22 minute read
UNIVERSITY NEWS
How your University is responding to the COVID-19 challenge
The coronavirus (COVID-19) is having an unprecedented impact across the world and is creating a vast and growing number of challenges for all of us.
Staff and students from across the University of Sheffield have been and are continuing to mitigate its effects on society with a rapid response through crucial research and innovation, local and global collaborations and practical
HELPING THE NHS
Our medical students graduated early from Sheffield to assist the NHS
Nearly 250 final year medical students graduated early to become junior doctors and be able to work for the NHS during the coronavirus pandemic. The medical students were keen to graduate earlier than usual to provide valuable support to the NHS as qualified clinicians. They join student nurses and allied health professionals on placement from the University who have already volunteered to dedicate more time to working on the frontline as NHS employees at this time. support for the community. We are working with the NHS locally and nationally, to ensure that we are doing all we can to support not only our local hospitals, but also the national effort in mitigating the effects of this global outbreak. We’re also supporting the regional response to the COVID-19 challenge by ensuring healthcare services, cultural and creative sectors and industry partners across the Sheffield City Region are supported.
DONATING PPE
We have donated personal protective equipment to help front-line NHS staff
Around £60,000 worth of personal protective equipment (PPE) has been donated by University of Sheffield departments and alumni to front-line NHS staff treating patients with coronavirus. Over 160,000 items of disposable PPE including masks, gloves, aprons and eyewear have been collected from the University’s laboratories and workshops to assist key workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
MAKING FACE SHIELDS
Our engineers 3D printed face shields for doctors and healthcare workers
Engineers from the University joined forces to rapidly manufacture face shields for doctors and healthcare workers. Face shields have been distributed to frontline healthcare workers who may be exposed to COVID-19, and they are continuing to manufacture and distribute more. The University of Sheffield team is now the Yorkshire hub for the national 3DCrowd UK initiative.
MANUFACTURING VENTILATORS
The AMRC and Nuclear AMRC were part of the national effort to manufacture medical ventilators
The University's Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) and Nuclear AMRC played a pivotal role in the national effort to produce medical ventilators as part of a consortium of leading industrial, technological and engineering businesses. The industrial consortium, Ventilator Challenge UK, came together after Prime Minister Boris Johnson made an urgent plea for an additional 50,000 ventilators to be delivered to the NHS within a matter of weeks, before the coronavirus pandemic reached its peak. The consortium received orders from the government in excess of 10,000 units.
FINDING A CURE
Our Genomics research is analysing how COVID-19 spreads and behaves
Scientists and clinicians from the University and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have joined a UK consortium to map how COVID-19 spreads and behaves.
Backed by the UK government, a £20 million investment will allow the consortium to work together - and through whole genome sequencing - to create valuable intelligence that could provide breakthroughs in how to fight this, and future pandemics; saving lives around the world. Expert groups across the country will work together to rapidly analyse the genetic code of coronavirus samples circulating in the UK. In doing so, the consortium will provide cutting-edge information about the cause of the disease to share with public health agencies, hospitals, regional NHS centres and the government to help combat the virus.
ONLINE EVENTS
New web platform to keep Sheffield's arts and culture sector open
The University partnered with Sheffield City Council to launch a new online platform to keep the city’s vibrant arts and cultural sector open during the coronavirus lockdown.
Developed and hosted by Our Favourite Places (OFP), the Sheffield Culture Hub allows events in the city to be accessed for the first time through one digital route, providing visitors with a one-stop online arts and cultural events guide.
Many events in Sheffield have already made the move to online delivery due to the COVID-19 lockdown. The new hub will help make these events accessible to more people as well as provide a platform for smaller events and cultural groups that don’t have access to digital delivery systems. Visit the Hub sheffieldculturehub.co.uk
There are undoubtedly going to be further challenges ahead and the University will continue to work closely with, among others, ministers and the government, the Mayor and other leaders from the Sheffield City Region, Universities UK and the Russell Group, our industrial partners and other universities in the UK and in Europe. One of the giant sculptures at the Mausoleum of the Giants.
In The City
The University is involved in several leading events across the city, where our students and staff share their expertise and passion to drive cultural and city vibrancy, working with key partners to enhance Sheffield’s offering.
Past events
Mausoleum of the Giants took place in spring 2019 and was a new exhibition by acclaimed international artist Phlegm. Over 12,000 people from across the globe visited the exhibition, which featured massive sculptures by the artist. The exhibition was led and produced by the University as one of the key delivery partners in the Sheffield Culture Consortium’s Cultural Destination programme.
Sheffield Makes Music provided a day of celebration showcasing Sheffield’s musical creators, contributors and talent, as part of BBC Music Day. The 2019 event included a unique performance by University of Sheffield alumnus Jon McClure from Reverend and the Makers.
Upcoming events
Some of these events may be held online due to COVID-19
Festival of the Mind is a unique collaboration between the University’s academics and experts from Sheffield’s cultural and creative industries. The bi-annual event celebrates the University and the city, through performances, talks, exhibitions and interactive events. (17-27 September 2020 - sheffield.ac.uk/fotm).
Off the Shelf is a diverse and wide-ranging literary festival that hosts world-renowned names in literature and media. Now run by the University, Off the Shelf presents its 29th edition this year, providing a variety of opportunities for our academics to participate (10-31 October 2020 - offtheshelf.org.uk).
QS WORLD UNIVERSITY RANKINGS 2021
The QS University world rankings are announced in June each year and the University ranked: 1 IN THE TOP
UNIVERSITIES IN THE WORLD
16
IN THE UK
Queen’s Anniversary Prize for SITRaN
If you or a loved one has been affected by dementia, Motor Neurone Disease (MND), Parkinson’s disease or multiple sclerosis (MS), you’ll know how urgently new treatments are needed for these devastating conditions.
That’s exactly what the Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN) is doing. It was opened by Her Majesty the Queen in 2010, and a decade later, SITraN has been awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for innovation in neuroscience. SITraN is now one of the world’s leading centres for research into neurodegenerative disorders.
TRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall presented the University with the prize on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen at a Buckingham Palace reception in February 2020.
The Queen’s Anniversary Prize is the highest national honour that recognises outstanding work by UK universities and colleges that demonstrate quality and innovation in their research.
Professor Dame Pam Shaw, Director of SITraN, said, “This prize recognises the University of Sheffield as a centre for excellence in neuroscience research and teaching, where our researchers are making life-changing discoveries and progress in treating some of the most devastating neurological diseases, making a real difference to patients’ lives.”
SITraN has been recognised for improving patient outcomes for people living with neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, MND, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and MS.
Left: Professor Dame Pamela Shaw at the Queen’s Anniversary Prize Ceremony at Buckingham Palace. Above: With the Queen at the opening of SITraN.
Highlights from a decade of research at SITraN include:
• the development of a new orthotic device, ‘HeadUp’, for patients living with MND who suffer from muscle weakness in their neck • groundbreaking stem cell trials for
MS patients • research which has improved the life-expectancy and quality of life for those living with MND • the discovery of a biomarker linked to the development of Alzheimer’s disease for the first time, which has the potential for earlier diagnosis and has sparked the development of new therapies • drug discovery programmes to develop new treatments for
Parkinson’s disease
Professor Dame Pam Shaw commented on how the institute has developed over the past 10 years, “SITraN has grown into a leading global facility at the forefront of research and expertise. We are pioneering new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases and bringing new hope to patients and families across the country.”
Generous philanthropic gifts from our community of donors have played a key role in SITraN’s success over the past decade. In addition to the £12 million raised to help build the facility at the outset, £8 million has been donated since 2010, helping to accelerate the groundbreaking research which has the potential to improve the lives of so many patients around the world affected by neurodegenerative disorders.
The University has recently launched a fundraising appeal to help support its research into Parkinson’s disease (see feature on p28).
You can find out more about the appeal and make a donation by visiting
sheffield.ac.uk/causes/parkinsons
IN NUMBERS 190,000 The University has over 190,000 alumni based in 205 countries and there are now 15 active alumni groups across the world. See page 30 to find out where they are.
New generation of PhD researchers to tackle chronic diseases
A £5.24 million investment by the Wellcome Trust will provide scholarships for 35 graduates to carry out pioneering research into the world’s most critical public health issues.
The investment means graduates from a wide variety of disciplines will have the opportunity to specialise in public health economics research at the Doctoral Training Centre at the University of Sheffield.
During the programme – led by the School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR) – doctoral researchers will focus on how health policies, strategies and systems can best be coordinated and prioritised to tackle chronic diseases.
Petra Meier, Professor of Public Health and Director of the Doctoral Training Centre at ScHARR, said, “Worldwide, chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer now account for around 70% of premature deaths. Our doctoral researchers will work to identify the most cost-effective public health policies and interventions to reduce these types of ill health and how different interventions can be coordinated to maximise impact.”
The scholarships cover tuition fees, research costs and a monthly stipend, and offer the possibility of part-time study. This opens up a route to postgraduate research training for students who may not have otherwise had the opportunity to further their academic career.
The funding award from the Wellcome Trust recognises ScHARR as a provider of excellence when it comes to public health and economics research; with a programme built on high-quality research training.
The new PhD programme will start in autumn 2020. For more information visit
pheds-dtc.ac.uk
Rehab Osman Khalifa, Community Services Officer at Za'atari camp.
Hope grows in the desert thanks to your generous donations
Thousands of refugees will now have the opportunity to grow their own fresh produce thanks to a unique fundraising appeal launched by the University in 2019. So far, generous donations have raised over £225,000 of the £250,000 target.
The Desert Garden project was set up in Jordan’s Za’atari refugee camp, by Sheffield scientists. Bringing together their expertise in hydroponics – a method of growing plants without soil – and the refugees’ farming knowledge from their former lives in Syria, the project is making a huge difference to the lives of people living in some of the world’s harshest conditions.
Sustainability is key to the Desert Garden’s success: it uses discarded mattress foam as a growing medium in place of soil, as well as other waste materials from around the camp, and 80% less water than traditional farming methods. And its ‘train the trainer’ model means that within three years, the project will become fully self-sustaining.
To find out more about the Desert Garden project, visit
sheffield.ac.uk/desert-garden
Department of Economics 110 years
The Department of Economics was established in 1910
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
School of East Asian Studies 30 years
The Department of Philosophy was established in 1910
Department of Philosophy 110 years
The School of East Asian Studies was established in 1990
Lacrosse Celebrates 100
100 Years
The Sheffield University Lacrosse Club is looking forward to celebrating the centenary of the formation of the ladies team. The Club has come a long way since the 23-nil loss of their first game, and now have three teams; the First Team had a fantastic season, reaching the semi-finals in the Cup. They are especially proud of the Development team, made up of beginners, who beat Hallam 11-4 in the only Varsity fixture they managed to have this season.
SULC is in the midst of planning an event to celebrate; look out for updates on the Club's Facebook page.
Department of Psychology 60 years
The Department of Psychology was established in 1960
Department of Computer Science 40 years
The Department of Computer Science was established in 1980
Celebrating 60 years of Halifax Hall
It’s sixty years since Endcliffe House was renamed Halifax Hall in honour of the Earl of Halifax, who was Chancellor of the University between 1947 and 1959. Originally built in the 1840s, Halifax Hall provided lodgings to University of Sheffield students for 50 years before being 60 refurbished as a conference venue and, most recently, a boutique hotel.
Endcliffe House was originally one of several large houses built for wealthy industrialists and their families in Sheffield. The building was home to Sir Joseph Jonas, who In 1962, Halifax Hall underwent another was Lord Mayor of Sheffield from extension that included a seven-storey 1904 to 1905, and his wife Lady Jonas bedroom block, a large dining hall, for many years. kitchen facilities and rooms for resident
When the building was acquired academic and domestic staff. by the University in 1929, plans were 2013 brought the final change to the drawn up to extend the property, with building, as Halifax Hall underwent a accommodation for 65 students and £1.8m transformation into a beautiful lodgings for a warden and a sub-warden. boutique hotel and wedding venue. The refurbishment included repurposing The hotel has 38 en-suite bedrooms, Sir Joseph Jonas’ library as the warden’s including three suites and deluxe study, using the family sitting room as conferencing facilities. Halifax Hall is the reference library, and in 1936 the managed by Unicus, a subsidiary of the adjacent fiction library was furnished University and offers discounted rates to with fittings from the White Star liner, University of Sheffield alumni. Homeric, the sister ship to the Titanic. The building became known as the Did you stay in Halifax Hall? Share University Hall for Women in 1934, before your memories and photographs with being renamed as Halifax Hall in 1959. us @SheffieldAlumni on social media.
Supporting the next generation of doctors
September saw the University’s Medical School open its doors to 50 additional medical students, as part of a scheme by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and NHS England.
Fifteen of these new students are fulfilling their ambition to study medicine thanks to support from generous donations. The students are part of a progressive new programme that fasttracks science graduates from financially disadvantaged and under-represented backgrounds straight into their second year of study.
Each of the 15 students received a £3,500 scholarship towards their fees. This financial support is vital in opening doors for those who might otherwise find it difficult to access or continue in higher education.
“The scheme levels the playing field and gives a broader selection of students access to medical training, which is fantastic,” said student Sam Horton.
The progressive new programme enables more students to gain medical education and training. Medical courses are heavily oversubscribed, so this expansion opens up new opportunities for aspiring medical professionals.
Professor Deborah Murdoch Eaton, Dean of Medical Education at the University, commented, “Expanding medical education is enabling the University of Sheffield to respond to the future needs of the UK’s healthcare system. We can now train more doctors and develop more high-quality medical professionals to work in hospitals, GP surgeries and clinics both in South Yorkshire and across the UK.”
The expansion enables the University to recruit students from areas of South Yorkshire where the study of medicine is typically low. The new CAMPUS UPDATE Social Sciences building is scheduled to open in Summer 2022
It’s been a busy year for building projects on the University’s estate, with students, staff and visitors benefitting from new facilities. Now fully refurbished, the Concourse will continue to be a hub for major events such as graduation and open days, as well as being a place for staff, students and the public to meet, relax and safely cross the busy A57. It features new terraced areas, which include hedges, flowers and trees, and contemporary lighting, giving this much-used area a new lease of life.
Work on the new Social Sciences building is well underway and on schedule to open in Summer 2022. This major new investment will house a wide range of social science disciplines under one roof for the first time, including the Departments of Economics, Politics, and Sociological Studies.
Construction work is progressing on the University’s new energy centre, known as the Transformer. The building is designed to ensure resilience and energy security for the University’s world-leading multi-million-pound research projects. The new Transformer will provide an uninterrupted power supply to research experiments and ensure business continuity to the west-side of campus, as well as supplying power and heat to several key University buildings.
World-class sports pitches now open
Work on two new all-weather pitches at the Norton Sports Centre is now complete. The competition standard hockey pitch and the rugby/football multipurpose pitch will enable students and members of the public to play all year round, whatever the weather. The pitches feature new spectator stands, which help to create an exciting atmosphere for competitive games. The updates, including new changing facilities, elevate the sports centre and enhance the University’s reputation as in international leader in team sports.
Cole Porter composing as he reclines on a couch in the Ritz Hotel during out-of-town tryouts for DuBarry Was a Lady (1939).
Newly published Cole Porter letters reveal a life of contrasts
Cole Porter was one of the most successful American songwriters of the 20th century. His musicals, such as Kiss Me Kate and Anything Goes, still resonate with audiences over 50 years since his death.
A new collection of letters, uncovered by Dr Dominic McHugh from the University’s Department of Music, in collaboration with Professor Cliff Eisen from King’s College London, reveal previously hidden details about the life and work of Cole Porter.
The letters disclose a life of contrasts, as Dominic explained, “Although he had numerous affairs with men, he was devoted to his wife; alongside the lavish parties, he agonised about how to pay his bills; and though witty, there was a darker side to his personality in which he was tormented about whether he was losing his talent.”
To uncover the letters, Dr McHugh and Professor Eisen spent five years searching archives held by the Cole Porter Trust as well as the Library of Congress and Yale University – where Porter studied.
The collection is published in The Letters of Cole Porter, Yale University Press, London.
A green solution to playground pollution
It’s estimated that children on the school run in Sheffield are inhaling the equivalent of a pack of cigarettes every week in particulate matter pollution, according to research carried out by the University.
To counteract the harmful effects of air pollution, pupils, staff and volunteers have planted a ‘green barrier’ at Hunter’s Bar Infant School playground. The barrier is part of a study by PhD researcher María del Carmen Redondo Bermúdez, from the University’s Department of Landscape Architecture, and is funded by the Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures.
Teams of volunteers planted 50 ivy screens and over 240 plants chosen for their ability to reflect, trap and absorb air pollutants in the school playground.
Maria said, “Different plants have different capacities to reduce air pollution, depending on the characteristics of their leaves and bark. Planted together, they form a barrier against the wind that brings contaminants into the playground.”
The findings from the study will be published in 2021 and will include the impact green barriers have on the wellbeing of children, families and school staff, as well as their ability to reduce pollution. The plant barrier stretches 200ft around the inner-city school playground.
In 2019, William Chew (MA Psychology of Music 2015) was brave enough to enter the BBC’s hugely popular show for entrepreneurs, Dragons’ Den, and came out with a £50,000 investment for his Malaysian chilli paste start-up Mak Tok.
During his memorable Dragons’ Den pitch for investment, William sang the Dragons a song on his guitar and confessed that he stole the recipe from his mum. His pitch charmed the Dragons, even making two of them cry. New Dragon, Sara Davies, invested £50,000 into Mak Tok for a 33% share in the business.
Entrepreneur takes on the Dragons and wins
Work on the green barrier is part of the BREATHE project which aims to address the air pollution problem with a ‘naturebased solution’. The school community raised funds for the project, which also received generous donations and in-kind services from local businesses.
William first had the idea for setting up a chilli paste business while studying for his MA at the University. Feeling homesick, he started experimenting with creating his own chilli paste to recreate the taste of home-cooked Malaysian food. With help from his mum and a kind elderly friend known as ‘Mak
Tok’, the business was born. William has already made use of Sara’s expertise by adapting his branding. He plans to use the investment to explore more effective packaging and manufacturing methods and expand the business by selling to the catering industry.
WHAT’S NEW AT THE SU
Sheffield Students’ Union is more than a building
The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic earlier this year brought campus to a standstill, and we had to close the SU doors in mid-March.
Despite the difficult circumstances, our amazing students have emerged with creative solutions to support each other and help keep the SU spirit alive when we all need it most. Here are some of the many highlights: • Our Officer team launched the new online community group on
Facebook for all of our students to come together and share a space online. • Our Advice Centre continued to support hundreds of students each week through online and remote appointments. Bake Society have launched a virtual Bake Off, encouraging anyone baking at home to use the #IsolationBakes hashtag, and are collecting recipes for their blog. Disabed and Dyslexic Students’ committee ran an online campaign ‘Keeping Calm Together’, which focused on good wellbeing and mental health in an anxiety-inducing time. Give It A Go has delivered 7 weeks of online programmes.
Campaigning for a sustainable campus
It’s been a big year of climate action at the Students’ Union. The SU supported three global climate strikes throughout the year, which in September included evacuating the building and shutting down services for a full hour. Students were directed to a rally on the concourse, which led to hundreds marching to join the city-wide protest.
There was brilliant campaigning work from the Clean Energy Switch campaign, made up of students and staff, which has consistently urged the University to switch to a clean energy supplier. This was alongside lobbying throughout the year from our SU Development Officer Harry Carling and the Sustainability Committee, and in May the University committed to switch to 100% renewable energy for the first time.
Harry said “It is so important that we have a University that values our student voice, and this is particularly important when talking about environmental issues. I’m exceptionally proud of our student-led Clean Energy Switch campaign and Sustainability Committee, who have done an incredible job in making sure this issue has been pushed to the top of the agenda in the University. “The University of Sheffield has set an example to the rest of the higher education sector, and organisations around the world. It is now the responsibility of others to follow.”
Highlights included online belly dancing classes, virtual tours of British landmarks and Bummit’s virtual hitchhike Our Officers hosted live Instagram Q&A sessions twice a week, answering students’ questions on exams, housing, wellbeing, and many more.
Find out more about how we’re delivering our mission during social distancing: @SheffieldSU
Find out more about the SU’s commitment to sustainability
yoursu.sheffield.ac.uk/getinvolved/sustainability Student Advice Centre puts £1 Million back in students’ pockets
The team at the SU’s Student Advice Centre last year broke the £1 million mark in financial gains for students as a result of their work. That’s £1 million in one academic year that students across the University have in their pockets thanks to the amazing work of the advice team.
This just covers the quantifiable financial gain. The advice team have supported students through complex University processes and hearings, supported them with housing issues and disputes, helped them with visas and consistently gone the extra mile to ensure students have the best possible experience at Sheffield.
To find out more about the Student Advice Centre
