Hartley News: Highfield 100

ALUMNI AND SUPPORTER MAGAZINE SPECIAL EDITION | AUTUMN 2019

HIGHFIELD 100

CELEBRATING 100 YEARS SINCE THEÂ OPENING OF HIGHFIELD CAMPUS

WELCOME FROM THE PRESIDENT AND VICE-CHANCELLOR It is my absolute pleasure to welcome you to this very special edition of the University of Southampton’s alumni and supporter magazine, Hartley News. 2019 marks 100 years since the opening of Highfield Campus, and to celebrate this momentous occasion, we’ve put together a commemorative issue for you, our alumni and supporter community.

This academic year also marks my arrival as the University’s new President and Vice-Chancellor, and I am honoured to have joined this world-class institution at such a special time. There are many developments happening across the organisation – such as the opening of the new Centenary Building and the appointment of Ruby Wax as our Chancellor – that demonstrate the exciting future ahead of us.

This is also a time to reflect on the incredible achievements of the University and its people over the past century, and this magazine does exactly that. Read on to explore the campus’s opening in 1919, share memories from your fellow alumni about their time at Southampton, delve into the history of philanthropy at the University, find out how our research and enterprise are making a difference to society today – and much more.

I sincerely hope you enjoy reading this celebratory edition of Hartley News as much as I have, and I also hope it encourages your continued interest and involvement in the University of Southampton.

Professor Mark E Smith President and Vice-Chancellor

Mark has joined us from Lancaster University, where he served as Vice-Chancellor. He is an international research leader in the field of solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance, developing novel approaches for the study of inorganic materials, and has published more than 380 papers. A Fellow of the Institute of Physics, he was awarded a CBE in the 2019 Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to research and higher education.

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IN THIS ISSUE

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04

Alumni stories

Highfield Campus in 1919

08

10

13

16

Replay your memories

Southampton’s philanthropic history

14

University timeline: 1919–2019

Looking forward

Research and enterprise at Southampton

12

Then and Now

17

2019 in news

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Class Notes

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HIGHFIELD CAMPUS IN 1919 To mark 100 years of Highfield Campus, the University of Southampton Special Collections – our archives – has produced a series of blog posts exploring how the campus has developed over the past century. This is the first, covering the lead-up to its grand opening in 1919.

Plans for Highfield The development at Highfield was part of an ambitious expansion plan by Southampton University College – which had existed on the High Street in some form since 1862 – to create new and enhanced facilities to attract more students and to compete with other educational institutions.

The first part of this plan was the acquisition of the lease of Highfield Hall by the College’s Principal, Dr Alexander Hill. This was opened in early 1914, partly as a home for Alexander and his family, and partly as a hall of residence for staff and students.

The progress and plans for the buildings at the Highfield site were subject to various modifications as compromises had to be made to keep the project within budget.

Firstly, due to increasing building costs, the construction of the proposed administration building was postponed. It then became clear that only two wings of the Arts building, without its centre, could be constructed with the money available. This ‘Arts block’ consisted of 28 large and various small lecture rooms, as well as private rooms for professors. It also housed laboratories for biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering, which were connected to the Arts block and each other by covered ways.

Despite the compromises that had to be made with the construction, a sense of optimism prevailed, and in a letter to the Court of Governors in early 1914, the President of University College, Claude Montefiore, wrote: “There is a need for a strong university college in the southern counties, which shall ultimately develop into a local university. … A natural seat of such a university or university college is Southampton.”

The first instalment of buildings was officially opened by the Lord Chancellor, Lord Haldane, on 20 June 1914. However, things were about to change irrevocably in Europe.

War intervenes Eight days later, Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo, and war was declared on 4 August. The College made the decision not to move its operations from the High Street, and a special meeting of the Council on 7 September was called to consider offering the War Office the new buildings at Highfield as a temporary hospital.

The Highfield buildings continued to be used as a war hospital until 1919. The War Office gave up the tenancy in May, although discussions had begun early that year for the return of the buildings to the University College. The College took the view that as the

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buildings had been new when they were taken over by the War Office, there would be damage that could not be made good.

Instead, as noted in the Council minutes of 24 February 1919, it would prefer “that they should remain as ‘honourable scars’ testifying to the service which the College was able to render to the state during its time of trial”.

On assessing the extent of the damage, however, as Principal, Alexander reported to the Council on 23 June that “the architect … was astonished at the amount. … The fitting-up and furnishing of the new buildings would be extremely costly, even though the utmost use should be made of all materials which could be removed from the old buildings. The absolutely indispensable equipment would cost several thousands of pounds”. Renewed negotiations with the War Office led to the agreement for “all the huts, fittings, furniture, and other equipment provided for the war hospital” to be retained by the College to enable it to accommodate the influx of students and wounded military personnel wishing to return to study.

The doors open When the move was finally made from the ‘Old Hartley’ – as the building on the High Street had been known – to Highfield Campus for the start of the academic year 1919, “upward of 300 full-time day students had been admitted, and more were coming in every day”, marking a new beginning for both the University and for college community life.

What awaited the new students who joined the College in the autumn of 1919?

In terms of the facilities, the new buildings at Highfield were praised as an improvement on those at the city centre, although accommodation was restricted. Lecture rooms could be small, and some facilities had to serve multiple purposes.

While the wooden huts left by the military provided much needed additional accommodation, they still had, in some cases, traces of their hospital origins. The staff refectory bore the inscription ‘dysentery’ on its door for some time. And although they provided more spacious accommodation than the rooms in the main buildings, the huts were fairly spartan environments.

There was also no room specifically designed as a library since this had been part of the central block, which had not been constructed. Stock had to be distributed across the College in the various departments.

A hut used as a chemistry laboratory

Campus life in 1919 Maintenance grants were available to support students wishing to study at the College. The rates set by the College’s grants committee in 1919 ranged from £90 per year for single men who were living with their parents and did not contribute to household costs, to £150 per year for single men and £200 per year for married men who resided independently. No mention is made of grants for female students.

While student numbers had been maintained during the war years by an increase in female students, there was an influx of male students returning to study in 1919. Male and female staff and students might teach and study together, but otherwise existed quite separately. There were designated common rooms for female staff and students, away from those for the male staff and students, and halls of residence were also separate.

In keeping with a new beginning at a new location, new staff joined the University for the 1919 academic year, although the overall staff complement remained quite modest. The starting salary for the lecturers was £350 per year, while that of a professor was £500. This was apparently quite low in comparison with other higher education institutions of the time.

Student activities and student societies had continued throughout the war period, although on a modest scale. The academic year of 1919 was as much one of transition and adjustment for student social and sporting activities as for academic matters. The student magazine returned to a termly publication rather than the annual one it had been during the war, and student societies began developing their future plans. Yet while student events were organised, the lack of space at Highfield Campus meant that certain groups, such as the Physical Culture Society and the Scientific Society, were unable to start meetings again at the beginning of the 1919/20 academic year. Moreover, the annual soirée for new students was held at the old Hartley Institution building as there was no room large enough at Highfield.

Today, Highfield is just one of seven campuses that comprise the University of Southampton – currently home to over 21,500 students, with a global community of over 245,000 alumni – and we continue to grow all the time.

Read subsequent blog posts in the series, and explore other archive content:

specialcollectionsuniversityofsouthampton.wordpress.com

The female staff common room

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ALUMNI STORIES Our alumni are spread over 190 countries, yet one things unites them: the University of Southampton. There are thousands of different stories and memories, but our community shared in a unique experience here.

Several alumni speak to Hartley News about how they remember the University.

Margaret Western (BSc General Science, 1959) “Highfield Campus contained far fewer buildings in the 1950s than nowadays. There was the Students’ Union, with refectory, sun lounge, and leisure areas. The refectory was very popular at lunchtime, and with only about 1,200 students as a whole on campus, there was almost always someone there that you knew when you walked in for lunch. The Union building was also used for Friday evening jazz club – local residents complained of the decibel level – and for Saturday evening ‘hops’ (informal dances).”

Margaret Western came to the University of Southampton in 1956 to study three science subjects at undergraduate level: chemistry, geology, and physics. Southampton was a natural choice for Margaret, who was known as Christal at the time; it was considered relatively close to her Kentish home, and as a young girl, she’d spent most of the Second World War in the city.

Knowing another woman who was already attending the University acted as further encouragement to apply, especially at a time when it was uncommon for women to study such a course.

Much of Margaret’s degree involved practical work, from the microscopic study of rocks and minerals in geology to “hoping that the physics experiments worked”. Chemistry practicals were held in an old army hut on campus with a bare concrete floor, and the final exam lasted seven hours. Margaret recalls a lot of geology fieldwork and excursions, but a distinct lack of written assessment: “I learnt from textbooks and wrote lab reports, but cannot remember ever looking up a journal article or actually writing an essay.”

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single students in the Christian Union. “Two couples live in Canada and one in the USA. I suppose they are examples of the ‘brain drain’ era of the 1960s and 1970s,” she remarks.

Margaret continues to return to Highfield Campus for reunions.

In 2009 – 50 years after her graduation – she attended an Ocean and Earth Science anniversary event, to which she donated a selection of photographs and reports from her geology fieldwork for display.

“The reports were of interest, not only because of the geological notes, but because they were handwritten – complete with crossed-out mistakes – in black ink, and maps were hand-drawn and coloured with colouring pencils. I had put the individual pages together with string through punch holes,” Margaret explains.

Nowadays, Margaret can be found enjoying her retirement in the Midlands. Education played a central role in her life after graduation; she gained further qualifications that allowed her to teach at a girls’ grammar school and later to hearing-impaired pupils. In more recent years, Margaret has continued to study, taking additional undergraduate degrees across the fields of geography and ecology in both the UK and New Zealand. She comments: “I now realise that the more that one learns, the more there still is to learn. Science is worthy of study.”

Our online alumni and supporter magazine, Southampton Connects, regularly features ‘Looking back’ pieces, in which alumni reflect on their time at the University.

Beyond the academic work, Margaret was an enthusiastic member of the Christian Union; she and many students would often attend a lecturer’s home on Sunday afternoons for Bible study and tea.

These friendships have stood the test of time as Margaret remains in contact with three married couples, all of whom she knew as

Go online to read more stories, or email us to share your memories:

connects.soton.ac.uk alumni@southampton.ac.uk

Margaret with the display of her work at the University anniversary event (2009)

Margaret on holiday in the Lake District after graduation (1959)

Alumni on campus Did you know that around a third of our staff at the University are alumni? Meet some of our alumni on campus, and find out what inspired them to pursue their careers here at Southampton after graduating.

“I met many inspiring people while studying at Southampton. One lecturer in particular, Simon Brook, had such a mastery of his subject, and was many years ahead of his time as a role model of professional compassion.

“I caught the teaching ‘bug’, and returned to Southampton in 2004 as a lecturer. The combination of encouraging colleagues and an environment that supports innovation has enabled me to create trailblazing advances in the field of nurse education, and gain international recognition. You can’t innovate alone; it’s the generous support of those around you that creates the classroom magic.”

James Wilson Principal Teaching Fellow (Mental Health) (BSc Nursing, 2003; MSc Education, 2008)

“I have lots of memories of a fun-filled student life, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and friendships that will last forever. I also met my husband during the final year of my PhD. “When the University advertised some new lectureships in computer science, I applied, and to my surprise was offered a job. I’ve never looked back. Southampton has always supported my passion for interdisciplinary work, and allowed me to experiment at the cutting edge of my discipline.

“I became the first female professor of engineering at Southampton in 1994; that was a great springboard for the diversity and policy work I do in science and engineering. I was also awarded a Vice Chancellor’s research fellowship in 1995/96, which was the next springboard I needed to carve out a research career at national level and beyond.”

Professor Dame Wendy Hall Regius Professor of Computer Science, Pro Vice-Chancellor (International Engagement), and Executive Director of the Web Science Institute (BSc Mathematics, 1974; PhD Pure Mathematics, 1977)

“After graduating, I worked for the British Red Cross as a fundraiser.

I never even knew that universities were charities, so when I saw the role advertised here at Southampton, I jumped at the opportunity. It is such a privilege to work for my alma mater, connecting with fellow alumni and supporters who are in a position to give something back.

“I am so passionate about the transformative impact of philanthropy, and love that my job enables me to help the University flourish.

Recently, we raised £25m to build our new Centre for Cancer Immunology; this was an achievement we all feel extremely proud of.”

Katherine de Retuerto Associate Director of Development (BA History, 2000)

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REPLAY YOUR MEMORIES What memories do you have of your days at the University?

Which track takes you back?

We all have those songs that remind us of a certain time and place. Over the past year, your fellow alumni have been submitting their tracks and memories as part of our Replay campaign, building up a nostalgic alumni playlist that reminds them of their time studying at the University.

We’ve plotted some of the most popular songs and memories submitted by our alumni community onto their locations to create a musical map.

1983, Chamberlain Halls New Order – Blue Monday Brilliant discos in Chamberlain Halls, all doing our early 1980s moves for hour after hour, fuelled by the love of the music, great friends, and sheer fun. Oh, and some alcohol!

1972, Students’ Union Coffee Shop The Moody Blues – Nights in White Satin You wondered if you weren’t in the coffee shop if you didn’t hear this song at least 10 times.

2012, St Margaret’s House Adele – Someone Like You This reminds me of tough days when I’d just moved to the UK, and was a million miles away from my home and family. Would have never guessed that 2011/12 turned into the best years of my life.

dd your own track and memories A to our musical map of Southampton, or listen to the alumni playlist:

www.southampton.ac.uk/replay 8

1987, Glen Eyre Halls

1997, Connaught Halls

Madonna – Live to Tell

Oasis – Wonderwall

I only stayed at the University for one academic year, but the memories of that period and the time I spent with my first real love listening to this song will last forever.

I remember playing this really badly on my guitar to impress my girlfriend. We’ve now been married almost 20 years – despite my poor guitar skills!

2011, Montefiore Bar Sugababes – About You Now

1985, Shakespeare Avenue

Freshers’ Week began – I set off in search of new friends in the Boiler House. On that evening, I met a group from the flat above mine, making up group dance moves to About You Now. And we’ve never stopped playing it – 10 years on, it’s been at every Christmas, night out, and wedding!

Katrina and the Waves – Walking on Sunshine This played at full volume through our house (lovingly called Hamlet Hall) in Shakespeare Avenue on the first day of finals in the summer of 1985.

2000, Jesters Five – Everybody Get Up The memories of Jesters are somewhat hazy! But I remember dancing to Five with our UV pint glasses of Juicy Lucys very fondly!

2009, The Dungeon Journey – Don’t Stop Believin’ This was my friendship group’s soundtrack every time we went to The Dungeon. The DJ got so fed up in the end that he put a sign on his booth banning the song from being requested!

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UNIVERSITY TIMELINE: 1919–2019 The development of the University over the past century, not just at Highfield Campus, has been transformative.

Take a look at some key events in our history.

1919

1936

After a delay of five years following the outbreak of the First World War, Highfield Campus is finally opened.

Wessex News, the University’s student newspaper later known as Wessex Scene, publishes its first issue.

1964

The largest halls of residence, Glen Eyre, opens its doors.

The Nuffield Theatre opens on campus.

1935

1947

1952

1967

The University’s first academic library opens on the spot of what is now the Turner Sims Concert Hall.

Pioneering radio engineer Professor Eric Zepler founds the Department of Electronics, one of the first of its kind in the world.

HM The Queen grants the first royal charter of her reign to Southampton University College, establishing the University of Southampton.

The Students’ Union building is completed, with an extensive renovation taking place in 2002.

Geography fieldwork (1920s)

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1949

A football match at North Stoneham Sports Ground (1950)

A lacrosse team (1953)

1995

The University’s expansion continues beyond Highfield, as Avenue Campus becomes the new home of humanities.

The Southampton Oceanography Centre, now known as the National Oceanography Centre Southampton, opens as one of the largest of its kind in the world.

1994

1996

2005

2015

2019

The University becomes a founding member of the Russell Group, an association of the UK’s top research-intensive universities.

Winchester School of Art, founded in 1870, is integrated into the University as its first campus outside of Southampton.

A large fire destroys the Mountbatten Building, with the new facility opening exactly three years later.

Boldrewood Innovation Campus, a new centre for innovation, business, and education, opens where the north end of The Avenue meets Burgess Road.

The opening of the Centenary Building, a new teaching and learning centre, is just one of the many celebrations to mark 100 years of Highfield Campus.

1993

Ship Science (1990s)

2018

2004 Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, becomes a Professor in Computer Science at the University.

Maths with an industry study day (1998)

Following a successful £25m fundraising campaign, the Centre for Cancer Immunology opens – the first building fully funded by philanthropy in the University’s history.

2011 The University’s first international campus opens in Malaysia, offering courses in engineering.

Laboratory work in the Synthetic Chemistry Building (2000s)

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THEN AND NOW A lot can happen in 100 years. Places change and campuses grow.

For our alumni, the years that follow graduation provide their own transformations.

To mark this summer’s ceremonies, we challenged our alumni to take to social media and share their Southampton journey in the form of two photos – one from their graduation, and one showing what they’re up to now – telling us how they’ve changed since their big day.

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Mary Sims, of the local Sims family, who funded the construction of the University library

The opening of the Hartley Institution by Lord Palmerston (1862)

SOUTHAMPTON’S PHILANTHROPIC HISTORY The University of Southampton wouldn’t be the world-leading institution it is today without the generous support of our alumni and supporter community.

A long legacy of charitable individuals and organisations has contributed to our rich and varied history.

The story of the University began with a bequest from local businessman Henry Robinson Hartley in 1850. The Corporation of Southampton created the Hartley Institution with his generous gift, which was opened in 1862 on the High Street by the Prime Minister, Lord Palmerston. The Institution became the University of Southampton in 1952, receiving the first royal charter to be awarded during the reign of HM The Queen.

The philanthropic example set by Hartley has continued throughout the history of the University. Donors and supporters like William Darwin – the eldest son of Charles Darwin – prominent Jewish scholar Claude Montefiore and his wife Florence, and members of the local Sims family ensured we flourished throughout turbulent early years. You can still see the legacy of their gifts and many others in places such as Montefiore Halls, Valley Gardens, the Zepler Building, and the Turner Sims Concert Hall. In recognition of their contributions, the names of many of these important figures are now memorialised in the forthcoming University of Southampton Giving Circles, further acknowledging the significant impact of philanthropic support in shaping the University.

The University has always been well supported by the local community, providing education, training, and employment for many within the city and local area. The generosity of the people of Southampton has had a profound impact on our institution.

In the 1930s, the community raised £110,000 (over £5m in today’s money) to ensure the University’s survival following the financial crisis. Local businesses also supported specific aspects

of our development; just one example was John I Thornycroft & Company, internationally renowned naval shipbuilders, supporting Engineering.

Support for Southampton is now encouraged and stewarded by the Office of Development and Alumni Relations; working with our wider staff community, we support a variety of projects around the University. In 2012, the biggest single donation in the University’s history – £10m – became the basis for our largest ever fundraising campaign: to build the UK’s first centre dedicated to cancer immunology research at Southampton General Hospital.

We continue to support the work of the new Centre alongside a wide variety of other projects at the University. And ever paramount to our fundraising is putting students at the heart of our work, helping them to achieve their full potential.

The University of Southampton Special Collections is hosting an exhibition about philanthropy, including material relating to the University’s development, until Friday 6 December. A Philanthropic Spirit is open on weekdays at the Hartley Library; entry is free to all.

Inspired by the impact of philanthropy?

Contact Richard Wilson, Legacy Manager, to find out more about leaving a gift in your will: richard.wilson@southampton.ac.uk +44 (0)23 8059 7157 13

RESEARCH AND ENTERPRISE AT SOUTHAMPTON As a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities, Southampton has an established history of leading the way in groundbreaking research. We forge and nurture connections with industry and organisations, develop new businesses, and support the next generation of leaders and thinkers to achieve their potential.

Our research Our innovative thinking and pioneering research is making an impact on a global scale, and we are finding solutions for some of the biggest challenges our planet is facing. Here are just a few examples.

Lighting the way Our Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) is one of the world’s leading institutes for photonics, the study of light. In the 1980s, Southampton alumnus Professor Sir David Payne (BSc Electrical Engineering, 1966; PhD Science, 1977), now Director of the ORC, invented the erbium-doped fibre amplifier that powers the internet today.

Whenever you use a mobile phone, you are using amplifier technology we invented. Optical fibres developed by our research teams navigate airliners, cut steel, and manufacture life-saving medical devices.

In 2017, we were proud to receive a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education, recognising the many decades of innovation and cutting-edge research undertaken by the ORC. The Queen’s Anniversary Prizes are the UK’s most prestigious form of recognition for a UK academic or vocational institution.

Our work today includes point-of-care sensing, next-generation super-fast optical integrated circuits, nanoscale imaging, and eternal memory chips.

Combating cancer For 40 years, we have been at the forefront of cancer immunology research, harnessing the immune system to recognise and kill cancer cells.

Our scientists have been instrumental in the development of lifechanging treatments using this approach, particularly monoclonal antibodies targeting the cell surface in non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which have been a major factor in the global decline in deaths from this illness.

Our new Centre for Cancer Immunology, the first of its kind in the UK, brings together world-leading specialists from a range of disciplines to harness the power of the immune system in the fight against cancer.

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Responding to natural disasters In the event of a natural disaster, we are one of the first organisations UN agencies and governments consult to assess how many people are affected, and to ensure the people in the most need receive adequate aid.

Researchers in our WorldPop programme, led by alumnus Professor Andrew Tatem (BSc Environmental Sciences, 1998; PhD Engineering, 2002), have unparalleled expertise in population mapping. In partnership with the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and non-profit organisation Flowminder, they are enabling isolated populations around the world to be counted for the first time.

As a result, governments across the world can strengthen their capacity for delivering effective aid following an earthquake, carry out targeted intervention programmes to eliminate diseases such as malaria, develop better infrastructure, healthcare, and housing, and ensure more people are able to vote.

Fighting future infections Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), including resistance to antibiotics, is one of the most pressing issues we face today. Unless we find a solution, it will kill more people than cancer by 2050. Our researchers are leading the way in tackling this threat.

A major cause of AMR is biofilms: large communities of bacteria that are around 1,000 times more resistant to antibiotics than single-celled bacteria. We host the National Biofilms Innovation Centre (NBIC), bringing together experts from across the UK to deliver groundbreaking technologies and products to tackle antimicrobial resistance.

Through our Global Network for Anti-Microbial Resistance and Infection Prevention (NAMRIP), we also bring together experts from across the world, and multiple disciplines, to conduct gamechanging research into AMR. What’s more, we are at the forefront of world-leading clinical research through our Biomedical Research Centre; current projects include tackling biofilms using ultrasound, and developing better cleaning methods for hospitals.

To find out more about how our research is changing the world, visit www.southampton.ac.uk/researchhighlights

Our enterprise We have a strong tradition of enabling staff and students to make a global impact by commercialising their research and ideas.

Nurturing aspiring entrepreneurs Future Worlds is the University of Southampton’s on-campus startup accelerator. Founded in 2015, it helps aspiring student and academic entrepreneurs change the world with their ideas.

Future Worlds has supported over 200 entrepreneurs since its inception. It has enabled the launch of groundbreaking new companies across the world, from Southampton and London, to Silicon Valley and Tanzania.

Developing tomorrow’s social leaders The Social Impact Lab is a unique social leadership training programme that helps students realise their potential as social leaders.

The Spark India international leadership programme is one way that the Social Impact Lab offers our students the chance to develop their skills and change lives. Students travel to Mumbai to work with social purpose organisations on a range of challenges, including gender equality, sexual harassment, and access to education.

Spark India Fellow Isabelle Freeman (BSc Politics and International Relations, 2019) says: “Spark India is an opportunity that I will be forever grateful for. The skills and lessons taught are invaluable in facilitating significant personal growth in 10 days. I thoroughly enjoyed every day, from the activities, seeing the different sides to Mumbai, and the amazing friends you make as a cohort of likeminded individuals.”

Our students can also join Enactus Southampton, our branch of the global non-profit organisation that creates social enterprises to improve the lives of people across the globe. Enactus Southampton has a history of success: it was the first UK team ever to win the Enactus World Cup in 2015, was named the UK National Champion in 2017, and continues to help communities worldwide.

Future Worlds, the University’s on-campus startup accelerator Proofer is just one of Future Worlds’ success stories. Its Co-Founder and CEO, Sharif Alvis (BEng Aeronautics and Astronautics/ Aerodynamics, 2019) designed a software package to help businesses plan, create, schedule, and proof social media content, after he secured £135,000 through Future Worlds in 2016. Proofer is already being used by agencies and SMEs, and has a development team that spans the globe.

Future Worlds also works with academics at the University to commercialise their work. Professor Ying Cheong, Associate Dean of Faculty (Enterprise), Medicine, and Professor Hywel Morgan, Deputy Head of Department, Electronics and Computer Science (Research), are Co-Founders of Vivoplex, a disruptive digital health company in human fertility. It is based on their research in reproductive medicine and biosensing. Future Worlds provided them with an outfacing platform and media exposure early in development.

University alumni have been heavily involved in Future Worlds.

They frequently form the focal point of events, such as 20MINFOUNDER – a regular talk series where startup founders share their entrepreneurial journeys – and Future Worlds Dragons’ Den. Postgraduate student Joshua Steer was offered a £120,000 investment in his startup at 2019’s Dragons’ Den, the largest investment the event has ever seen.

Enabling enterprising activities through crowdfunding We are proud to support students taking part in enterprising and innovative projects alongside their courses. Our Student Experience Fund provides matched funding for activities that rely on crowdfunding, and plays a vital role in helping our students make the most of their time here.

One example is Formula Student, a competition run by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers that challenges students to use their creativity, technical, and business skills to design, build, and race single-seater cars across a series of events.

Thanks to the generous support from industry sponsors and fans, the Southampton University Formula Student Team (SUFST) raised over £11,500 through matched funding, helping them to achieve their best ever finish this year.

Taking part in SUFST inspires our students, and gives them the skills they need to succeed in the engineering industry. Many later secure internships and jobs with Formula One teams.

To find out more about our crowdfunded projects, visit southampton.hubbub.net

Alumnus Ben Clark (MBA Management, 2002), who was appointed as the new Director of Future Worlds earlier in 2019, says: “There are so many more success stories to come, which will have a lasting impact on the University, the city, and the world, and make Southampton a powerhouse for tech startups.

“To seize that opportunity, I’m looking to connect with mentors, investors, and external partners who want to engage with some of the most talented and ambitious startup founders in the UK to help them achieve their full potential.”

To find out more about Future Worlds and how to get involved, visit www.futureworlds.com

This year’s Southampton University Formula Student Team

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LOOKING FORWARD The Centenary Building One of the many celebrations taking place to mark 100 years since the opening of Highfield Campus is the construction of a new teaching and learning centre. Known as the Centenary Building – and numbered Building 100 in honour of the anniversary – the seven-storey tower stands tall between Highfield Interchange and Salisbury Road.

The new building offers a variety of environments to enhance students’ learning, including an 80-seat ‘Harvard-style’ lecture theatre – providing a more intimate setting that’s shown to improve collaboration. In addition, an independent study space and 250seat standard lecture theatre ensure that the centre remains both flexible and functional. The project has also allowed a dramatic rejuvenation of the surrounding roads and courtyards.

Students and lecturers alike have been making the most of the modern facilities since the start of the academic year – including enjoying the impressive views across campus from many rooms.

The Centenary Building’s official ribbon cutting is due to take place in the coming months.

Ruby Wax and mental health One of 2019’s welcome announcements was the appointment of Ruby Wax as our new Chancellor. The comedian, actress, and author – who is a household name in the UK – now plays an ambassadorial role for Southampton through strategic activities and presiding over graduation ceremonies.

Ruby’s appointment in April was widely applauded, particularly by the student community, who felt that her services to mental health – which gained her an OBE in 2015 – would prove hugely beneficial to Southampton. An avid campaigner for mental health awareness, Ruby plans to bring these issues to the fore. “I hope to engage the University community more closely in my activities focused on mental health, so that together we can explore how to overcome its stigma in society, especially among younger generations,” Ruby explains.

This parallels our ongoing commitment to support students with mental health and wellbeing by providing a range of services that are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Our students are able to speak to advisors via daily drop-in sessions, face-to-face appointments, telephone, or email. The support we offer includes advice and guidance, self-help resources, and signposting to additional services, such as access to counsellors and practitioners, events and activities, and even hypnotherapy. Southampton was the first British university to implement such a model, and it has since been used as a basis for other institutions. Currently, only 3.2 per cent of students disclose a mental health problem, but in 2018/19, far more than this were supported by these proactive and preventative services.

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Furthermore, the University works closely with NHS organisations and schools to deliver cutting-edge research that has the potential to improve mental health treatments and wellbeing for people of all ages. Bringing together medics, psychologists, psychiatrists, neuroscientists, and health scientists, our research emphasises key areas, such as early intervention, personalising treatments, and predicting therapeutic responses. We continue to be one of the largest providers of postgraduate mental health training and research in the UK.

2019 IN NEWS Gandhi memorial tree planting In the year that marks 150 years since the birth of Mahatma Gandhi, the University was honoured in June to be visited by the Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Her Excellency Mrs Ruchi Ghanashyam.

To commemorate the anniversary – as well as the launch of the University’s India Centre earlier in the year – she planted a memorial tree at Highfield Campus with the President and Vice-Chancellor (Interim), Professor Mark Spearing (pictured above). This was one of only two such ceremonies held in the UK, and the choice of Southampton bears particular significance to Gandhi as it was where he first arrived in the country in 1888.

Allergy research partnership In June, it was announced that the newly launched Natasha Allergy Research Foundation would be working with the University to help advance our research in allergies. 15-year-old Natasha EdnanLaperouse tragically died in 2016 from a severe allergic reaction to a baguette that contained sesame seeds, and her parents have since campaigned tirelessly for greater study and awareness. As a recognised World Allergy Organisation Centre of Excellence, the University hopes that the scholarships and bursaries funded by the generous £400,000 gift from the Foundation will support approximately 60 postgraduate students over a four-year period to contribute to research and education in the field, resulting in better knowledge of the causes and effects of allergies, and eventually more effective treatments.

Moon landing alumnus Few of us are aware of the connection the University holds with the first moon landing in 1969, but it’s thanks to alumnus Tecwyn Roberts that Apollo 11 was able to complete its historic mission.

The Welshman, who graduated from Southampton in 1948 with a degree in aeronautical engineering, was a spaceflight engineer at NASA. He developed an innovative method of communication that allowed contact with the spacecraft across the vast distance.

Tecwyn is also credited with coining the phrase ‘A-OK’. His contributions were featured in a BBC documentary, Rocket Man: NASA’s Welsh Hero, as part of their 50th anniversary celebrations in July.

Maritime centre launch Following an extraordinary £1.5m gift from Shell Shipping & Maritime – the largest corporate gift in the University’s history – the launch of the Centre for Maritime Futures was announced in September. Working with strategic partners, the virtual Centre aims to transform the energy shipping industry to be safer, cleaner, and more efficient. Funded research activity and studentships will play a vital role in delivering the UN International Maritime Organisation’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from shipping by 50 per cent by 2050.

Latest rankings Southampton continued to climb in national and international university league tables this year, further demonstrating our global reputation for excellence. We were placed 20th in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2020, improving on our rankings from last year across several areas, including student experience and teaching quality. The Complete University Guide 2020, meanwhile, placed us first for aural and oral sciences, occupational therapy, and physiotherapy. Globally, we sit in the top 100 in the QS World University Rankings 2020. We’ve also been awarded silver in the Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework (TEF), which is valid until 2021.

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CLASS NOTES Class Notes is an old favourite for readers of Hartley News, where alumni from across the decades share all sorts of life updates with us. What have your former classmates been up to?

1970s

2000s

Peter Collins (BSc Mathematics with Education, 1978) has announced his retirement after a distinguished teaching career in Petersfield, Portsmouth, and most recently as Head of Mathematics at King Edward VI School, Southampton.

Sherman Yan (LLM Law, 2000) returned to Hong Kong after graduation to pursue his legal career. He joined ONC Lawyers, becoming Managing Partner in 2008, focusing on shareholder disputes and regulatory matters. Sherman and his wife Claudia have been married since 2003.

In 2012, they welcomed their son Sheldon.

1980s Stephen Campbell (PhD Chemistry, 1987) took his degree from Southampton and emigrated to Canada, where he has worked in Ottawa and Vancouver, and most recently joined Nano One Materials Corp in Burnaby, British Columbia.

Grant Spoors (PhD Chemistry, 1989), after 24 years in the pharmaceutical industry, has accepted an opportunity to be a full-time visiting Professor of Chemistry at Villanova University in Pennsylvania.

1990s Nicola Franklin (BSc Zoology, 1991) has relocated to Los Angeles, and works as Senior Director (Talent Management and Organisational Development) for the Los Angeles Times.

David Smith (BSc Business Economics and Accounting, 1993) and his wife Pranam Bai Smith – currently living on the east coast of the USA – are proud to announce the birth of their son, Ellis Dawson Smith, on 29 November 2018.

David Smith with his wife and son

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Victoria Rowe, née Long (BA German with Linguistic and Language Studies, 2001), was this year awarded Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Charlotte Bass, née Ward (BA Archaeology and History, 2007), and Matthew Bass (BA History, 2007) welcomed their first child, Eleanor Olwyn Bass, earlier in the year.

Miranda Baidoo (BSc Politics and International Relations, 2009) and Jonas Carboo-Brown (BA History, 2009) originally met at the University when they began their course in 2006. They married on 12 September 2019.

2010s Class friends from the School of Management attended the wedding of Robin Heatley (BSc Accounting and Finance, 2010). The guests included Marcus Williams (BSc Accounting and Finance, 2010), Leo Dalby (BSc Management with Entrepreneurship, 2010), and James Taylor (BSc Management, 2010), who was the best man at the wedding.

Charlotte and Matthew Bass with their daughter

Miranda Baidoo and Jonas Carboo-Brown

Louise G Brennan, née Cheung (LLB Law, 2011; PhD Law, 2017), married Daniel Brennan (BA History, 2012), and has worked in local government and the City of London since graduation. She qualified as Solicitor of the Higher Courts of England and Wales in September 2019.

Georgina Moores (BA History, 2016) and Rhys Beauchamp (BSc Physics, 2016) are getting married in May 2020, after meeting at South Hill Halls in 2013.

Deaths Professor Mike Griffin (BSc Physics, 1968; PhD Engineering, 1973) passed away on 17 August 2019. Mike spent over 50 years at the University, both as a student and an academic. He was a pillar for the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research, and a world authority on the human effects of vibration. He will be greatly missed at Southampton, and our thoughts are with his family and friends.

Dr Angelo Grubisic (PhD Engineering Sciences, 2010) tragically died on 21 August 2019 in Saudi Arabia. Angelo was Lecturer in Astronautics and Advanced Propulsion within Engineering and Physical Sciences.

Our thoughts are with Angelo’s family at this very difficult time.

o you have an update D to share with your fellow alumni? Tell us your Class Note: alumni@southampton.ac.uk

Dr Angelo Grubisic

The University College buildings, showing the huts retained from the war hospital (1925)

STAY UPDATED

An omnibus room, which served as a staff common room, committee room, and overflow library (1920s)

We’d love to keep you up to date with all the latest news, events, opportunities, and more from your alumni and supporter community.

We may not have your most recent details, however, so go online and let us know how to stay in touch.

www.southampton.ac.uk/

alumni-update

University College at Highfield from the south wing (circa 1919)

The architect presenting the keys to Lord Haldane at the official opening of the Highfield buildings (1914)

The south wing and front of the building under construction (circa 1913)

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Find out more: www.southampton.ac.uk/alumni

alumni@southampton.ac.uk +44 (0)23 8059 2747 Office of Development and Alumni Relations University of Southampton University Road Southampton SO17 1BJ United Kingdom

Please recycle this publication when you have finished with it.

Front cover photo: ‘The War Hospital’ by Arthur J Young