Kent Magazine - March 2010 | University of Kent

KENT The Magazine for the University of Kent | March 2010 | No 4

National award for Kent student Happy birthday Mr Darwin

Welcome Dear Colleagues At the time of writing, we are assessing the implications of this year’s funding allocation from HEFCE. Like the rest of our colleagues in the sector, we have just received the formal funding letter and, while I am not in a position at present to give final confirmation of our budget figures, I can confirm that the allocation has been much as we expected in terms of a real drop in recurrent funding when we take inflation into account. We will not know our capital budget until July. This allows us to actively plan for the next academic year in a positive way but, as you are no doubt aware from recent media coverage, the threat of more significant cuts across the sector remains.

However, despite this being an undoubtedly difficult time, we should not forget the number of really good things that take place here at Kent. This term, we saw the return of WorldFest week with a focus on events celebrating the diverse cultures represented by students and staff on campus. We have had an outstanding Chancellor’s lecture from Lord Bingham of Cornhill, formerly the Senior Law Lord, with a capacity crowd of nearly 500. We have also had lectures from David Warren, British Ambassador to Japan; Thomas Hughes-Hallett, Chief Executive of Marie Curie Cancer Care; and Dr Tadataka Yamada, President, Global Health Programme, Gates Foundation, as well as numerous academic talks and seminars across all the disciplines.

As we are the UK’s European university, I am very pleased that Professor Adrian Podoleanu from the School of Physical Sciences has received our first European Research Council grant, which provides over €2m for his research into optical microscopy. Also in the same School, Dr Stephen Lowry has been awarded a significant grant by the Science and Technology Facilities Council for his work on asteroids and he is also leading an international team of astronomers who are benefiting from the exceptional award of 82 nights of European Southern Observatory telescope time.

Our students have also done exceptionally well, and PhD student Yolanda Brown has been named as one of Britain’s most outstanding black students in Future Leaders 2010. A team of Kent students has been designated University Million Maker champions at The Prince’s Trust annual award ceremony. Over the last three months, Luke Eaton, Sinan Assaf, Ben Giambrone and Warren Taggart competed with other teams of students across the UK to raise £2,500 for the Trust.

We have also had a number of outstanding music events, with the Chamber Choir concert at Canterbury Cathedral crypt, the University Concert Band and Big Band performance at the Gulbenkian Theatre, and a magnificent Colyer Fergusson Concert, also at the Cathedral, which saw one of our own former music scholars coming back to sing a major solo part.

These are just a few examples of activities which make the University the active and thriving institution that it is. This range of achievements, the personal as well as the academic, makes me proud to be working at the University of Kent.

Professor Julia Goodfellow, CBE Vice-Chancellor

3 News 6 Feature: Happy birthday Mr Darwin 8 Research 10 What’s new in HR 11 Enterprise 12 Staff profile 13 Kent Law School 14 Kent in the news 15 Sports 16 What’s on Special thanks to: Lesley Farr and Chris Lancaster, University Design & Print Centre Photographs by Robert Berry, Nick Ellwood, Spencer Scott

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KENT We have set up a readers’ panel for staff. Please get in touch if you would like to become a member. We are keen to have your feedback and letters are welcome from all our readers.

Simply email the editorial team at kentmagazine@kent.ac.uk

WorldFest success

KENT is also available online at www.kent.ac.uk/campusonline/ kentmagazine Editorial team: Posie Bogan, Media & Communications Manger; Colette O’Reilly, Publications Officer; Fiona Jones, Alumni Relations Officer; Karen Baxter, Media Assistant, Communications and Development Office, University of Kent.

Next issue: the deadline for the next issue is 4 May, with a publication date of 7 June.

Over a thousand students, staff and visitors attended WorldFest events at the University, raising hundreds of pounds for the charity, Seeds for Africa.

The annual festival, which celebrates the University’s international community and ethos, was held from 22 to 28 February on the Canterbury campus. This year‘s festival started with a parade through Canterbury city centre, led by samba band Samba Pelo Mar. The festival featured theatre, music, comedy, film, food, dance workshops, sports and martial arts, exhibitions, and language classes, all with an international theme. The majority of the events were run by students for students, staff and the local community.

National award for Kent student Yolanda Brown, a PhD student from the University, was featured as one of Britain’s most outstanding black students in Future Leaders 2010. The publication, which was launched by Gordon Brown, honours 30 of Britain’s most exceptional black students, who balance academic excellence with extraordinary outside achievements. Published by Power Media, the magazine judging panel for 2010 included the Minister for Higher Education, David Lammy.

Among the many highlights were a WorldFest market held in a 30-foot traditional Mongolian tent (known as a yurt), featuring food and crafts from around the globe; and an International Showcase in the Gulbenkian Theatre. This featured a range of student societies performing music and dance and cultural displays, with prizes awarded to the best acts.

European Partnerships Officer and one of the event organisers, Jan Bartle, said: ‘WorldFest provides a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the diverse range of cultures at the University. Each year, it gives people the opportunity to explore and enjoy exciting activities from around the globe, while raising money for charity.’

The University would like to thank all the students who took part in this worthwhile event.

A double MOBO award-winning saxophonist, Yolanda has also completed a Master’s in Management Science, a Master’s in Social Research Methods and is currently studying for her PhD at Kent.

Yolanda responded to her inclusion in Future Leaders 2010 by saying: ‘It is an honour to have been included in this publication and very rewarding to be recognised for my achievements so far. I am truly grateful for the support both in academia and music.’

Cover story National award for Kent student

continued overleaf...

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News

Actions taken so far include the installation of green notice boards, dedicated to communicating sustainability issues; while Green champions have also been encouraging colleagues to turn office heating down and to switch to recycled A4 copier paper. The Green Impact teams’ achievements will be celebrated in the summer, following an audit by a team of volunteers. So good luck teams!

Andenike Adenitire, Editor of Future Leaders, said: ‘Future Leaders 2010 profiles some of Britain’s brightest students of African and African Caribbean origin. Those featured in the magazine are testament to the fantastic accomplishments of students from across the country, who have balanced great academic grades with remarkable outside achievements.’

Kent scientists expand the potential uses for glass Scientists from the Functional Materials Group at the University’s School of Physical Sciences (SPS) have expanded the potential uses of glass by developing an experimental technique that reveals more clearly how atoms in glass vibrate.

This new technique will make a significant contribution to the Functional Materials Group’s current research into the use of glass as a material for applications such as nuclear waste immobilisation and as a biomaterial. Specific applications for the latter include the development of a biodegradable glass for bone regeneration.

Dr Gavin Mountjoy, Head of the Functional Materials Group and principal investigator on the project, explained: ‘Knowledge of how atoms vibrate in solids is fundamental for explaining the thermal properties of materials; for example, in materials used for energy production, which operate at high temperatures. However, it has always been difficult to study atoms vibrating in glasses because the atoms are not arranged in a regular, predictable way as they are in crystals.

To date, the understanding of this phenomenon has been heavily reliant on computer simulations.’

‘Probing vibrational modes in silica glass using inelastic neutron scattering with mass contrast’ is available online at http://prb.aps.org/toc/PRB/v81/i6 The research was funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

Kent crowns new journalism scholar Daniel May has become the Bob Friend Memorial Scholar for 2010. Daniel, 19, will have his first-year tuition fees paid by Sky, and can

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To find out who’s joined up this year and learn more about Green Impact visit: www.kent.ac.uk/estates/sustainability 1

Go Green week

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also look forward to a four-week work placement at Sky News this summer. Daniel formally received his award from Rob Kirk, Editorial Development Manager for Sky News, at a ceremony at the University on 3 March.

Following the awarding of the scholarship, Mark Thompson, Director-General of the BBC, delivered the Bob Friend Memorial Lecture, entitled ‘Journalism and the Public Space’, the lecture discussed the future of the news industry and of public service broadcasting.

Both the lecture and scholarship were established last year in a partnership between Sky News, the University of Kent and the Friend family, to provide a lasting memorial to the life and career of Bob Friend.

Degrees Cooler update The Green Impact Scheme, which aims to reduce environmental impacts in staff departments over the year, has officially begun at Kent. Eighteen departments have signed up to participate. ‘Green champions’ within each department have taken on the challenge of making simple changes in their workplaces to increase recycling, reduce waste and improve energy efficiency, as well as addressing issues such as fair trade and donations to charity. A lunchtime workshop for the Green Impact teams was held on the 23 February, giving them a chance to get together and discuss ideas.

The 8-12 February saw students at Kent hold their first Go Green Week. Each day was themed with information, activities, speakers and events based around low-carbon diets, recycling, energy, sustainable transport and biodiversity.

Highlights of the week included a build your own bird box session, a green curry and quiz night in Rutherford Bar and the presentation of the People and Planet Society’s Renewable energy report to Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Keith Mander.

The week was a success and plans are already underway for an even better event next year.

Cindy Vallance Human Resources are pleased to welcome Cindy Vallance as Head of Organisational Development. Cindy joins the University following 15 years working in HE organisations, as well as the commercial and not-for-profit sectors.

Cindy will lead the Staff Recruitment, Staff Development, and HR Systems and Planning teams within Human Resources. She brings with her exciting ideas about career development, leadership, and management reporting and will be building on and implementing initiatives as part of the Human Resources Strategy and Institutional Plan. In order to do this, Cindy will be working in collaboration with the University’s faculties, schools, and professional services departments. Cindy can be reached at C.D.Vallance@kent.ac.uk or at ext. 3795.

Memories go digital On Thursday 25 February, four Kent students welcomed seven senior citizens and the team from Turner Contemporary’s Time of Our Lives project to the Canterbury campus.

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representatives, who, in consultation with fellow students, will decide which academic titles to purchase. The remainder of the £200,000 budget will be spent by academic staff.

Multimedia Technology and Design students have been working with Turner Contemporary in Margate and BBC Radio Kent on the project which aims to bring together younger and older generations to reflect upon being a teenager.

A brand refresh

Over the past six months, an artist has been working with people aged over 60 and teenagers in Thanet to create art work, record interviews, and collect stories, photographs and artifacts of teenage life. Our students have helped the participants to archive their work using the latest digital technologies.

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During the visit to the University, the senior citizens tested an interactive teenage bedroom, which was created by the students, based on individuals’ memories, stories, photographs and objects from teenage life. The feedback from the participants helped the students to complete the digital prototype in time for the March exhibition at Droit House, Turner Contemporary’s visitor centre in Margate.

Thames Gateway award The University of Kent has been voted Best Educational Establishment by members of Thames Gateway (Kent) Chamber of Commerce in its inaugural members’ awards. Kent gained more than two thirds of the hundreds of votes cast in this category.

Professor Clare Mackie, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Medway, received the award on behalf of the University from the Chamber of Commerce’s Chief Executive, Tracey Manley.

Kent students named Million Maker Champions A team of Kent students were named University Million Maker champions following The Prince’s Trust annual awards ceremony.

The team, Sinan Assaf, Warren Taggart, Luke Eaton and Ben Giambrone met on the University’s ‘Innovate’ residential course last September. Over the last three months, they have been competing with teams of students across the UK to raise £2,500 for The Prince’s Trust.

Having won their regional heat, the team were invited to Celebrate Success, the Trust’s annual national awards ceremony, where they emerged as clear winners, having raised £3,182, and were

Kent crowns new journalism scholar Degrees Cooler update Cindy Vallance Million Maker champions

crowned national champions. The awards ceremony was attended by HRH The Prince of Wales and a star-studded audience. The team members also won placements at one of the Prince’s Trust’s corporate partner companies.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Julia Goodfellow, said: ‘I am delighted that these enterprising and caring students have not only been able to raise so much money but also won this competition. I am sure that the skills they have learned in undertaking such an activity will be useful to them in the future’.

Medway Boat Race Students are getting ready to renew their sporting rivalry as they prepare for the fourth annual Universities at Medway Boat Race. The race will take place on Saturday 15 May. Student rowers from Kent, Canterbury Christ Church and Greenwich will battle it out, in women’s and men’s races, for the right to call themselves heads of the river in Medway. Last year the University of Greenwich won both races so this year Kent will try to settle the score.

The event is free and open to all. Spectators can watch from the open area on the Esplanade in Rochester, near to Hathaway Court. The action starts at approximately 1pm.

£200,000 books boost at Medway The University is investing an additional £200,000 in new textbooks for students at its Medway campus. Students are being given a direct say in which books the University will buy, with £75,000 earmarked for spending by student

It is three years since the launch of Kent’s current brand identity and over the past few months work has begun on refreshing Kent’s brand so that it reflects our focus on academic excellence and research, as outlined in the new institutional plan. We will keep our current logo, while developing our website and publications to better reflect this new thinking.

Working again with UffindellWest, the agency who developed the ‘Open minds, broad horizons’ concept, research has been conducted amongst current students (both undergraduate and postgraduate) and prospective students, as well as with our alumni and business contacts, to gain their feedback on how the University of Kent positions itself in the marketplace and how Kent is perceived.

Following on from this research, workshops were held to discuss how to develop a new brand that will reflect how the University has moved on in the past three years. An initial workshop was held to look at the overarching Kent brand, where discussions centred on ways of ensuring that any changes in the brand reflect Kent’s focus on academic excellence and high-quality research.

Following this initial discussion, a second workshop was set up which focused specifically on developing a postgraduate sub-brand, which takes into account the strategic importance of this market, is distinctive, but also feeds into the overarching Kent brand.

On Friday 26 February, Director of Communications and Development, Karen Doyle, invited people from across the University to a presentation at which UffindellWest outlined the results of the research and presented their initial creative ideas for the Graduate Prospectus, Undergraduate Prospectus and the Kent website. Karen said: ‘The response to the new designs was very positive and the feedback received has enabled us to move on to finalising the designs. I would like to thank everybody for the feedback received so far.’

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Feature

Happy birthday Mr Darwin Over the last twelve months there have been a series of events at the University to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Darwin’s birth.

Organised by the Darwin 200 committee, the celebrations included public lectures, a traditional birthday party and a film festival which, together with a range of other events, both marked the impact of Darwin’s work and showcased Kent’s commitment to his immense intellectual legacy.

Charles Darwin Charles Darwin lived and worked in the county of Kent for 40 years, from 1842 until his death in 1882. It was at his home, in the village of Downe, that he wrote the Origin of Species. Kent therefore has a long and closely allied history with the development and practise of evolutionary theory. The University continues to have close links with the Darwin family through Darwin College, now celebrating the 40th anniversary of its foundation. Darwin’s theories on evolution revolutionised biology to the extent that they are the foundation of all modern life sciences; their impact also continues to grow through the social sciences, the humanities and the arts as their implications for our understanding of ourselves becomes increasingly clear. The University of Kent was founded long after his time. However we would like to think that, had he been around, he would have been one of our regular visitors. On behalf of the great man himself then let me thank all the members of the Darwin 200 committee and everyone who has contributed to the aforementioned events.

Happy 201st Birthday Sir, the University of Kent salutes you!

Professor Darren Griffin, Biosciences

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The year kicked off on 12 February 2009, on the actual anniversary of Darwin’s birth, with a birthday party organised by Biological Anthropology undergraduates, which even included a cake in the shape of a chimpanzee.

On the same day the Darwin 200 exhibition opened in the Templeman Library, featuring the Jack Johns Collection, a recent gift of books by and about Darwin, his influences, followers and opponents, which had been collected by Mr Johns over the last 60 years. The exhibition was accompanied by a selection of cartoons from the British Cartoon Archive.

Darwin’s birthday also saw the launch of BioMeRG – the Biomedicine Research Group, which focuses on the biomolecular aspects of disease-related research. With its core areas of cancer, infectious disease, neuroscience and fertility, the group places an emphasis on real world applications for treatment, prevention and diagnosis in both humans and animals. The launch was hosted by Professor Darren Griffin and the keynote lecture was given by Professor Peter Goodfellow.

The 2009 annual Darwin Lecture was given by Steve Jones, Professor of Genetics at University College London and was one of the year’s highlights. His lecture, entitled ‘Is Human Evolution Over?’, suggested that, in western society at least, human evolution has slowed or stopped, at least for the time being. Several of the events organised as part of the Café Scientifique series had a Darwinian basis, such as Professor Mark van Vugt’s discussion on evolutionary psychology and Darren Griffin’s highly visual talk on designer babies and evolution; myths and magic, which involved balloons, shredded paper and an expandable hosepipe. Dr Sarah Johns and Professor Roy Ellen from the School of Anthropology and Conservation organised a weekly seminar series during the Spring 2009 term to explore cultural transmission from both social and evolutionary perspectives.

Darren Griffin continued the Darwinian theme with his Inaugural Professorial Lecture in May titled ‘Doctors perfect way to guarantee sex of a

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baby!’ The 2010 ESRC public lecture was delivered by Professor Arthur Robson, Canada Research Chair in Economic Theory and Evolution at Simon Fraser University, titled ‘We are impatient because we die. But why do we die?’

Other events to mark Darwin’s anniversary included: • A lecture by Professor Richard Wrangham of the University of Harvard on ‘Cooking and human origins’, hosted by the School for Anthropology and Conservation.

• The award of four grants to the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology by the Darwin Initiative for the Survival of Species.

• A new Economic and Social Research Council-funded seminar series organised by Mark van Vugt, former Professor of Social Psychology, and Robin Dunbar, Professor of Evolutionary Anthropology at the University of

Oxford. The aim of the series, titled ‘Darwin’s Medicine: Evolutionary Psychology and its Applications’, was to examine the practical use of evolutionary psychology as a tool for making and informing policy.

• MSc students on the Science, Communication and Society course undertook a survey to find out what the general public knew about Darwin and his theories as part of a science communication exercise.

• Local school students took part in a science extravaganza run by the Faculty of Science, with Darren Griffin giving the opening talk, ‘Designer babies; myths and magic’. The University also welcomed ‘Brainiac’ and Big Brother personality John Tickle.

• The 2009 Stirling lecture, hosted by the School of Anthropology and Conservation, was this year given by Professor Sarah Franklin, from the London School of Economics who spoke on ‘Biological Relatives: Kinship after Embryo Culture’.

• The launch of a new MSc in Evolution and Human Behaviour by the Schools of Anthropology and Conservation and Psychology.

• A show for children at the Gulbenkian Theatre by the theatre company, Tall Stories.

Described as ‘evolutionary entertainment’, ‘How the Giraffe Got Its Neck’, was inspired by the stories of Rudyard Kipling and the discoveries of Charles Darwin.

• A lecture and performance of Saint-Saens’ Grande Fantasie Zoologique by University staff and students, with Dr Olly Double from the School of Arts presiding over the event as Charles Darwin himself.

The year-long programme was brought to a close with the 2010 Darwin lecture. Given by Professor Brian Boyd, the talk was entitled ‘Open Fields: Darwin and the Humanities’. Brian is the author of a groundbreaking work on the evolution of fiction called On the Origins of Stories.

A special thanks to Professor Darren Griffin, Biosciences for bringing together all the details in this article.

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Research

Astronomers awarded exceptional telescope time UK planetary science will be among those to benefit from an unprecedented award of 82 nights of European Southern Observatory (ESO) telescope time made to an international team of astronomers led by Dr Stephen Lowry from Kent.

This award, spread over four years, will enable Dr Lowry and his team to study how near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) react to the YORP effect*. It will also boost the national and international research profile of Kent’s Astronomy, Astrophysics and Space Sciences programmes.

ESO is the foremost intergovernmental astronomy organisation in Europe and provides state-of-the-art research facilities to astronomers.

Each year, about 2,000 proposals are made for the use of ESO telescopes, requesting between four and six times more nights than are available.

Generally, an allocation of one to two nights in any given six-month period is considered to be a success for individual research astronomers.

Dr Lowry also explained the benefits for UK planetary science. ‘Over the next four years we expect some exciting results, leading to major developments in the field of near-Earth asteroid science. This will lead to additional awards of telescope time for studies in this area by UK astronomers, and will also boost the international profile of planetary science in the UK.' The project will be conducted in collaboration with astronomers from Europe and the US. *The YORP effect is believed to alter the way small asteroids in the solar system rotate. YORP is a torque due to sunlight hitting the surfaces of asteroids and meteoroids and warming their surfaces, leading to a gentle recoil effect as the heat is emitted. By analogy, if you shone light on a propeller over a long enough period, it would start spinning. Astronomers believe the YORP effect may be responsible for spinning some asteroids up so fast that they change shape or break apart, perhaps leading to the formation of binary asteroids.

Research awards list Some recent research awards Professor Julien Forder (School of Social Policy, Sociology, and Social Research) £688,103 from the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) for the ‘Evaluation of the Personal Health Budgets Pilot’.

Dr Maria Kalli (School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research) £7,442 from East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust for ‘Hospital readmission project – preliminary data analysis’.

Professor Alistair Mathie (Medway School of Pharmacy) £158,697 from the Royal Society for ‘The role of two pore domain potassium channels in primary sensory neurons’.

Richard Jones (School of Computing) £383,969 from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Reserch Council (EPSRC) for ‘Garbage collection for multicore platforms’.

Image Credit: ESO

Dr Lowry explained: 'With a provision of 82 nights telescope time, we expect to be able to

monitor a large sample of near-Earth asteroids over many years and to look for signs of the YORP effect acting on them. We can also perform detailed studies of their surface properties to help understand the processes that drive the effect.'

Three of the four unit telescopes of ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT). The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four unit telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2-metre diameter. The site of the VLT is located in the northern deserts of Chile.

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Research

Lecturer to examine fitness levels Steve Meadows, a lecturer at the Centre for Sports Studies, is carrying out a research project commissioned by Medway Council into why many thousands of adults avoid playing sports or undertaking other forms of physical activity.

The project will form part of the council’s strategy to get more people participating in sport in the run-up to the 2012 Olympics.

The lecturer said his project was giving people in Medway a unique opportunity to have a direct influence on plans for sports and recreation in their community. ‘While we can preach the benefits of a fit and healthy lifestyle, it’s crucial to understand what it would really take to get the average person walking rather than using the car on the school run, for instance,’ he said.

University helps NHS south-east to develop new service ideas The University of Kent is one of three universities to have helped the NHS in the south-east to develop almost 200 new delivery service ideas since October 2008.

These include: systems for monitoring pre-term babies with breathing problems; improving medication regimes for older people with diabetes; developing exercise programmes for children with cerebral palsy; helping stroke patients recover; investigating a new anaesthetic; and improving sexual health clinics.

Kent, together with the universities of Brighton and Surrey, runs the Research Design Service South East (RDS SE), a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)-funded resource.

This helps NHS staff by encouraging the development of high-quality research for the benefit of patients. The three universities provide free advice on all aspects of preparing grant applications, including: finding suitable funding sources; building a research team; designing a study; writing lay summaries; identifying the resources required for a successful project; and involving patients and the public.

The results of the project will be used in conjunction with those from the Active People Survey, the largest survey to date of sports and recreation undertaken in Europe.

More details are on Steve’s blog, the Anti-Clog Blog, at blogs.kent.ac.uk/ anti-clog-blog

One particularly successful application has led to important research in pain management.

Bridget Carpenter, Deputy Director of RDS SE at the University’s Centre for Health Services Studies (CHSS) explained: ‘The project is testing whether giving Paracetamol tablets when surgeons remove wisdom teeth is as good as giving anaesthetic by injection. Many people avoid dental work because of the fear of pain and needle phobias. Patients may prefer tablets rather than having an injection. If the project provides sound evidence that tablets are just as effective in relieving pain, then the benefits for patients are obvious and the potential savings for the NHS in time and money are enormous.

The NHS has ways of distributing good evidence that can quickly change practice throughout the country, so projects like these are a fantastic investment.’

CHSS is part of the University’s School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research.

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What’s new in HR

This is the first of a new regular page for Human Resources. We aim to use the page to highlight any developments taking place within HR that may affect or be of interest to staff at the University.

Crossing the line: students graduate to staff The University is currently employing 12 interns across a range of University schools and professional service departments. The interns are all Kent 2009 graduates and are engaged on short-term projects to acquire work experience and employability skills, while at the same time bringing their skills and knowledge to their work.

The internship scheme was one of the recommendations emanating from a short-life working group chaired by Professor Clare Mackie, which reported to EG in June 2009 on how the University could assist the 2009 cohort of graduates to improve their access to employment in a difficult economic climate.

The interns are paid, have staff status and were recruited and selected following University good practice guidelines. This included the experience of a selection interview against a set of criteria, specific to each internship position. The interns are working either full-time for 10 weeks or parttime for 20 weeks. Jeanne Straight from Kent School of Architecture said: ‘We are delighted to be taking part in this innovative scheme – clearly of benefit to both the student intern in terms of experience, employability and salary and the School in terms of fresh skills, enthusiasm and, of course, additional resource. It’s a win-win situation!’

The interns are supported by a mentor and given learning and development support, including personal development planning; they also

participate in the University welcome and induction event. Alastair Goss is interning in HR, he said: ‘The HR Internship has been a great way to add to my work experience and to put into practise the key skills I learnt during my degree.’

The scheme will be fully evaluated and recommendations made for creating internship opportunities in the future. Feedback so far indicates that the scheme has been very successful. Tracey Lamb, Internship Project Manager, said: ‘There has been a huge amount of support, enthusiasm and commitment from everyone involved, with collaborative working between the host departments, both academic and service, Careers, UELT and HR.’

New mediation service The University is setting up a mediation service with the help of an external provider. To assist with this service we are going to be recruiting and training members of staff to be accredited workplace mediators.

Mediation can help with: • disputes/conflict between colleagues and peers • disputes/conflict between staff and managers • perceptions of discrimination • repairing working relationships • communication difficulties.

To find out more about mediation, and the progress of implementing this new service please go to our website www.kent.ac.uk/hr, if you do not have access to the internet please contact your line manager. If you’d like to find out more about becoming a mediator please contact Steph Klaric on S.Klaric@kent.ac.uk.

Equality and diversity Staff Disability Forum This staff forum is open to both disabled and non-disabled staff. It provides a confidential setting where staff can share experiences about disability and discuss key issues, with a view to informing and shaping relevant University policy, practice, and the culture that we work in.

Meetings will be held once a term. To join the Disabled Staff Forum please email equalityanddiversity@kent.ac.uk.

LGBT Staff Forum What is mediation?

Mediation is a process whereby an impartial third party intervenes in a workplace conflict or dispute to assist the parties in reaching a satisfactory outcome. The new mediation service will complement the University’s current arrangements for dealing with all types of conflict. The mediation service can offer early assistance and allow problems to be dealt with before they escalate into major issues.

The University of Kent promotes equality and values diversity and has recently set up an LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transsexual) advisory body. All staff with an interest in this area are welcome to join the group regardless of sexual orientation. If you are interested or would like to discuss this further, please contact Julie Bennett either by telephone on ext 7825 or email equalityanddiversity@kent.ac.uk

Forthcoming policies Human Resources are currently undertaking a project to create and revise a number of policies to better inform staff and managers about best practice on a range of situations and events. The first few policies have just been launched and staff are encouraged to keep up to date with these changes through our website: www.kent.ac.uk/hr-staff information/index.html If you do not have access to the internet please contact your line manager.

For more information please contact Helen Taylor at policyfeedback@kent.ac.uk Kent interns (left to right): Ian Shoesmith, Alastair Goss, Jessica Thomas, Matt Albers, Rebecca Newson, Elinor SwiftSwatton, Graham Dufton, Kariba Leacock, Eddie Luby, Kirsty Roberts, Lauren Figg and Daniel Osgood.

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What’s new in HR will appear again in the July issue of ‘Kent’.

Enterprise

Strengthen your business Enterprise Forum At the next Enterprise Forum Deputy ViceChancellor Denise Everitt will introduce the University’s ICE initiative – Innovation, Creativity and Enterprise. There will also be presentations from colleagues working on the initiative.

12.30-2pm, Thursday 8 April at Canterbury Innovation Centre, Canterbury Campus.

Lunch served from 12.30.

To confirm attendance, please email enterprise@kent.ac.uk

The University’s Strengthen Your Business event proved to be a hit with 70 local companies and organisations, despite the snowfall and freezing conditions on the evening of 10 February.

The networking event, part of the ICE initiative, was held at the Canterbury Innovation Centre on the University’s Canterbury campus. The event

Kent supports TSB Innovation Platforms The Technology Strategy Board (TSB) is responsible for driving forward the government’s innovation agenda by promoting collaboration between universities and industry. To do this, it has created a number of Innovation Platforms that focus effort on strategic social and economic challenges faced by the UK. The Low Impact Buildings Innovation Platform, which is targeted at improving energy efficiency and mitigating the effects of climate change in the built environment, recently launched a funding competition for retrofitting government buildings in Whitehall. The University held a think tank to generate collaborative proposals for the competition, involving academics from across

was an opportunity to outline the collaborative opportunities available to businesses, which include the recently announced Graduate Internship Scheme and the new Digital Media Hub, part of the Student Innovation Zone.

For more on these opportunities please contact ext 7376, or email enterprise@kent.ac.uk

the University, together with a number of potential business partners. The think tank covered not just technical solutions, but also how user behaviour can influence energy efficiency.

Going forward, we will continue to use this approach to develop collaborative opportunities and projects for future competitions.

The University has also recently become a partner with the South East Health Technologies Alliance (SEHTA) to be a showcase site for telehealth in residential and domiciliary care. This involves drawing on expertise from across the University, and will form the basis of a think tank to support the TSB’s Assisted Living Innovation Platform.

University receives excellent feedback from regional stakeholders The University of Kent recently conducted a survey with its key regional public and private stakeholders, and was pleased by the positive results.

The survey was undertaken to assess how University staff have helped to improve the relationships between organisations and the University, and to what extent they have helped businesses to access the University’s expertise.

The survey was completed by organisations such as BAE Systems, SEEDA, Kent County Council and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL). Of those surveyed 91% recognised the value that staff from Kent Innovation & Enterprise provide to their organisations, which contribute to regional economic and partnership development.

For more details on the survey, contact ext 7376, email enterprise@kent.ac.uk

To find out more about the TSB, go to their website at www.innovateuk.org, or contact Kent Innovation and Enterprise on ext 7376.

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Staff profile

Amy Scamell What would be your perfect day?

Who was your first pin-up?

A full day of skiing, failing that a nice sunny day on Broadstairs beach.

Oh dear… Stephen Gately

What single thing would improve the quality of your life?

Enough money to be able to do more full days of skiing.

How do you relax?

I usually like to keep quite busy but in my spare time I attempt a bit of photography. I also have a massage chair that’s very relaxing.

What was your first/worst job?

Amy is the Volunteering and Skills Development Co-ordinator for the Medway campus. She began working at Kent in January 2010, having previously worked at Enterprise Rent-A-Car on their graduate management scheme. Her role is a new one at the campus and she is responsible for developing volunteering projects at Medway. Volunteering is a great way for students to boost their skills and enhance their employability, and often involves them doing work of great benefit to the local community. Students can receive awards for their volunteering through Kent Union's KSCV (Kent Student Certificate for Volunteering) Award Scheme.

My first job was a holiday job at The Hop Farm. I did anything from working on admissions and in the play area to making hop pockets with the elderly visitors while they reminisced about their hop-picking days.

KENT Magazine

The Maldives

What is your favourite TV or radio programme?

The Inbetweeners.

What was your earliest ambition?

To be Peter Pan. Until I found out Peter Pan was a boy, then it was to be a mermaid.

How do you celebrate good news?

Usually by going out for a nice meal.

What is your greatest achievement?

Buying a house last year. Not in full obviously!

What is your favourite item of clothing, either now or in the past?

Embarrassingly, it’s got to be a pair of flowery Doc Martens I had when I was going through my hippy stage. They don’t fit anymore but I’ve still kept them.

Which word or phrase do you use most?

I was going to say ‘oh my goodness’, but I’ve just been informed it’s actually ‘cool’. Now I’m going to be super conscious of saying it. Not cool.

What (if anything) would you like to change about yourself?

I’d like to be more patient.

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Which country would you most like to visit?

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

My nan told me you’ll never face anything in life that God can’t get you through, that’s my favourite piece of advice.

For more information on volunteering at Medway, please contact Amy on 01634 888874 or A.Scamell@kent.ac.uk

Law

Conference

Success for Kent Law School

Privacy and the individual The Medway campus was host to a major privacy law conference on Saturday 13 February. The conference was organised by Lesley Phippen, Director of Legal Studies at Medway, and was designed to attract a range of speakers on all aspects of privacy.

However, one of the main themes of the day was privacy and the media.

The first speaker was Mr Justice Eady (pictured below), who has given judgement in a number of recent high-profile Privacy actions. The conference attracted over 70 students and academics from around the country. In addition to Mr Justice Eady, speakers included journalist Glenda Cooper, Steven Mitchell, Deputy Head of News at the BBC, Leo Whitlock from the Kent Messenger Group and various members of academic staff from Kent Law School.

Kent Law Clinic shortlisted for prestigious awards

Law lecturer’s award benefits local community

Kent Law Clinic has been shortlisted for two prizes in the Attorney General’s Pro Bono Awards 2010 – in the categories of Best Contribution by a Law School and Best Contribution by a Team of Students (the Immigration and Asylum Team).

Nick Jackson, Senior Lecturer at Kent Law School, has won the Oxford University Press Alistair MacQueen Memorial Grant.

Each year the Attorney General’s Pro Bono Awards recognise the outstanding contribution made by law schools and students to the community through pro bono or the free work that they do.

Kent Law Clinic, which is part of Kent Law School (KLS) on the University’s Canterbury campus, is a partnership between students, academics and solicitors and barristers in practice locally. It has two objectives: to provide a public service for local people who need legal advice and representation but cannot afford to pay for it, and to enhance the education of students in KLS. Director of the Clinic, Professor John Fitzpatrick commented: ‘We are just delighted that both of our entries have been shortlisted. These are prestigious awards, decided by eminent judges with great experience of the work that we do. It is very exciting: six students will be attending the reception at the House of Lords, and we will have our fingers crossed.’

His award of £1,000 will be used to produce public information and facilitate student training for the benefit of those using the Mortgage Possession Desk run by Canterbury Housing Advice Centre and Kent Law Clinic. The public information will include raising awareness of the services offered by the Centre and the Clinic, and of housing problems in Canterbury.

The audience was able to ask questions of all the presenters and the conference rounded off with a very lively discussion involving a panel that comprised Steven Mitchell, John Fitzpatrick and Leo Whitlock. This session lasted well over the allotted time and even then the chair, Helen Strotton, had difficulty closing the proceedings!

A representative from the BBC Radio 4 programme Law in Action also attended to record Mr Justice Eady’s talk. An extract was included in the programme broadcast on Tuesday 23 February.

This was the first conference of its type at the Medway Campus but it will certainly not be the last.

The Canterbury Housing Advice Centre, of which Mr Jackson is Chair, is a registered charity providing free, confidential, independent help and advice for Canterbury residents at risk of losing their homes or who are threatened with homelessness. The Kent Law Clinic offers a free service to people facing mortgage repossession proceedings at Court.

Professor Joanne Conaghan, Head of Kent Law School, said: ‘Nick Jackson’s award recognises his excellent and valuable work. It also further demonstrates our commitment to using pro bono services to develop the legal knowledge of our students and to foster a sense of public service by using this knowledge for the benefit of the local community.’

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Kent in the news

Dance, dance, dance Among those who contributed to the University’s recent international coverage were Professor Frank Furedi from the School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research (SSPSSR), who was interviewed for the BBC World Service about the Chilean earthquake disaster and whether looting is a crime, and Dr Gbenga Oduntan from Kent Law School who was interviewed on Al Jazeera about the UK’s Iraq war inquiry.

Dr Gulnur Aybet (School of Politics and International Relations) gave an interview on the US Congress Foreign Relations Committee vote on the recognition of the Armenian massacres of 1915 as ‘genocide’ for the World News Today programme, which was broadcast simultaneously on BBC World News television and BBC4.

National broadcast contributions included Professor Tim Luckhurst (Centre for Journalism) on BBC Radio 2, SunTalk and BBC Radio 5 Live; Professor Frank Furedi on BBC Radio London, BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 5 Live; Jo Denby (Centre for Sports Studies) on BBC3; Dr Jan Macvarish (SSPSSR) and Professor Warwick Funnell (Kent Business School) on BBC Radio 4. In addition, the Bob Friend Memorial Lecture at Medway, delivered by BBC Director-General Mark Thompson, featured widely in a range of national, online and international media, including Sky News, The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph.

Further national print coverage included Professor Frank Furedi in the Sunday Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Times, Times Higher Education and The Sun; and Professor Tim Luckhurst was featured in The Independent and The Guardian. Professor Furedi was also quoted widely online in relation to a Home Office report which found that children are over-exposed to sex, and Brett Lewis (DICE) featured on BBC online, looking into the mystery breeding ground for grey seals who live off the Ramsgate coast.

Regional coverage for Kent staff included: Dr Robin Mackenzie (Kent Law School), Dr Jan Macvarish (SSPSSR), Steve Meadows (Centre for Sports Studies) and Dr Mark Hampton (Tourism Management) on BBC Radio Kent; Professor Frank Furedi on BBC South East and Professor Tim Luckhurst on BBC Radio Kent. There was further significant regional media coverage in the Kentish Gazette, Medway Messenger, Your Medway, Medway News, Kent on Sunday and Kent on Saturday.

This is just some of the recent coverage gained by the University. For more information visit Kent in the news on campus online or contact the Media Office at MediaOffice@kent.ac.uk

This Spring, the Gulbenkian is offering a fantastic deal to see three top dance shows for just £30!

On Thursday 1 April, Ballet Central bring their 25th anniversary tour to the Gulbenkian Theatre, offering a varied programme of ballet, contemporary and jazz dance from leading choreographers including David Nixon, Christopher Bruce, Michael Pink and Phillip Aiden. There will also be three newly created works.

Then, on Thursday 29 April the Northern School of Contemporary Dance return with the award winning postgraduate performance company Verve.

Many of these dancers will go on to work with some of the UK’s most highly regarded dance companies, but you can see them first, fresh from intensive technical training at some of Europe’s leading conservatoires.

Finally, on Thursday 6 May, we welcome EDge, the postgraduate performance company of the London Contemporary Dance School. The performance will include a diverse selection of work, specially created for EDge, with full-length works by international artists performed alongside shorter pieces by up-and-coming choreographers.

All shows begin at 7.45pm, tickets are usually £12 but our Great Deal of Dance offer will save you £6!

Also in April we welcome back Tango Siempre with Tangomotion.

Tangomotion features the UK’s leading tango dancers Giraldo Escobar and Alexandra Wood, with live music from Tango Siempre and the outstanding singer Guillermo Rozenthuler.

To book tickets call 01227 769075 or visit www.thegulbenkian.co.uk See back page for more Gulbenkian Theatre and Cinema highlights.

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KENT Magazine

Sports

Sport for all – kids and adults The introduction to tennis workshops will run on Tuesdays from 11 May to 15 June, with the advanced workshops running on Thursdays from 13 May to 17 June.

All tennis worshops are £18 for members and £24 for nonmembers.

To book a place on any of these workshops, please visit the Sports Centre with payment and complete a booking form. For further information contact Pat Coogan on 01227 824549 or email sportsenquiries@kent.ac.uk

Sports scholar success Easter Soccer Academy 2010 Kent’s Sports Department has organised a Soccer Academy this Easter for players from aged six to 12. Run by qualified FA coaches, the Academy will run from 9.30am3pm from Monday 12 April, concluding on Thursday 15 April 2010 with a trip to the Emirates Stadium (Arsenal). (The stadium visit is subject to change due to possible fixture congestion.) Places are limited to 50 and will cost £70 each. If you are interested, please contact Mel Clewlow for further information and a booking form: 01227 827673 or sportsenquiries@kent.ac.uk

SummerZone is back The week-long summer camps ‘SummerZone’, are returning in August. The camps are for children aged between five and 12 and will run from Monday 16 August – Friday 20 August, and Monday 23 August – Friday 27 August. The weeks are packed with various

sporting activities and led by qualified coaches, and offer weeklong fun and learning.

Discounts will be available for Kent staff and there will be the option of additional extras including lunch, early drop-offs and late pick-ups.

For further information about this year’s SummerZone, please email sportsenquiries@kent.ac.uk

Congratulations to University of Kent student and sports scholar Mohammad Reza Nasiri Avanaki, for achieving 5th place (out of 32 people) at the International AMA 2010 Championships, held in Sheffield last month.

The championships are the highestlevel karate competition held in the UK, with competitors from more than 14 countries participating.

Pavilion Café Bar offer Golf and tennis workshops Introductory and advanced workshops in golf and tennis will be running later this year. The six-week workshops will be open to Sports Centre members and nonmembers.

The introduction to golf workshops will run on Tuesdays from 11 May to 15 June, with the advanced workshops running on Tuesdays from 22 June to 27 July. All golf workshops cost £30 for members and £35 for non-members.

Small ads Computer maintenance Local computer engineer (Upper Harbledown) offers a variety of services including broadband installation, repairs & upgrades, home networking, virus eradication, etc. Many delighted clients, both on and off campus. Students (NUS) qualify for a discount. Please call Marc: 01227 456955, mob: 07951 023054 or email: marcgj@nildram.co.uk JKF Computer Services PC installation, maintenance, repairs and upgrades.

Virus and spyware detection and removal, data recovery and backup, PCs built to your specification. Phone: 01795 531623 or 07880 602823.

Reliable, professional service at realistic prices by certified engineers.

Canterbury Licensed Cars. Air Line Taxis Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted.

All other destinations quoted for up to four people. Bookings confirmed in writing. We now accept UK debit/credit cards 07884 294055/01227 491010. airlinelinetaxi@yahho.com Italy, Le Marche: restored farmhouse apt (sleeps four to five) near university town of Camerino. Beautiful rural location (own veg, duck eggs, pony), suit family or couple. Ideal for mountains, beaches, culture, great local food and wine. www.palomba.it.

The Sports Pavilion Café Bar – situated opposite Park Wood accommodation – is a great place to grab a bite to eat, drink and socialise.

To mark its six-month anniversary, from the 15 March there will be a buy one meal get one free* offer between 2-5pm on weekdays and between 12-5pm at weekends. So come along with a friend and enjoy this great venue on campus. *Offer available until Sunday 20 June 2010. Least expensive meal will be free.

KENT Magazine

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What’s on

Gulbenkian Theatre highlights Thursday 1 April/Thursday 29 April/Thursday 6 May 7.45pm Ballet Central, Verve 10, EDge, See story p14 Friday 9 April 7.45pm Tango Siempre Tangomotion See story p14 Friday 16 April 7.45pm John Etheridge One of the world’s most respected guitarists, his music spans myriad styles and influences.

Friday 23 April 7.45pm The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde European Arts Company

Tuesday 20 April Katy Brand’s Big Ass Tour Tuesday 27 April – Wednesday 28 April A Tall Stories production of The Gruffalo

Gulbenkian Cinema highlights Wednesday 7 April – Sunday 11 April Invictus (12A) Sunday 11 April 2.50pm The Hurt Locker (15) Friday 23 April – Monday 26 April Shutter Island (15) Friday 30 April – Tuesday 4 May Alice in Wonderland (PG) For full details of times please go to www.kent.ac.uk/gulbenkian/cinema

Listings Friday 26 March 6.30pm Dice Annual Lecture ‘The challenge of large carnivore conservation in Europe’ Professor Luigi Boitani, President of the Society for Conservation Biology Powles Lecture Theatre, Marlowe Building, Canterbury campus Lecture followed by a drinks and buffet reception.

To register visit: www.pingg.com/rsvp/z53j7xgkjhbj8 tq2p Friday 30 April 6pm Vice Chancellor’s Special Lecture ‘Looted art 1933-45 and its restitution’ Professor Richard J Evans, Regius Professor of Modern History and Chairman of the History Faculty

University of Cambridge Lecture Theatre, Woolf College, Canterbury campus Saturday 15 May 1pm Universities at Medway Boat Race The Esplanade, Rochester June 2010 Sports Reunion Weekend Canterbury campus Saturday 12 June ArtsFest Canterbury campus Saturday 19 June Benefactors’ Garden Party Vice-Chancellor’s residence Canterbury Saturday 25 September School of History alumni day Canterbury campus