Your Manchester 2018 by The University of Manchester Alumni Association

YOUR MANCHESTER MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS 2018/2019

MCR

CONTENTS

Contact us your.manchester.ac.uk alumni@manchester.ac.uk +44 (0)161 306 3066 Your Manchester is published by the Division of Development and Alumni Relations in conjunction with the Division of Communications and Marketing, The University of Manchester.

The articles printed here, to the best of our knowledge, were correct at the time of going to press. We cannot guarantee that all articles submitted will be printed and we reserve the right to edit material where necessary. Furthermore, the views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of The University of Manchester, The University of Manchester Alumni Association or the Editor.

Join in the conversation

fb.com/alumniuom

@AlumniUoM @AlumniUoM Cover David Nott OBE (see pages 14-17) Image by Jason Alden/The Independent Contributors With thanks to Kate Horton, Angela Barlow, Tom Fern, Simon Harvey, Deborah Linton, Sally Mavin, Rowena Roberts and Matt Spencer. Designed by the Division of Communications and Marketing The University of Manchester Oxford Rd Manchester United Kingdom M13 9PL Royal Charter Number RC000797 M2229 10.18

University news An overview of the yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s news and developments.

Life and death decisions War zone trauma surgeon David Nott OBE delivered the Cockcroft Rutherford Lecture 2018.

Nuclear con-fusion? Ernest Rutherfordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fundamental discoveries established the modern field of nuclear physics.

Putting Manchester on the map Researchers are exploring the cartographic stories of the city.

Making a Difference Read a new poem from our Chancellor Lemn Sissay inspired by our commitment to social responsibility.

A Yorkshireman in New York Global Graduate George Flesher sees the world through a wider lens.

Creativity: the common denominator

Manchester has long been a birthplace of creativity: explore how the University is part of this ongoing story.

The human rights advocate, the biochemist and the spaceflight pioneer

Three recipients of Outstanding Alumni Awards share the stories of their successful careers.

Opening doors the Manchester way Students from under-represented backgrounds are reaching out to the next generation.

Tribute to the lost New research is uncovering the stories of members of the University community who died in World War I.

Shaping the future of parental leave Manchester researchers are exploring the role of fathers in early childcare and influencing future government policy.

Rebuilding the university library of Mosul An alumnus used the power of crowdfunding to transport books from Manchester to his home city.

Tackling taboos, empowering women A charity established by an alumna is providing health and wellness education.

Looking to our future

eputation is what people think of us. While we seek to influence it, it’s not fully in our control. The University has a strong reputation which has been built over nearly two centuries. It has been shaped by the views of the millions of people who have studied here, worked with us, visited our campus or heard about us first-hand, second-hand or through the media or other channels over that period.

• a very impressive university with global strengths;

I used this space in Your Manchester a few years ago to talk about the need for a strong and growing reputation and I think it is timely to do so again. Ultimately, our reputation is reliant upon the actual performance of the University, particularly the quality of our research, the experience of our students and our wider contributions to society. Added to this our alumni are our global ambassadors – what you achieve enhances our reputation immeasurably. You help us to increase awareness of who we are and what we do in a world where reputation must be nurtured and protected.

As we enter our third century, developing a vision for how we want to move forward will play an important role in shaping our reputation. This autumn we have launched a new approach to developing our strategic vision, looking at the opportunities and challenges higher education and our own University will face beyond the next decade. Our Future is an opportunity for staff, students, alumni and external stakeholders to share their thoughts on what the future purpose and direction of our University should be. We want new big ideas – innovative and creative concepts which will be considered by the University’s senior leadership team when shaping the new vision, to be launched later next year.

In this issue, as in every issue, the stories of alumni careers and activities are testament to the quality of the Manchester graduate. Our students are the citizens and leaders of tomorrow and as our alumni we hope we have equipped you with a strong sense of ethical, social and environmental responsibility. Reputations are not easy to measure. However, as a university we do try to assess our standing with key audiences. We do this through our performance in national and international surveys, and via a new reputation tracker. The evidence from these surveys and the tracker shows that we are performing well. A more detailed picture of the University’s reputation emerges from our own External Stakeholders Survey, the most recent of which was conducted last summer and showed that we are judged to be:

• acclaimed for research quality, with our research beacons becoming well known; • located on an improving and vibrant campus; • recognised for high-quality social engagement in the region and more widely; • a university that is strong in student support and produces high-quality and employable students.

There is still more work to be done on communications to let more people know about the great work that is done here and, in particular, how we are distinctive. I hope you can play your part in telling The University of Manchester story. Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell President and Vice-Chancellor

AT A GLANCE

34th The University of Manchester is ranked 34th in the world by the Academic Ranking of World Universities (6th in the UK, 8th in Europe)

63,000+ We are the most popular university in the UK among undergraduates with more than 63,000 applications in 2017/18

380,000+ We have regular contact with more than 380,000 alumni from over 200 countries and territories

93% More than 93% of our graduates go straight into employment or further study (HESA 2017)

25 We have 25 Nobel Prize winners among current and former staff and students

83% The Research Excellence Framework 2014 judged 83% of our research activity to be ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ man.ac.uk/n9SHI6 YOUR MANCHESTER

Opening doors the Manchester way

A key ambition for teaching, learning and the student experience at The University of Manchester is for there to be no barriers to studying and no boundaries to learning. With help from alumni donors and volunteers, we are working to widen participation, ensuring fair access and promoting student success and social mobility for all. Realising potential “People sometimes think: ‘Oh, you’re in care; you’re not as clever as others.’ I always knew that wasn’t true. But when I started school I was two years behind everyone. It can be harder for us.” In these few sentences, 13-yearold Tamara sums up why the University’s Success4Life programme – which focuses on looked-after children from Years 7 to 11 in Greater Manchester – was established. Nationally, around 6% of care leavers enter higher education, compared to 48% of young people. University Chancellor Lemn Sissay MBE (Hon LittD 2015), who personally experienced Wigan’s care system 40 years ago and has since worked extensively to advocate for looked-after children, is unsurprised by these statistics. 2

YOUR MANCHESTER

“Sadly, kids in care are often merely seen as a problem to be dealt with until they’re 18,” he says. “A lot of these young people are then set adrift in adult life. Family gives you the power of suggestion. Simply having a parent introduce university as an option is something many children in care don’t have.” More than 49,000 young learners took part in Manchester’s pre-university widening participation initiatives in 2016/17, all of which encourage learners from less advantaged backgrounds to discover more about higher education, consider it as a viable option and prepare for further study. Support provided by the University for care leavers includes a designated contact for the student and a donor-funded scholarship worth £1,000 a year.>>>

Image by David Gennard

My outreach work made me feel part of Manchester.

Letitia Budu

YOUR MANCHESTER

Image by Pete Carr

We want our students to become the change-makers of the future.

After completing completing Success4Life, Success4Life, AfterAfter completing Success4Life, than 49,000 young thanMore than 49,000 49,000 young young Nationally, Nationally, Nationally, around around 6% around 6% 6% MoreMore 90% of participants of participants of participants said said said learners learners took took parttook part in part in in 90%90% of care of care leavers of care leavers enter leavers enterenter learners now have have a better a better nowthey havenow a better Manchesterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pre-university Manchesterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pre-universitytheythey pre-university higher higher education, higher education, education, Manchesterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s understanding understanding of what of what theythey of what they widening participation widening participationunderstanding participation compared compared compared to 38% to 38% ofto 38% of of widening need to to to do go to togo university to university to do todo go to university initiatives in 2016/17 initiatives in 2016/17needneed in 2016/17 the general the general thepopulation general population population initiatives Ilyas Nagdee

YOUR MANCHESTER

Success4Life aims to boost abilities as well as aspirations, running a series of activities designed to improve lifelong skills and attributes such as teamwork, confidence and self-image. Lemn believes the programme’s exclusivity for looked-after children is important, saying, “Some people worry about treating these kids differently. But being in care is different; it can be such an isolating experience. These initiatives aren’t about separation; they’re about safety, growth, providing a healthy environment of support. They are shining a light on the most vulnerable in our society. I’m proud to see The University of Manchester leading the way.”

work experience,” she says. “But some students can’t afford to stay here over summer and can’t get suitable experience at home. I was so happy to get the bursary. I have dyslexia and dyspraxia so need extra time to study. Without the Manchester Bursary I would have needed a part-time job – and I don’t think I would have coped.” A diverse community

Reaching out

Manchester has one of the largest cohorts of students in the Russell Group of universities from lowincome households; more than one-third of our students received a bursary in 2016/17. Students at Manchester who have participated in MAP also receive the Undergraduate Access Scholarship, funded by alumni donors.

Letitia Budu (BScocSc Social Anthropology 2018) is another enthusiastic advocate for the University’s outreach work: “My outreach work made me feel part of Manchester. I was doing something to help its future generation.” As part of a Summer Experience Internship with the Widening Participation Team she worked on the Manchester Access Programme (MAP), which supports talented students from under-represented backgrounds to enter higher education. Since it started in 2005, nearly 2,000 MAP students have successfully gained a place to study at Manchester.

Professor James Thompson, Vice-President for Social Responsibility, is clear about the value of opening university up to a wider community: “Due to all sorts of barriers, the brightest and most able students don’t always get the opportunities. Widening participation helps us recruit those students, and we and society are better for it. We want as diverse a community as possible, because having students from different backgrounds influences what we do here. We want students to be engaged with the city and region, becoming the change-makers of the future.”

Letitia received the University’s Manchester Bursary, as well as a work experience bursary that covered her living costs during her internship. “Graduates are disadvantaged if they don’t have

Giving back Few can claim to know more about the University’s outreach work than Ilyas Nagdee (BA Middle Eastern Studies 2016).

During his degree, he clocked up thousands of hours as a volunteer and intern with the Widening Participation Team, ultimately receiving two Making a Difference Awards for ‘inspiring communities’ and his ‘outstanding contribution to widening participation’. He also helped recruit three student intakes for MAP – which was his own path to the University. “I was born across the road at St Mary’s Hospital, and grew up about 15 minutes’ walk from the University,” he reveals. “But it seemed a world away. I got lost on my first day on MAP; I’d never been on campus before. MAP opened a door into a world that people like me hear about but never experience. It helps us become familiar with the environment, not alienated by it. And it’s a cycle: a lot of us go on to support MAP and other brilliant initiatives.” Ilyas worked as the University’s Students’ Union Diversity Officer after he graduated, and he is now Black Students’ Officer at the National Union of Students. He’s full of enthusiasm and ambition, and it’s hard to imagine him otherwise. But Ilyas experienced bouts of depression during his degree, and relied on the satisfaction and routine of his widening participation work to keep him going. Manchester was the first UK university to provide peer support to every first-year undergraduate student; 2,125 students undertook peer support roles in 2016/17. The University has also received an Office for Students Catalyst award

to develop a dedicated support system for black and minority ethnic students. Employability Careers support is also crucial. “Our strategy for widening participation sets out a comprehensive access and participation plan that runs from primary school through to graduate careers,” explains Professor Clive Agnew, Vice-President for Teaching, Learning and Students. “We want to raise aspirations and skills pre-university, offer appropriate support throughout university, and help students understand that networking and soft skills are just as important as degree outcome for employability.” “Widening participation was central to my experience at the University; it meant more to me than my degree. Quite simply, it changed my life,” concludes Ilyas. “University opens the door to so many different life experiences. Outreach work at Manchester is so important – and phenomenal.”

SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS Donations to the University help us to provide life-changing scholarships to students from disadvantaged backgrounds. For more details and to donate, visit man.ac.uk/a3h3ZG

YOUR MANCHESTER

university news

City of Literature events

3D-printed robot prosthetic limb Engineering students have designed and built a 3D-printed, low-cost robotic prosthetic hand that could provide a much cheaper alternative for amputees. The hand’s joints are all fully posable with each individual finger and the thumb being able to move as well as make a fist. The functionality of the hand allows its user to do simple everyday tasks such as picking up items, eating using a knife and fork, typing, clicking a mouse or opening doors. The hand also comes with Bluetooth connection and an Android app for a smartphone. It is controlled by muscle sensors

placed on the wearer’s arm that can be paired to the app, which was also designed by the group. Alex Agboola-Dobson, a master’s student from the School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, explains, “The functionality is customised through the phone app, but the muscle sensors provide the control by moving the hand whenever necessary. It is really simple to use.” The design was named ‘best new development’ in the Digital Innovation Challenge at the Industry 4.0 Summit and Factories of the Future Expo 2018, held in Manchester.

Graduate finally receives certificate A centenarian who completed her degree in 1938 has finally received a certificate, after her daughter surprised her at her 101st birthday party. Catherine Palmer (née Bolton) came to Manchester in 1935 to study English. She was an active student who sang in the choir and represented the University at fencing and athletics. She didn’t receive a certificate at the time, as the outbreak of World War II led to her going on placements to hospitals in London. Catherine went on to have an accomplished teaching career and 6

YOUR MANCHESTER

an active life, trekking and whitewater rafting in the Himalayas at the age of 75. She still walks her dog every day and continues to live an independent life. “In this centenary year for women’s suffrage, it is important to celebrate the achievements of our alumni, and Catherine’s life and work are an inspiration to our current students,” says Professor Peter Knight, Head of English, American Studies and Creative Writing.

An ambitious, world-class cancer research facility is to be built at The Christie on the site of the Paterson building, which suffered fire damage in April 2017. Integrating researchers and clinicians, it will accelerate the translation and adoption of research into the clinic, helping to understand and tackle the diversity and complexity of cancer. The University will join forces with The Christie and Cancer Research UK to fundraise for the multi-million pound development which will also harness the potential of healthcare research within a catchment area of 3 million people as part of the Greater Manchester Cancer Plan and Health Innovation Manchester.

Study UK Alumni Awards Celebrating the outstanding achievements of alumni, the British Council’s Study UK Alumni Awards showcase how award winners and finalists have used their experience of studying at a UK university to make a positive contribution to their communities, professions and countries. We were delighted that 12 Manchester alumni were named as finalists, with three going on to win their categories. The Entrepreneurial Award for Sub-Saharan Africa (Nigeria) was won by Rita Robert Otu (MSc International Development

Rita Robert Otu

2007). She has made a difference to the lives of over 3,000 women and girls through her Peas Food project, providing education and teaching green skills. Bilal Shahid (MSc Renewable Energy and Clean Technology 2016) received the Social Impact Award for Pakistan for

Alumni celebrate Manchester Day in Moscow.

Francisco, Singapore, Zurich and Manchester itself, each event was a recognition of the size of Manchester’s global alumni community and the benefits it brings to its members and the University. “Thank you to the alumni who hosted the events and everybody who was able to join them,”

The place to be Manchester has been named one of the best cities worldwide for young people to live in according to the Millennial City Ranking 2018. Out of 110 cities, Manchester made the top 10 list that looks at four main concerns – does the city have available work, can young people afford to live a good life, is the city open and tolerant, and recreation. In the list, other factors such as internet speed, gender equality, start-up opportunities and progress in the workplace were also taken into account. Manchester scored particularly well when it comes to personal freedom and choice, LGBTfriendly markers, immigration tolerance and nightlife.

Worldwide celebrations for Manchester Day Over 300 alumni gathered in 16 cities around the globe in June to mark Manchester Day – the city’s annual celebration of its creativity and diversity. Led by alumni volunteers in Baghdad, Bucharest, Dubai, Istanbul, Jakarta, Kampala, Kuala Lumpur, Lagos, Mexico City, Milan, Moscow, New Delhi, San

his work in pioneering renewable energy solutions in rural areas of Punjab. And the Professional Achievement Award for Malaysia was presented to Ee Von Teo (LLB Law 2005) for distinguishing herself in the legal profession.

says Markus Karlsson-Jones, Global Volunteer and Networks Officer. “This pilot of coordinated activity forged links between our internal groups, refreshed engagement with our volunteers and strengthened the ties with the University and the city. “We’re excited about what we can do in 2019!”

Illustration by Jane Naylor

World-class cancer centre

e Be r ste 7 ur YOUR MANCHESTER e h o nc l-col a M ful

Medal of Honour

Michelle McHale receives her award from the President and Vice-Chancellor.

Celebrating social responsibility Many alumni, students and staff give their personal time and energy undertaking public engagement work or volunteering with disadvantaged groups in the community locally, nationally and overseas. The University’s annual Volunteer of the Year Awards celebrate this activity. Michelle McHale (BA Applied Community and Youth Work Studies 2009) received the 2018 alumni award. Working with police forces across the UK, she set up a communityled, anti-knife initiative. This

created local knife surrender campaigns, resulting in over 100,000 knives being handed in. Katie Hollier (BA Econ 1994) took second place for her voluntary work with Oxford Mencap, of which she is now Chair. The organisation provides social activities, residential breaks and supported living for people with learning difficulties, and campaigns to remove the social injustices that affect people with a learning disability. Third place was awarded to Dr Matthew

Alumni, students and staff from the University turned the streets of Manchester purple at the Great Manchester Run on 20 May 2018. A ‘Purple Wave’ of almost 2,200 University representatives took part in the 10k run, with 87 entering the half marathon. All runners were encouraged to raise for charitable causes. More than £28,000 was raised, including £15,000 for the University’s Undergraduate Access Scholarship Programme, which supports bright young people from the most deprived parts of Greater Manchester. Watch out for details of the Purple Wave in 2019 at man.ac.uk/nzU31B

YOUR MANCHESTER

Image by Matt Wilkinson

Purple Wave makes a big splash

Stallard (BA History 2006, MA History 2009, PhD English 2017). As Chair of Manchester Central Foodbank he is responsible for the administration of the charity, which provided over 4,000 threeday emergency food supplies for people in crisis last year. For information about how to make a nomination for the Volunteer of the Year Awards 2019, visit www.manchester.ac.uk/ volunteeroftheyear

Professor Nic Jones, a world-leading cancer researcher, has received the University’s highest accolade, the Medal of Honour. In 1999, he moved to Manchester to become Director of the Paterson Institute (now the Manchester Institute), which is core funded by Cancer Research UK (CRUK). He has also been a Senior Group Leader at the Institute, leading the Cell Regulation Group. He remained in that role until 2011 when he became the CRUK Chief Scientist with the responsibility of overseeing the scientific strategy of the organisation. In 2006 he also became the inaugural Director of the Manchester Cancer Research Centre, a partnership between the University, The Christie and CRUK, and oversaw its development into one of the foremost cancer centres in Europe. He stepped down in August 2017. He is continuing to work closely with the University, advising on major strategic initiatives and research awards.

Image by Sue Anders

A new Manchester landmark A bronze statue of Emmeline Pankhurst will be unveiled in Manchester’s St Peter’s Square in December 2018, marking the 100th anniversary of some women voting for the first time in a General Election. Sculptor Hazel Reeves was commissioned to create the statue after her design Rise up, women, showing Emmeline on a chair, delivering a passionate speech, was chosen by judges. The statue will point towards the former Free Trade Hall, symbolising the place where the suffragettes started their militant activism in Manchester and will stand as a permanent reminder of the legacy of the women’s suffrage movement.

A detail of the statue’s maquette.

Top for UK business research income Official statistics show that the University attracted the most research income from UK industry of any institution in the country in 2016/17. The figures, from the Higher Education Statistics Agency, record that Manchester attracted £24,831,000 of research income from UK industry, commerce and public corporations. Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Luke Georghiou says, “We are delighted to be UK business’s favourite university and more importantly to be contributing to jobs and growth through the application of our leading-edge research. The statistics reflect a lot of hard work by our researchers, our business engagement team and their industrial partners.” For details of the University’s business engagement services, visit www.manchester.ac.uk/ business

Freddie Williams and Tom Kilburn

Baby’s first steps 2018 marks the 70th anniversary of a landmark development in the history of computing which took place at the University. At 11am on 21 June 1948 the Small Scale Experimental Machine, nicknamed ‘the Baby’, started running its first program. It took

52 minutes, processing 3.5 million calculations before it got to the correct answer. It was the first computer in the world to run a program electronically stored in its memory, rather than on paper tape or hardwired in. The Baby was developed and built by computing pioneers

Professor Sir Frederic Williams (BSc Engineering 1932, MSc 1933, DSc Science 1939), Professor Tom Kilburn (PhD Electrical Engineering 1948, DSc Science 1953) and Geoff Tootill.

YOUR MANCHESTER

Dr Lee with the President and Vice-Chancellor and (standing) Gerry Yeung, High Sheriff of Greater Manchester, and Professor Gries.

©iStockphoto.com/Igor Ilnitckii

Welcome to the Manchester China Institute

The Manchester China Institute (MCI) has been established by a £5 million transformational donation from retired Hong Kong businessman, philanthropist and honorary graduate Dr Lee Kai Hung (Hon LLD 2003). The Institute will conduct academic research that has policy-relevant implications, and seek to shape the broader British and international debates on China’s rise in a rapidly globalising world. Beyond academic research, the Institute will work for, and with, our Chinese and British students, and the large Chinese and business communities in and around Manchester. The funding is also creating a new Lee Kai Hung Chinese Culture Gallery at the Manchester YOUR MANCHESTER

Museum. Peter Gries, Professor of Chinese Politics, is the Director of the new Institute, having previously been Director of the Institute for US-China Issues at the University of Oklahoma. A generous benefactor Born in Hong Kong, Dr Lee made Manchester his second home in the 1970s, when he forged a successful career in the textile industry. “The significance of Dr Lee’s generous gift cannot be understated,” comments Professor Gries. “Dr Lee is a trail blazer, passionately championing efforts to promote mutual understanding, tolerance, and the celebration of each other’s traditions and customs, both across the globe and on our very doorsteps.”

Research and commercial opportunities One of the University’s core research objectives is to better understand China’s rapidly growing role in the global economy, and its relations with the UK and the world. Other opportunities include working with Chinese business on commercialising Manchester innovation in areas such as graphene, and working with Chinabased health organisations to help the development of personalised health care for patients both in Manchester and globally. Cultural connections Manchester has more academics engaged in China and China-related studies than almost any other UK university, working across the spectrum – from the arts and humanities to health to

science and engineering. It is also home to the UK’s largest cohort of Chinese students (nearly 5,000) and a huge global Chinese alumni community, while the Greater Manchester region boasts the UK’s second largest Chinese community. The MCI seeks to create more opportunities for interaction and understanding between the Chinese and Manchester communities. Its programme of events provides a unique perspective on Chinese culture, history, politics and business. Find out more at www.mci.manchester.ac.uk or @UoMChina

Unwrapping a mystery Using ‘next generation’ DNA sequencing, scientists have found that the famous ‘Two Brothers’ mummies of the Manchester Museum have different fathers so are, in fact, half-brothers. They are the Museum’s oldest mummies, dating to around 1800BC, and are identified as two elite men, Khnum-nakht and Nakht-ankh. Ever since their discovery in 1907 there has been some debate among Egyptologists whether the two were actually related at all. So, in 2015, ‘ancient DNA’ was

extracted from their teeth to solve the mystery. Dr Konstantina Drosou (PhD Biomolecular Archaeology 2016), of the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences who conducted the DNA sequencing, says, “It was a long and exhausting journey to the results but we are finally here. I am very grateful we were able to add a small but very important piece to the puzzle. These moments are what make us believe in ancient DNA.”

Most popular with employers The University of Manchester is the most targeted university in the UK for top graduate employers, according to a report from independent market research company High Fliers Research. The researchers looked at the institutions that attracted the largest number of leading graduate recruiters for campus fairs, recruitment presentations or other local university promotions during 2017/18. Tammy Goldfeld, Head of the University’s Careers Service, says, “We work closely with employers and students so it is really good news that we’ve topped the list. The Careers Service isn’t just about job fairs; we offer training, networking and volunteering opportunities that, combined with teaching, help our students realise their potential and become attractive to employers.”

Welcoming a new Dean Professor Graham Lord joins the University in early 2019 as Vice-President and Dean of the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health. He will also take up the role of Executive Director of the Manchester Academic Health Science Centre as part of Health Innovation Manchester, and will represent the University on the

board of the Northern Health Science Alliance. Professor Lord is currently Director of the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London. He is also a clinician at Guy’s and St Thomas’. At Manchester he will lead a Faculty which has more

than 11,000 students, 3,200 staff and an annual research income of £122 million. It has the largest medical school in the country, as well as extensive postgraduate taught programmes, and is the largest supplier of health-care graduates to the NHS in the north-west of England.

YOUR MANCHESTER

Graphic by Steve McCabe

1904

The ﬁrst honours degree in pharmacy in the UK launches in Manchester.

1948

Sandra Rose Pook (now Howarth) is the ﬁrst baby born under the new NHS, delivered at Trafford General, now part of Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

1918

1892

Using money left by Joseph Whitworth, the Cancer Pavilion opens in Withington. It would later be named after Richard Copley Christie, Whitworth’s legatee and a fellow benefactor of the University.

Marie Stopes, a teacher at Manchester and pioneer of family planning, publishes her seminal work Married Love.

1948

NHS at 70 This year marks the 70th anniversary of the National Health Service (NHS). The University has played a leading role in the establishment of the organisation and training of NHS staff and in medical research. It is now hosting a national project called 70 Years of the NHS: The Story of Our Lives, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and based at the Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine. Dr Stephanie Snow explains, “Working with volunteers from all walks of life, we’re looking to capture the memories of the patients, staff, volunteers and campaigners who make the NHS what it is today, and to build a digital archive to be explored by future generations.” To find out more about the project and how to get involved, visit nhs70.org.uk

YOUR MANCHESTER

The National Health Service (NHS) is established.

1962

Alumnus John Charnley implants the ﬁrst orthopaedic hip.

1961

Herchel Smith, who lectured at Manchester from 1956 to 1961, develops the ﬁrst oral contraceptive.

Royal appointment Alumna Dr Robina Shah MBE, DL, JP was officially installed as the High Sheriff of Greater Manchester in a ceremony at the University’s Whitworth Hall on 12 April 2018. A Psychology graduate (BSc Psychology 1985, PhD Psychology 2008), she is a Co-Director of the University’s Doubleday Centre for Patient Experience, which involves patients and the public in the training of doctors. She has also been Chair of Stockport NHS Foundation Trust and held regulatory and associate roles at the General Medical Council and Health Education England North West.

The Office of High Sheriff is a year-long, independent, nonpolitical Royal appointment – the central role is to support the Crown and the judiciary. Dr Shah is also supporting charities and organisations working with young people and other vulnerable members of the community. These include Access Manchester (the University’s scholarship programme for disadvantaged students), the Greater Manchester High Sheriff ’s Police Trust and the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund.

1982

The UK’s ﬁrst fully NHS-funded IVF unit in the UK opens at Saint Mary's Hospital, where many of our medical students are trained.

1970

2015

The region’s health and social care budget is devolved. Health Innovation Manchester brings partners, including the University, together to discover, develop and deliver solutions for the region and beyond.

2015

The world’s ﬁrst implant of a bionic eye is carried out on pensioner Ray Flynn by Professor Paulo Stanga at the Manchester Royal Eye Hospital.

Manchester launches England’s ﬁrst degree in nursing. Four years later, Jean McFarlane is appointed by this University as England’s ﬁrst Chair in Nursing.

2015

The £28.5m Manchester Cancer Research Centre – a partnership between the University, Cancer Research UK, and The Christie NHS Foundation Trust – opens in Withington.

1998

The Magnetic Resonance Imaging Centre opens at Manchester Royal Inﬁrmary in a joint venture with the Institute of Neurosciences.

Simple lessons with a big impact A recipient of a Global Impact Award, Cameron Moore spent ten weeks in Kiswanya, a village in Tanzania. The Modern History and Politics student joined a team of UK and local volunteers. They helped to deliver a School Water, Sanitation and Hygiene project organised through Raleigh International. This involved giving personal hygiene lessons to primary school pupils, focusing on the importance of hand-washing in the fight against illnesses such as diarrhoea. Cameron also took part in the construction of 18 new toilets, two new staff toilets, a hand-washing facility and a menstrual hygiene management room.

“While we were in the village, we witnessed the children actively teaching their parents the knowledge we gave them, plus other children,” says Cameron. “This work has given me an interest in hygiene and water safety, as during my training I learnt how deprived certain parts of the world are when it comes to safe water access and hygiene education.”

Cameron Moore (standing, fourth from right) with his fellow team members.

Watch Cameron describe his experiences at youtu.be/OLawSx6ZFG0 Global Impact Awards are made possible through donations from alumni. Visit man.ac.uk/hbrQ7F to help students like Cameron to volunteer in the UK or overseas.

YOUR MANCHESTER

Image by Rebecca Lupton

Life and death decisions When Isis fighters burst into his operating theatre brandishing Kalashnikov rifles, surgeon and Manchester alumnus David Nott OBE was shaken to the core, especially as â&#x20AC;&#x201C; unbeknown to him â&#x20AC;&#x201C; he was trying to save the life of one of their own. It was Aleppo in Syria in 2013. Despite working under constant threat of abduction and execution, he was the last western surgeon left in the city.

YOUR MANCHESTER

“

hey pointed machine guns at us and were wondering why we were operating on their fellow fighter,” says David. “A friend and Syrian colleague, Dr Ammar Darwish, was operating with me and he explained what I was trying to do. I was shaking so much; I was beginning to lose the plot because I knew if they’d realised I was a westerner I’d have been kidnapped at the very least. “Ammar whispered ‘don’t say anything’, and he leaned over the operating table and briefly touched my head with his, as if to say, ‘don’t worry we’ll protect you’. It was a beautiful moment and a very scary one. One of the fighters’ mobile phones went off and they left. A month later, the same group returned to the hospital, dragged a man with two fractured legs down the stairs, took him outside and executed him.”

David is a consultant surgeon at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, and he performs vascular and trauma surgery at St Mary’s Hospital and cancer surgery at the Royal Marsden Hospital. He is also an authority in laparoscopic surgery and was the first surgeon to combine laparoscopic and vascular surgery. More astonishingly, for the last 25 years he has regularly taken unpaid leave to work for aid agencies Médecins Sans Frontières, the International Committee of the Red Cross and Syria Relief in the world’s most dangerous war zones. He has operated on the victims of conflict and catastrophe in Bosnia, Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, Darfur, Yemen, Haiti, Iraq, Syria, Central African Republic, Gaza and Nepal. >>>

YOUR MANCHESTER

“I’ve had some very close shaves,” David reflects. “I sometimes wonder what allowed me to survive when so many others died. Maybe it’s about being savvy, being subservient. In a war zone you’ve got to bow down to people you would never normally treat that way. But you do it to stay alive.” Delivering this year’s powerful and sometimes graphic Cockcroft Rutherford Lecture, David arrived at the University fresh from Beirut where he had delivered his Foundation’s Hostile Environment Surgical Training course. In 2015 he established the David Nott Foundation with his wife 16

YOUR MANCHESTER

Elly to support surgeons to develop their operating skills for war zones and austere environments. They have so far taught over 470 surgeons in seven different countries; they also bring doctors from all over the world to the UK to be trained. His inspirational actions and continuing impact have won him plaudits across the world, including a University of Manchester Outstanding Alumni Award. Why does he put himself in danger? He replies, “I don’t see myself as brave. I’m like a car mechanic. I deal with the problem and fix it. Most of the time, war-

zone trauma is about stopping bleeding. You can either operate or not – and if you don’t that patient dies. We have very limited resources. “Sometimes we prevaricate and miss the boat so it’s vital that we make the right decisions at the right time and that’s all to do with experience. I’m trying to give back through my Foundation, giving other surgeons the confidence and knowledge to know they are doing the right thing.” A major motivation for his work came at a watershed moment during his Manchester days. David gained his medical degree from the University

in 1981 and in his fifth year enjoyed a house job at Manchester Royal Infirmary, successfully treating a patient’s subdural haematoma even with his then limited experience: “It was so dramatic to see how somebody who was about to die could be made better by my personal intervention.” David is not afraid to speak out about the atrocities he’s seen. One dramatic example is the case of Landina Seignon, a three-month-old survivor of the 2010 Haitian earthquake who was in dire need of medical attention. David teamed up with Manchester alumna Dorothy Byrne (BA Philosophy 1973), now Head of News and

I’m like a car mechanic. I deal with the problem and fix it.

David Nott OBE with the President and Vice-Chancellor.

Current Affairs at Channel 4 Television, to secure the media coverage that helped to get Landina flown to the UK for life-saving treatment – “with just hours to spare”.

But his work comes with drawbacks and witnessing the gamut of war-zone injuries and mutilations has taken its toll. His first book, published next year, will go into depth about his own post-traumatic stress.

David explains, “I will not take no for an answer if I believe that it is the wrong thing that people are doing. I am so totally against bureaucracy if it is stopping a wave of goodness. I am determined and I will do everything in my power to make it work. I believe anyone can do anything if they really want to, but you need to have the steely determination to do it.”

“It always affected me when I came back from difficult missions,” says David. “I knew I wasn’t quite right but I learned to live with it. When I came back from Aleppo in 2014, around the time Alan Henning and James Foley had been beheaded, I just didn’t realise how it had affected me. I was okay for a week and then I wasn’t. I slipped into a dreadful morass. I was unable to function as a human being

but, thankfully, I got help and got better.” Despite now having young children, David still wants to return to the field: “Elly’s given me the go ahead to head out again next year. I’m still a surgeon within the NHS in this country and I still get called out at 3am to operate on a stabbing victim in London. “The difference is that if I’m not there a colleague will step in and perform the operation – whereas if I’m not there in a war zone that patient will die. So I want to go out and give those people the best they can possibly get.”

THE COCKCROFT RUTHERFORD LECTURE The Cockcroft Rutherford Lecture is an annual event for alumni and donors to The University of Manchester in honour of two of the University’s 25 Nobel Prize winners, Sir John Cockcroft and Lord Ernest Rutherford.

Watch David Nott’s Cockcroft Rutherford Lecture at man.ac.uk/L22v8c

YOUR MANCHESTER

Nuclear con-fusion? Scientist Ernest Rutherford’s fundamental discoveries in Manchester established the modern field of nuclear physics. He is widely credited with ‘splitting the atom’ – but is that really the best description of his groundbreaking work 100 years ago?

“Even though it’s a widely used term, I don’t really like ‘splitting the atom’ – it’s too loose.” The current Head of the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University winces at the description and believes it’s time we were more scientifically accurate in the way we talk about Rutherford’s discoveries. “It’s forgivable because it was first used when no-one really understood the science in detail. That’s not the case now so perhaps we should be getting it right today,” says Sean Freeman (PhD Experimental Nuclear Physics 1990), Professor of Nuclear Physics. “We now take for granted the basic foundations which Rutherford gave us. It’s astonishing even to think of doing the work he did then without the basic knowledge of nuclear physics that we have 18

YOUR MANCHESTER

today. That’s why, even today, he remains a genius. “But he didn’t fully understand the mechanism he’d observed and so talked about disintegrations, which sounds more like things are falling apart or splitting.” Historical records show that, after his famous gold foil experiment which revealed the existence of the atomic nucleus in 1911, Rutherford was carrying out nuclear experiments during World War I – even though it would have been very difficult to get the resources he needed at that time. He was also helping the war effort through his secret work on sonar. “A series of papers published in 1919 record his work during and after the war when he was looking at the interaction of alpha particles with gases,” adds Professor Freeman. “He’d noticed, through scintillation in sulphide

screens, that there was some very penetrating radiation in the form of long-range particles. “He was cautious about his interpretation, but he deduced that in some way the alpha particles were reacting with the gas and the long-range particles were a product. Those he deduced were some fragment of the nuclei: the alpha particles were interacting with the nucleus of nitrogen and some bits were coming out, which was hypothesised to be the nucleus of hydrogen, or what we now call protons. “What Rutherford had essentially done was to initiate the first nuclear reaction, but we have to be a bit careful with our description here. Nuclear reactions have been happening in the universe since the Big Bang. Nuclear reactions power the sun and create all the chemical elements. So, if you want to be

really accurate you have to say that Rutherford was the first person to notice the initiation of nuclear reactions.” Rutherford moved on to Cambridge to become Head of the Cavendish Laboratory. It was there that one of his staff, Patrick Blackett, successfully used a cloud chamber to find visible tracks of the disintegration that Rutherford had discovered at Manchester. Therefore, Blackett was the first person to understand the details of the process – the alpha particles were fusing with nitrogen to form an excited fluorine nucleus, which ejected a proton leaving a residual nucleus of oxygen. It was also in this laboratory where, in 1932, Cockcroft and Walton developed the first apparatus, the Cockcroft-Walton Accelerator, for artificially accelerating protons to sufficiently high energies to allow

©iStockphoto.com/Pobytov

Rutherford at Manchester (1907–19) 1907 Appointed Langworthy Professor of Physics

1907–09 Rutherford and Royds showed that alpha particles were ionised helium atoms

1908 them to induce nuclear reactions – again, badged in the press as ‘splitting the atom’. But what would Rutherford think today about the way we view his achievements? “That’s difficult even to contemplate but I think he would be amazed at the long-term impact he’s had,” says Professor Freeman. “He died in 1937, so he didn’t live long enough to appreciate the full impact that his work, and the accelerators which sprung from it, went on to have in nuclear or particle physics and beyond. “He would have seen the beginnings of nuclear medicine through radium therapy but not to the full extent that it’s used now in therapeutic and diagnostic medicine, such as CT scans and x-rays. He didn’t see the development of the bomb projects or nuclear power – in the

1930s he famously scorned the possibility of efficiently harnessing the energy of the atom for practical purposes, dismissing such expectations as ‘moonshine’. “But I think he’d be proud of his academic influence and perhaps surprised by the impact that nuclear physics, which he contributed to, has had on society. His discoveries are still fundamental in helping us delve deeper into our past and future.”

I think he would be amazed at the long-term impact he’s had.

Nobel Prize for Chemistry

1911 The famous foil experiment revealed the Rutherford model of the atom, at the centre of which exists a nucleus containing the majority of the atom’s mass and all of its positive charge

1914 Knighted

1917–19 Experiments on the first artificially induced nuclear reaction

1919 Appointed Professor of Experimental Physics and Director of the Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge YOUR MANCHESTER

Get connected with the Manchester Network The University of Manchester’s online professional networking service for alumni and students. CONNECT WITH ALUMNI

ACCESS FREE E-RESOURCES

Get quick careers advice – and even jobs – from 3,000 alumni professionals who are waiting to help you.

from one of the UK’s largest academic libraries, including:

UPDATE YOUR PERSONAL DETAILS

• SAGE Journals

Keep your personal details up to date to maintain a lifelong connection with the University.

• Business Source Alumni Edition

SHARE YOUR EXPERTISE

• Sustainable Organization Library

Answer questions from students and alumni about your career.

• IEEE All-Society Periodicals Package

• JSTOR

• Mint UK

• HSTalks Business & Management Collection

www.network.manchester.ac.uk 20

FEATURE

Putting Manchester on the map Maps show us much more than the way from A to B. Today’s GPS and satnav technology may bring us real-time travel updates, but physical maps can be important historical documents – and some are stunning works of art. Researchers have opened up the archives across the city to tell the story of Manchester’s dramatic growth and transformation through these cartographic delights.

More than 100 street maps, land surveys, engineering plans and promotional bird’seye views have been brought together in a new book. Manchester – Mapping the City is researched and written by Emeritus Professor Brian Robson and Dr Martin Dodge, of the University’s School of Environment, Education and Development, and Terry Wyke, an Honorary Research Fellow at Manchester Metropolitan University. It is the first history

of the city seen through the eyes of its cartographers and their maps. The maps help to illustrate how Manchester developed as it grew rich on the cotton trade from the late 18th century, experienced periods of boom and bust through the Victorian period, and began its postindustrial transformation in the 20th century and into the 21st century. The Peterloo Massacre, the >>> YOUR MANCHESTER

YOUR MANCHESTER

Left: A Map of the City of Manchester in the Year of its First Civic Week, A.D.1926 (detail) Above: A Bird’s-Eye View of Manchester in 1889 (detail)

railway revolution, Trafford Park industrial estate, the Ship Canal, Belle Vue theme park, Wythenshawe garden city, the 1996 IRA bomb, Coronation Street, football grounds and MediaCityUK have all left their mark. “There are rich and wellpreserved collections – in the Central Library, Chetham’s Library and The University of Manchester Library among others – with a fantastic

array of Manchester-related cartographic material,” says Dr Dodge. “We are also lucky to have many generous and enthusiastic librarians. Maps are fascinating in the messages they deliver; what’s left in and what’s left out. Often overlooked in the past, digitisation projects and new publications are now making them more accessible. I hope that our research encourages more people to explore the changing cartographic stories of the city.”

Visit www.mappingmanchester.org for details of Manchester – Mapping the City. The University Map Collection numbers 150,000 items, with a significant holding focused on Manchester and the north west. Visit man.ac.uk/48zxIW to access the online map collection and contact details.

YOUR MANCHESTER

Image by David Gennard

MAKING A DIFFERENCE (A POEM TO BE READ ALOUD)

When Lemn Sissay MBE (Hon LittD 2015) became Chancellor of the University his promise was to ‘inspire and be inspired’. At last year’s Making a Difference Awards, Lemn read a new poem inspired by our commitment to social responsibility. These annual awards recognise the impact staff, students, alumni and external partners have on the social well-being of our communities and wider society. Lemn’s first reading of Making a Difference at the ceremony in the Whitworth Hall was a fitting celebration of the outstanding

achievements of those present; powerful words to inspire the University to continue to make a positive contribution to society through teaching, research and public engagement.

Watch Lemn reading Making a Difference: www.manchester.ac.uk/ lemn-sissay-making-adifference Find out more about our university-wide commitment to social responsibility: www.manchester.ac.uk/ socialresponsibility

We are shaking and waking and breaking indifference We are quaking and taking and making a difference We are working observing recording researching Wherein we’re conferring subverting referring We’re counting the minutes the moments the loss Redressing the balance addressing the cost We are citing and fighting it’s all in the writing The spark is igniting in dark we are lightening We are breaking the brackets the fact is the planet’s In rackets and rackets of rackets in brackets The systems the victims the damning the scamming The biased predicting the beating and banning The skills we exchange the breaking of chains The actions sustained the makers of change To relentless censors the damned and defenceless Our words are the action the louder reaction When no one is listening we hear When heads turn away we volunteer We work we stand tall we rise up to be counted We climb mountains We are shaking and waking and breaking indifference We are quaking and taking and making a difference

YOUR MANCHESTER

©iStockphoto.com/WenjieDong

A Yorkshireman in New York Networking at 30 Rock. A lunch meeting on Madison Avenue with Credit Suisse. Coffee on Broadway with a producer from a worldrenowned advertising agency.

hese meetings are thousands of miles away from where you’d expect to find a Manchester undergraduate on a Tuesday afternoon in June. But for George Flesher, it’s a typical day for a successful Global Graduate. The University’s travel programme connects over 30 students each year with alumni in one of seven host locations around the world: Dubai, Hong Kong, London and Paris, New York, San Francisco, Singapore and Toronto.

YOUR MANCHESTER

“It sounds like a cliché, but Global Graduates has made me feel like I can achieve anything if I put my mind to it,” says George, an American Studies student with a passion for the history and politics of the US. Benefits of international experiences He hails from Dewsbury, a town in West Yorkshire where “young people don’t think they have any opportunities”. This perception is reinforced by the Office for

National Statistics, which reports that 31% of over-16s in George’s home town have no formal qualifications in comparison to the national average of 22%. His brother was the first in his family to go to university, but higher education wasn’t a path George was sure he wanted to follow. Instead, he chose to go directly into employment and followed his passion for politics by landing a job as a caseworker for his local MP. A year on, and still without a career plan, he decided to pursue his interest in the US by applying to study at Manchester. With both parents working in manual jobs, George’s family doesn’t have access to the professional networks that can lead to internships and work experience. George realised the opportunities that the Global Graduates programme can provide. On successfully completing the intensive selection process, he travelled to New York for a week with five other Manchester students. The group met 23 Manchester alumni working in senior roles at the likes of Morgan Stanley, Unicef and Bloomberg.

They are normal people For someone so passionate about the US, George had never actually been there before. It wasn’t the type of place his family went on holiday. He admits he arrived in New York with preconceptions about the successful alumni he was about to meet. He was soon proved wrong: “I remember reading up on Rod Lester (BSc Pharmacy 1966), ex-CEO of Kirby Lester and I was thinking ‘Will he really have time for us?’ But there he was telling us how he’d got to where he is now, having grown up in Oldham. It made all the advice he gave us feel so much more relatable.” George also met John Denton (BSc Pharmacology 2009), a senior consultant at McCann Health: “He only left Manchester a few years ago and now he works in a skyscraper in Manhattan”; while Simeran Hayer (BEconSc Economics 2012), at Deloitte & Touche LLP, “went to college just down the road [from Dewsbury] in Huddersfield”. He continues, “It made me realise they were normal people. They weren’t superheroes or people who’d just had leg-ups all their

lives. That type of high-level career was so far removed from what I expected to end up doing, and now it feels achievable. The careers advice at school was ‘if you don’t know what you want to do by the time you’re 16 then you’re never going to make it’, but the alumni I met dispelled that myth.” Opening doors This is a typical response to Global Graduates, which has been recognised by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education as a world-leading alumni relations programme. All 32 students who participated in last year’s visits, each with their own personal challenge, told us that it had increased their confidence and helped them learn about careers they didn’t know were an option. Richard Screaton, Deputy Director (Alumni Engagement) at the University, explains, “Sending students like George around the world gives them a taste of different economic climates, working culture and business practices. It helps them see the world through a wider lens, giving them global knowledge

and cultural agility – a skill that employers are increasingly looking for when recruiting. “We just wouldn’t be able to help people like George without our supporters’ generosity. As well as the graduates who volunteer their time, we’ve got alumni whose financial support means we can pay every penny of each student’s travel and accommodation costs. We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who helps us make a difference.” It’s a sentiment that’s echoed by George: “I want to say thank you to those who volunteer for and fund the scheme. I’d been going around with these preconceived ideas in my head that the only people who get to the top are the people with connections, and that the doors are closed to people like me who can only go to university on a bursary. The whole process from start to finish is such an eyeopener to the possibilities that are out there. I think it’s amazing.”

VOLUNTEER YOUR TIME TO SUPPORT STUDENTS To find out how you can inspire students like George, visit man.ac.uk/n4vWcq

YOUR MANCHESTER

Image by David Gennard

Alistair Hudson and Esme Ward

YOUR MANCHESTER

Creativity: the common denominator

HONORARY PROFESSORSHIPS Maria Balshaw Director of Tate, former Director of the Whitworth and Manchester Art Gallery

The creative industry sector is one of the fastest growing in the UK, accounting for over 5% of the country’s economy and employing 2 million people. The University of Manchester has launched a major new project, Creative Manchester, which will help to support its ambitious strategic vision in the arts, cultural and creative industries locally, nationally and internationally.

reative Manchester sees an investment of £3.3 million and builds on commitments made by the government in its 2017 Industrial Strategy White Paper. It is providing an opportunity to develop exciting new courses such as Heritage Studies, which will attract the very best students with the brightest talent to the city. This complements the wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses and programmes already available at the University centred on the creative industries, including Art Gallery and Museum Studies, Arts Management, Creative Writing, Drama, Music, Film Studies and Screenwriting. Several new creative and cultural academic posts will support the new courses and the University’s ambitious research agenda. A key feature of the project is the development of collaborative partnerships to support growth in the creative sector.

Sir Mark Elder Music Director of the Hallé Orchestra

Alistair Hudson Director of the Whitworth and Manchester Art Gallery

Nick Merriman The University has a strong history of investment in this area, and hosts an array of cultural institutes including the Whitworth and Manchester Museum, the John Rylands Research Institute, the Centre for New Writing, the Institute for Cultural Practices, Multilingual Manchester and Digital Humanities. It also led the successful bid for Manchester to become a UNESCO City of Literature. Professor Alessandro Schiesaro, Head of the School of Arts, Languages and Culture, says, “Creativity is a theme that runs through the University. It is a common denominator of our mission and our work. Creativity can indeed become a beacon for a refreshed and proud vision of a strong research university. An exciting journey has begun.”>>>

Director of the Horniman Museum, former Director of Manchester Museum

Maxine Peake Actor and playwright

Esme Ward Director of Manchester Museum

UNESCO City of Literature Manchester’s successful bid to UNESCO for City of Literature status places it alongside Baghdad, Dublin, Barcelona, Prague, Melbourne and Reykjavik in a global network of Creative Cities renowned for their literary contribution to the world, incorporating fiction and non-fiction, poetry and prose. www.manchestercityofliterature.com

YOUR MANCHESTER

Louise Wener

Jenn Ashworth (MA Creative

Writing 2007) – Lancashire-born writer, novelist and co-founder of the publishing collective Curious Tales.

Louis de Bernières

(BA Philosophy 1977) – author best known for his international bestseller Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, later made into a film.

Anthony Burgess

(BA English Language and Literature 1940) – author, most notably of A Clockwork Orange, and one of Britain’s best-known literary figures.

Parineeti Chopra

(BA International Business, Finance and Economics 2009) – actress and star of Golmaal Again, 30 30

FEATURE YOUR MANCHESTER

©Image courtesy of Johnathan Player / REX / Shutterstock

©Image courtesy of Andy Von Pip/ ZUMA Wire / REX / Shutterstock

The University’s rich roll call of creative alumni has paved the way for the next generation of graduate talent. Here are just some of the notable names to have made an impact on the industry.

Anthony Burgess

one of India’s highest-grossing films.

Phil Collins

(BA English and Drama 1994) – artist and Turner Prize nominee who installed a Soviet-era statue of Friedrich Engels outside HOME as part of the Manchester International Festival 2017.

Tom Coult

(MusB Music 2010, MusM Composition 2011) – composer at Faber Music.

Vicky Featherstone

(BA Drama 1998, Dip Drama 1989) – theatre/artistic director at the Royal Court, named by The Stage as “the most influential person in British theatre”.

Neil Gibbons

(LLB Law 1998) – comedy writer and producer, best known for his work on Alan Partridge and Veep.

Tessa Jackson

Soldier Spy and Lance in Detectorists.

Mark Kermode

(BA English Language and Literature 1985, PhD English 1991) – writer, broadcaster and chief film critic for the Observer.

(Dip Art Gallery and Museum Studies 1981) – a contemporary art curator and writer, she was awarded an OBE in 2011 for 25 years’ service to art.

Ed Simons

Waldemar Januszczak

Tom Rowlands

(BA History 1992) and

(BA History of Art 1975) – art critic, formerly of the Guardian and now the Sunday Times, and maker of television documentaries exploring the arts.

(BA History 1992) – aka Grammy and Brit-winning electronic dance music duo, the Chemical Brothers.

Toby Jones (BA Drama 1989) –

(BA Combined Studies 1988) – singer, songwriter and guitarist with the Britpop band Sleeper, and latterly an author.

Bafta award-winning actor whose roles include Percy Alleline in the Oscar-nominated Tinker Tailor

Louise Wener

New faces at the top

Alistair Hudson became Director of both the Whitworth and the city council-run Manchester Art Gallery in February. He succeeded Maria Balshaw, now leading Tate, who oversaw the Oxford Road gallery’s

award-winning £15 million transformation project. A champion of the ‘useful art’ movement – the idea that art should be a tool for social change and education – Alistair was previously Director of the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art (mima) and sat on the 2015 jury for the prestigious Turner Prize. Down the road at Manchester Museum, Esme Ward became its first female Director when she took up her post in April. She was previously Head of Learning and Engagement at both the Museum and the Whitworth. For both, their ambition is bold, communityfocused and future-facing.

Parineeti Chopra

Mark Kermode

Esme says, “Museums are in and of their time. We’ve always been a powerful source for learning and we will be evermore so. We’ve worked really hard to be a social space and I’m interested in how we become what I call a ‘pro-social’ space; that is, how do we become not only a site for learning but a site for civic and social action?” And Alistair adds, “Sometimes you have to break some rules to do the right thing. We’re at this moment where that has to happen if we’re genuinely going to get art and creativity back into the public consciousness, into education, and start addressing some of society’s problems. Just relying on pictures on walls and selling cups of tea is not going to do it.”

Come and explore: www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk www.museum.manchester.ac.uk

How do we become not only a site for learning but a site for civic and social action?

YOUR MANCHESTER

Esme Ward

In Manchester, art galleries and museums share the same radical, rebellious and inclusive nature as the city itself. No hushed corridors here. These are places open for exploration, brimming with life, reflecting our experiences back to us. The message from Alistair Hudson and Esme Ward, two of the University’s newest cultural figureheads, is clear: everyone’s invited.

BY PLEDGING A GIFT IN HER WILL, MANCHESTER GRADUATE JULIA HILL (BA ENGLISH LITERATURE AND LANGUAGE 1964) WANTS TO HELP STUDENTS FROM ALL BACKGROUNDS ENJOY THE SAME WORLD-CLASS EDUCATION THAT SHE BENEFITED FROM. “When I was growing up in the North East in the 1940s and 50s, there were already employment problems. My father’s job was in shipbuilding. Though working class, my parents had cultural interests and made sacrifices to buy books for me. Coming from a relatively poor background, I was grateful to Manchester for accepting me to study English. After my degree I taught for more than 30 years. Most of this time I spent in a deprived part of the East End of London, where my pupils’ families came from many parts of the world. “From my years as a teacher I have seen first-hand how poverty can be a barrier to a quality education. I want my legacy to ensure that students from my sort of background, and those like the children I taught, have the opportunity to go to university and go on to fulfil their potential.”

for leaving a gift to The University of Manchester. Some want to commemorate their own or a loved one’s time here. Some want to give young people from less fortunate backgrounds the opportunity to gain a world-class education. And others feel passionate about a particular area of research for which we are a global leader. Making a Will is one of the most important things you can do. It allows you to express your final wishes clearly, making sure that your money, possessions and property are distributed to the people and causes you care about most. For many people, a gift left in a Will may be the largest gift they ever give. But no matter how large or small, and whatever your reason for giving, a gift in your Will to the University can have a significant and profound impact.

Just like Julia, our legacy supporters often have strong personal reasons

MAKE YOUR STORY PART OF THEIRS

Would you consider including a gift to Manchester in your Will? Order a copy of our legacy pack today by contacting Rob Summers, Head of Development: rob.summers@manchester.ac.uk +44 (0)161 275 2192 FEATURE

Hamza (LLB Law with Criminology 2017) comes from a low-income household. Growing up, he never believed he would fulfil his dream of becoming a lawyer. But thanks to the Manchester Access Programme and a donor-funded scholarship, Hamza is looking forward to a bright future.

The human rights advocate, the biochemist and the spaceflight pioneer The three recipients of Outstanding Alumni Awards at the July graduation ceremonies have three different stories to tell but they all have one thing in common – they all benefitted from the student experience at The University of Manchester.

Determination and passion

SARA KHAN (MPharm Pharmacy 2002) One of the UK’s leading Muslim voices on countering extremism and promoting human rights, Sara Khan is Lead Commissioner for the Commission for Countering Extremism, which is a nonstatutory expert committee of the Home Office. It was established by the UK government in January 2018 to challenge people who promote hatred. In her acceptance speech for her award, Sara describes the moment that she decided to focus her energies on fighting extremism: “On 7 July 2005, 52 people were killed by four young, home-grown suicide bombers. I was shocked, appalled and worst of all heartbroken. I believed then – as I do now

– that people’s journey into extremism and violence can be prevented.” She also acknowledges the influence of her time at the University, where she was a President of Young Muslims UK: “Outside of lectures, I acquired an understanding of the art of activism and why during student elections, chalking your name a thousand times across the pavement outside the Students’ Union, telling people that I was the only possible candidate they could vote for, was in fact a rite of passage.”

“I was starting from point zero. My co-founder and I had no resources, no funding, no offices, no staff. But I did it and I never looked back. Running the organisation for ten years was some of the best and worse years of my life. The achievements we made, the marginalised and voiceless women we helped, the thousands of teachers we delivered training to, the extremists we exposed, the campaigns we ran. But the good times ran alongside the worst times – the regular abuse, vilification and threats I received as I countered extremists and championed human rights.”

She co-founded Inspire, the counterextremism and women’s rights organisation, in 2008. “No such organisation existed,” she says.

Sara was a member of the Home Office’s Tackling Extremism and Radicalisation Working Group and the Department >>>> YOUR MANCHESTER

Fighting neglected diseases

PROFESSOR MIKE FERGUSON CBE, FRS, FRSE, FMedSci (BSc Biochemistry 1979) for International Development’s External Expert Advisory Group on Girls and Women. She also served on the Department for Education’s Due Diligence and CounterExtremism Expert Reference Group. Her activism has received national and international recognition, including her inclusion on the BBC Woman’s Hour Power List 2015. She is a co-author of the book The Battle for British Islam: Reclaiming Muslim Identity from Extremism. Reflecting on her role as Counter Extremism Commissioner, she says, “I see how diverse dialogue, robust debate and counter speech are vital in preventing conditions that allow extremism to breed. But I also see by encouraging robust debate, new boundaries are broken and new heights in human thinking are achieved. The University of Manchester gave me the best gift of all: it helped me discover who I am, what my passions are and what I, Sara Khan, stand for as a human being.”

Professor Mike Ferguson CBE, FRS, FRSE, FMedSci is the Regius Professor of Life Sciences and Academic Lead for Life Sciences Research Strategy at the University of Dundee. He has dedicated his career to studying the biochemistry of parasites that cause human tropical diseases and is a world-renowned expert in his field. “I will be forever grateful to Manchester for giving me a tremendous start in life – both scientifically and socially,” he says during his acceptance speech. “Manchester in the late 70s was the bedrock of the UK punk rock movement – forget that namby-pamby stuff on the King’s Road in London – real punk rock was forged here in the north. Who could forget Ed Banger and the Nosebleeds, for example? I was glad to be a small sweaty part of that excitement. There was lots of entertainment for a budding biochemist, in addition to learning metabolic pathways. “Nevertheless, I did learn my metabolic pathways and pursued a happy career in research in London, New York, Oxford and, for the past 30 years, in Dundee. During that time, I was fortunate enough to make some discoveries and to find, to my huge surprise, that I was quite good at getting people to work together. “Indeed, this great honour given to me today recognises achievements not of an individual or even a team but of a team of teams – dozens of biologists, chemists and pharmacologists. All working together for a common goal: to

YOUR MANCHESTER

make new medicines for neglected tropical diseases like malaria, African sleeping sickness and leishmaniasis.” Mike is known for solving the first structures of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) membrane anchors, which play important roles throughout eukaryotic biology. Together with his colleagues, he was instrumental in establishing the Drug Discovery Unit at the University of Dundee, a multidisciplinary collaboration that has expanded its disease portfolio to cover cancer, tuberculosis, inflammation and neurodegenerative diseases in addition to diseases of the developing world. He also directs the Discovery Centre for Translational and Interdisciplinary Research. He is Deputy Chair of the Board of Governors for The Wellcome Trust and a member of the Board of Directors of the Medicines for Malaria Venture, and serves on the scientific advisory boards of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the Crick Institute in London. His many accolades include Fellowships of the Royal Society, the Academy of Medical Sciences and the Royal Society of Edinburgh. In 2008 he was made a CBE for services to science. His final advice for the graduands and graduates in the audience: “So, as you take your advanced knowledge into the world – enjoy the ride, use your knowledge and intelligence to do some good as well as make a living, and relish the great start this august university has given you.”

The University of Manchester gave me the best gift of all: it helped me discover who I am.

Alistair Hudson

To boldly go

DR JULIA TIZARD (MPhys Physics with Astrophysics 2002, PhD Geology 2005) While a student at Manchester, Dr Julia Tizard was already focused on the path her future career would take. She founded the University branch of Students for the Exploration and Development of Science, going on to serve as UK Chair. She also became involved in a programme called the Student Space Exploration and Technology Initiative (SSETI) with the European Space Agency, and led a Manchester team that designed the thermal system of the SSETI satellite. On completing her PhD, Julia moved to London to start working for Virgin Galactic, the company that is developing commercial spacecraft with the aim of providing suborbital spaceflights to space tourists and suborbital launches for space science missions. In 2009, she moved to Mojave, California, as Operations Director. She had oversight of the specification and licensing of the spaceflight system, and was responsible for defining, establishing and directing technical, flight and support services. She became Vice President of the company in 2017. She explains the motivation behind Virgin Galactic: “Sir Richard Branson had a vision to, literally, launch us into the space age. To put a product on the market for the public to experience spaceflight, to see our planet from the vantage of space. Our business aim is to ‘Open access to space, to change the world for good’. We hope that creating a new appreciation of our planet, and having dramatically more people connect to it, will

generate a game-changing perspective on how we treat the planet and each other.” Sir Richard has said, “Only when young girls see top leadership roles earned and filled by women will they be inspired to study sciences and engineering and apply their creativity, communication skills and teamwork to space exploration.” Julia is an inspiration as a female leader in the overwhelmingly male-dominated aerospace industry. She gave her audience a graphic example of how she pushes herself to achieve the seemingly impossible. The first marathon she ever ran was at the North Pole. As she recalls, “I unassumingly became a marathon runner and a polar adventurer the moment I signed up for the race. There is no question about whether you do a training run in the cold or the rain when the race you are training for is at the North Pole. When I got there, the crazy fact of living on a floating ice sheet at the North Pole for four days, let alone running a marathon over that same ice in freezing temperatures, and in sometimes thigh-deep snow, became just a day at the pole. I ran the marathon with no expectation and finished. Humility is a powerful stimulus, to make the extraordinary ordinary, and often achievable.”

OUTSTANDING ALUMNI AWARD Outstanding Alumni Awards are presented to alumni who have achieved distinction: in their professions; through exemplary service to the University or the wider community; or through outstanding service of a personal or humanitarian nature.

YOUR MANCHESTER

TRIBUTE

TO THE

LOST A wealth of information about the staff, students and alumni who lost their lives in World War I is now available on a website that commemorates the impact of the four years of hostilities on the University. The names of more than 600 men and one woman are recorded on war memorials across the campus. Pen Richardson, a member of IT staff with a keen interest in the war, has unearthed new details held by the University archives, newspapers of the time, the National Archives and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to give a clearer picture of each person listed on the memorials. Month by month, their stories have been added to the website, 100 years after they died.

researcher in physics at the University (1910– 13), under the guidance of Ernest Rutherford. His work on the x-ray spectra of the elements provided a new foundation for the periodic table and contributed to the development of the nuclear model of the atom. He was killed in action on 10 August 1915 at Gallipoli, Turkey.

“My research has given me a real feel for the life of the University during the war years,” says Pen, “and the contribution made by staff and students to the local community, such as volunteering with boys’ clubs. It is very sad to consider what we lost.”

In a letter to Nature, Professor Rutherford expressed great frustration that the usefulness of scientific men in non-combatant roles had not been appreciated by the authorities. At the University, a Moseley Memorial Prize in Physics was established and is still awarded each year. A memorial plaque is now in the Schuster Building.

One name that stands out for Pen is that of Henry Moseley, a lecturer, demonstrator and

Gustave Victor Petrus de Boutte was the first person from the memorials to be killed

YOUR MANCHESTER

– on 18 August 1914, just 14 days after the declaration of war. He had been a textiles student at Manchester and was conscripted into the Belgian army in 1912. He was killed in action at Neerlinter, Belgium. The only woman to feature is Gertrude Powicke, who graduated in Modern Languages in 1911. She quickly became involved with the war effort, joining the Friends’ War Victims Relief Committee. She travelled to Poland to help treat an outbreak of typhus and died from the disease on 20 December 1919. Her name also features on several memorials in the borough of Stockport. Visit www.manchester.ac.uk/ww1 to explore the Roll of Honour and stories about the impact of the war on the University.

Illustration by Jane Naylor

Shaping the future of parental leave Balancing work and family life continues to be a challenge for new parents, employers and policy makers. Manchester’s researchers are exploring the role of fathers in early childcare and using these insights to shape future government policy on parental leave.

“M

ichael was born in an Uber,” Dr Richard Allmendinger (PhD Computer Science 2012) laughs. “It’s not exactly a normal start in life.” While he can smile about it now, Dr Allmendinger wouldn’t have chosen such an unusual entrance into the world for his second born.

government estimates, only 2% of fathers have taken shared parental leave since its introduction in 2015.

His subsequent choice is almost as unusual as Michael’s arrival.

Yet most fathers still don’t take time off to care for their children. Why is this? Colette Fagan (PhD Sociology 1997), Professor of Sociology and the University’s Vice-President for Research, has been looking for answers to this question through European and UK-focused research projects. These include a recent >>>>>>

Lecturer in the Decision and Cognitive Sciences Group, Alliance Manchester Business School, Dr Allmendinger is one of only a few fathers to have decided to take time off work to spend with their child. According to

For Dr Allmendinger, the decision was an easy one: “Three months fully paid to spend with my family – why would you not take that? It was a no-brainer to take the time off to support my wife.”

YOUR MANCHESTER

Image by David Gennard

ESRC-funded project which examines the conditions that enable fathers to be more involved in looking after their young children. “We looked at what shaped fathers’ involvement in terms of employment, their attitudes, what their partner did and their sociodemographics,” says Professor Fagan. “We found that it’s crucial for fathers to learn habits when their child is very young. Our research shows that if they are involved in the first nine months – helping at night, changing nappies – they are more likely to still be involved with caring when the child is three, five and seven.” Recommendations to government “Our research shows the early involvement of fathers in childcare is vital, and that policies which enable fathers to take shared parental leave play a pivotal role,” continues Professor Fagan. “Loss of earnings is a major barrier to men taking shared parental leave – in many households the father is still the main earner and they just can’t afford to take a lengthy financial hit. Another is when the amount

Professor Colette Fagan

YOUR MANCHESTER

of leave available per child is shared by the parent rather than an individual entitlement; this means that if the father takes leave, then it reduces the amount the mother can take. “We made recommendations to the Women and Equalities Select Committee that fathers should have an individual statutory right to well-paid leave. They listened.” The resulting Fathers and the Workplace enquiry recommended that fathers should get the option of 12 weeks’ paid paternity leave at 90% of their salary for the first four weeks and at statutory levels for the remaining eight weeks. “It’s definitely a positive step,” says Professor Fagan, “but there’s a long way to go.” It’s a view shared by Dr Emma Banister (MSc Management Sciences 1997, PhD Management Sciences 2002), Senior Lecturer in Marketing, Alliance Manchester Business School, whose recent research looked at the expectations and experiences of fathers on shared parental leave. “As it stands we’re only giving some people some choice – and

it’s often those already in a privileged position being given the most flexibility,” she argues. “We submitted evidence to the committee highlighting the fact that some fathers aren’t supported by the current policy. The resulting report cites our findings and recommends including the selfemployed within the provision, which does address this in part.” Dr Banister believes there is still a future for shared parental leave: “It isn’t perfect but we should be looking to improve it, making more people eligible to take it and encouraging organisations to bring the benefits in line with their maternity leave. “We found that the success of the scheme remains a challenge due to a lack of awareness and understanding, and a range of barriers and constraints associated with the policy design, its implementation in workplaces and the wider parenting culture.” Cultural change As part of the project, in partnership with Working Families, the Fatherhood Institute and Dr Ben Kerrane from Lancaster University, Dr Banister

has developed a range of films to raise awareness among parents and employers. “Part of the problem is a lack of role models,” she says. “These films bring to life parents’ experiences with decision-making as well as the leave itself. Sharing these stories can go some way towards normalising shared parental leave as a possibility for fathers.” She insists, however, that this is a complex problem to solve: “The fathers in our study were overwhelmingly positive about taking parental leave but deeprooted cultural and structural barriers stopped them feeling totally comfortable in what has been a traditionally female space.”

Looking to the future A complex mix of individual, structural and cultural factors lies at the heart of the parental leave question, but Manchester’s researchers are working to unravel this so that more parents have positive experiences like Dr Allmendinger’s. Dr Banister believes that shared parental leave is “part of an important move towards recognising employees as ‘people who have lives’, regardless of their gender identity, parental status and responsibilities”. Future research at the University will use shared parental leave and flexible working arrangements

as a lens to look at the role of broader organisational policies and cultural norms on parents’ working-time arrangements. Led by Professor Fagan, this will involve further collaboration with public and private sector organisations to marry theory with practice. “Hopefully our research can shape practical solutions that have a positive impact on working families,” she says. And what of Dr Allmendinger: would he take shared parental leave again? “Yes, of course,” he replies, without hesitation. “It’s benefited me, my wife and both our sons.”

Watch the Share Parental Leave video casebook: www.workingfamilies.org. uk/shared-parental-leavevideos Find out more about the research projects: man.ac.uk/yMCS3z man.ac.uk/z98JAJ man.ac.uk/t6KPPf Find out more about our research into global inequalities: www.manchester.ac.uk/beacons

YOUR MANCHESTER

Rebuilding the university library of Mosul Damage to the library at the University of Mosul led to the loss of more than 100,000 books and manuscripts. A graduate of the university, who has also now completed a PhD at Manchester, has used the power of crowdfunding to help rebuild the collection.

he 30,000 students studying at the University of Mosul were about to finish their 2014 academic year when Isis took control of the city. In September of that year, students returned to a very different university. Isis had segregated students by gender,

YOUR MANCHESTER

cancelled courses in arts, law and other subjects, and begun burning any books which disagreed with its views. In the following years, Isis banned teaching that wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t in line with its ideology, smashed countless statues, and used the university science labs to manufacture bombs and suicide vests.

Thankfully, in 2017, the Iraqi security forces and the international coalition regained control of Mosul from Isis. But the city, and especially the university, was not the same as it was just three years earlier.

Starting again

The university’s library, once one of the best in the Middle East, was one of the most damaged parts of campus. Not only were thousands of the books and manuscripts destroyed by Isis, but the building itself took considerable damage from an airstrike during the military operation to liberate the city. It’s estimated that over 100,000 books and manuscripts were lost.

“Rebuilding the library is hugely important. Tens of thousands of students used to study at Mosul from all over the country, and the library provided them with all the necessary resources,” says Makram.

Rebuilding the library will take a lot of work and money, but already various people and groups from around the world are getting involved to help. One of the people helping to rebuild the library is Manchester alumnus Dr Makram Alkhaled (PhD Electrical and Electronic Engineering 2018).

“I’m originally from Mosul, and as a graduate of the university, I feel responsible for supporting the rebuilding of the educational institutions in the city.” Makram contacted The University of Manchester Library to ask if it could help. He was told the Library could donate 1,500 books to help the rebuilding effort. He realised that transporting all of these books to Mosul would be expensive. So, he turned to the University’s crowdfunding platform to try to raise the funds needed for the transportation.

This platform connects staff and students at Manchester with alumni and other supporters to raise money for a wide range of projects. Within just a couple of weeks, the campaign had reached its minimum target of £800, and was well on its way to reaching the full £2,000 needed to transport all of the donated books. A pledge to support “I’m so overwhelmed by all the support I have received so far,” says Makram. “When I started this campaign, I expected only my friends to support the project, but I was wrong. Most of the support I’ve received so far has been from people I don’t know.” Once the crowdfunding campaign had finished, Makram used the £2,345 raised to pack all 1,500 books, weighing 1,500kg. A specialist transportation firm then transported them to Mosul.

On receiving the books, Professor Obay Saeed Al-Dewachi, University of Mosul Chancellor, said, “We would like to express our gratitude for this great initiative. This act brings back the life to the University of Mosul as a centre of knowledge and development.” None of this would have been possible without the generosity of those who supported the crowdfunding campaign. Makram is keen to show his gratitude to all those who donated. “From the bottom of my heart, I’d like to say thank you to those who supported my project. I’ll make sure to tell the people of Mosul that there are people who care about you and your university, even though they live thousands of miles away.” Support more alumni, student and staff fundraising projects at www. manchester.ac.uk/crowdfunding

Destruction

YOUR MANCHESTER

I was taught to listen to the people you serve.

Christine Mwangi

YOUR MANCHESTER

Tackling taboos, empowering women When Christine Mwangi first flew in to Manchester from the US to start a master’s in Pharmacy, she happily imagined her future career in pharmaceuticals or medical sales. Founding a charity to empower women by tackling ‘period poverty’ couldn’t have been further from her mind.

“

he Ebola outbreak hit West Africa during my pre-registration year [2014] – and that changed everything,” Christine remembers. “My cousin was doing missionary work in Sierra Leone, and she told me how quarantined women had no access to feminine hygiene products. I started to research period poverty and realised that it was a global phenomenon.

“Regardless of these women’s socioeconomic, cultural or geographic backgrounds, they had historically perpetuated gaps of knowledge around their bodies that meant they couldn’t help their own daughters,” she comments. “I educated several women who had never even seen a tampon. Right then I knew, as a health professional and as a woman, I had something to offer.”

“I thought as a pharmacist I could mobilise assistance for women like these – but when I researched it, no such career existed,” she continues. “I realised I would have to create the opportunity that would allow me to make the changes I wanted to see.”

In 2016, Christine founded Be a Rose – named for her grandmother Rose, who was an invaluable source of hope and support during Christine’s studies. Now the charity offers hope and support to women via health education and feminine hygiene products, tackling taboos around menstruation and related illnesses that affect women around the world.

Researching the issues With no background in charities, Christine promptly moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, to work for a refugee resettlement agency. Interviewing women of varying ages and nationalities, she discovered many taboos around menstruation and a surprising lack of knowledge about the female reproductive system.

Be a Rose

Be a Rose partners with 32 local organisations supporting women who are homeless, refugees, fleeing domestic abuse and in poverty. In 2017 it raised around $40,000 (£30,700), provided 1,335 women with hygiene products and ran health workshops for 140 women.

Next year Christine wants to expand the charity’s reach beyond Michigan, and ultimately aims to create a global movement – because, as she puts it, “healthy, strong women help communities thrive,” and “menstruation is not going anywhere!” Skills and support Christine believes that working as a course representative and a hall of residence tutor while studying at Manchester helped her to develop empowerment and leadership skills that are invaluable in her role today. “I was taught to listen to the people you serve, and to convey their needs with confidence to the people who have the power to make the necessary changes,” she says. “I also still get support from various professors [at the University]. They look for every opportunity to help promote my growth as a young professional, and continue to support the career path of social responsibility that I took.”

Advice on setting up a charity “Do it!” exclaims Christine – then, laughing: “And brace yourself! It’s a physically and emotionally draining process. But it’s the best decision you can make. “Charity begins at home; you can start with just a collaboration of family and friends. If demand outweighs the support you offer, then you can build a case for starting a charity. “Clear vision and commitment will see you through. I worked three jobs while I grew the charity. Look for people who share your vision but have different skills: accounting, law, community connections. “And get support – financial and emotional. You’ll need family and friends to support you when it gets hard, and to celebrate your victories with you.”

YOUR MANCHESTER

The time of your life

1949

Memories are made for students who queue across the Old Quad to process into the Whitworth Hall to pick up their degrees, July 1949. Explore more from the University’s 194 years of history with our interactive Manchester Memories timeline – and add your own – at timeline.manchester.ac.uk

1824 44

YOUR MANCHESTER

1850

1875

1900

1925

1950

1975

2000

2025

Join us! Alumni events take place throughout the year, from lectures on campus and around the globe to dinners, discussions and networking opportunities.

HIGHLIGHTS 2019 YOUR MANCHESTER INSIGHTS

MANCHESTER

Eminent academics share their ground-breaking research

12 March

22 January – London

Celebrating Inspiring Women at Manchester

The Beautiful Cure

Spring

20 February – Manchester

Cloudy with a Chance of Pain 27 March – Manchester

19 June – Manchester

Spatters and Lies: Technologies of Truth in the Sam Sheppard Case, 1954–1966

Cockcroft Rutherford Lecture LONDON NETWORK A series of panel discussions bring professionals from all sectors together – watch out for events in February, May and June INTERNATIONAL Events will take place at venues around the world

Visit www.manchester.ac.uk/alumnievents to explore our full events calendar. WATCH OUT FOR YOUR EMAIL INVITATIONS TO EVENTS.

FEATURE

Pankhurst Turing Cumberbatch Cox

H ?

GIVE THE NEXT GENERATION OF STARS THE CHANCE TO SHINE AT YOUR OLD UNIVERSITY. Please make a gift to help candidates from disadvantaged backgrounds enjoy the opportunities to study that you had at The University of Manchester. You can make a donation by post using the enclosed donation form, give securely online at www.manchester.ac.uk/donatenow or call +44 (0)161 306 6021 from 9am to 5pm between Monday and Friday. The University of Manchester is an exempt charity under Schedule 3 of the Charities Act 2011. Our reference number with the Charities Division of HM Revenue and Customs is XR82062.

Your Manchester 2018

Articles inside

Life and death decisions