University of Kent November Community Newsletter

Community A regular update from the University of Kent for local residents and businesses | Issue 10

OUR COLLECTIVE RESPONSE TO THE CLIMATE CHANGE EMERGENCY The University of Kent has backed Canterbury City Council’s recent commitment to reduce its carbon emissions to net zero by 2030, while also updating on its own work to develop a comprehensive plan that responds to the climate and ecological crisis.

The University is fully committed to the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which includes objectives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and regenerate ecology. Since June 2018, the University’s FutureProof programme has been working to embed

these within its operations and teaching, with the focus now moving to a phase of intense planning and action to address the climate and ecological emergency.

Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Karen Cox said: ‘We fully acknowledge the climate and ecological crisis facing our planet. As an institution that researches and teaches about the causes and effects of global environmental change, we are strongly aware that our staff and students have a combined responsibility to enable the radical societal changes needed to mitigate the causes of global heating.

‘We are determined to harness the unique strengths we offer as a university in tackling the crisis, bringing together combined expertise across our education, research and wider functions. We are currently preparing an ambitious sustainability strategy that will enable us to set clear targets to reduce emissions, along with tangible steps to get us there. Alongside this, we aim to play a lead role in the wider movement to tackle the crisis, by contributing to the collective knowledge base and through our impact across society.’

Boost your business with local internships and apprenticeships Local employers looking to boost skills and make a difference in the area can take advantage of two dedicated schemes at the University designed to bring students and businesses closer together.

More than 8,600 students took part in the University’s popular Employability Points scheme throughout 2019, including many who completed placements across the county to boost the local workforce. This

included a student who supported Canterbury BID with marketing for events including Pride Canterbury and Canterbury Wine Festival, and another who helped Canterbury-based start-up Sustainability Monitor to launch its website and develop a social media presence.

The University also offers both Higher and Degree Apprenticeships, giving businesses an affordable way to upskill their workforce

University of Kent | www.kent.ac.uk/community/canterbury

or attract talented people. These offer flexible start dates and a mix of online and face-to-face teaching, with participants helped by significant government support.

Find out more about how your company can get involved at www.kent.ac.uk/employabilitypoints and www.kent.ac.uk/apprenticeships

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Student volunteers make a difference During the last academic year, almost 200 students participated in student volunteering projects, giving over 1,300 hours to a diverse range of causes.

Students worked with local organisations such as Catching Lives, Canterbury Age UK, Kent Wildlife Trust and The Wildwood Trust.

During LGBTQ+ History Month, volunteers took part in The Rainbow Cards Project by sending birthday and holiday cards to those with discriminatory families in the hope of promoting kindness and human connection.

To mark International Women’s Day, volunteers participated in initiatives to support local Girlguiding, a charity that helps promote self-confidence in young girls through guided activities. They also help raise awareness for WISH, an organisation that works with women suffering with their mental health.

Meanwhile, Psychology student Emily Love established the Crafting for Dementia project. This got students involved in knitting or crocheting twiddlemuffs, which provide calming stimulation for people with dementia. Volunteers presented their creations to the residents at Harrier Lodge Care Home in Whitstable.

Kent student launches ‘Stay on Route’ app for visually impaired Second-year student James Grice has launched a new iPhone app designed to help make train travel more accessible for blind and visually impaired travellers by alerting them when their train station is approaching to ensure they don’t miss their stop.

The app, called Stay on Route, lets users pre-programme the app with their destination station and set an alert for when the station is a set distance away. While the app is aimed at improving accessibility, it could also be used by all types of travellers worried they may get stuck on the tracks if reading, resting or otherwise distracted.

Studying a Management BSc at Kent Business School, James first developed the app in 2018 and was a runner-up in the School’s Business Start-Up Journey, receiving £500 investment towards it.

Since the launch, James is hoping to receive feedback from users of the first version of the app to help develop future improvements, along with new ideas to help make it as user friendly as possible.

Commenting on the launch of the app he said: ‘Stay on Route has huge potential to make train travel easier and more relaxing for visually impaired travellers, as well as anyone else who may be worried about missing their stop’.

New research breakthrough in treating brain disease A pioneering treatment developed by Professor David Wilkinson at the University of Kent has offered hope of a new approach to tackling stroke, brain injury and Parkinson’s disease. The experimental therapy stimulates the brain from the outside, without implants or drugs, for as little as 20 minutes a day.

Early results have shown dramatic improvements in intellectual, motor and emotional function, with one individual who had been in a minimally conscious state for six months beginning to smile and talk with family after just eight weeks of treatment.

The University is now looking to develop a Neurostimulation Service so they can give access to more people in the community who could benefit from treatment while also increasing the research base for developing it. The Service will have a dedicated research nurse, while also providing training opportunities for

students. This will be developed with the support of the local community through the University’s World of Discovery campaign, with the hope that the groundbreaking research could potentially change the lives of millions of people worldwide.

Find out more at kent.ac.uk/giving

We’d like to hear your feedback, tell us what you think | E: communityinfo@kent.ac.uk T: 01227 824009

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Kent alumni help make new version of The Lion King a box office hit!

Five alumni of the University’s School of Engineering and Digital Arts have played a big role in creating the visual effects of the new version of Disney’s The Lion King.

El Suliman, who gained his BSc Multimedia Technology and Design in 2006 and an MSc Computer Animation in 2007, was one of the film’s Lead Animators. He was joined in creating the film’s animated scenes by Celia Prou, who graduated from Computer Animation in 2013.

Other contributors to the film's success were He Sun, Lead Environment Technical Director, and Compositors Dominik Platen and Joseph Tsang, who graduated in 2014 with MScs in Digital Visual Effects.

The movie made an estimated $191.8 million during July, the highest ever for that month.

School of Engineering and Digital Arts tutor Blaine Epsley said: ‘Everyone at the School is extremely proud to see our alumni achieve such great things. It’s great to see their talent being recognised on the big screen.’

Kent Law Clinic summer success Kent Law School continues to provide support to the community through its Clinic, a partnership run by the University providing free legal advice to those who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford it.

Across a busy summer, successful outcomes included the grant of a five-year residence permit to a stateless client, along with the grant of indefinite leave (plus a full refund of additional fees) to a woman who had incorrectly been granted temporary leave. The Clinic also worked on a judicial review to challenge the potential removal of a client who cares for her disabled British husband.

Other significant activity in recent months included preparing a Working Tax Credits case for Tribunal which will serve as an important test case about what it means to work 16 hours a week, along with preparing an appeal for a father who incurred parking fines while treating his child in a parked car for a medical emergency. The Clinic also won £25k in backdated benefit payments for two clients whose PIP (Personal Independence Payment) appeals had been turned down, and represented tenants in dispute with their landlord over £10k in legal costs.

University of Kent amongst most vegan-friendly universities in the UK Students in the UK are going vegan in huge numbers, and the University’s recent efforts to further expand the plant-based options across all our food outlets have been recognised by PETA, who have included it on their list of 20 Most Vegan-Friendly Universities.

Students, staff and members of the community can enjoy a variety of vegan treats on campus, and many non-vegan dishes can be adapted for vegans too.

For example, Origins Bar & Grill in Darwin College (Canterbury) now serve eight vegan main meals, including meatfree ‘beef’ burgers, bean chilli and meatfree ‘chicken’ nachos.

The Street Kitchen on Jarman Plaza continues to serve a vegan option on its weekly menu, with dishes ranging from pakora burgers to Malaysian curries. The Galvanising Shop Café and No1 (Medway) have plenty of vegan options for breakfast and lunch, including vegan sausage and cheese paninis and dairyfree breakfast pots.

University of Kent | www.kent.ac.uk/community/canterbury

Follow UniKentFood on Instagram to find out more about catering at Kent.

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Community

We’re working together with Canterbury Christ Church University, Canterbury City Council and Kent Police to provide our local residents with key dates and useful contacts for information and advice.

Dates for your diary

Who to contact

• Tuesday 17 December – Winter Vacation.

• Tuesday 14 January – Spring Term starts.

• Durrell Institute for Conservation and Ecology (DICE) – Monthly talks on campus, Thursdays from 18.00 – 19.00 on topics from palm oil production to global tree conservation. More at research.kent.ac.uk/dice.

• Brexit: the state of affairs – Open Forum with Professor Matthew Goodwin, Monday 18 November from 12.00 – 13.00 at Rutherford College.

• Christmas at the Gulbenkian – Celebrate Christmas with our abundant selection of treats: Big Band Christmas Swing-Along! – Wednesday 11 December, 17.15 (£5).

ShooShooBaby Christmas Cabaret – Wednesday 11 December, 20.00 (£5-£8).

Faulty Towers The Christmas Dining Experience – Thursday 12 December, 19.00 (£50 includes 3-course meal and 2-hour interactive show).

To find out more visit www.thegulbenkian.co.uk/festivals/ christmas-season-2019/

If you are experiencing problems with your neighbours, use the contacts below for information and advice.

Noise T: 01227 862 202 E: envhealth@canterbury.gov.uk www.canterbury.gov.uk/info/20045/noise_and_air_pollution/65/report_a_noise_ smell_or_smoke_problem

Rubbish T: 0800 031 9091 E: help.canterbury@serco.com www.canterbury.gov.uk/info/20025/household_waste/120/report_a_missed_bin

Parking T: 01227 862 429 E: parking.enforcement@canterbury.gov.uk www.canterbury.gov.uk/info/20062/parking_fines_and_restrictions/43/report_illegal_ parking

Crime or anti-social behaviour T: 101 to report non-urgent crime T: 999 to report an emergency Find out who your Police Constable or Police Community Support Officer is by entering your postcode at www.kent.police.uk

Students Both universities take the concerns of our neighbours very seriously. If residents experience anti-social behaviour, whether they believe it to be by students or not, they should contact the agencies listed above as they have the power to intervene.

However, if you need further support both universities have a community liaison person who can provide further advice.

University of Kent – E: communityliaison@kent.ac.uk Canterbury Christ Church University – E: community.liaison@canterbury.ac.uk

For more key dates visit: Kent – www.kent.ac.uk/community/dates CCCU – www.canterbury.ac.uk/termdates

STUDY IN CANTERBURY/ KENT RATED TEF GOLD

Join our world and expand your thinking • Outstanding student support – THE awards winner in 2017 and 2018 • Award winning careers and employability service • Industry placements and study abroad opportunities

www.kent.ac.uk

HAVE YOU BOOKED YOUR CHRISTMAS PARTY YET?

If you’re trying to find that perfect venue for your Christmas party or special event, then why not visit The Pavilion Café Bar? With spectacular views and setup tailored to you, it’s the perfect party setting.

Available to hire for everyone, our large café bar space provides AV equipment and free WiFi, a wide range of buffet menus and a fully licenced bar plus catering for small to large groups.

To see the space or to talk to our friendly team about your needs, please email kentsportevents@kent.ac.uk

We’d like to hear your feedback, tell us what you think | E: communityinfo@kent.ac.uk T: 01227 824009

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Hundreds of aspiring new doctors visit Medical School open day Over the last few months the Kent and Medway Medical School (KMMS) has hosted open days for potential new doctors, as the new school prepares to welcome its first intake in September 2020.

Founding Dean of the KMMS Professor Chris Holland said: ‘It was wonderful to meet so many potential doctors of the future. It will be so exciting to welcome our first group of students in September 2020. It is events like this that will make our vision to become Kent and Medway’s first medical school become a reality.

Join us on Friday 22 November from 19.30 for an evening of live music, readings, clips, interviews and interactions celebrating the pull of ‘nostalgia’ in shaping us as human beings.

The evening will feature a quiz around TV and radio themes, with live music provided by Daniel Harding (piano), and students from the University of Kent.

The two events, based at both the University of Kent and Canterbury Christ Church University’s Canterbury campuses, welcomed just over 300 aspiring doctors, with nearly 50% of those attending coming from Kent and Medway.

The medical school will open in September 2020, offering 100 undergraduate medical places on a yearly basis. The five-year undergraduate programme will be taught at the Canterbury campuses of both university partners with medical placements within Primary, Community and Secondary Care across Kent and Medway.

Nostalgia night

The event is free and will take place at the Colyer-Freguson Hall. The evening is part of the Being Human festival, which is led by the University of London, in partnership with the Arts & Humanities Research Council and the British Academy.

‘We believe the medical school will play a unique and supportive role for the NHS in Kent and Medway and help to address some of the issues the region has with attracting and retaining medical professionals by offering training and development opportunities. It is so encouraging to see that nearly 50% of potential students who visited our two open days came from Kent and Medway as we want to ensure that our local, talented students have access to medical training and education.’

Please book your place through the Gulbenkian Box Office www.thegulbenkian.co.uk/ nostalgia-night

For further information please see beinghumanfestival.org.

Peterloo: Imagine a World Kent historian Dr Ben Marsh has coauthored a vivid and historically accurate visual account of the Peterloo Massacre for schools to mark the event’s 200th anniversary.

In August 1819, 60,000 people gathered in Manchester to demand the reform of parliamentary representation. Magistrates ordered a private militia to storm the crowd, armed with sabres. Around 18 people died and more than 650 were injured. Peterloo: Imagine a World is written as a comic and looks at the event through the eyes and experiences of children.

University of Kent | www.kent.ac.uk/community/canterbury

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Dr Marsh said: ‘The book aims to help students understand the event. It will provoke insights into the nature of political protest in British history and its relevance to the world today.’

Community

Kent psychologists help clean Canterbury air Research by University of Kent psychologists at St Dunstan’s and St Stephen’s level crossings in Canterbury last summer showed that motivating messages for drivers cut emissions by the equivalent of taking 1,044 cars off the road for a year.

The research, which was funded by Canterbury City Council, assessed 6,528 vehicles arriving at the level crossings where air quality values tended to exceed national and EU recommended thresholds at various times most days. They tested the effects of three different signs that requested drivers to switch off their engines, by asking them to either ‘join other responsible drivers’, ‘think about their actions’, or ‘improve air quality in the area’.

Project leader Professor Dominic Abrams said: ‘This project successfully used social psychology to persuade more drivers to

Healthcare expert to head new regional research collaboration

turn off their engines, bringing benefits for everyone in the area, including the drivers themselves.

A new £9m health and social care research collaboration in the region is being headed by the University’s Professor Stephen Peckham.

‘Translated into concrete consequences for Canterbury, we estimate that a 38% reduction in idling would prevent the emission of 4,920 tons of CO2 per year, equivalent to taking 1,044 cars off the road for an entire year or to saving 2.1 million litres of fuel.

Professor Peckham will be the first Director of the new Applied Research Collaboration in Kent, Surrey and Sussex, which was launched on 11 July.

‘If the same were achieved at the 1,500 level crossings across public highways nationally, the annual impact on national air quality would be equivalent to removing nearly 470,000 cars from our roads.

‘We believe that this approach could also easily be adapted for areas where engine idling is common, such as schools, and areas where there are long queues and delays associated with traffic lights.’

The initiative aims to improve health and social care research. The funding will be made available over five years and be boosted by an additional £5m investment from local NHS trusts, local authorities and universities.

Professor Peckham will work with health and social care organisations and universities to develop research that will help improve services and train the next generation of health and social care researchers.

Walking Netball is back!

The University of Kent will be hosting walking netball sessions at the Canterbury Campus Sports Centre on Wednesday 20 November and Wednesday 18 December from 10 – 11am. All sessions are indoors and are aimed at those who are 55-plus. No experience is necessary. Please wear suitable clothing and footwear and don’t forget your water bottle!

A minimum of Kent Sport Community ‘Pay to Play’ Membership is required, with £4.50 per session (plus annual £5 membership fee). No need to book, just come along!

The sessions are an ideal opportunity to be active in a fun, enjoyable and social environment. For further information call 01227 816391 or email: sportsdevelopment@kent.ac.uk

We’d like to hear your feedback, tell us what you think | E: communityinfo@kent.ac.uk T: 01227 824009

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