UCL Connect by University College London

LONDON’S GLOBAL UNIVERSITY

issue three 2011

Welcome to the latest edition of our magazine, Connect. Firstly, I want to introduce myself, as I recently took up the post of Director of Development & Alumni Relations at UCL. It is a privilege to be part of this wonderful institution. There has never been a more exciting time to be involved in higher education, with so much changing and so many new opportunities presenting themselves. I can assure you that here in the Development & Alumni Relations Office, we are working hard to support the ambitions of the institution and look forward to engaging with our alumni and friends worldwide. I hope the next few pages give you a sense of the remarkable work that is taking place at UCL. The Provost’s interview sets out how we will meet Blakeney Point, September 2011 Next year, UCL and the National Trust will be celebrating a joint centenary anniversary of Blakeney Point Nature Reserve, a beautiful and inspiring stretch of Norfolk coastline that has been used by UCL staff and students for ecological research for more than 100 years. Did you visit Blakeney Point as a student at UCL? We’d love to hear your memories and see archive film and photo footage. Please contact Rob Eagle at r.eagle@ucl.ac.uk; +44 (0)20 3108 3850.

future challenges head on and highlights many innovative initiatives that will not only ensure our continued global success, but lead the way in higher education. Our report on the UCL Cancer Institute demonstrates ground-breaking work which is transforming cancer treatment and where there are many opportunities for support. I would also like to draw your attention to the recently revealed masterplan for the Bloomsbury Estate, which will shape the development of the main campus over the next 10–15 years. Our alumni continue to shape the world in wonderful and eclectic ways – this edition features UCL graduates who have succeeded in the worlds of fashion and football.

There is a fascinating article on Abdisalan Gas, whose own experience has driven him to set up a charity for the deaf. I want to thank all of you for your continued interest in and support for UCL. There are many ways to stay involved, and I hope that Connect gives you a flavour of the range of ways in which you can help. Finally, a thank you to all of you who have made gifts to support UCL this year. We are particularly pleased that our Annual Fund reached record levels – providing much-needed regular support for our students, our teaching facilities and our research.

Lori Manders Director of Development & Alumni Relations

Contents

News

Meeting future challenges

A round-up of the latest stories from the UCL community

Shaping UCL’s future

The Bloomsbury Masterplan offers the opportunity to prepare the UCL campus for the next 200 years Cover image: Bloomsbury masterplan Courtesy of Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands (see page 6) Design: Janine Clayton Art Director/Production: Fiona Davidson Publication Manager: Sinead Koehler Editor: Ben Stevens Photography: John Carey, Matthew Clayton, Robert Eagle, UCL Media Services, Sutton-Hibbert, Rex Features Maria Laura Antonelli, Rex Features Maurizio De Angelis, Wellcome Images The Sanger Institute, Wellcome Images UCL Connect is produced for UCL alumni by the university’s Alumni Relations and Communications & Marketing teams

UCL’s President and Provost outlines his vision for how UCL can thrive in the new higher education landscape

Family business

Astronomy & Physics alumnus Mark Frary on getting the class of ’86 back together

Computing power could hold the key to making the next life-saving breakthrough in cancer research at UCL

Contact: UCL Alumni Network Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK

A precious resource

Telephone: +44 (0)20 3108 3833 Email: alumni@ucl.ac.uk Web: www.ucl.ac.uk/alumni

Biochemical Engineering alumnus Weelit Lim talks to Connect about his plans for UCL Alumni Singapore

Benefits & services Discounts, offers and services available to alumni

Father and daughter team Wayne and Tilly Hemingway discuss working together and designing better housing

Reunion events

Cancer: the digital 16 revolution

Breaking the sound 14 barrier Computer Science alumnus Abdisalan Gas has big plans to help deaf students both at university and in the job market

Event highlights

A sample of the events on offer this autumn

Departmental focus 21 The Institute of Archaeology is marking its 75th anniversary in 2012 with a major programme of public events

Alumni giving

UCL Fellow Maurice Watkins talks about why UCL and philanthropy matter so much to him

News Gene therapy success for children born without functioning immune systems

New visitor centre for the Francis Crick Institute

Papers published in August in Science Translational Medicine report success in two established gene therapy programmes to cure children born unable to fight infection.

With construction on its building now underway, the Francis Crick Institute (formerly the UK Centre for Medical Research and Innovation) has opened a new onsite visitor centre, near the British Library. It offers computer-generated images and scale models of the building, and staff are on hand to answer questions.

Professors Adrian Thrasher and Bobby Gaspar of the UCL Institute of Child Health led the programmes, which looked at X-SCID and ADA-SCID. Fourteen out of 16 patients across the two programmes were successfully treated.

UCL is one of the founding partners of the institute, alongside the Medical Research Council, Cancer Research UK and the Wellcome Trust. In April, Imperial College London and King’s College London signalled their intention to join the partnership.

In the treatment of X-SCID, commonly known as ‘boy in the bubble’ syndrome, ten out of ten patients show clear clinical benefits and have no social restrictions.

When completed, the institute will be a world-leading centre for biomedical research and innovation. Its work will help develop new ways to beat cancers, heart disease and stroke, infections and neurodegenerative conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease, and disorders such as schizophrenia and autism. The pioneering laboratories will become a world-class facility for medical research with 1,500 staff – strengthening the UK’s reputation as a centre of excellence for medical science and helping to maintain the country’s competitiveness in science and healthcare. Professor Malcolm Grant, UCL President and Provost, said: “As the founding university partner, we at UCL are committed to underpinning the Francis Crick Institute’s scientific vision, in particular by opening new interdisciplinary opportunities with

Find out more at www.crick.ac.uk 2

X-SCID is caused by mutations in the IL2RG gene, which governs the behaviour of a protein involved in the development of a number of immune system cells.

our engineering and physical science departments located nearby, and in developing translational links with our major partner hospitals. Its physical location offers the institute unique opportunities for collaboration and partnerships.” The building is scheduled to open in 2015.

In a programme looking at ADA-SCID, four out of six children treated show clear clinical benefit and have no social restrictions. ADA-SCID results from the lack of an enzyme that helps cells to get rid of toxic by-products. Professor Thrasher, consultant in paediatric immunology and X-SCID programme lead, said: “These are excellent results for our gene therapy programmes and this is the first time we have been in a position to say we have found a cure for patients with these conditions. It demonstrates that gene therapy for immune diseases is now mainstream, and we hope this approach will benefit many more of our patients in the future.” Find out more at www.ucl.ac.uk/ich

Joint UCL health research centres receive £165 million Medical research centres run by UCL in partnership with three NHS trusts have received preliminary government funding worth a total of approximately £165 million over five years. The funding will mean UCL can continue pursuing its groundbreaking translational research agenda – turning innovations in basic science into treatments and therapies that have a direct effect on patients. Three centres, with UCL as academic partner, were initially established in 2007 with five-year funding from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). These included the UCLH/UCL Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), as well as two Specialist Biomedical Research Centres – one run jointly by the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields NHS Foundation Trust, the other by the UCL Institute of Child Health and Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust.

Find out more at www.uclb.com

UCL Annual Fund raises more than £500,000 In addition to these three centres, a further £4.5 million has now been awarded to enable UCLH and UCL to set up a separate biomedical research unit specialising in dementia, bringing the total of NIHR centres and units in the UCL family to four. Professor Deenan Pillay, Director of the BRC, said: “The centre is a powerful partnership between leading clinicians and scientists, and we want to build on our partnership working. This will bring optimal, cutting-edge, research-led care to patients.” UCLB Business PLC (UCLB), UCL’s technology transfer office, has contributed to, supported and will continue to support these centres in their translational strategy to turn basic science into market-ready therapies, diagnostics and medical devices.

For the third year running, UCL’s Annual Fund has generated more than £500,000 in unrestricted income. A key part of this success is the role of current UCL students who phone alumni to encourage them to give back to their alma mater. The most recent campaign finished in July and saw a remarkable level of warmth and willingness to give from those who graduated in 2009 – the first cohort to enter UCL under the new variable fees introduced in 2006. Over the past three years, it has been these post-2006 graduates who have shown a growing willingness to give back – appreciating the quality of the education and the experience that they received and the experience they gained at UCL. In addition to encouraging more alumni to support UCL, the calling campaign also provides a connection between current and former students – enabling them to share their experiences of UCL.

Find out more at www.ucl.ac.uk/makeyourmark 3

Inside information

Meeting future challenges Professor Malcolm Grant, UCL President and Provost, introduces the forthcoming White Paper, which outlines his vision for how UCL can thrive in the new higher education landscape Readers of Connect will know that these are challenging times for the university sector. The political and financial turbulence of the past year has been quite unprecedented in the past half-century of UK universities. Our operating environment has changed fundamentally and I wanted to take this opportunity to explain what these changes mean for UCL, and how we plan to ensure that our university continues to flourish. The block grant that we currently receive to support teaching is to be withdrawn from the 2012–13 academic year, apart from some residual support for the more expensive laboratory and clinical programmes, and for certain important and vulnerable subjects. For all other undergraduate programmes, the government subsidy shifts from the university to the student, in the form of a loan to cover the cost of tuition, repayable after graduation from earned income once that exceeds £21,000 a year. Research funding will be much tighter than at any time in the past decade. In March 2011, UCL made the decision that the UK-EU tuition fee for undergraduates entering UCL from 2012–13 onwards should be £9,000 a year. This was the amount necessary to replace the lost government grant, to be able to provide bursaries for students from less well-off backgrounds and to achieve financial sustainability. It was also the fee level needed to ensure that UCL could continue to provide the excellent student experience to which we are committed. Against the backdrop of these changes, the Council’s White Paper articulates a vision for UCL for the coming 10 years. It proposes a set of guiding principles for the university’s future – based, of course, on the very principles upon which UCL was founded. These extend to such questions as academic freedom, religious tolerance, advancement on merit and fair employment practice. For the university of the future, excellence will be at a premium. It is, therefore, imperative that UCL does not shrink in the face of challenging circumstances, but instead develops new strategies for consolidation and growth. This is why the White Paper sets out a vision for

student

maintaining and advancing our academic performance at an internationally leading level, ensuring financial stability in a challenging funding environment and transforming the educational opportunities that UCL offers its students. We aim to be recognised as one of the top three institutions in the country for all measures of our educational excellence, including student retention and satisfaction and the employability of our graduates. We need to ensure not only that our graduates have a rigorous education and develop at the highest level the skills necessary for them to thrive in a highly competitive employment market, but that those skills are valued and recognised by employers across the world. UCL is a very special place. It attracts remarkable affection and loyalty among its students, staff and alumni. We now have a unique opportunity and obligation to bring about its transformation through a fresh vision centred on the needs of our students. Quite simply, we aspire to make UCL the most exciting university in the world at which to study and work. If we succeed, we will bring UCL through the economic recession not only more financially stable and sustainable, but also as the UK’s leading university that tackles real-world challenges, makes a major contribution to the society in which we function and enhances the lives of our students.

KEY FEATURES/REFORMS: • F rom 2012, undergraduates should have the equivalent of at least a GCSE grade C in a modern foreign language • T he launch in 2012 of the BASc degree programme, a newly-designed interdisciplinary degree incorporating both arts and sciences disciplines • I ncreasing participation in volunteering from 17 per cent of the student body to 30 per cent within three years • Reform of student admissions processes • A short-term review of the undergraduate curriculum in all degree programmes to ensure that each fully reflects UCL’s distinctive approach • A review of the desirability and feasibility of moving to a semester system, which is becoming the standard global model • I mproving the range and quality of information provided to students and employers through the roll-out across UCL of the Higher Education Achievement Record (HEAR) and the pilot of a globally recognisable Grade Point Average (GPA) approach to recording student achievement, alongside the existing honours classification • I nvestment in new and upgraded student residential accommodation • I nvestment in a new student centre and in technology for student support • A longer-term review of all undergraduate education at UCL. Copies of the White Paper are available to download from www.ucl.ac.uk/white-paper 5

Bloomsbury Masterplan

PHYSICS YARD The Physics Yard, currently a somewhat unloved corner of the campus, will be transformed when it is covered by a landscaped garden, providing an environmentally friendly and relaxing space between new entrances into the Bloomsbury Theatre and the Wilkins and Physics buildings.

Shaping UCL’S FUTURE The Bloomsbury campus has served UCL staff and students well for almost 200 years. However, time takes its toll, and the university is making the most of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to prepare for the next 200 years. UCL has commissioned architects Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands to draw up the Bloomsbury Masterplan, which will shape the development of UCL’s campus in the heart of London over the next 10–15 years. The student experience is at the centre of the plans, creating exemplary spaces for modern teaching and learning, while preserving the architectural quality of UCL’s buildings. The improved UCL campus will make the most of our spaces and our environment. New routes across the campus will open UCL up to the public, revealing the university’s diverse activities to people who live and work in Bloomsbury. Find out more www.ucl.ac.uk/masterplan 6

PETRIE SPECIAL COLLECTIONS We plan to move these world-famous Egyptian and Sudanese archaeological collections to the top gallery of the Courtauld building, which will be refurbished to provide a suitably world-class exhibition and learning space. A new ground floor reception lobby and a direct lift service to the top floor from Byng Place will make the Petrie more welcoming to members of the public.

NEW STUDENT CENTRE A brand new building, housing all key student facilities such as registration, information and student welfare, will be built on a vacant site at the centre of UCL, next door to the Bloomsbury Theatre. Improved catering facilities, and new much-needed learning and social spaces will be open 24/7. What’s more, the student centre will give UCL a new public face along Gordon Street and within Bloomsbury as a whole.

ENGINEERING ‘MAKE SPACE’ Students will use this innovative ‘make space’ to create projects in situ, turning engineering concepts into physical reality. Visible for all to see through a large glass window from Torrington Place, passers-by will be able to watch the creative process unfold as students learn, revise and finally realise their ideas – a bird’s eye view on the life of the university. 7

Alumni stories

FAMILY BUSINESS

Wayne Hemingway MBE (UCL Geography 1982) and his daughter Tilly Hemingway (UCL Bartlett 2009) discuss working as a team, defying headmistresses and the challenge of designing better housing While it’s a time-honoured tradition for children to follow in the footsteps of their parents and study at the same institution, it’s far less common for them then to work for their parents once they graduate – though not everyone’s parents are Wayne and Gerardine Hemingway, founders of acclaimed fashion label Red or Dead and now, Hemingway Design.

Tilly Hemingway made just this leap after graduating with a degree in urban studies from UCL. Far from seeing this as an unusual path to take, she views it as a natural progression. “In the school holidays, I’d always go and work for my parents,” she says. “I did a lot of work on the housing projects that they’ve worked on in between semesters when I was at uni. “We’ve always done everything together, really. A lot of my friends, as soon as they got to 16, stopped going on holiday with their parents. I’m nearly 24 now and we still go on family holidays together.” Wayne puts this close bond down to the somewhat unorthodox childhood that Tilly and her siblings had. “Gerardine and I decided that we weren’t going to be absent parents – which it’s easy to be when you’ve got any kind of business to run, never mind a design business, where you’re always moving around and it’s very intense. So, we just took them everywhere – they were literally tagging along backstage at catwalk shows, trade shows – wherever we went in the world. “They grew up seeing what business was like, seeing what design was like, so they were bound to grow up with an understanding and ability.” Such relaxed attitudes to term dates did not exactly go down well with Tilly’s school. “Your headmistress got social services on to us,” Wayne remembers. “We travelled around Mexico, Belize and Guatemala and we had a letter waiting for us when we got back saying that we had to report to social services.”

However, toeing the line and following the orthodox route has rarely concerned Wayne in his career to date. The son of Native American wrestler Billy Two Rivers, he grew up in Blackburn, leaving school with 10 O levels and four A levels, but without a clear sense of direction. “I had no idea what I wanted to do,” he says. “There was no career path from my mum – she was a wages clerk. My granddad worked in the office of a colliery and my nan was a cleaner – so, I came to university because I was the first of my family to get a scholarship to go to a good school and you were expected to go. “Blackburn Council paid for my university education because of my background and the government topped all that up. So I got paid £90 each week to go to university, of which rent was 18 quid and the rest was spending money. Back in 1979, you lived off £5 for food, which meant you had nearly £70 in your hand.” Unaware of UCL’s ranking, Wayne used other criteria when it came to making his university choices. “I went to interviews at Sheffield, Manchester and UCL. I chose those three because of the music scenes. Sheffield had Cabaret Voltaire, the Human League and Heaven 17; Manchester was all about Buzzcocks and Magazine, but London just had more bands, more clubs and my grant was higher.” 9

“ When I was at UCL, every spare second was used: I went to all my lectures, but I was also in bands, ran a nightclub and, in between lectures, bought second-hand clothes to sell in Camden market.” illy was similarly unsure of what she wanted to do T when it became time to apply to university – though her route to UCL was quite different. “I absolutely hated sixth form – I gave up, I didn’t go to lessons and afterwards I decided to take a year out and went travelling with a friend. “ I’d always grown up around my parents, and we’d go and visit all these different countries and look at housing schemes, so I kind of got into urban design and housing design through that. “But after sixth form, I still didn’t really know what to do. You don’t get the choice to do that kind of subject at sixth form level, so I chose mostly creative subjects like art and photography, combined with maths. “When I went travelling, I thought ‘What am I going to do?’, so I applied to uni. I only applied to two – just places that I knew I could get into even with my low grades. “Oxford Brookes was known to be quite good for urban design and town planning, so I applied there, got in and went for my first year, and really didn’t enjoy it at all. “ I loved the course, but Oxford as a place just wasn’t for me – there was nothing going on at all, no music scene and no good clothing shops. It was just about going to rubbish clubs and getting drunk – and I was never into that kind of thing.”

I n desperation, Tilly emailed staff at the UCL Bartlett to explain the whole situation – how she loved the course but wasn’t enjoying Oxford Brookes. They advised her that students were sometimes accepted into the second year if they proved at another institution that they were operating at a 2:1 level. “So, I had to turn things round in that first year to get into UCL,” she says. “I put in the work, got the grades and then transferred. “ I really enjoyed UCL – I thought there were some very good lecturers and I really wanted to be in London as well. It’s got such a good location; you’re bang in the centre of London.” Wayne agrees. “That was it for me, too – I mean what an amazing location. To finish your lectures and be in the West End, it was brilliant. “For me, it formed this fantastic buffer because Gerardine, for the first year, still lived up north so she would come down on a Friday, I’d finish my lectures, go to Euston to meet her, we’d go back into College, get changed to go out in the SU bar toilets and then go into the West End and be clubbing all night. So, it was very useful, was UCL.” hile Wayne was still at UCL, he and Gerardine started W selling items from their wardrobes from a single stall in Camden Market. As things took off, Gerardine began making her own items, which they were able to sell from an additional stall at Kensington Market. Further success followed and before long, Red or Dead was born.

ventually tiring of the fashion world and looking for E a new challenge, they sold Red or Dead in 1999 and set up Hemingway Design, specialising in affordable and social design. round this time, Wayne made several broadsides in A the press about the bog-standard design quality of UK housing, famously describing the effect as “the Wimpeyfication of Britain”. To its credit, Taylor Wimpey responded by inviting the Hemingways to see if they could do any better, which led to them designing the Staiths South Bank (above), a development of 780 affordable homes in Tyne and Wear.

owever, he is also characteristically blunt. “Don’t waste H time. When I was at UCL, every spare second was used: I went to all my lectures, but I was also in bands, ran a nightclub and, in between lectures, bought second-hand clothes to sell in Camden Market. Three years passed in a whirl. I didn’t lie in bed or sit watching TV for hours. “It’s not just about drinking either; you can hold down a job as well – there’s no need to come out with debts of £20,000. It’s about moderation.”

Since then, Wayne has championed good quality housing as chairman of Building for Life, the national standard for well-designed homes and neighbourhoods. The question is, does he feel that the battle is being won? “Housing is getting better, not at the pace that lots of us would like it to, but it’s been easier to give out awards for quality in the past couple of years. When Building for Life started in 2002/3, I remember John Prescott’s office was funding it with quite a decent amount of money and he said to us, ‘I’ll fund it on the grounds that you find x number of gold awards this year to prove that housing is getting better,’ and we simply couldn’t find them. “I remember him saying, ‘Well, what are we funding this for?’ and I said, ‘We can’t just make things good – we’re funding it so that we encourage good design’. Now, we’re sitting round a table judging entries and there are loads that we can give gold awards to. So, in less than a decade, it’s come on leaps and bounds. But there is still heaps and heaps of rubbish being built.”

VINTAGE FESTIVAL As part of the Festival of Britain 60th anniversary celebrations, Wayne, Tilly and the Hemingway Design team transformed London’s Southbank Centre into ‘Vintage’, a three-day extravaganza celebrating seven decades of British creativity. From 29–31 July, the spaces around, in between and, in some cases, on top of the Royal Festival Hall were filled with music, fashion, film, art, design and dance from the 1920s to the 1980s.

Tilly has reservations, too. “I’m at the age now when you start looking for houses and I hardly ever consider looking at new builds because the space standards, the features, the design – they’re just not as good as a lot of older housing stock.” hen asked what advice he would give to young W designers starting out in their careers, Wayne acknowledges that things are tougher than they were for him and Gerardine, back in 1982. “It’s more difficult now – there’s less space in London, prices are higher and there simply aren’t places like Kensington Market where you can start a business from nothing.”

Reunion events

Golden years

Mark Frary (UCL Astronomy & Physics 1989) reports on a recent 25th anniversary reunion event at Ifor Evans Hall, which brought back happy memories of student parties and volcanically hot curries There we were, an excited bunch running up the stairs at Ifor Evans in order to get the best seat in the kitchen for a brew. It could have been September 1986, except that our joints were creakier and we had to wait for our kids. Back in 1986, we were freshers and for some of us it was the first time that we had left our home towns for more than a day or two. Ifor Evans gave us the opportunity to construct a new support network of friends sharing the same life-changing experiences. This time around, in July 2011, we had long bidden our halls of residence and the UCL quad farewell and were just a group of alumni, eager to see what had changed, what had remained the same. Ifor was much as we remembered it; it retained that utilitarian, slightly ageing feel. Overlaid on it were new-fangled developments though: a name for the Lodge (Denys Holland), universal internet access and security gates – things never needed in our day. We laughed at the newly introduced (at least in the past 25 years) system of student fines: £50 for setting off the fire alarm versus £25 for smoking cannabis. What are students supposed to do with their time these days? Some things never change – the TV room, laundry and dinner hall looked virtually unaltered.

been swept away and replaced by a Zen garden and expensive new laboratories and lecture theatres. Yet the quad remained unchanged and there were still people trying to look cool in the Bloomsbury. Inevitably, we had changed too. There were the same old characters in evidence, some with a few more laughter lines than before, while others, looking suspiciously young, clearly had a painting somewhere, ageing Dorian Gray-style on their behalf. Many, like me, had changed career course dramatically since UCL days; one linguist was now living comfortably off the proceeds of their dotcom sale. A few were doing what they had always planned and were happy to be doing so. We couldn’t entirely relive our student days; no purple nasties or cocktail night White Russians for us – the Union being closed for refurbishment. Closed for refurbishment too was that other institution, the Agra on Whitfield Street, sparing us from the ordeal of eating their famous naga. At least the signs said refurbishment – the cynics among us wondered whether both had shut up shop as a precaution when they heard the news: the class of ’86 was back in town.

A nostalgic hour wandering the corridors quickly came to an end and we were soon ensconced aboard a 29 bus – bendy these days rather than late-for-lecture-friendly Routemaster – heading down the Camden Road for UCL.

Mark Frary (Astronomy & Physics 1989) is the author of seven science books and writes for The Times on skiing and travel.

The university looked much swankier than we remembered (and our memories were a little hazy, it has to be said); the ‘temporary’ huts and the garage had long

Contact Miriam Waters for information about holding your reunion: miriam.waters@ucl.ac.uk; +44 (0)20 3108 9068

Alumni Professional Networking Events This award-winning series of professional networking events is aimed primarily at recent graduates. The events have been designed to connect experienced alumni with recent graduates, and to provide information on career change, or how to break into an industry sector.

Next Event: PR, Journalism and Broadcasting 23 November Catch up on previous events including ‘How to get a Book Published’, ‘Politics and Government’, ‘Entrepreneurship’, and ‘Not for Profit’ here: www.ucl.ac.uk/alumni/professional-development/network

Join the UCL web community www.ucl.ac.uk/alumni

Graduate careers

Breaking the sound barrier Frustrated by the difficulties that deaf students face when applying to university or moving into employment, Abdisalan Gas (UCL Computer Science 2009) has decided to take some positive action. The personal statement on a UCAS form is a crucial element of the university application process, so imagine how difficult it is to fill in when your first language is British Sign Language rather than English. This is exactly the predicament that Abdisalan Gas faced as a deaf A level student. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Trying to write a passionate personal profile in English, a language I am not comfortable in, was hard. I felt I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t compete and couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t achieve.

“I feel that there should be more up-front guidance for students, a more open and flexible application process and more differentiation for students who require it due to language or disability needs.” Despite the problems posed by the UCAS process, Abdi successfully gained a place on a Human Computer Interaction with Ergonomics degree at UCL. Benefiting from the support offered by UCL Disability Services (see panel), he graduated with an MSc. Such support was much more difficult to find after university and he found himself facing the sort of obstacles that are all too common for deaf people when they enter the world of work. “Often, we apply for jobs and the main feature of the interview is questions about how we will talk to other members of the team rather than about qualifications and experience. We want to attend events, but there is no access budget for interpreters and we are asked to lip-read. It is things like this that are constant, everyday frustrations.” To make matters worse, the support that does exist is often poorly publicised. “Things like Access to Work, use of interpreters, specialist agencies focusing on recruitment, workshops designed for deaf graduates and professionals – most of the time, we have no idea they are out there.” Such frustrations can obviously take their toll. “Having to validate one’s skills, relevance and worth constantly can be very tiring. Having come to terms with my disability at a young age, for it to be raised every time I apply for a job, an opportunity, funding or even when I want to go to the theatre – it’s disheartening. It makes many people stop trying and stop challenging themselves. Thankfully, it has done the opposite to me and to many of my friends.” In fact, spurred on by his experiences as a deaf, black Muslim, Abdi set up his own charity, Deaf Unity, in 2010. After attending an international conference and meeting deaf people from all over the world, he had a firm idea of what Deaf Unity’s aims should be. “We want deaf people to be on an equal footing with their hearing peers so that their drive and passion can be realised. For the UK, one of our priorities is seeing a more qualified and socially mobile deaf youth. There is a lack of deaf and disabled people in leadership or influential positions. “To support this aim, Deaf Unity has a two-streamed project, aimed initially at deaf people eligible for education in London, to increase the number of deaf university students and support graduates through to meaningful employment. “Deaf Unity looks forward to working closely with UCL on this initiative – supporting deaf students and encouraging them to reach their true potential by holding events specifically tailored to the needs of deaf college leavers,

potential further and higher education students and deaf graduates seeking opportunities. “On an international level, we are currently engaged in recruiting deaf graduates who want to volunteer in education in developing countries.” Abdi’s passion and dedication has been recognised by the London Sustainable Development Commission, which has appointed him as one of its 2011 London Leaders. The scheme recognises individuals who want to make an impact on the way we do things – environmentally or socially – and Abdi is the first deaf person ever to receive the honour. Deaf Unity held an official launch event on 20 October 2010 at London’s City Hall, which was attended by senior figures in education, government departments and the deaf community, as well as employers.

UCL DISABILITY SERVICES The support offered by UCL Disability Services is tailored to the needs of each deaf or hard of hearing student that registers with the service. It includes: • assistance with applying for Disabled Students’ Allowance and other funding where the support required exceeds the maximum allowance • provision of communication support (i.e. lipspeakers and BSL interpreters) • note-taking support • liaison with the academic department on behalf of a student should they have any study-related concerns • assistance with a student’s application for special exam arrangements • Deaf Guards and Pagers for students who are not able to hear alarms in an emergency. These are issued as a loan for the duration of the student’s time at UCL • advice on induction loop facilities at UCL • transcription services for students who have produced recordings of interviews for research projects and require support in transcribing the audio recordings. If you would like to know more about Deaf Unity or to get involved, please visit www.deafunity.org or send an email to hello@deafunity.org. Volunteers for events, support with fundraising and any specialist support in making promotional videos are particularly welcome. 15

Research Innovations

Cancer: the digital revolution Computing power could hold the key to making the next life-saving breakthrough in cancer research at UCL At present, the fight against cancer presents some bleak statistics. One in three people get cancer, one in five will die from it and the number of deaths is set to double over the next 20 years because of factors such as an ageing population and changing lifestyles. However, while the incidence is growing, scientists at UCL are beginning to find ways of managing cancers that would have meant a swift death sentence just a decade ago. Promising new treatment avenues are being opened up by sophisticated imaging technologies; the study of thousands of genes in tumour samples; comparisons of the same type of cancer in different people; and contrasts between the genetics of normal and cancer cells – vast information sets that can only be processed and stored with state-of-the-art computing technology. 16

“The immediate aim is not to find a cure – there probably isn’t one,” says Stephan Beck, Professor of Medical Genomics at the UCL Cancer Institute, which specialises in many hard-to-treat cancers. “The aim is to turn them from life-threatening diseases into chronic ones, such as diabetes, where a normal life is possible.” “Currently, many childhood cancers are treatable, whereas those affecting teenagers are particularly hard to treat and many more patients die. In either case, cancer has a devastating impact – so any way of transforming it into a chronic, but manageable, disease is a significant step forward.” To this end, UCL researchers are involved in worldwide collaborations that are yielding Google-size amounts of data, and a major catalyst for this has been the Human Genome Project (HGP), which was completed in 2003. The aim of the 13-year project was to sequence the complete set of DNA – known as the genome – of a human being. DNA consists of four chemical units called nucleotide bases, and the sequencing process simply determines the exact order of these bases.

“ Future treatments will be prescribed using data related to three billion genome bases, meaning that the probability of making correct treatment decisions is so much higher.”

“With greater personalisation, the oncologist will be able to make a better informed choice on the first line of treatment.” However, for individualised cancer care to become a reality, a significant bottleneck needs to be removed, as Professor Mark Girolami, UCL Chair in Statistics, explains. “These days the problem is not the sequencing, but the data storage. Each genome base is sequenced 30 times, which generates 100 billion data points – way beyond the human scale for interpretation. “These tera- or even peta-bytes of data then need to be processed, characterised and analysed – all of which poses fundamental hardware challenges and calls for much more powerful computing systems.” There will also be a need for more statisticians and PhD students to develop more efficient algorithms to increase the computing speed using the same processing power. Professor Beck is adamant that new IT infrastructure is needed for cancer informatics to prove its full effectiveness. “It’s essential – otherwise we will fail to deliver personalised healthcare.”

Professor Stephan Beck

The fully-sequenced genome provides a complete blueprint for building a human being in unprecedented detail. Scientists can now use this information to look for the genetic variations that increase risk of specific diseases, such as cancer, or to look for the type of mutations frequently seen in cancerous cells. The implications of this are huge, as it paves the way for personalised healthcare, where a cancer treatment can be tailored to a patient’s individual genetic make-up.

NEW CANCER INFORMATICS CENTRE

Current treatment options can be something of a lottery as some drugs are effective on patients with very specific genetic make-ups rather than across the board. However, following the groundbreaking work of the HGP, scientists can now sequence the genome of individual patients and the process is speeding up all the time.

The plan is to house the CIC in a new £750,000 floor on top of the Paul O’Gorman building where UCL’s world-renowned Cancer Institute is based. The centre will help transform cancer into a manageable condition that offers patients improved life expectancy and quality of life.

“The HGP took 13 years, millions of dollars and the efforts of 22 countries to achieve. Now, here at UCL, we can sequence a patient’s genome in two weeks at a cost of £10–15,000,” says Professor Beck. “In time, this will come down to as little as £1–5,000.”

UCL is currently seeking support for all elements of the Cancer Informatics Centre: construction of the new floor; computing facilities; research and teaching posts; and MSc bursaries. Naming opportunities are available at all levels – from partial scholarships to naming the centre itself. As in other cutting-edge fields, philanthropy will be the key to making this happen.

He continues: “Future treatments will be prescribed using data related to three billion genome bases, meaning that the probability of making correct treatment decisions is so much higher. This is expected to result in giving the majority of patients better treatment than is currently possible.

To address this huge computer processing need, UCL is proposing to create a Cancer Informatics Centre (CIC) that will accelerate current research and pioneer new projects in a purpose-built environment. In addition, the centre will provide a base for a new MSc in Cancer Informatics and train the informatics specialists of the future.

For information on funding opportunities, please contact Angharad Sutton in the Development Office on +44 (0)20 3108 3824, angharad.sutton@ucl.ac.uk. 17

Bright Club:

Event highlights

The events listed here are just a sample of some of the events on offer this autumn. UCL’s Lunch Hour Lectures also return, serving up brain food for hungry minds.

Stars Friday 11 November 7.30–10pm UCL Bloomsbury Theatre Tickets: £8 www.thebloomsbury.com

Exhibition:

The slave-owners of Bloomsbury 10 October 2011–9 January 2012 South Cloisters, Wilkins Building Slave-ownership was central to the formation of modern Britain. Even at the moment of abolition in 1833, owners, rather than the enslaved, were compensated to the tune of £20 million. Through words and images, this exhibition traces the contentious lives and legacies of those slave-owners who lived close to the newly-founded UCL. Organised by the Legacies of British Slave-ownership project to mark Black History Month 2011.

Following two sold-out gigs last year, Bright Club returns to the Bloomsbury Theatre. This time, UCL’s comedy, variety and research night looks at stars, with performances from space scientists, geographers, literary experts, archaeologists and more. Visit the Bright Club website or follow them on Twitter (@BrightClubLDN) to find out more about the lineup as it develops.

Lunch Hour Lecture:

London, the divorce capital of the world Tuesday 1 November 1.15–1.55pm Darwin Lecture Theatre Professor Alison Diduck (UCL Laws) www.ucl.ac.uk/lhl

Visit www.ucl.ac.uk/events for full listings 18

The law gives the courts very broad discretion to determine ‘fair’ property and financial awards when couples divorce. While that discretion is exercised in all cases, it has been shaped by principles developed in the so-called ‘big money’ cases decided in the Appeal Courts since 2000, which have led to increased awards to homemaker wives. Professor Diduck will review these leading cases, the principles on which they were based and their importance for promoting broader gender equity.

Lecture:

Tweeting to topple tyranny, social media and corporate social responsibility Tuesday 15 November 6–7.30pm Cruciform Lecture Theatre 1 Professor Erika George (University of Utah), Dr Nina Seppla (UCL Laws), chaired by Professor Dame Hazel Genn QC (Dean of UCL Faculty of Laws) http://ethicsandlaw-erikageorge. eventbrite.com The UCL Centre for Ethics & Law Annual Lecture will offer critical reflections on the role of social media in social change and the obligation of corporations in the information communications technology sector to avoid complicity in rights violations and how these may evolve over time.

Professional Networking Event:

PR, journalism and broadcasting

UCLU Drama Society Presents:

William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing Thursday 17 November–Saturday 19 November 7.30–10pm Tickets: £10, concs £5 UCL Bloomsbury Theatre www.thebloomsbury.com The play is set in the second World War, during the Allied invasion of Sicily. The valiant Don Pedro and his men are on leave from duty and arrive to stay with Leonato, the Governor of Messina. Shakespeare’s witty story evolves through a maze of mistaken identity, suspected infidelity and deception, with two love stories emerging triumphant. With an original score and 1940s swing dance choreography, this timeless play has never been so jazzy.

Annual Mishcon Lecture:

British foreign policy in a changing world Tuesday 22 November 7–8pm Cruciform Lecture Theatre 1 Lord Malloch-Brown (FTI Consulting), chaired by Robin Lustig, journalist and presenter, BBC’s World Tonight http://mishcon-2011.evenbrite.com The Mishcon Lectures were established at UCL in 1990 in honour of Lord Mishcon to mark his 75th birthday and in recognition of his achievements in the fields of law, education, religion, government and politics, both central and local.

Wednesday 23 November 6–9pm The Engineering Front Building Tickets: £12 www.ucl.ac.uk/alumni/ professional-development/network Thinking about changing your career? Would you like to work in PR, journalism or broadcasting and not sure where to start? The event is designed specifically for graduates up to ten years after graduation. Guests will have the opportunity to listen to an experienced alumni panel and network with other alumni over drinks.

Lunch Hour Lecture:

The highs and lows of our nearest star, the Sun 29 November 2011 1.15–1.55pm Darwin Lecture Theatre Dr Lucie Green (UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory) Recent reports have given seemingly contradictory information that the Sun is entering a period of high activity but also that, in the coming decades, the overall solar activity will significantly decline, and could stop altogether. This talk will discuss the science behind this activity, or lack of, and show the latest images taken by space telescopes.

Lunch Hour Lecture:

From pathogen to ally: engineering viruses to treat disease Thursday 1 December 1.15–1.55pm Darwin Lecture Theatre Professor Mary Collins (UCL Immunology) www.ucl.ac.uk/lhl Recombinant DNA technology has been in widespread use since the 1980s. It has allowed the engineering of viral genomes to produce a number of safe and useful medicines. To mark World AIDS Day, this lecture will discuss the development of engineered viruses, such as HIV, to treat rare genetic disorders and the use of these engineered viruses as vaccines.

Performance:

UCLU charity concert and festive market Tuesday 6 December 1–8pm UCL Main Quad dc.officer@ucl.ac.uk Join UCLU and local schools for the switching on of the festive lights with a celebration of all that’s merry. The whole event is for charity and you can donate towards our selected charity to get mince pies and mulled wine. There’s also a winter market with many gift ideas, fun workshops for children and Santa will be on hand to give gifts to them all. 19

International groups What have been your most successful events?

A precious resource Weelit Lim (UCL Biochemical Engineering 1997), President of UCL Alumni Singapore, talks to Connect about honouring his roots and meals worthy of the Qing dynasty

One of our alumni offered to host an event on board his yacht earlier this year. It was a day of cruising around the southern waters of Singapore and getting up close to the several smaller islands in the area. These islands are used for different purposes, including recreation, oil refining, and the latest was an island built from incinerated trash! We are very grateful to our fellow alumnus, Dr David Haines (UCL Mechanical Engineering, 1964, 1967), for his generosity. For the year-end gathering last year, we were treated to a majestic meal at a unique Chinese restaurant that served the cuisine of the Chinese Qing royalty. Though it was a condensed version of the full menu, there were eight hearty portions of appetisers and 10 main courses.

What made you want to maintain links with UCL in the first place?

Have you made any professional contacts through the group?

My family name, , conceived in the late 18th century, was derived from a Chinese proverb, , which literally means ‘when one is having a drink of water, one has to appreciate the source of the water’. In other words, it is a value that encourages humility, appreciation and giving back to the society, people and environment that we have come into contact with. It is my belief that we should not forget our roots and be grateful to all the significant pillars of support along our journey.

I have made new friends, but none of them are professional contacts per se. Thus, although not our mandate, I hope the UCL alumni association in Singapore can also become a useful professional resource for members. I believe there is scope to combine this resource globally and implement successful programmes that benefit both alumni and graduating students.

UCL was where I received my university education and it was my first time living overseas for an extended period of time. It was a place where I spent a part of my formative years and it transformed my outlook on life.

Being a visual person, I was captivated by the architecture of the main building and the red-bricked Cruciform Building across the road. Beyond the aesthetics of the buildings, I was even more fascinated by the diverse mix of people and cultures from all corners of the world – Italy, Spain, China, Malaysia, Greece, the USA, Israel, India, Pakistan, the UK (of course) and several others. They added a spectrum of colours between the cool granite grey and fiery red of these two magnificent structures.

While living in San Francisco for several years, I noticed the vibrancy of the US university alumni associations. The members are particularly active and responsive – when there are members visiting or moving to a new city, those already there are able to advise their fellow alumni and play host. When I came back to Singapore after several years, I joined the UCL Alumni in Singapore. By comparison, our association was muted. I decided to join the working committee to help in any way possible, because I believe the alumni association in Singapore can be a valuable resource for the UCL alumni in this country and regionally – especially those who did not grow up in this region. Since last year, we have found several non-Singaporeans who have been working here and have increased our member base by more than 80 per cent. 20

What sticks in your memory most when you think of your time at UCL?

To receive details of UCL Alumni events in Singapore, please make sure you have registered an email address with UCL. www.ucl.ac.uk/alumni/update-your-details

Departmental focus Institute of Archaeology With the institute celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2012, Andrew Reynolds, Professor of Medieval Archaeology, explains how it will carry its original pioneering spirit into the 21st century. Sir Mortimer Wheeler, one of the most renowned British archaeologists (above, right) of the 20th century, founded the Institute of Archaeology in 1937, after recognising the need for professional training in the subject and to establish a voice for the discipline. “He was a hugely energetic public figure,” says Professor Reynolds, “who took a very global approach and was concerned with new techniques and methods. Many of these principles are still with us today and one of the institute’s distinctive features is that it has a very multicultural make-up, with its students and staff drawn from across the globe.” The IoA’s 75th anniversary offers a prime opportunity for it to assert its continuing relevance. “Archaeology is not an arcane, ivory tower subject – it’s a live, powerful, meaningful discipline with direct relevance to society. “A major challenge is to extend our outreach to constituencies that we don’t currently have relationships with, which means establishing dialogues with minorities and asking them what they view as important.” As with any subject, the IT revolution has brought huge changes to the study of archaeology. “The way data can now be manipulated through things like geographic information systems is astonishing.” “This facilitates unparalleled international access to information, so that it crosses cultural boundaries and invites alternative views and interpretations. Fostering the public understanding of archaeology and heritage is central to our mission. “The institute is at the forefront of archaeological science, where some of the most exciting developments for the study of the human past are taking place. Excavations and surveys by institute staff and students take place all over the world and provide a uniquely broad range of experiences that our students take with them into their personal and professional lives.

Our alumni include major figures in public life and public service around the world. Others have gone on to successful careers in the financial world, NGOs and the teaching profession. We are particularly proud to have trained so many of the professionals and academics working in the archaeological and heritage-related fields around the globe today.” With more than 75 staff working on a huge range of topics, the institute is able to grapple with some of the 21st century’s most pressing issues. “Archaeology is ideally placed to give a deep time perspective on the understanding of global environmental and social change, and to cross disciplinary boundaries – fostering and developing links. “We live in an increasingly unstable world, so one of the other challenges is to mitigate the effects of this. The recasting of nations often leads to new nationalist interpretations of archaeology and cultural attributes, and we have an ethical and moral responsibility to investigate these.” In addition to several exhibitions around campus, the 75th anniversary will be marked by a series of public debates, where a panel of celebrated figures will introduce an area of discussion and then open it out to a Q&A. “The topics will include ‘Archaeology and the Media’, which will explore the rise in TV coverage and archaeology’s conscious engagement with the media over the past 10 years; ‘Archaeology and Politics’, which will look at the ongoing debate between educationalists and politicians in the context of museum cuts; and ‘Presenting the Past’, which will examine the kinds of messages projected to the public through exhibitions and museums and the need for accessibility for all. “We’re also holding two high-profile events in Gordon Square on 8 and 9 June. The first will bring together students and alumni, while the second one is a major outreach event for schools in Camden, local residents and staff from archaeological and related organisations. It will take the form of a large garden party, featuring music, world food and experimental archaeology demonstrations, such as iron smelting. “We are also launching a 75th Anniversary Fund to establish a solid, secure basis for the institute’s activities in years to come.”

For full details of the 75th anniversary celebrations, visit www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology/about/75th_anniversary 21

Benefits Garamond italic & services

THE LEWIS’S BUILDING The Lewis’s Building has cost approximately £6 million to develop, and more than £1 million of this was raised from a number of generous UCL alumni. All donors to the project (aside from those who wished to remain anonymous) have been listed on the donor wall in the entrance to the new student union building. Additionally, some donors have committed to ‘naming’ a space such as the George Farha Café Bar and the Richard Mully Basement Bar. The wonderful response to this project from alumni and friends clearly demonstrates the support of the wider UCL family and their shared commitment to constantly enhancing the student experience. UCLU GEORGE FARHA CAFÉ BAR Lewis’s Building, 134-136 Gower Street Head along to UCLU’s newest and most exciting café, the George Farha Café Bar, for tea and coffee, refreshments and a bite to eat. THE RICHARD MULLY BASEMENT BAR (MULLY’S) Lewis’s Building, 134-136 Gower Street Hosting everything from the ‘Ministry of Comedy’ and quiz nights to live music sessions, this new venue, which opened in May, also has a large HD screen and TVs showing the top sporting events. 22

The benefits and services listed on these pages are exclusively available to UCL Alumni Benefits cardholders. You can find the latest alumni benefits listed at www.ucl.ac.uk/alumni/benefits

Royal Commonwealth Society

London Hotel Discount

Avis

Cardholder access code: quote ‘UCL alumni’

Discount: significant reductions on joining fee and annual membership

Discount: on a number of hotel chains in London. For full details please email:

Avis worldwide discount code: O788305 (starts with the letter ‘O’ not ‘zero’)

info@thercs.org

alumni@ucl.ac.uk

www.avis.co.uk/premierpartners

Asia House

UCL Halls of Residence

Cardholder access code: quote ‘UCL alumni’

Cardholder access code: quote ‘UCL alumni’ (and take your Alumni Benefits card)

Discount: up to 10 per cent +44 (0)844 581 0187

www.thercs.org Cottages 4 You Cardholder access code: quote ‘UCL alumni’ by phone or click through from the UCL alumni website Discount: 10 per cent

Discount: reduced membership enquiries@asiahouse.co.uk +44 (0)20 7307 5454

Discount: reduced rates available during summer vacation

www.asiahouse.org

accommodation@ucl.ac.uk

+44 (0)870 191 7857 www.ucl.ac.uk/alumni/benefits Girls’ Travel Club Cardholder access code: quote ‘UCL alumni’ Discount: 10 per cent

+44 (0)20 7837 6704 UCL Library Cardholder access code: UCL Alumni Benefits card plus additional proof of identity required. Please contact the library for details.

www.ucl.ac.uk/residences UCL Language Centre Discount: discount on a range of courses. For details, check the website:

Discount: free reference access.

+44 (0)20 7679 5454

Payment of an annual membership fee of £50 entitles you to borrow up to five books at a time

www.ucl.ac.uk/language-centre

Hadrian Travel – See India Differently

library@ucl.ac.uk

UCL Union

+44 (0)20 7679 7700

Cardholder access code: quote ‘UCL alumni’

www.ucl.ac.uk/library

Cardholder access code: quote ‘UCL alumni’ (and take your Alumni Benefits card)

info@girlstravelclub.co.uk +44 (0)1403 887 894

Discount: $100 off holidays www.seeindiadifferently.com Gosimply.com Cardholder access code: click through from the UCL alumni website and quote UCLALUM Discount: range of discounts www.ucl.ac.uk/alumni/benefits UCL Union Bloomsbury Fitness Cardholder access code: quote ‘UCL alumni’ (and take your Alumni Benefits card) Discount: continued access and reduced membership fee bf.admin@ucl.ac.uk +44 (0)20 7679 7221 www.ucl.ac.uk/benefits

ucl.union@ucl.ac.uk UCL Careers Service / GradClub

+44 (0)20 7679 2541

Cardholder access code: quote ‘UCL alumni’

www.uclu.org

Discount: reduced membership of £25

The Huntley

careers@ucl.ac.uk +44 (0)20 7866 3600 www.gradclub.co.uk, www.ucl.ac.uk/careers UCL Bloomsbury Theatre Cardholder access code: quote ‘UCL alumni’ (present your Alumni Benefits card at the box office) Discount: varies depending on the show info@thebloomsbury.com +44 (0)20 7388 8822 www.thebloomsbury.com

23 Gower Place (next to Lewis’s Building) Known as the Barley Corn in the 19th century, this grade II-listed building has been refurbished into a traditional pub. An ideal venue for relaxing and catching up with friends over a glass of traditional ale, or a more modern drink of your choice. Phineas 3rd Floor, 25 Gordon Street Recently refurbished, this spacious venue is named after the mascot of an old tobacconist, regularly stolen by students in the 1930s. 23

Alumni giving A brief encounter Widely respected throughout the footballing world, UCL Fellow and Laws alumnus Maurice Watkins talks about why UCL and philanthropy matter so much to him. As a lawyer, it can’t be easy to defend a client who’s been caught on camera kung fu kicking a football fan. However, this is the situation in which Maurice Watkins CBE (LLB 1963, LLM 1965), as Manchester United’s legal adviser, found himself when representing Eric Cantona in 1995. Cantona was eventually sentenced to 120 hours of community service for assault, fined £10,000 by the FA and handed an effective eight-month ban. However, considering that there were calls for him to be banned for life, this can perhaps be seen as something of victory under the circumstances. Having been Manchester United’s lawyer since 1976 and a director of the club since 1984, Maurice has taken on his fair share of tough briefs – conducting contract negotiations with Sir Alex Ferguson, a man not known for his reticence, probably being near the top of the pile. With a glittering legal career that stretches back to 1964, he is both Joint Senior Partner of law firm Brabners Chaffe Street in Manchester and, among other posts, Chairman of the Greyhound Board of Great Britain – the offices of which provide the venue for our interview. Acknowledging the huge changes to university funding, he has a clear view about how he believes alumni should respond. “Alumni in the UK behave differently from those in the US, where gifts and support to your university are an expected part of life. I believe strongly in putting something back and that people should be given opportunities in life, irrespective of their backgrounds.” Motivated by his own experience of receiving a foundation scholarship to go to the Manchester Grammar School (where he is now Chairman of Governors) and then local council support while at UCL, Maurice has made a significant donation to the university to establish the Watkins Undergraduate Bursary. “If people go on to higher education it should be because they deserve to be there rather than a question of whether they can afford it.” He very much enjoyed his first degree, but it was “over very quickly” – largely thanks to a truncated final year. 24

“I fell ill in the December of my last year, “ he says, “spending six weeks in University College Hospital with peritonitis and appendicitis, followed by a further six weeks of convalescence.

“ I believe strongly in putting something back and that people should be given opportunities in life irrespective of their backgrounds.” “I ended up celebrating my 21st birthday in hospital as a result. My friends came to visit me, although most of them seemed more interested in the nurses – a few even ended up married to some of them!” Perhaps fuelled by his student experience, healthcare is one of Maurice’s other passions and has been the subject of his considerable philanthropic work. In 2006, he was asked to chair the New Children’s Hospital Appeal in Manchester, which achieved its £20m target within three years. “After my first son died of cystic fibrosis, I really understood not only the need for parents to be near children during long-term illness, but also the lack of facilities that existed to allow this.” The result is that the new Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, which is the largest children’s hospital in the UK, now has 321 pull-down beds to allow parents to remain at their children’s bedsides. Unsurprisingly, UCL is delighted that Maurice is now also on the board of its own fundraising campaign. “Once you’ve done one campaign, everyone wants you to chair theirs,” he jokes. “It’s got to the stage where people almost cross the road to avoid me in case I press them to donate money! That said, I’ve had tremendous help from donors and supporters over the years.”

If you would like to make a gift, please visit www.ucl.ac.uk/makeyourmark/giving

Connect four

Welcome to connect four. Here, we try our hand at linking prestigious figures from the world of UCL. Contact alumni@ucl.ac.uk with your best connections...

Mark Lawson (UCL English 1984) is a well-known journalist, broadcaster and author. While at UCL, he was taught by AS Byatt.

Internationally-acclaimed author AS Byatt was a lecturer at UCL from 1972 to 1983. She went on to win the Booker prize for her novel Possession in 1990.

Alan Hollinghurst was also a lecturer at UCL in 1981. He too won the Booker Prize in 2004 for The Line of Beauty and the novelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lead character, Nick Guest, is a UCL postgraduate student writing a thesis on Henry James.

Award-winning screenwriter Andrew Davies (UCL English 1957) adapted The Line of Beauty for the small screen in 2006, having previously turned his hand to Bleak House, Dr Zhivago and Pride and Prejudice.

UCL Alumni Network Gower Street London WC1E 6BT UK Telephone: +44 (0)20 3108 3833 Email: alumni@ucl.ac.uk Web: www.ucl.ac.uk/alumni