmentalism is often belittled as an indulgence for the affluent. Mike Jeffries, Teaching Fellow, Ecology, argues that it an issue for us all, not just the experts.

NORTHUMBRIA UNIVERSITY NEWS

ENVIRONMENT

Researchers in chilling climate change forecast New research jointly led by Northumbria academics is helping scientists understand how west Antarctica’s ice sheet could become unstable in a warming world.

orking together, scientists from Northumbria, the University of Edinburgh, Newcastle University and the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, have determined how the West Antarctic Ice Sheet reacted to a period of warming after the coldest point of the most recent Ice Age, some 21,000 years ago. Their findings will help scientists understand how the region may behave under future environmental change. Northumbria has a worldclass reputation for research in cold and paleo environments, with academics from its Geography department currently working in locations around the world such as Antarctica, Canada, New Zealand, the Alps, Alaska and Chile. Professor John Woodward, Northumbria’s Associate Pro ViceChancellor (Research and Innovation) for Engineering and Environment at Northumbria, said: “Ice sheets never quite respond in the way we would expect – in a warming world some ice sheets become unstable and collapse, yet some grow larger due to increased snow fall. This study helps us understand the timing of such responses in west Antarctica.” The researchers looked at a period 21,000 years ago when, as the Earth warmed, the ice sheet reached a

tipping point where it thinned relatively quickly, losing 400m of thickness in 3,000 years. This caused sea levels around the world to increase by up to two metres. Their findings will help scientists understand how the region may behave under future environmental change. Researchers studied peaks protruding through ice in the Ellsworth Mountains on the Atlantic coast of the continent, to determine how the land’s ice coverage has changed since the Ice Age. Scientists used chemical technology – known as exposure dating – to calculate how long rocks on the mountainside had been free from ice cover and used their results to determine how the height of the ice sheet had changed over thousands of years. They found that this sector of the ice sheet – close to the Weddell Sea – had remained covered with thick ice long after other parts of the Earth had begun to emerge from the Ice Age. Heavier snowfall, caused by warmer air, probably helped to maintain the ice thickness. As the seas warmed, ice at the coast began to be lost to the oceans. Eventually, a tipping point was reached after which the ice sheet thinned more rapidly, retreating inland. The study, published in Nature Communications, was supported by the Natural Environment Research Council. Dr Andrew Hein of the

University of Edinburgh’s School of GeoSciences, who jointly led the study, concurred, saying: “West Antarctica has undergone complex changes since the last Ice Age, and it quickly became unstable – similar processes may dominate the future of the region in a warmer world.” Extreme environments are one of Northumbria’s multi-disciplinary research specialisms. Working around the globe, researchers in the cold and paleo environments group use cutting-edge techniques and new technologies to collect data and address fundamental questions in Earth Systems Science. These include ground-penetrating radar, borehole radar technologies, seismics, NIR camera techniques, meteorological monitoring technologies, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and terrestrial laser scanning (TLS). Cutting-edge physical and numerical modelling, remote sensing and laboratory techniques for palaeo-environmental work are also applied. Northumbria offers a range of courses in Geography and is ranked Top 30 in the UK based on research power following the results of the Research Excellence Framework 2014.

Researchers in West Antarctica

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Scientists working in the Ellsworth Mountains

Architecture students keep on trekking A trekking cabin designed by Northumbria students has been recognised in an international architecture competition.

Architectural designs by students

rchitecture students Alex Turner, Andrew Gibbard and Beth Scott were praised for their design, ’Odin’s Retreat’, following a brief to create a clever and inventive trekking cabin that could be duplicated in different terrain while also representing Iceland’s identity. The competition, in partnership with CDS Nord Property Developers, called on entrants to create a design that was aesthetically pleasing, but which also provided safe, comfortable and inviting lodgings for trekkers. Andy Stoane, Senior Lecturer in Architecture and Built Environment at Northumbria, said: “Alex, Beth and Scott were selected for one of six honourable mentions, and were the only student team among an international field of professional architects, which is quite an achievement.”

Alex has also seen further success recently after winning an award for a written piece about his experience of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) mentoring scheme. He said: “Following the prescribed mentoring period, I was employed full time by FaulknerBrowns Architects where I worked as an architectural assistant for most of the summer. Alongside this, I worked with my mentor on other endeavours, such as creating an architectural design competition for students, which I am ecstatic to say is now open for entries. “All in all, the mentoring scheme and the relationships I have made from it within FaulknerBrowns, have massively expedited and excelled my architectural learning. It’s been a good few months.” The University’s Architecture

students have also had recent success in the RIBA Journal Magazine competition, having entered the RIBAJ Sterling OSB Habitat Award over the summer. Taylor Grindley and Matthew Glover were commended after being shortlisted and invited to the awards party in London. The pair described their proposal, entitled ‘M/O Living’ as a ‘platform for a discussion based on bold ideas and alternative methods of living’. The students were shortlisted from over 30 entries alongside two awardwinning architectural practices from the North East and London, further demonstrating the talent of Northumbria’s Architecture students.

DISCOVER MORE www.northumbria.ac.uk/architecture

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SCIENCE

It’s delightful, it’s dynamic, it’s dewetting Northumbria to reveal why Physics Matters to schoolchildren

hink Physics is running a series of evening talks for North East sixth form pupils to show why physics is important and the career paths it can lead to. Physics Matters! consists of five Thursday evening talks, promoting the diversity within this scientific field. Each talk is focused around a different area of physics, and will take place at Northumbria University’s city campus. Topics throughout the series include; dark matter, gravitational waves, photovoltaics and noise management. Three of the speakers are from Northumbria University, with others joining from Durham University and the University of Glasgow. Dr Carol Davenport, Director of Think Physics, said: “Following last year’s success, Think Physics is proud to host another series of Physics Matters at Northumbria University. We have secured a dynamic and diverse range of speakers, covering topics as varied as solar physics, noise management and big data. “Individually and collectively, the talks showcase the range of opportunities and pathways available to pupils who study A-Level Physics. Physics Matters will appeal particularly to A-Level Physics students and keen GCSE pupils.” Think Physics is a collaborative cradle to career project, which uses physics in a creative and holistic way to inspire children, young people, their parents and teachers. Their aim is to increase

the uptake of physics and STEM related subjects at A-level in the North East, especially among girls and other underrepresented groups. The Think Physics project was partly inspired by statistics that indicate that gender diversity is still a big issue in this sector, and plans to address this issue over the next few years to inspire the next generation of female scientists and engineers. In celebration of female success in this industry, Dr Carol Davenport has also recently been elected as Vice-President, Education, of the Institute of Physics’ (IOP) Council. Dr Davenport has worked in education, both as a teacher and as a teacher educator, for more than 20 years, having started teaching as a physics lecturer in a further education college and later being a science/physics teacher in the state sector. She has also been a professional development leader in the Science Learning Network, and continues to deliver physics CPD on a consultancy basis. As well as being a governor at a large comprehensive academy, she is a senior examiner for an awarding organisation. She has worked for the IOP as a consultant in the Physics Teacher Network and Stimulating Physics Network.

DISCOVER MORE www.thinkphysics.org

Beads of water

How would you like a kitchen surface that cleans itself? Technological advances such as this could be one step closer after a breakthrough by Northumbria University and Nottingham Trent University.

sing experimental techniques, researchers have made the first ever direct observation of the elusive dewetting process, which takes place when a liquid film retracts to form a bead-shaped drop. The achievement could now spark a new line of research and lead to breakthroughs involving the use of liquids, such as better coatings and more effective self-cleaning surfaces. Dewetting is the opposite of ‘spreading’, a familiar process which can be observed day to day, such as when a drop of oil is placed on the surface of a pan. The liquid initially has a bead-like shape, and it slowly spreads to form a thin film. The opposite process, called dewetting, occurs when a liquid film retracts from a solid to form a bead-shaped drop, which can be observed when a wet window is left to dry up.

Images of the elusive dewetting process

The details of dewetting are extremely important to any situation involving the removal or drying of a liquid. Despite its apparent simplicity, the direct observation of the full dewetting of a droplet into a single drop had remained elusive and difficult to achieve until Northumbria and Nottingham Trent’s recent experiment. In a recent paper in the journal Science Advances, the research team

came up with an ingenious solution to this problem. Using a novel method known as dielectrowetting, they exploited the electric properties of liquids to force a liquid to coat a solid surface using an applied voltage. Professor Glen McHale, ProVice Chancellor (Engineering and Environment) at Northumbria University and Professor of Applied and Material Physics, said: “Our experimental setup opens-up the possibility of preparing liquid shapes in a very controlled manner, which then dewet. This can lead to new methods for liquid manipulation in technologies such as coating and selfcleaning surfaces.” By embedding very thin patterned electrodes in the solid and carefully arranging them into a circular pattern, the team achieved the formation of a thin circular liquid film. By switching off the voltage, they revealed, for the first time, the full dewetting process of the liquid film back to a bead-like drop shape. “At first sight, one might have expected that dewetting is just the time-reversal of spreading. Surprisingly, we found that dewetting not spreading in reverse” said Prof Carl Brown from Nottingham Trent University’s School of Science and Technology. “Instead of a smooth sequence of drop-like shapes, the dewetting film forms a rim at its own edge which retracts at constant speed for most of the dewetting process”. To understand this behaviour, the team used a combination of theory and numerical simulations to rationalise the experiments. Dr Rodrigo Ledesma-Aguilar, from Northumbria, said: “Both the

simulations and the theory support that the liquid tends to adopt the closest local equilibrium shape it can during dewetting. This explains the smooth rim shape which survives for most of the process.” Nottingham Trent University’s Andrew Edwards, first author of the paper, said: “Unveiling the dynamics of a dewetting film in all its detail has been a mind-blowing experience. This is my first original contribution as a PhD student and has allowed me to apply a range of knowledge gained in my first degree as a physicist. It is extremely pleasing to see how the experiments are so well described by the theory and the simulations.” Dr Michael Newton, from Nottingham Trent University, added: “Our method can be used to learn more about the underlying physics behind other dewetting phenomena such as condensation, evaporation and droplet rebound. These processes are critical for applications such as fog-collection, coating and lubrication. The technique developed can also be used for characterising liquid properties when only small volumes are available.” The paper is published under an open access arrangement and is freely available through the Science Advances website. To find out more about studying at Northumbria University sign up to one of our upcoming Open Day on 26 November.

DISCOVER MORE www.northumbria.ac.uk/physics

NORTHUMBRIA UNIVERSITY NEWS

20 NORTHUMBRIA NEWS

Carbon savings are worth their weight in elephants

Matt Hutnell Director Santander Universities UK, Northumbria Vice-Chancellor Professor Andrew Wathey and Luis Juste, Commercial Director of Santander Universities Global Division UK officially open the new branch

Banking on a successful partnership

The University’s relationship with Santander was recently celebrated as the bank’s City Campus branch was officially opened.

orthumbria’s ViceChancellor and Chief Executive Andrew Wathey and Directors Matt Hutnall and Luis Juste of Santander Universities UK officially cut the ribbon at the new branch in the Students’ Union building as well as highlighting the positive impact of the wider partnership between the two organisations. Students and staff are already significantly benefiting from the successful partnership. It has already helped to widened participation in work-related learning and enterprise, as well as study abroad opportunities, through funded internships and placements, entrepreneurial activities and international mobility bursaries. The activity has also supported

growth and development in a number of regional SMEs who, working with our Business Clinic, have been able to access the talent, knowledge and expertise of the University’s students and staff. Academic staff have also used the opportunities afforded by the partnership to create new research relationships with other Santander Universities across the globe, including Brazil, Mexico and Chile. Through the Santander Universities Digital Fund, the University has established a crowdfunding platform, which is enabling enterprising students to raise funds to support their start-up activities and end of year exhibitions. The Santander branch on campus is also improving how University provides financial

information and support to students before, during and after their studies. Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive, Professor Andrew Wathey CBE, said: “As a research-rich, business-focussed, professional university, we value our burgeoning partnership with Santander Universities UK and its impact on our students, staff and academic and business partners world-wide. I am confident that this partnership will continue to develop and that its outcomes will have a positive impact on the experience of our students and staff for many years to come.”

DISCOVER MORE https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/ about-us/santander-universities/

The carbon emissions saved by Northumbria over the last year would weigh the equivalent of 632 African elephants and represent a 16% reduction against a target of 6%. In addition, the amount of water the University has saved over the summer alone would be enough to fill 10 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

hese staggering achievements are thanks to the coordinated efforts of staff and students to reduce the University’s impact on the environment and improve sustainability together. On City Campus East alone, 23% less electricity was used in June and July of this year compared with 2015 and the total amount of gas used by the University over the Summer months also fell by 27% compared to last year. Reduced energy bills also contributed more than £300,000 of financial savings, which can instead be invested in further enhancing the facilities on campus and the services that Northumbria provides for its students. The reductions were achieved through a range of actions including upgrading lighting to LED fittings with motion sensors and installing new heating boilers. Greater advantage was taken of solar energy, by installing brand new panels at the Coach Lane Campus and Sport Central building at City Campus, and the UK’s first building integrated solar panel on the Northumberland Building at City Campus was refurbished. But even simple things like switching heating and lighting off when the buildings are not in use have made a significant difference. Green

Impact groups, made up of staff from across the University, have also been instrumental in actively encouraging colleagues to be more conscious of energy-efficiency generally. “Since updating the carbon reduction plans last year,” the University’s Carbon Manager, Keith Slater, reflected, “we’ve had some great successes in reducing energy use through investing in technology. The efforts of the Green Impact groups also show how lots of small savings here and there can add up to some very big reductions overall. And we’re not stopping there, the University’s Carbon Management Plan has set a target to reduce emissions by a further 32% by 2020.” Staff and students have also been busy recycling unwanted items to support local charities, such as the British Heart Foundation, Deaf Roots, County Durham Furniture Help Scheme and a local Scout group. The sustainable theme is also a feature of Northumbria’s travel to campus facilities, with a new Cycle2Campus scheme due to launch soon in order to benefit students and staff, as well as the environment.

DISCOVER MORE www.northumbria.ac.uk/sustainability

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LAW

Unfit Laws on trial at Northumbria SRF LLP Award recipient, Stephen Bennet (left) with partner at SRF, Tim Berg (right)

Law student is the best! Northumbria Law School’s Centre for Evidence and Criminal Justice Studies recently hosted a multi-disciplinary professional seminar discussing the Law Commission’s proposal to overhaul the law and practice regarding Unfitness to Plead in the criminal courts.

eld in partnership with New Park Court Chambers, the event highlighted Northumbria Law School’s profile and reputation for leading research. It reviewed a Law Commission report published earlier this year that concluded the current law around fitness to plead was not fit for purpose and recommended a radical overhaul. The law has not fundamentally changed since the mid-19th Century. It would also change the procedure for dealing with vulnerable defendants who are not fit to stand trial and for the first time introduce a systematic way of dealing with such defendants in the Magistrates’ Courts. Presentations were given by the Law Commissioner who headed up the Unfitness to Plead law reform project, an Australian academic who authored the definitive piece on the Commission’s proposals in the Criminal Law Review and a leading consultant forensic psychiatrist who manages medium secure units in the

North. There were also presentations from two QCs plus other barristers including the past Chairman of the Bar Council and lead counsel on the main fitness to plead human rights case from the House of Lords. The audience included doctors, solicitors, barristers, intermediaries and academics who were fully engaged in the debate about the prospects for better systems for dealing with defendants who lack the capacity to undergo a full criminal trial. The Centre for Evidence and Criminal Justice Studies has been heavily engaged in the law reform project. It has contributed to the consultation process and in developing awareness among lawyers, clinicians and other criminal justice professionals. Michael Stockdale, Director of the Centre for Evidence and Criminal Justice, said: “This event further contributed to a deeper understanding of the prospects of law change being implemented and the likely practical implications the new proposals. It also shows the role Northumbria Law School can play in

helping shape law reform.” The symposium was organised by Natalie Wortley, Deputy Director of the Centre, who reflected: “Events like these - which bring together academics, lawyers and forensic experts - are invaluable. They enhance practitioners’ understanding of the current law and prospects for reform, and they help to ensure that academic research and reform proposals address the real issues that practitioners face on a daily basis.” The Northumbria Centre for Evidence and Criminal Justice Studies (NCECJS) is a nationally renowned research centre. Its mission is to undertake research of value and interest to a wide range of academic and practitioner communities within the legal systems of the UK, and other EU and common law countries.

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A leading north east law firm, Short Richardson & Forth LLP (SRF) has awarded 28-year-old Northumbria University Law School student Stephen Bennett with an internship at the firm for the best performing student in employment law.

longside the award, Stephen received a cash prize which was awarded for his dissertation, focused on English legal protection to people undertaking work through employment agencies. Stephen from Stanley, County Durham said “The motivation behind my dissertation was mostly owing to my personal experiences of having started my working life working for a local authority through an agency. During the seven months I worked there it was never entirely clear exactly who I was working for. I wasn’t working for the council and I wasn't exactly working for the agency either.” Stephen worked as a grounds maintenance worker for Durham City Council before doing an access course two evenings a week in order to progress onto his degree. He concluded “I feel extremely proud of the journey I have taken, gaining a first class honours degree and I am looking forward to my time with Short Richardson & Forth.”

The Short Richardson & Forth LLP Award for the highest marks in a final year dissertation on an employment law related subject has been run in conjunction with Northumbria University Legal Faculty, promoting strong links between students and the law firm in the city. Tim Berg, Partner at Short Richardson & Forth LLP said “This is the seventh year of our award: we were particularly impressed by Stephen’s willingness to cover a difficult and contentious subject in his dissertation. Stephen’s success, both with his dissertation and with his degree, is a testament to both the quality of teaching at Northumbria and Stephen’s own drive and application. Stephen’s successful future in the profession looks assured.”

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NORTHUMBRIA UNIVERSITY NEWS

BUSINESS

Chris Newell

Graduate tech business among fastest growing in UK

ImpulsePay, a business set up by Northumbria graduate Chris Newell, has made The Sunday Times Hiscox Tech Track 100 for the second year running reaching 12th in the UK and top in the North East.

he influential league table ranks Britain’s top 100 private tech firms with the fastest growing sales over their last three years. ImpulsePay was started by Computing for Business graduate Chris in 2009. The company rapidly became the UK’s leading provider of Charge to Mobile services, which allow customers to pay for a wide range of digital goods and services with their phones. Customers include Virgin Trains, Spareroom.com and Secure Trust Bank, helping ImpulsePay post annual sales last year of £12.5 million. And with mobile phones becoming the second most popular form of payment after cash the market is experiencing strong growth. Paying by mobile phone is convenient and is estimated to be more than seven times quicker than using a credit card. Looking ahead, Chris told Northumbria News he has firm ambitions, including listing the business on the Alternative Investment Market – the junior Stock Exchange. He said: “This is an exciting challenge with many hurdles, but one that would ultimately be very rewarding. Leading up to this, we also expect to grow our international reach and are actively reviewing opportunities.” Growing the business could also mean graduate job opportunities

DISCOVER MORE www.northumbria.ac.uk/enterprise

in this region. Chris added: “We recently relocated from London back to Newcastle. Part of the reason for this is to help grow the team with more staff. We’re also expecting to double our headcount in 2017, predominately from recruiting recent graduates in Newcastle. We see the Northern tech scene as one full of opportunity and look forward to using the skills created locally to make a national impact.” Offering advice to students and graduates looking to launch their own business he said: “There will always be challenges, we’ve had our fair share, but the way you deal with them is key - we often find new opportunities in challenges. Through this approach you can avoid getting side tracked by significant problems and emerge stronger. I’d also say keep your costs down and innovate fast! I started my first business the day after graduating and have found the challenges and opportunities great.” Northumbria’s Student & Graduate Enterprise service provides free skills training and start up support, including workshops, specialist industry advice and full-use of the ‘Start-up hatchery’, which provides free ICT, telephone access and free access to the meeting rooms.

European funding boost for enterprising graduates Northumbria is launching a new European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) project to support regional Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs), enterprise growth and graduate jobs in the North East.

hrough the Northumbria Enterprise and Business Support (NEBS) project, £2.1 million of funding has been secured to provide two key strands of business and graduate support. Firstly it will extend the help Northumbria provides to SMEs with graduate interns. The interns will then be paid by the SME for 6 months in a graduate position. There is also a strand offering free startup support services to graduates wanting to start their own business, or to help their businesses grow. The NEBS project will focus on areas including promoting entrepreneurship, supporting the creation and extension of advanced capacities for products, services and development. It will also seek to strengthen the capacity of

SMEs to grow in regional, national and international markets and to become more innovative. This latest tranche of European funding follows Northumbria’s highly successful ERDF-funded Northumbria Graduates into Business project which ran for two years from 2013. By the end of the scheme almost 70 SMEs had received support, up to 30 new startups had been created and 60 recent graduates were in the process of developing business plans. Victor Ottaway, Graduate Internship Manager at Northumbria, said: “Securing this funding is tremendous news and recognition of the collaborative role universities can play in business and economic growth. We can now support 126 individual SME’s with graduate

intern placements, who will work for them for six months helping to bring energy, drive and innovative thinking to the businesses. It’s good for the SMEs and can offer excellent job prospects for graduates. More than 70% of SME’s who had placements in the previous project reported an increase in turnover as a result of employing a graduate. Perhaps even more encouraging, three-quarters of the graduates were offered full time positions at the end of their internship.” In one example Northumbria graduate Charlotte Thorpe has worked as a graduate intern for The Skill Mill in Newcastle, a social enterprise providing employment opportunities for 16-18-yearolds. Charlotte said: “Working with the Skill Mill has given me real professional confidence and developed my communication skills to be able to interact with a wide range of people. It means I have been able to take on more and more responsibilities during my time here.” David Mills, Director of the Skill Mill added: “Charlotte has had an enormous impact throughout her internship, and indeed beyond it. Trade has increased with new projects where she took the lead. Charlotte has also developed a range of systems which ensure we can tender for large framework contracts.” The NEBS is especially interested in placing internships with SMEs looking to create new products or improve business processes. To be eligible SMEs must have a base in Northumberland or Tyne & Wear and be where the graduate internship will take place.

DISCOVER MORE Charlotte Thorpe

www.northumbria.ac.uk/nebs

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NORTHUMBRIA NEWS

Former Lord Chancellor of The inconsistency Great Britain of addictive gives law lecture behaviour at Northumbria Professor Nick Heather

A Northumbria academic whose research had a major impact on NHS health policies around alcohol consumption has just published a new book on addiction.

ick Heather, an Emeritus Professor of Alcohol and Other Drug Studies in Northumbria University’s Department of Psychology, has co-edited Addiction & Choice, which considers whether addicts actually make a choice about their behaviour. Professor Heather is one of the UK’s leading experts on alcohol, drug studies and addictive disorders, having published more than 450 works on addiction. Thanks to his research, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommended that NHS professionals routinely carry out alcohol screening. As a result, GPs and nurses now ask patients how much alcohol they consume in a week as a standard part of health checks and medical appointments. Addiction & Choice takes philosophical, psychological, legal and neuroscience perspectives to encourage readers to rethink the relationship between addiction and choice. It also looks at how the consequences of addiction can be alleviated. Professor Heather explained: “Addiction is best viewed as a ‘disorder of choice’ in which – despite strenuous efforts – the individual’s choices are inconsistent over time. The addict tries and resolves time and time again to quit or radically modify their behaviour, but repeatedly fails. “Answering the question of why people repeatedly behave in ways they know are bad for them is the central problem in the study of addiction. It’s therefore important for

us to explore the implications of the middle ground between ‘free choice’ and ‘no choice’. “This will help us to understand if addictive behaviour can sometimes be outside the realm of choice, or if it falls between a deliberate decision and involuntary actions. “Our book contains reflection, discussion and research on the implications of seeing addiction in this way, together with the possibilities it offers for a better public understanding of addiction and how to prevent and treat it.” Professor Heather’s research into alcohol consumption and its subsequent inclusion in NHS health policy was highlighted in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework – an assessment of the quality of research undertaken in all UK universities – as being an outstanding example of research with an impact on society. Alongside his academic experience, Professor Heather also worked as a consultant clinical psychologist with the Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland Mental Health NHS Trust. Addiction & Choice: Rethinking the Relationship, edited by Professor Nick Heather and Professor Gabriel Segal, is published by Oxford University Press and is available to purchase now.

DISCOVER MORE www.northumbria.ac.uk/nebs

The Rt Hon Lord Mackay of Clashfern, one of the UK’s most respected and influential legal figures in recent times, has given a public lecture at Northumbria University, Newcastle.

Lord Mackay

n his Lord Chancellor Eldon Lecture the former Lord Chancellor of Great Britain and Lord Advocate of Scotland delivered a lecture entitled: “Criminal Trial on Indictment in England and Scotland: A comparative view from Hadrian’s Wall”. The lecture compared and contrasted some outstanding features of cases brought on indictment in the two jurisdictions. Lord Mackay will concentrate on present law and practice and will take a topical approach. Having practised as an Advocate

from 1955, he became a QC in 1965 and was Dean of the Faculty of Advocates before being appointed Lord Advocate in 1979. Judicial office in Scotland in 1984 was followed within a year by his appointment as a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary of the House of Lords, then the UK’s highest court of appeal. An already distinguished career was to become unique when, in 1987, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher invited Lord Mackay to become Lord Chancellor of Great Britain and he was to become the longest continuously serving Lord Chancellor in the 20th

century. Many other honours have followed, including his appointment as a Knight of the Thistle in 1999 – equivalent to the Order of the Garter in England. In 2007 Lord Mackay was appointed Lord Clerk Register and ex officio Keeper of the Signet, the Signet being the seal of the sovereign in Scotland. The Keeper is the ceremonial head of the Society of Writers to HM Signet, the oldest solicitor body in Scotland, dating back to the 15th century. Lucy Winskell OBE, Pro ViceChancellor of Northumbria Law School, said: “It was an honour and a privilege to welcome Lord Mackay to the Law School. His record in Office at the highest level, and his influence and reputation within the legal profession here in the UK and beyond are unsurpassed. After distinguishing himself at the Scottish bar his remarkable career has included holding the top government law office position as Lord Advocate and high judicial office as Lord Ordinary in Scotland. He has also held the top cabinet law office role of Lord Chancellor for England. “It was perhaps fitting for this Eldon Lecture that Lord Mackay was the longest continuously serving Lord Chancellor of Great Britain in the 20th century – just as was Lord Chancellor Eldon in the nineteenth century.”

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NORTHUMBRIA UNIVERSITY NEWS

24 NORTHUMBRIA NEWS

Mapping the City

Northumbria academic Mike Jeffries

A The prospects for Digital Living in a post-Brexit era On June 23 the UK held a once-in-a-lifetime referendum on its membership of the European Union (EU).

ormer Prime Minister David Cameron wanted the country to be part of a reformed EU and said Britain would be safer, stronger and better off by working together in Europe. However, the British public did not agree resulting in an overwhelming vote to leave the EU. The vote has been widely felt among many UK Higher Education institutions and already it has had an effect on the region’s business community, which has previously benefitted from millions of pounds of European funding. Dr Nick Dalton, Senior Lecturer in Computing at Northumbria and a researcher in human-computer interaction said the North East could lose out in the post-Brexit era under a UK-only research funding model. Dr Dalton’s research sits among the University’s identified multidisciplinary research themes (MDRTs) - which address some of the fundamental questions being asked by Northumbria researchers. The Digital Living research theme explores digital and secure urban environments. It unites three themes, digital technologies, security and cities, addressing issues inherent in the secure digital city. Dr Dalton told Northumbria University News: “UK science was a big beneficiary of European funding. Between 2007 and 2013 the UK received £7.5bn in EU research

money, second only behind Germany. Most UK funding goes to London, Oxford and Cambridge so places like the North East will suffer greatly in the post-Brexit era.” Dr Dalton believes Brexit could threaten the North East’s status as a leading light in the field of computer technology. He said: “Newcastle is the number one city in the UK and third worldwide in terms of research on human-computer interaction – how to design computers to work with people. The issue is that things change so quickly in our industry. Computing can change so quickly in our industry. Computing can change a huge amount in the two or three years it will take to negotiate Brexit. “The Apple Watch is a year old, the smart phone is seven years old, the internet is 17 years old and computers will be about four times faster or cheaper by the time the uncertainty over Brexit is negotiated. Imagine what it would be like if cars could go from 70mph to 280mph by the time the decision about the people you work with is made. People come to the North East because we have strong research-led expertise. They want to learn from the best and learn from the innovators in a field. The decline in EU funding means that research is going to struggle and so teaching – and skills – has a new struggle.” Northumbria University currently works with several overseas partners

on an exciting mix of research projects. Dr Dalton teamed up with a German-based research partner to explore how people interact with ambient advertising, where adverts are placed in unusual locations to generate a response from potential customers. “Post-Brexit it’s going to be more difficult to do projects like this,” he said. “Whilst we have the skills in this region, the UK is not being invited to early-stage discussions on research projects so we’re already seeing the impact of Brexit. “It’s the uncertainty that’s the problem. We (Northumbria University) want to hire the best people possible but now no-one from abroad will be looking to apply for a UK job over the next couple of years until Britain’s position in Europe becomes clearer. Equally, people in the UK are not making any long-term plans for working in the EU. It’s like the Premier League; if you lose all of the best players from abroad you’re obviously going to be affected.” For more information about Northumbria’s eight multidisciplinary research themes, including Digital Living, visit www.northumbria.ac.uk/research/ research-themes

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unique exhibition revealing how young people see the world was recently launched by academics from Northumbria. Mapping the City was the brainchild of Jon Swords and Mike Jeffries from Northumbria’s Geography department, working with Sebastian Messer from the department of Architecture and Built Environment. The trio have spent the last year working with young people from across the region and recently held an exhibition at Newcastle’s City Library as part of the Juice Festival 2016 to display the visually stunning, imaginative and thought-provoking results.

Finally, fantasy worlds hidden below the streets, above the buildings and online, pour from felt tips on to paper. These are all worlds occupied by young people, but places traditional maps are unable to represent, and adults struggle to comprehend. The year-long project, supported by the Juice Festival, extended from research carried out by Jon, Mike and Sebastian into the positive impact of young skaters on the urban environment. Jon said: “The Mapping the City exhibition was the culmination of over a year of work with young people from around the region. It launched an atlas of maps made by young people, and

They asked young people to create their own maps of Newcastle and Gateshead, but instead of using GPS or digital software they simply handed out pens, pencils and paper. The response was a unique atlas of hand-drawn maps. Gone are the historic monuments and buildings (unless they are useful places to meet friends) and the amenities used by adults are mostly overlooked too. What is revealed, is the importance of friends and families over places or landmarks, and the significance of schools and colleges – past, present and future – as places of memory, friendship, legend, and, of course, dread. The journeys young people take through the city also come through strongly – links between school and home, parents, grandparents and friends, as well as their favourite park, café or cornershop are all significant.

by us, which illustrate the very different Newcastle-Gatesheads they experience. “Maps are a powerful tool for communicating how cities are and might be, and the maps in this exhibition and atlas are rich with versions of our city missing from authorised cartographies. We hope visitors will better understand what is missing from official maps, and what might be gained by listening more to the city’s young people.” Northumbria’s Geography and Architecture and Built Environment departments offer a range of courses for anyone interested in these subject areas. Come along to our next Open Day on 26 November to find out more.

DISCOVER MORE www.northumbria.ac.uk

Autumn 2016 • northumbria.ac.uk •

CULTURE

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Fabricating Histories, reinventing the future The past, present and future will collide next month in a stunning new exhibition delivered by Northumbria with Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums.

osted at the Discovery Museum in Newcastle and based on the research of Northumbria’s Dr Claire Nally, Fabricating Histories will re-imagine the art, fashion and technologies of the Victorian past. The exhibition will present fantastic, alternative, and imagined histories, rethinking iconic objects such as work by John Martin, a portrait of Ada Lovelace, the Turbinia steam ship, parasols and other fashion pieces. This collaboration is between Northumbria University, Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums (TWAM), and five artists, who will engage with the museum’s collection, creating art that defies audience expectations in a dynamic exploration of materials, methods and concepts. The exhibition is based on Dr Nally’s research into the subcultural phenomenon of steampunk and Neo-Victorianism. The artists

will each take an object from the museum’s extensive collection, and reinterpret it from the perspective of the contemporary moment, reframing traditional expectations about art and society, and exploring ideas,

questions, and practices that construct a fabricated history. The exhibition will present a range of media: photography, literature, drawing, fashion and textiles. It will bring together commissioned pieces from

Charlotte Corey, Dr Geof, Phil Sayers, Nick Simpson and Larysa Kucak, alongside artefacts from the collection which are currently in storage and unavailable for public viewing, as well as loan objects from the Science Museum in London, and from private collections. Fabricating Histories will engage audiences in an interrogation and reconsideration of the past, present and future through historical artefacts and contemporary art. Speaking about her inspiration for the exhibition, Dr Claire Nally said: “The exhibition draws on my research for a book entitled Steampunk: Gender, Subculture and the Neo-Victorian, in which I will look at literature, popular culture, and explores why the Victorians still exert such a fascination over us. For steampunk, this is inflected with sci-fi themes such as dirigibles and anachronism, but it’s more than that – it’s about what might have happened in science and art, if history had taken a slightly different path.”

Artwork by Dr Geof

A number of public events are scheduled as part of the exhibition, including talks by the graphic novelist Sydney Padua, Bryan Talbot, who received an honorary Doctorate of Letters from Northumbria in 2012. For full information go to: There have also been contributions from Carol Davenport and Think Physics at Northumbria, Northumbria creative writing lecturer Tony Williams, and New Writing North. The launch night for the exhibition will also benefit from generous donations of Puffing Billy and Hickey the Rake beer from Wylam Brewery and gin

from Steampunk Gin. Fabricating Histories follows an earlier exhibition at the Discovery Museum by Northumbria’s Fashion students. Re:fashion featured 60 exquisite objects from the collection at Newcastle’s Discovery Museum, made between 1701 and 1916. These objects were selected as a starting point for the University’s Fashion students to explore the idea of real and imagined histories. Fabricating Histories is supported by the Arts Council North East. Northumbria’s Humanities department features a range of fascinating courses and is currently ranked Top 15 and Top 20 in the UK for History and English respectively for the quality of its research publications. Come along to our next Open Day on 26 November to find out more.

DISCOVER MORE www.northumbria.ac.uk/humanities

Artists wanted for prestigious opportunity Applications are currently open for the £20,000 Warwick Stafford Fellowship.

he prestigious fellowship is open to early-mid career practitioners in fine art and offers a £20,000 bursary to the chosen candidate. Alongside this, the successful Fellow will receive studio space in the BxNU (BATLIC and Northumbria) Institute for Contemporary Art at BALTIC 39, technical support, participation with an environment of postgraduate and PhD arts researchers, and access to leading academics and internationally renowned artists. The Fellowship gives an artist a structured opportunity to advance their practice and research and engage with a stimulating

community of professional artists, students, fine art researchers and the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art partners. Support and development will be designed to meet the needs of the individual fellow. The artist will participate in and contribute to the research environment at BALTIC 39 while developing a body of new work that advances their practice-led research. New work will be accessible during public events at the BxNU Institute and will form a core part of the exhibition programme in Gallery North, the Faculty's venue for contemporary art. The fellowship will culminate in a solo exhibition with publication. The successful candidate will follow in the footsteps of current Warwick Stafford fellow Stuart Tait.

To view his work and previous fellows go to: www.baltic39.com Fiona Crisp, Associate Professor of Fine Art at Northumbria University, said: “The Fellowship provides an extraordinary opportunity for an artist to spend a year developing a body of work in an environment that combines critical engagement, experimentation and professional support.” The deadline for applications is 14 November. To apply, and for full terms and conditions, go to: www. northumbria.ac.uk/warwickstafford

DISCOVER MORE www.northumbria.ac.uk/arts Art by current Warwick Stafford fellow Stuart Tait

NORTHUMBRIA UNIVERSITY NEWS

CULTURE

Cat got the cream!

Artwork by Cat Auburn

Lindsay Rodden

She’s a-live. Second joint Writer in Residence takes centre stage Lindsay Rodden has been announced as the new joint Writer in Residence at Northumbria and Live Theatre.

he former Literary Associate at Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse will split her time between the theatre and the University where she will contribute to the teaching of Northumbria Performing Arts (NPA) courses as well as undertaking collaborative research. She will also work with the literary department at Live Theatre where she will be tasked with researching and developing an idea for a new play. Lindsay said: "I'm delighted to be the second writer-in-residence in this fantastic partnership and follow in the footsteps of Paddy Campbell. So many of the playwrights I greatly admire have lit up the stage at Live Theatre, making theatre that really matters. It's a real privilege to be resident at Live Theatre and I hope I can live up to my predecessors. Being based at Northumbria as well is so inspiring – the staff and students have made me very welcome and I can't wait to see what the next year will bring." Speaking about the announcement, Steve Gilroy, Northumbria’s Director of Performing Arts, said: “Students and academic staff are looking forward to an exciting year working with Lindsay and our partner, Live Theatre. At Northumbria

Performing Arts we engage students in professionally focussed projects with high-profile industry partners and Lindsay has a great range of experience as playwright and dramaturge and will be making a valuable contribution to the delivery of our creative programme over the coming months. We’re hoping that our relationship with Lindsay extends well beyond the year of the Residency – she already feels like one of the team.” Gez Casey, Literary Manager at Live Theatre added: “We’re delighted that Lindsay Rodden will be joining us as our writer-in-residence with Northumbria University for 2016-17. With her Literary Associate skills, Lindsay brings with her a wealth of experience in new writing script development but is also a fantastically talented dramatist in her own right. With family connections in the north east, she is very familiar with Live Theatre and we look forward to working alongside her in a number of exciting projects over the next twelve months and beyond.” This is second of year of Live Theatre and Northumbria University’s three-year collaborative residency programme running between 2015-2018. The first joint Writer in Residence was Paddy

Campbell, writer of Live Theatre successes Wet House and Day of the Flymo, and a Northumbria University graduate. Previous Writers in Residence at Live Theatre include Lee Hall whose work includes Billy Elliot, The Pitmen Painters and Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour, and Julia Darling whose plays The Last Post, Attachment and Personal Belongings were developed during her time as Writer in Residence between 2001 and 2003. The writer in residence programme is the cornerstone of an exciting and innovative partnership between Northumbria University Newcastle and Live Theatre, that seeks to create cultural collaborations that connect with the people of the North East, enhance teaching and learning, inspire new research, and connect academic research with the world of professional theatre.

DISCOVER MORE www.northumbria.ac.uk/performingarts

ew Zealand-born artist Cat Auburn is Northumbria University and Tyneside Cinema’s new Graduate Artist in Residence. Cat, who graduated from Northumbria’s MFA (Master of Fine Art) programme in 2016, will develop a new body of work, throughout her residency at Newcastle’s independent cinema from October 2016 to January 2017, with her final installation shown as part of Tyneside Cinema gallery’s programme next year. The joint Graduate Residency programme will enable Cat to work with support from staff at Tyneside Cinema, as well as use of an artist studio and the venue’s state-of-theart technical equipment. As an artist, Cat has exhibited both locally and internationally. This year, her exhibition, The Horses Stayed Behind, won a national award for Best Regional Art Exhibition at the New Zealand Museum Awards. In 2014/15, she was the Tylee Cottage Artist in Residence with the Sarjeant Gallery in Whanganui and in 2015 she represented New Zealand at the TRIO Sculpture Biennial in Rio de Janeiro. During her studies at Northumbria, Cat’s interest in site-specific research has drawn her into the museum collections and local histories of Newcastle. Speaking about the opportunity, Cat said: “I am thrilled to receive the Tyneside Cinema Graduate Artist Residency and will use the opportunity to create a new cinematic artwork that links stories from the North East which I have discovered while studying at Northumbria University with narratives from international locations, such as Austria, Scotland, Japan and New Zealand. It's wonderful to have the support of a dynamic organisation such as Tyneside Cinema and the continued support of Northumbria University.” Fiona Crisp, Associate Professor of Fine Art at Northumbria University, added: “It is invaluable for graduates to be able to follow-up their educational experience with high-calibre professional opportunities such as this. Cat is a fantastic example of the combination of regional

engagement and national/ international ambition that epitomises graduates from the MFA programme at Northumbria and we wish her well for her residency with Tyneside Cinema.” The Tyneside Cinema’s Graduate Residency is designed to support the professional development of young and emerging artists working within the moving image. The initiative is part of a wider partnership between Northumbria University and Tyneside Cinema that aims to develop and promote arts and culture in the North East. Thomas Peutz, Tyneside Cinema Chief Executive, said: “We are delighted that Cat Auburn has been selected as our 2016 Graduate Artist in Residence. The residency enables the production of new work and provides a rare opportunity for a recent graduate to exhibit within a Cinema context. We look forward to seeing how the work develops over the next three months.” Tyneside Cinema is an Arts Council Portfolio Organisation and the gallery is their state of the art, purpose built space dedicated to showing artists’ moving image and independent film. Since 2014, the gallery has celebrated the crossover between artists and filmmakers working with moving image, presenting their work within a state-of-the-art gallery dedicated to exhibiting artist film. The gallery has established itself at the forefront of presenting artist moving image and engaging new audiences by bringing some of its most exciting practitioners to exhibit their work in the North East of England. The gallery has presented 30 artists since opening in 2014, including John Akomfrah, Larry Achiampong, David Blandy, Phil Collins, Ursula Mayer, Rachel Reupke, Aura Satz, John Smith, Chris Watson, Ian Forsyth and Jane Pollard. The Graduate Residency is part of Tyneside Cinema’s Arts Programme, funded by Arts Council England, with additional support from Northumbria.

DISCOVER MORE www.northumbria.ac.uk/arts

Autumn 2016 • northumbria.ac.uk •

CULTURE

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In the Spotlight

Jane Arnfield, Northumbria Performing Arts’, is both a Reader at the University and an active theatre performer. Northumbria University News talks to Jane about her work and how it informs her teaching and research at the University. news footage and the impact this had on my view of the world in the 1970's, (as a 12-year-old).The overall content, certainly the four epic movement sections choreographed by the late Nigel Charnock were very powerful but the text I collated and scripted needed more work. However, I believe The Tin Ring is a more sophisticated and nuanced piece and the evidence I have collected to date would confirm that it has helped audiences understand the impact of that particular period of history.

Jane Arnfield

Q. Your one-woman play The Tin Ring by Zdenka Fantlova, adapted by Mike Alfreds and yourself, and your direction of Lilia Rubin’s The Fall has provided you with the opportunity to represent Northumbria internationally. How important has it been to share your work and these stories with global audiences? A. The Tin Ring began in 2011 just before my career as an academic; however the practice of that work provided the foundation for my research at Northumbria. My research is focused on investigating the form of auto-biographical performance, collecting testimonies of survival mechanisms deployed by humans in catastrophic circumstances. I believe it is important to share this practice / research of first-hand witness testimony in a performative setting with global audiences. Performative stagings of testimony appear to be gaining in relevance, especially when survivors can no longer share their testimony directly, first hand. Performance provides another vehicle for these stories to be told, retold to audiences who know and to those who don't know the context of the testimony. My research /practice have been classified by Professor Carol Martin at NYU as Theatre of the Real. The performance work is centered on living memorial and how public engagement with commemorative events of history impacts on our global memory of these past catastrophes. The performances which make up my research connect directly with spectators and seek to offer an opportunity to reconnect to particular periods of human

catastrophe opening up & refocusing the lens of the past on the present. The Fall by Lilia Rubin, which I was invited to direct for the NYC Fringe 2016, also examines testimony of six young women who lost their Fathers in 9/11. The play is a docudrama and uses first hand testimony as its resource material, the women in the play are created using that material their words are not verbatim instead they are archetypes/characters sourced from the real. The opportunity I was offered to direct The Fall this summer and then its transfer to the Soho Playhouse NYC has enabled Lilia's work to be heard and seen by more people. Providing a place to examine the value and importance performance can offer to society whilst recovering and remembering a pivotal, catastrophic, global event. Q. How does your theatre and performance work inform your teaching and research here at Northumbria? A. I am very proud to be an artist/ actor and an academic. The two roles support each other. Mike Alfreds talks about the profession of acting as noble. A word not often associated with the creative arts but I believe actors at their optimum are noble as they are empowered and can attain value for the stories of others; again not language necessarily associated with artistic practice. Mike Alfreds methodology is focused on enabling actors, writers, directors, artists to make choices in their creative practice. That is what I aim to teach, the practical, the necessary, rigor & craft. Pragmatism is at the heart of what I offer in my teaching to students, demystifying acting/

directing making it accessible and of value to performer, spectator and society. That is how I was taught as a student and how I interface ongoing learning into my evolving practice and research as actor and academic. Q. Is there a particular reason why you mostly focus on projects that are based on historical events? A. I am focused on individuals and their stories I do believe in the power of the individual story as a representation of the many. I am interested in transformation and the transition periods which human beings experience when moving from one life changing moment to the next. Change can be triggered by one’s own volition or change can be triggered by external forces. It is the impact and recovery from life changing events that I am investigating, examining patterns of resilience, resistance however minute and where the arts or where artistic practice can support in some small way recovery or acceptance. Q. Do you believe that portraying issues, such as Cambodian genocide in The Gymnast, or the Jewish Holocaust in The Tin Ring through performance helps audiences understand the depth of the issue more than hearing about it from media and other sources? A. They work in different ways so comparison may not be that useful but I am convinced that the arts and especially theatre can help people understand complex issues. The Gymnast was my second solo and I feel I was developing my craft. The work was nonlinear and abstract and in many ways it was more an autobiographical piece exploring the

Q. What helps you get in character, especially whilst playing more complex individuals? A. I use Mike Alfreds methodology, I work hard on text excavation before rehearsals even start, analysing the text to reveal the facts (imagination and conjecture don't even get a look in at this stage!) Then in rehearsals, we begin a layering process enabling the text to be embedded within the body physically and intellectually. Long rehearsal periods are deemed a luxury but they provide a safe place to play, fail, and keep discovering. Also time when the play can just drop into your body is important. So time out from the rehearsals where the work activated can be left alone is also part of Mike's methodology. That's where administrative academic duties can be handy! Q. Where do you find your inspiration for exploring different themes through theatrical performance? A. The social, political and economic content of our world from the past & in the present - books, art, films, poetry, dance, essentially people & NPA students. Q. What are your aspirations for the future? A. I am working on two major projects at the moment. Mike Alfreds and I are in the middle of adapting another book Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks. She has gifted the rights to me and although there is a film option on the book we have been granted permission to make a stage version. I have the privilege of a sabbatical Semester 2, 2017 so I will be making the work then and opening it at The Lowry Salford. The second project is called Defiant Voices and will take place in Durham in January 2017. It is a curated series of performances, talks and screenings produced by The Forge working in partnership with Washington DC organisation the Defiant Requiem Foundation. It culminates in the UK

Premiere of Defiant Requiem: Verdi at Terezín at Durham Cathedral on Saturday 28 January. I will play the Lecturer in this story of courageous Jewish prisoners in the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp during World War II who learned Verdi’s Requiem Mass and then performed this compelling work 16 times as a statement of defiance and resistance, answering the worst of mankind with the best of mankind. The concert/drama features a full performance of Verdi’s famous oratorio with actors, video testimony from surviving members of the choir, and original Nazi propaganda film footage. The performance is powerful, dramatic and inspirational, with a contemporary message of hope. Tickets £25.00, £22.00, £10.00 (Concessions £20.00, £18.00, £8.00), available from Gala Theatre Box Office 03000 266600 or www.galadurham.co.uk You’ve been involved with theatre for the past 24 years. What is your biggest piece of advice for young people, especially Northumbria students, trying to follow the same route? I offer a weekly quote to my Guidance students by email. This was last weeks: Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it. - Bruce Lee What makes Northumbria Performing Arts special in your opinion? All NPA staff are passionate about their subject, students have access to world class practitioners through their teaching & NPA has strong track record of exemplary staff research. Why should students consider a degree in the arts? I think the question is, Why would you not consider a degree in the arts?

DISCOVER MORE www.northumbria.ac.uk/performingarts

NORTHUMBRIA UNIVERSITY NEWS

CULTURE

Discover the American What it means South from home with to be human new online course Northumbria will launch its first ever MOOC (Massive Online Open Course) this year – with more than 4,000 students already signed up.

‘T

he American South’ will give students from around the world the chance to experience Northumbria’s excellence in teaching and research as they learn online from experts at the University’s Institute of the Humanities. The free five-week course, delivered in partnership with Future Learn, will explore the many paradoxes of the American South and help students get to grips with its fascinating history and culture. The course examines the history of slavery, the Confederacy, and the South’s defeat in the Civil War, to racial segregation, and the Civil Rights movement, before moving onto the present day. But it also explores how film, television, music and literature, not mention religion, cooking, climate, guns and sport, have shaped the southern experience. By the end of the course, students will have gained an understanding of the global significance of the South and come to some conclusions about the nature and extent of southern distinctiveness. Northumbria has a large cohort of American Studies scholars, with a number of experts on the American South, specialising in topics from politics and popular culture to civil rights and southern writing, and from religion to rock and roll.

Brian Ward

Brian Ward, Professor in American Studies and a leading expert on US and southern history, is Northumbria’s academic lead on the American South MOOC. He said: “The great thing about a MOOC is its reach and flexibility. It is also a great way to showcase the extraordinary research strengths and teaching talent we have in American Studies at Northumbria to a genuinely global audience of learners who want to be informed and entertained. “With a month to go we already have 4,000 learners enrolled from over 100 countries. They range from A Level students keen to supplement their studies in history, politics, and English and scope out potential destinations for their degrees, to teachers, students, factory workers, members of the military, corporate executives, homemakers and a host of enthusiastic retirees. What

unites them all is that they want to participate in some top-quality learning about a fascinating and hugely influential part of the world.” The American South MOOC, in partnership with Future Learn, will be delivered by experts from Northumbria’s Institute of the Humanities. This cross-disciplinary centre is dedicated to exploring the many facets of what it is to be human and what drives us in terms of culture and creativity. Northumbria is recognised for world-leading research in several Humanities’ disciplines. Results from the 2014 Research Excellence Framework showed that, for both English and History, Northumbria University is ranked in the top quartile of UK universities. Our researchers have attracted major funding from Research Councils UK as well as the British Academy, Leverhulme Trust and Nuffield Foundation. Research at the University’s Institute of the Humanities brings together the disciplines of Art History, American Studies, Creative Writing, English Language and Linguistics, English Literature, History, and Media Studies. It is expected that students considering a degree (undergraduate or postgraduate) in Humanities subjects would enjoy and benefit from the American South MOOC. If you want to learn more about the history, literature, politics, film, art and popular culture of the United States, then American Studies at Northumbria is the ideal choice. Whether your interests lie in the Civil War or the War on Terror, Walt Whitman or Walt Disney, this course will help you to develop your critical and imaginative skills in the context of the American experience and its global significances. Northumbria offers a range of courses in the Humanities, including American Studies. To find out more sign up for the next open day on 26 November.

DISCOVER MORE www.northumbria.ac.uk/americanstudies

Being Human, the UK’s only national festival of the Humanities, will return to Northumbria for a third year in November 2016.

n 2015, staff from the University’s Humanities department hosted a series of free events as part of the festival, under the theme Cities & Citizens. The events, which took place at public venues across Newcastle city centre, ranged from film screenings and talks, to storytelling, pop-up museums and debates. This year, Northumbria will be running two events as part of the nationwide festival theme ‘Hope and Fear’: In ‘The Power of Print’, you will be able to celebrate the rich history of printing in eighteenth-century Newcastle by creating your own prints at Northern Print studios.

The talk and writing workshop, ‘Hoping for War, Imagining Peace’, will take you on a journey through tales of war, invasion, and peace written between the 1890s and 1920s. The writing workshop, which is aimed at young people, and which will feature contributions from Northumbria’s creative writing team, will give you the chance to work on your stories about hope and fear. You can find the festival conversation on social media using #BeingHuman15

DISCOVER MORE www.northumbria.ac.uk/ beinghuman2016

Autumn 2016 • northumbria.ac.uk •

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CULTURE

Magic mirror reflects more than just looks Have you ever looked into a mirror and wondered what happened to your fourteen year-old self?

new device developed by design researchers at Northumbria University and the University of Dundee is helping people get back in touch with their teenage selves by capturing their looks and playing music from their estimated adolescence. Developed as a research prototype using online artificial intelligence to guess your age and play music from when it estimates you were 14 yearsold, the SelfReflector went on display at the V&A’s Digital Design Weekend at the London Design Festival. As well as helping you remember your youth, the mirror also comments on how high street shops are using increasingly sophisticated CCTV to analyse the feelings and behaviour of shoppers. Dr Jayne Wallace, Reader in Craft Futures at Northumbria’s School of Design, said: “In our research we were interested in all of the ways that people use the high street beyond somewhere to buy things. “It’s a place where we find out

who we are as we grow up and then beyond into adulthood; experimenting with how we see ourselves through trying on new clothes, developing our identities among trusted friends and imagining ourselves in relation to the ‘lives’ suggested by the variety of goods on sale.” She added: “Mirrors are strange and often difficult objects to encounter – especially in public places – and the awkwardness of trying on new glasses in a shop can be daunting

and embarrassing. SelfReflector was envisaged to mould itself around the person looking into the mirror – playing music from when they were a teenager and hopefully creating a comfortable and playful space.” First released and developed in partnership with the eclectic Dundee optical boutique, Spex Pistols, the mirror has already captured international attention, most notably from design fans travelling as far afield as the Americas and Europe during the Dundee Design Festival in May. The SelfReflector is a response to how positive human behaviours can be placed at the heart of interactions with technology and could be used to open up new possibilities for businesses to form relationships with their customers. Professor Jon Rogers, Chair in Creative Technology at the University of Dundee, said: “For centuries we have looked back at ourselves through mirrors. We all have a special relationship through the magic of the ‘looking glass’ and through SelfReflector we wanted to

Richard Cook with SelfReflector

explore what this meant to people. “We wanted to reflect on what happens when technology comes into our lives. The pictures the SelfReflector takes are processed to estimate the viewer’s age, facial expression and mood. The knowledge transfer which began in a small shop in Dundee could change the way customers interact with the high street.” The mirror was designed by Jon Rogers, Mike Shorter and Pete

Thomas from the University of Dundee alongside Jayne Wallace from Northumbria and input from Richard Cook at Spex Pistols as part of a research programme investigating the role of the 'Internet of Things' on the high street. It was funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council as part of the Connected High Street Project. Northumbria offers a range of Design courses at its internationallyrenowned and award-winning School of Design. To find out more about studying at Northumbria sign up for one of our upcoming Open Days on 26 November 2016.

DISCOVER MORE www.northumbria.ac.uk/design

Northumbria graduate is in fashion after international award win A Fashion graduate has won a prestigious award at one of Europe’s oldest and most respected competitions for young designers.

yan Cruzado Gangan, who studied Fashion Design at Northumbria, won the Origin Stone Special Award at the Mittlemoda 23rd Edition Fashion Awards this month. Ryan is a UK-based fashion designer who was born in the Philippines before moving to the UK. He creates men’s fashion inspired by his own interpretation of masculinity, while echoing his own personality and signature style, and graduated from Northumbria in 2015 after also undertaking an internship with McQ by Alexander McQueen in London. Emma Jane Goldsmith, senior lecturer in Fashion at Northumbria’s School of Design,

said of Ryan’s triumph: “The Fashion staff were extremely pleased that Ryan was awarded this prestigious accolade and that his talent and skills have been recognised on this international platform. “Over the years we have had continuous success at the Mittlemoda Fashion competition. This is a fantastic event, which is very well support by industry and allows our students to show their work in a global arena gaining international exposure.” The Mittlemoda Awards are held annually in Vicenza, Italy, to celebrate the creativity of young designers’ and the fashion industry. More than 600 schools of art and design across 66 countries worldwide take part in Mittlemoda, which is one of the oldest and most respected international fashion competitions

for young designers. Northumbria’s award-winning Fashion courses at its internationallyrecognised School of Design continue to pick up accolades this year, with Fashion Design Student Roslyn McQuillan recently shortlisted for the Scottish Graduate of the Year and invited to attend the Scottish Fashion Awards Gala. The awards show will mark the 11th year of the annual event and provides an unrivalled platform for Scottish creatives, ranging from designers and photographers, to models, fashion communicators and industry leaders. The ceremony will be taking place on October 21 at the Rosewood Hotel in London. Northumbria School of Design was named one of Europe’s top design schools by US Business Week

magazine and has an international reputation for innovation and creativity. The BA (Hons) Fashion Design course has an established reputation for producing directional designers and an impressive portfolio of academic staff who have worked as successful designers globally for some of the world’s biggest brands, including Vivienne Tam, Vivienne Westwood, Tommy Hilfiger, Abercrombie & Fitch and Nigel Cabourn. More recently we have collaborated with Urban Outfitters, All Saints, Old Navy, Joseph, Dunhill and Mulbery. To find out more about Northumbria’s Fashion Design course, please visit: https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/ study-at-northumbria/courses/ fashion-ft-uuffhn1/

Outfits designed by Fashion graduate Ryan at the Graduate Shows 2015

If you’re interested in studying fashion at Northumbria’s School of Design, you can find out more by signing up to one of our upcoming Open Days on 26 November 2016.

DISCOVER MORE www.northumbria.ac.uk/fashion

NORTHUMBRIA UNIVERSITY NEWS

FEATURE

Top 10 things to do and see in Newcastle - in no particular order!

1. Art Galleries

Located on the south bank of the River Tyne, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art is one of the University key partners and was the first venue outside of London to host the Turner Prize. BALTIC has gained international renown for its innovative and jointley delivers a unique Master of Fine Art degree with Northumbria. Nearby in Gateshead, you can also find Shipley Art Gallery, which is home to one of the largest collections of contemporary craft in Northern England. For those with an interest in historic, modern and contemporary art, Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle city centre also offers an impressive collection of artworks and sculptures.

2. Museums

The Discovery Museum is another must-see attraction in Newcastle for anyone with a curious mind. You will come face to face with the history of Tyneside, including the Turbinia – Charles Parson’s 34-metre steam powered ship that was once the fastest ship in the world. The Discovery is a perfect place to learn about Newcastle’s industrial and maritime past. For an insight into natural history and wildlife, the Hancock Museum is ideal for a fun, family day out for those with an in interest in both nature and ancient civilisations. Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums are one of the University cultural partners.

3. Lane 7

Jesmond Dene

Newcastle has a vibrant, bustling city centre, but it’s always nice to have a little peace and tranquillity and Jesmond Dene is the perfect place to find that. This hidden, woodland gem is just a short walk from the city centre and is the ideal place for Sunday afternoon walks with friends. You can even visit farm animals at the famous Pets Corner right in the heart of Jesmond Dene.

Grainger Market

Grainger Market can only be described as a treasure trove for anyone on a budget. Here you can find a stall for literally anything you need, from vintage clothes and furnishings, to foods from across the globe, including fresh fruit and vegetables, fishmongers, bakeries, and much more. While Newcastle’s huge Eldon Square shopping complex features all of the big brand name stores you could want, including department stores like Fenwick and John Lewis, the Grainger Market is a brilliant low-cost alternative.

The Great British Cupcakery

A heavenly place for those with a sweet tooth, the Great British Cupcakery serves moreish milkshakes piled high with cake treats and served in a glass jar for you to devour. Alongside this you can order sandwiches, freshly-baked cupcakes, and delicious confections. The perfect treat to enjoy with friends or solo!

Whether you want to eat, drink, bowl, play ping-pong and pool or try your hand at karaoke, Lane 7 provides quality entertainment and a fun day or evening out. Providing a great atmosphere, Lane 7 even offers student discount which is a great added bonus!

Marketing Management student Bethany StoppardWood tells Northumbria University News her Top 10 places to visit in Newcastle.

Theatres

You’ll find the historic Theatre Royal situated on Newcastle’s stunning Grey Street (regularly voted one of the UK’s most beautiful streets). One of the city’s most iconic buildings and one of the finest theatres in the country, the Theatre Royal has played host to the biggest names in drama, music and comedy and regular hosts the Royal Shakespeare Company alongside other prestigious companies. Meanwhile, for those who enjoy new and original theatre, Live Theatre on Newcastle’s Quayside is the place to be. Live, another of the University key partners, specialises in the new and original writing from the UK’s finest emerging playwrights. With a variety of different shows to see at both theatres, there really is something for everybody!

8. Tyneside Cinema

One of Northumbria's cultural partners Newcastle’s famous independent cinema is situated in a beautiful Grade II listed building with original art deco features and shows a mix of independent, art house and world cinema as well as the biggest releases from Hollywood. The Tyneside also boasts an excellent bar café serving highquality, locally sourced produce with a great selection of beers from both the North East and the rest of the world.

9. The Quayside

The Quayside is a key part of Newcastle’s shipbuilding heritage and a vibrant and lively place to spend time, from the stunning views of the River Tyne and its bridges, to an array of delicious places to eat and drink on both sides of the river. On a clear day, you can even visit the ‘Quayside Seaside’ complete with deckchairs, palm trees, golden sand and beach huts.

10. The rest of the North East!

This one is a bit of a cheat, but I’m allowing it on the grounds that not everyone knows how amazing and easy to reach the rest of the North East is from Newcastle. The stunning North East coastline, with its beautiful beaches from Tynemouth all the way up to Bamburgh and Lindisfarne Holy Island, are among the most stunning in the UK, and just 20 minutes away from the city centre. While Northumberland’s idyllic countryside, filled with castles, stately homes and historical sites such as Hadrian’s Wall is also easily accessible by car, bus or train. All in all, this makes the North East one of the best places to live and study in the country – in my opinion!

Autumn 2016 • northumbria.ac.uk •

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NORTHUMBRIA NEWS

Let’s HEAR about students’ achievements

Sean Harrison (left) with HRH the Prince of Wales

Students can stand out from the crowd and increase their employability while at Northumbria thanks to a complete Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR).

he HEAR is provided to students as an electronic document and provides a comprehensive record of their university achievements, including both academic and extracurricular learning and experience. Not only does it help students plan and review their personal development, but it allows them to benefit from opportunity matching for placements, summer jobs, and graduate opportunities while they are at Northumbria. The HEAR is delivered online through a thirdparty service called Gradintelligence and has traditionally been offered to students upon leaving the University. However, from September 2016, students will be able to activate their account from the beginning of their studies once they receive their registration e-mail from Gradintelligence. Northumbria will then publish ‘interim’ HEARs on the site on the anniversary of their programme, following published results. When they graduate, a final version will be published. Sally Iles, Deputy Academic Registrar, said: “Interim HEARs will enable students to have a far more comprehensive HEAR at the end of their studies. “Although students are not obliged to share any of the information, the HEAR will enhance student’s employability or further education opportunities because it provides more varied information about them, which is verified. The HEAR is nationally recognised and demonstrates both students’ academic and extra-curricular achievements, providing future employers or

further study institutions with a comprehensive record of the knowledge, skills and experience gained during their time at University. “This includes academic work, extra-curricular activities, prizes and employability awards, voluntary work and offices held in student union clubs and societies that have been verified by Northumbria University. Also the Gradintelligence site provides students with a range of resources such as psychometric tests, personality profiles and the option to partake in opportunity matching so employers can find suitable students/graduates.” The HEAR sets out what students have achieved during their time at Northumbria in a verified format –much like a degree. As well as including their degree classification, an overview of their qualification and a list of their modules and grades, the HEAR will include more detailed information about a student’s chosen course. Students undertaking an undergraduate or postgraduate taught programme, studied at Northumbria’s UK campuses, will be eligible for a Northumbria HEAR. Students are encouraged to refer to their HEAR in discussions with their Personal Tutor and the Careers and Employment Service to help them identify and articulate the skills they are gaining, and reflect on how they can build on these to achieve their future goals. It is envisioned that HEAR discussions will form part of Personal Tutor meetings with students.

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Northumbria student receives Royal seal of approval A prestigious prize for health and social care students in the UK has been awarded to a Northumbria student by HRH the Prince of Wales.

ean Harrison accepted this year’s Michael Pittilo Essay Prize at a conference, held at the Royal Society of Medicine in London. The prize, named after the late Professor Michael Pittilo, Vice Chancellor of Robert Gordon University, is run by the College of Medicine and is usually won by a medical student training to be a doctor. However, the £500 prize has this year been awarded to Northumbria Integrated Masters in Nursing student Sean for his essay “Food the forgotten medicine; how can clinicians and patients maximise its potential benefits?” which has been published in the International Therapist Journal and the College of Medicine website. After receiving his award from HRH the Prince of Wales, Sean told Northumbria University News: “The highlight of the day was having my award presented by Prince Charles. I was slightly nervous, but he was very nice, congratulated me and asked if he was interrupting my exams. I am particularly proud to receive this award, not only as a Northumbria student but for the nursing profession. Dr Michael Dixon, chair of the College of Medicine, said I was up against some stiff competition.

“The conference on food and medicine was really interesting and inspiring. It was chaired by broadcaster and GP Dr Phil Hammond and I learned a lot about evidence-based nutrition from prominent experts in the field. I also heard Duncan Selbie, chief executive of Public Health England speak.” During the conference, speakers said that more evidence-based nutrition training is required to give healthcare professionals the skills and expertise to help patients. The College of Medicine is currently drafting a group statement for the role of healthcare professionals in nutrition. The statement will acknowledge that healthcare professionals do not know enough about nutrition and that encouraging healthy eating will enable patients to continue managing their care outside of the clinical setting. Sean added: I’m proud to be at the forefront of this challenge and to be in a position to share the knowledge I’ve gained with other nursing students at Northumbria. I’ve also given nutrition advice to patients in practice, which is particularly important given that the North East has one of the highest obesity rates in the UK. I’m really excited that my essay is being published and that my work

is reaching a wider audience. This recognition has given me a huge sense of achievement as well as the confidence and motivation to write more articles in the future.” Professor Amanda Clarke, Head of Department Healthcare at Northumbria University, said: “We are proud of Sean’s significant achievement and it highlights the crucial role that healthcare professionals, including nurses, play in promoting evidencebased nutrition.” Northumbria is in the top quartile in the UK for its research power in Allied Health Professions and Nursing. More than 80% of research activity in this area is rated as world leading or internationally excellent. Placements are integral to all nursing and midwifery courses at Northumbria and in the National Student Survey (2015) Northumbria’s overall practice placement satisfaction was 92% well above the sector average.

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32 NORTHUMBRIA NEWS

Never too late to change career

While many students instinctively know the career path they want to undertake, many decide to begin studying or return to learning at a later date. Northumbria University News met graduates Vicky McNally and Garry Uy who enrolled at Northumbria after undertaking different careers.

Vicky McNally

Garry Uy

I’m not going to lie, it was quite challenging and you don’t realise what you’ve achieved until afterwards. However, the support was excellent. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done and I hope it will inspire my sons.

I loved taking care of the elderly – I didn’t think I would at first, with a background in Computer Science – but it made me want to do more to influence the care of patients and also invest in my personal development.

omputer Science graduate Garry Uy, aged 44, decided to study nursing after moving to the UK from the Philippines when his wife was offered a job. Although he already had a degree, it wasn’t honoured in the UK and he began working in healthcare to support his family. Garry explained: “Even with my degree, I had to go back to college in the UK from the beginning because my qualification isn’t recognised here, so I started over. I went into healthcare and became a healthcare assistant. I loved taking care of the elderly – I didn’t think I would at first, with a background in Computer Science – but it made me want to do more to influence the care of patients and also invest in my personal development. “I applied for both Northumbria and Teesside. I’d already heard so much about its reputation and the entry criteria for Northumbria were much higher, so I knew it would be a better university. I’ve enjoyed the course and every placement very much. I’ve wanted to work in every area I’ve been on placement.” Students undertaking nursing and

midwifery degrees at Northumbria University spend half of their time at the University, and the other half of their time on placement in hospitals and health trusts across the region, where they are able to put their newfound skills into practice. Garry secured a job as soon as he graduated and is now working in the Royal Victoria Infirmary’s operating theatres where he cares for patients undergoing and recovering from anaesthesia. He said his time at university had been hectic, but worth every moment. “I was working fulltime and studying, and sometimes only would get one day off in a month, but I just wanted to do it for my family.” Vicky McNally, 31, is now a qualified midwife working at the Royal Victoria Infirmary’s maternity unit. She had wanted to be a midwife since she was at school, however, as none of her family had gone to university, it wasn’t the norm for her and she ended up getting a job. “When I had my first little boy, who’s now seven, I started to think ‘how can I get into this?’” she said. “After having another boy who’s now four, and having been through the experience again, I still wanted to do it.

“As a single mother, I needed the support of my family for childcare, and while you’re studying it’s so busy. Towards the end of your third year when you’re about to qualify, you’re given a lot more responsibility and have a caseload of women whose care you lead. I’m not going to lie, it was quite challenging and you don’t realise what you’ve achieved until afterwards. However, the support was excellent. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done and I hope it will inspire my sons.” Both Garry and Vicky received Heath Awards for their efforts while studying. The annual awards are presented to the best students graduating from Northumbria’s nursing and midwifery courses. Northumbria University’s nursing and midwifery courses are ranked 15th in the UK according to The Guardian University Guide 2017 and were the first in the country to be accredited by the Royal College of Nursing.

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The Dominion Geordies

Wartime tales of heroism and heartbreak have been uncovered in a new exhibition based on research by a Northumbria academic.

resented in partnership with Tyne & Wear Archives and Museums, Dominion Geordies in World War One at Discover Museum, Newcastle, centres on research led by Historian Dr James McConnel. During the First World War, more than 7,000 men and women from the North East served in the Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand armed forces. Dr McConnel’s research has helped uncover the stories of men and women who had travelled thousands of miles to make new lives and fight for their adopted countries. The exhibition brings these stories together and provides an insight into his continuing research which aims to understand why these men and women left the region before 1914, what drove them to they join the dominion armies, and why many of those who survived the war chose to make their lives in distant lands. Dr McConnel, Reader in History at Northumbria, heads up the yearlong Dominion Geordies project. Through a network of international volunteers, the project researches the lives of men and women from the old counties of Durham and Northumberland who served with the land forces of Australia, New Zealand, and Canada between 1914 and 1918. As well as the display at

Discovery Museum, the project will produce an online database, a short documentary, and a commemorative beer. Dr McConnel said: “It’s great that the Discovery Museum is hosting this exhibition and so allowing local people to learn about this otherwise forgotten group of men and women who are an important part of the region’s wartime history.” The Dominion Geordies in World War One is on display at Discovery Museum, Newcastle upon Tyne, until 13 November 2016. Adam Bell, Keeper of History for Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums, added: “We’re delighted to host this exhibition at Discovery Museum. The heroism of South Shields-born John Simpson Kirkpatrick (‘the man with the donkey’) is one of the better known tales of local lads in the First World War’s Dominion armies, but there are many more to be discovered in this truly fascinating display.” Northumbria offers a range of courses in the Humanities and was rated Top 20 in the UK for the quality of its History research publications in the Research Excellence Framework 2014.

DISCOVER MORE www.northumbria.ac.uk/humanities

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Record holding cyclist trains at Northumbria A contender for the World Cycling Championships is boosting her training regime by using Northumbria specialist environmental chamber to help prepare for competing in the soaring temperatures of the Middle East.

underland cycling star, Anna Turvey, represented Ireland in the Women’s Elite Individual Time Trial category at UCI World Road Championships 2016 in Doha, Qatar, recently. Approximately 1,000 racers from 75 countries and 30,000 fans will descended on Doha for the event, which took place on Tuesday 11 October. Anna did not have the opportunity to travel to Doha in advance of the competition to acclimatise to the weather conditions. However, she was able to use Northumbria’s state-of-the-art environmental chamber, which has the ability to recreate conditions from throughout the world, allowing athletes to acclimatise prior to competing in cold, hot or humid conditions, or at high altitude. The chamber is part of Northumbria's highly-rated sports facilities, which are ranked joint 4th in the UK by the Times Higher Education’s Student Experience Survey 2015-16. Training took place over six onehour sessions in the environmental chamber, where temperatures were set at 35°C and 50% humidity,

conditions the 36-year-old cyclist is most likely to encounter in Doha. Anna stated: “It’s very difficult to perform in these conditions as the heart rate goes much higher and you start feeling very dehydrated. Whilst cycling at level 3, which is moderate intensity, I lost 2.2kg in body moisture, which is 3-4% of my body weight. After losing 2%, body performance goes down dramatically. “The course is also very technical, which is not my biggest strength. Both the climate conditions and level of technical difficulty will be difficult to overcome.” Anna’s training was overseen by senior lecturers Phil Hayes and Stu Goodall, whilst one of our undergraduate Sport and Exercise Science students, Hailey Dodsworth, monitored Anna’s sweat rate, heart rate and temperature during the sessions. Hailey said: “Being involved in the project gave me hands-on experience of working with a higher level athlete and being responsible for her, whilst she was training. I increased my knowledge and put theory in perspective on acclimatisation, and cooling mechanisms which helps for my physiology module.”

This is not Anna’s first time working with Northumbria University. Her sporting career was kick-started when she found her first coach after responding to the University’s study appeal looking for women who could run 10km in under 40 minutes. After initially struggling, she decided to put more hours in to endurance training, and became a duathlon champion. Anna added: “I read in a magazine that training in time trial is supposed to help for triathlon and |I turned out to be really good at it. In 2013 I switched to time trial and competed in the 2014 Time Trial Nationals where I came second.” Just a year after first starting time trial training, Anna subsequently qualified for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, competing against cycling stars from around the world, and also won the Irish National 25-mile Time Trial earlier this year.

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Anna Turvey

Waltzing my way through university Northumbria Business with Marketing Management student Agne Kuklyte tells Northumbria University News how dancing has made her

etting into university and starting the journey towards becoming a fully functioning adult can seem like an overwhelming experience. Leaving my life behind and moving to a new city initially terrified me, but I soon realised that it is easier than it seems.

One of the main things that enriched my university experience was joining the Dance Society. I’ve been involved in competitive dancing since I was seven years old, trying out my skills in varied styles ranging from ballroom to street dance. Therefore I was very excited to see the variety of classes offered. Northumbria Dance offer weekly dance classes taught by students

and professionals for all abilities in ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop, commercial and contemporary in show and competition categories, offering an option to continue working on your technique or dancing just for fun. It’s also a great way to keep fit if the gym doesn’t take your fancy. Last year, I decided to audition for one of the competition teams, which lead to months of intensive training in order to prepare for three competitions in Newcastle, Liverpool and Manchester, competing against other universities throughout UK. All the time invested in rehearsals and early 3am starts on competition days paid off as the society walked away with a record high 13 trophies over the past year, being awarded the title of Northumbria’s Best Student Group 2016 and being nominated for National Society of the Year 2015/16. The social life at Northumbria was one of the main reasons why I came here, and there’s no better way of enjoying that to the full

than by joining one of the societies or sports teams on campus. I was given an opportunity to meet lots of like-minded students and make lifelong friends. When we’re not spending time together in classes, we go on themed socials, enjoy fun days out and fundraise for our adopted charities; Cancer Research UK and Dance Aid. We have also been given an opportunity to join the Sports Tour in Salou, which has been a highlight of the season to many of us. Some of the society members also get elected to become committee members during our Annual Dance Ball, which provides a good opportunity to show commitment and responsibility. This is very useful when it comes to expanding your CV for a graduate role, as many employers have stated that

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extracurricular activities make you stand out from the crowd and develop different attributes. It is very exciting to be a part of a student community with a dedicated support system and it’s really reward to see both the society grow and prosper throughout my personal journey. I strongly encourage you to experience this for yourself!

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UNIVERSITY SPORT

Faster, Higher, Stronger: A Celebration of Sporting Excellence Fundraising Dinner & Auction to Support Excellence in Disability and Para-Sport at Northumbria University L-R: Prof. Karen Danylchuk (new WASM President); Dr Paul Johnson (outgoing WASM President) and Dr Ruth Crabtree (new WASM Vice-President)

Academic elected Vice-President of global sports association

Guest speaker: Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, DBE, Chancellor, Northumbria University Tickets: £75 each or £700 for a table of 10 Look out for the date of this prestigious event to be announced at www.northumbria.ac.uk/sportingexcellence very soon.

Members of the World Association for Sport Management have elected a Northumbria University academic to become its Vice-President.

he World Association of Sport Management was established to aid global research, teaching and learning excellence in the area of sport management. The Association works with international sport federations, non-government organisations and higher education institutions in Europe, North and Latin America, Asia, Africa and Australasia. Dr Ruth Crabtree, a lecturer in sports management and development and Head of International Development for Northumbria’s Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, was awarded the prestigious position of Vice-President during the Association’s annual general meeting in Poland this month. She was elected to the post after serving on the Association’s executive board for four years. Ruth has a wealth of experience in the area of global sport management. Her research specialises in how to manage tourism and national parks in Australasia and North America. Last year she was elected Vice-President of the European Association of Sport Management, which is a member of the World Association, and she also acts as an advisor to the African Sport Business Association. Recognising that such positions provide a great opportunity to promote Northumbria and its Department of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation internationally, Ruth is already working to develop links and partnerships with other global universities working closely with the Association. These links will help to provide real benefits to students in the form of collaboration and improved opportunities for work placements, study exchanges and research projects. She said: “This position is both

personally and professionally exciting and is a great opportunity to learn, develop and implement good practice internationally. It is a pleasure to be working with some of the key people in the world associated with sport management and is a great honour to be able to represent Europe and Northumbria University on the world stage.” Dr Paul Jonson, outgoing President of the World Association of Sport Management, said: “Ruth brings practical wisdom in sport management education and knowledge of both the sport and academic industries. Her promotion was a natural progression after four years of outstanding service. I will certainly miss working with Ruth as it is always a great pleasure to share her insights, but I leave knowing that the World Association for Sport Management is in the more than capable and hard-working hands of Ruth as the new Vice-President.” Northumbria University has an outstanding reputation for sports education. It was one of the first universities in the UK to offer sports degrees and provides students with state-of-the-art teaching facilities, including specialist physiology, biomechanics, strength and conditioning and nutrition laboratories. Many courses are accredited and endorsed by professional associations and national governing bodies, with field trips and work placement opportunities available at organisations including the International Olympic Committee.

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Harriet Lee, Silver Medal Women’s SB9 100m Breaststroke with Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, DBE, Chancellor, Northumbria University

Through the Faster, Higher, Stronger Fund the University will provide: Disability Sport Scholarships to elite sportsmen and women who will study and train at Northumbria; support for athletes and research opportunities that create and apply knowledge about sport performance, health and wellbeing; and specialist equipment and technology to enable more students to participate in sport at Northumbria To book: events@northumbria.ac.uk or 0191 227 4499 Keep checking www.northumbria.ac.uk/sportingexcellence for the date of this special celebration event to be officially announced.

Autumn 2016 • northumbria.ac.uk •

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Harriet Lee

Northumbria closing the gap for disabled athletics following Paralympics Student Harriet Lee returned to Northumbria University, Newcastle, to celebrate her silver medal win at the Paralympic Games in Rio.

he 25-year-old Sport Management student – who suffers from a rare overgrowth disorder known as Beckwith-Wiedeman Syndrome – brought home a silver medal in the Women's SB9 100m breaststroke swimming event. Harriet competed as part of Team GB alongside fellow Northumbria teammates Claire Cashmore, Andrew Mullen and Taka Suzuki – who represented his home country of Japan at the 2016 Games in South America. She has been swimming since she was a baby and competing since 2002, despite living with BeckwithWiedemann Syndrome meaning the left side of her body is shorter than her right. She also struggles to control her blood sugar levels. At the 2012 Paralympics she won a bronze medal in the 100m breaststroke event, despite having been in intensive care in hospital only four months before the event. Harriet admits she felt far fitter and more confident heading into this year’s Paralympic Games. “My health is up and down so it is difficult to gauge where you are sometimes,” she said. “But I was feeling good going into Rio and a lot more confident than I did in time for the Paralympic Games in London. “I knew that training had been going well and I knew that if I swam a

personal best I’d be in with a chance of a medal, but you never know what’s going to happen on the day. I just wanted a performance and to win the Silver medal was a huge bonus. It has given me the extra drive and determination I need in time for Tokyo 2020. “The people of Brazil brought a real party atmosphere to the Games and it helped take a lot of the pressure off. It felt fun and the people in Rio were incredible. “It has been tough studying fulltime and training every day but Louise Graham, my coach at Northumbria, has been fantastic. I always knew I wanted to train with her. It’s been beneficial to train here with people my own age, and it was nice to catch up with Taka and Claire while we were away in Rio together. I’ve always received great support from the University in being able to balance my academic and athletic career.” Leadership and Management student Andrew stormed his way to a silver medal in the Men's S5 50m backstroke at the Paralympic Games in Rio. Andrew also scored two bronze medals at this year’s Games, one in the Men's S5 200m freestyle and the other in the Men’s S5 100 freestyle event. Claire, who has been competing for Great Britain for 12 years, won a silver medal in the 100m breaststroke and was part of the Para-swim team

alongside Steph Millward, Steph Slater and Alice Tai who took gold in the women's 4x100m medley. Taka narrowly missed out on a medal at this year’s Games, finishing fourth in both the Men’s SM4 150m – with a new lifetime best and a new Japanese record – and the Men’s SB3 50m breaststroke event. Meanwhile, Northumbria’s alumnus and honorary graduate Stephen Miller won a bronze medal in the club throw event. To celebrate the success of its Paralympian students at this summer’s Paralympic games Northumbria University is hosting a fundraising dinner and auction ‘Faster, Higher, Stronger: A Celebration of Sporting Excellence’ to celebrate the success of its Paralympian students at this summer's Paralympic Games in Rio. The dinner will showcase the University’s success as a leading UK institution for performance in sport and raise funds to support continued excellence in disability sport and exercise research at Northumbria. Fundraising will enable Northumbria to provide specialist equipment and assistive technology to enable more disabled students to be able to participate in sport at the University and provide disability sport scholarships to elite sportsmen and women studying and training at Northumbria. It will also support research and practice in

disability sport to develop and apply knowledge in the areas of sports performance, health and wellbeing at both elite and grassroots levels. Northumbria University’s Chancellor and one of Britain’s greatest ever Paralympian athletes, Baroness Tanni Grey Thompson, will be guest speaker at the event. Harriet, who will be guest of honour at the fundraising dinner and auction, said: “There is a lack of support for disabled athletes at many schools and universities around the country, but Northumbria has closed the gap and supported disabled athletes on their journey to the Paralympic Games and beyond. Taking part in sport at all levels is fantastic for people with disabilities because it makes you feel included and part of a team. I’m really looking forward to helping the University raise funds to enable more disabled students to be able to participate in sport.”

“To the students from Northumbria University competing in Rio at the Paralympic Games, I wish you the very best of luck,” said Baroness Grey-Thompson. “As a Paralympic medallist and Team GB member I truly believe there is no finer honour than competing for your country on the world’s biggest stage alongside the world’s greatest athletes. Representing your country while undertaking your studies is a huge achievement and I will be cheering you on, not only as an athlete but also as your proud Chancellor at Northumbria University.” Northumbria is ranked in the UK top 30 for excellence in sport and exercise research according to the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF). Much of the University’s research is making a real impact on elite athletes’ lives around the world. The University is fourth in the UK for Sport according to the Times Higher Education Student Experience Survey 2016 and Northumbria is the highest ranked post 1992 University in Sport, outperforming most Russell Group Universities including Oxford, Cambridge and Newcastle, according to the latest BUCS League Table.

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DISCOVER MORE www.northumbria.ac.uk/ sportingexcellence Stephen Miller, Hon (DCL), Alumnus Bronze Medal, Men’s Club Throw

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SPORT

Top 10 university in the UK for sport and facilities

Northumbria’s Fantastic Four bring home six medals from Rio Four Northumbria students brought home six medals from this year’s Paralympic Games in Rio, meaning that if Northumbria was a country and appeared in the official medal table, it would be 51st, ahead of the Czech Republic, Denmark and Argentina!

eadership and Management students Harriet Lee and Claire Cashmore joined Andrew Mullen – who began the same course at Northumbria in September – as part of Team GB in Rio. Meanwhile, Sport Management student, Taka Suzuki, represented his home country of Japan in the pool. Harriet brought home a silver medal in the Women's SB9 100m breaststroke swimming event, while fellow GB athlete and Northumbria student Andrew stormed his way to a silver medal in the Men's S5 50m backstroke. Andrew also scored two bronze medals at this year’s Games, one in the Men's S5 200m freestyle and the other in the Men’s S5 100m freestyle event. Claire, who has been competing for Great Britain for 12 years, won a silver medal in the 100m breaststroke and was part of the Para-swim team alongside Steph Millward, Steph

Slater and Alice Tai who took gold in the women's 4x100m medley. Taka narrowly missed out on a medal at this year’s Games, finishing fourth in both the Men’s SM4 150m – with a new lifetime best and a new Japanese record – and the Men’s SB3 50m breaststroke event. Meanwhile, Northumbria’s alumnus and honorary graduate Stephen Miller MBE won a bronze medal in the club throw event at the Paralympic Games in Rio. Stephen, who studied Business Information Systems at Northumbria, is one of Britain's most successful Paralympians, having represented his country for 20 years. Northumbria University’s Head of Swimming, Louise Graham, told Northumbria University News: “The achievements of our swimmers at the Paralympic Games were outstanding. Their success is down to thousands

of hours of hard work and dedication and they thoroughly deserve these results. They will inspire many of our student athletes to chase their sporting dreams, and that is priceless.” Before the four students jetted off to South America, one of Britain's greatest Paralympians Tanni GreyThompson revealed she would be cheering on the Northumbria athletes in Rio. Baroness GreyThompson DBE, who is Chancellor of Northumbria University, knows better than anyone what it’s like to perform on the world’s biggest stage. Having competed in five Paralympic Games, bringing home 11 gold medals for Great Britain, Baroness GreyThompson DBE wanted to give her students a special mention in the build-up to this year’s Games.

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