Brunel Alumni Link Magazine (2017)

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BrunelLINK

BRUNEL LINK MAGAZINE : SECTION TITLE HERE

Alumni magazine 2017

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OBE and Olympic gold for Brunel hockey star Our entrepreneurs shine

Brunel in 2030

Alumni events gallery

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BRUNEL LINK MAGAZINE : WELCOME

Welcome Over the last year I have had the great pleasure of meeting many of you at our 50th anniversary events around the world.

More than 1,000 alumni visited the campus for our largest ever alumni event in July. It was wonderful to meet everyone from predecessor institutions through to recent graduates and to hear your stories.

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I was also delighted to meet some of those who celebrated at more than 25 receptions in different countries around the world. It is terrific to see our international community continue to thrive.

The 50th Anniversary gave us an opportunity not only to reflect on how far we have come and what we have achieved, but also to look forward and decide on what we want for our future.

During these uncertain times, the next chapter in Brunel’s story is an important one and it is vital that we continue to meet the needs of industry, deliver life-changing research and produce graduates that are equipped and motivated to make a difference in the world. We have been working hard to establish a vision for Brunel’s future and I am pleased to share this with you on page 4.

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Our research continues to go from strength to strength, having a real impact on society: developing lighter, recycled metals for automotive construction, fighting cancer, improving efficiency in the NHS and reducing the cost of pothole repairs are just a few of our current projects (page 6).

I have been so proud to see the recognition that our alumni have received over the past year: from Queen’s Honours to industry accolades, international awards and sporting successes. One of the highlights was seeing Kate Richardson-Walsh finishing her international hockey career with an Olympic gold medal (p10).

Your alumni network is a rich resource. If you are not able to make it to our any of our events, you can still connect with other Brunelians through our online Alumni Network (page 24). I would encourage you to join and get involved; the connections you make could prove to be invaluable.

As always, we would love to hear from alumni who would like to help our students, whether through mentoring, work placements or graduate employment.

Do get in touch if you are able to offer some assistance.

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Julia Buckingham Vice-Chancellor and President

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BRUNEL LINK MAGAZINE : CONTENTS

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Welcome and contents

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Looking to the future: what’s in store for Brunel?

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Research

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News and sport

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Brunel pair celebrate Olympic Hockey title

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Apprentice runner-up sees business boosted

19 Music alumni reunion

20 Looking back…

22 Social Work expert leads international project to tackle violence against students

23 Postgraduate study

24 Your online network: top tips for success

25 Made in Brunel 2017

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Honours for skincare entrepreneur

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Forbes recognition for battery recycling entrepreneurs

26 I volunteer as… an Alumni Associate

27 International Events

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Alumni start-ups tap into creative community

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AlumNight 2017

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Awards

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Music industry tips alumna as rising star of 2017

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28 Alumni events gallery

30 Brunel in Print

31 Brunel Sounds

32 Alumnus of the Year and Contact us

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BRUNEL LINK MAGAZINE : LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

Looking to the future: what’s in store for Brunel?

by Julia Buckingham, Vice-Chancellor and President

A university for a changing world

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BRUNEL LINK MAGAZINE : LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

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When Brunel was awarded its Royal Charter in 1966 we were given a distinct purpose and an incredible opportunity. The campus was to be the home of technological education, championing innovation and advancement, and giving the UK the knowledge base it needed to compete on the international stage.

We conceived a brand of education, and later research, which was overwhelmingly geared towards the needs of industry and, echoing the spirit and vision of our namesake Isambard Kingdom Brunel, we did so with flair and rigour. Our ambition was to equip students for the world of work and to address society’s challenges on a global scale.

The challenges have changed, but our aims are as innovative and ambitious as they always were – to deliver outstanding research, develop relevant educational programmes and to give students the academic education and personal skills needed to become a success in the real world.

Here we outline five distinct areas of focus – each of which underpins our vision until 2030. It recognises the values upon which Brunel’s success is founded. And, although our strategy as educators and innovators will change in the intervening years, these goals, values and vision will remain at the heart of everything we do and the driving force behind our future achievements, ensuring Brunel continues to meet the needs of a changing world until 2030 and beyond.

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Education and student experience

Our programmes will offer an inspirational education experience which instils academic knowledge, independent learning skills and the soft skills sought by employers.

We will attract talented students from across the globe, who aspire to learn and apply their knowledge to fulfil their lives and contribute to society.

Our students will be taken to the cutting edge of their subject through research-led teaching and experiential work-based learning and encouraged to embrace innovation and entrepreneurship. They will also be developed as individuals and global citizens and equipped to apply their knowledge, understanding and skills in the workplace.

Our staff will be renowned for excellence in teaching and for creating an outstanding learning environment which inspires curiosity and creativity and recognises the needs of the individual. They will work in partnership with our students to enhance their academic experience and opportunities to engage in a broad range of extra curricular activities.

The University will be recognised across the world as an engine of social mobility, attracting talented students from diverse backgrounds and enabling them to realise their potential irrespective of their social or cultural background.

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Research

Our world-leading research will focus on those areas in which we can integrate academic rigour with the needs of governments, industry and the not-forprofit sector, delivering creative solutions to global challenges and bringing economic, social and cultural benefit.

We will strengthen our research culture, seeking to attract, develop and retain exceptional academic staff and forge long-lasting partnerships in the UK and internationally to accelerate the impact of our research on the people, societies and economies that will benefit the most.

Our Research Institutes and Research Centres will pioneer world-leading research inspired by an ambition to address society’s most pressing challenges, in collaboration with partners from across the globe.

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Our university community

Our staff, students, alumni and partners will form a thriving connected community which aspires to achieve excellence and bring benefit to society.

We will attract, develop and retain motivated academic, professional and operational staff and empower them to work together to support our mission. We will nurture talent and recognise, celebrate and reward achievement.

We will celebrate diversity and further strengthen our culture of mutual respect and equality of opportunity.

We will support our alumni as they progress in their careers, work with them to build active chapters across the world and encourage them to engage with the next generation of students as mentors and influencers.

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Our campus and local community

Our campus will continue to be the hub of the University, providing an outstanding environment for our staff, students, partners, visitors and the wider community. It will be renowned for its excellent academic, social, recreational and residential facilities and as a welcoming, vibrant and safe environment.

We will strengthen our position as a civic university, using our innovation and entrepreneurialism to drive the local economy and build important strategic partnerships with local organisations to bring benefit to the local community.

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Global impact

We will expand our already significant global reach, further raising our reputation as one of the world’s pre‑eminent international universities.

We will build strategic partnerships with overseas universities and businesses to expand our research and education and deliver impact through knowledge transfer. We will also develop innovative ways of delivering education across the globe and strengthening the academic base in the developing world.

Campus Developments STEM Centre Work is progressing well on the new STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Maths) Centre. This will be located in the Wilfred Brown building next to the pond. The centre will provide a base for students, academics, researchers and local schools to explore STEM subjects in a state-of-the-art environment.

As part of this we are planning to install a planetarium-style facility that will offer learners the opportunity for 360° STEM-related video and audio interaction. This £196k ‘immersive dome’ will be one of the largest in the country and a fantastic resource for local schools and our community. We now need to raise the last £46k of funds and would be most grateful for any alumni contributions. If you are interested in supporting this project, please see the enclosed donation form or contact mohammed.alam@brunel.ac.uk for more details.

Student Learning and Teaching Centre Work will begin on a brand new Student Learning and Teaching Centre in 2017.

The £50 million Centre will be located on the site of the John Crank Building and will provide state-of-the-art IT resources. It is designed as a catalyst to transform the way we teach and is intended to be completed by 2020.

Design Engineering Centre A £75 million Design Engineering Centre will be built near the Wilfred Brown and Antonin Artaud buildings, to accommodate much of the activity that currently takes place in the Towers.

There are also plans to refurbish sports facilities on campus. To keep abreast of these plans as they progress, join our online network at www.brunelalumni.com or keep an eye on the Brunel website.

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BRUNEL LINK MAGAZINE : RESEARCH

Research The UK Research Councils increased funding for research at Brunel by £12 million last year, reflecting the outstanding quality and impact of research that takes place here. We are proud to have seen a significant increase in this support at a time when, nationally, successful applications have fallen.

Infrared could absorb shocking pothole repair bills With the price of patching up potholes warned to reach tipping point this year, researchers have found using infrared heating to repair roads could save £millions.

Devised by Brunel researchers, the infrared technology could save authorities £3.5bn in 2019, by making repairs cheaper and longer-lasting.

Road repair bills in England and Wales could reach £14bn in two years, dwarfing councils’ £4.4bn highway budgets, the Local Government Association says.

“Potholes develop when surface water is pressurised by travelling vehicles, opening cracks within the asphalt,” said civil engineering researcher Juliana Byzyka.

“Wet weather, combined with cycles of freezing and thawing, dramatically accelerates pothole development.”

Both temporary and supposedly longer‑lasting repairs often fail, creating dangerous driving conditions that put road users at peril, damage vehicles and dent the public purse.

“ Potholes develop when surface water is pressurised by travelling vehicles, opening cracks within the asphalt. Wet weather, combined with cycles of freezing and thawing, dramatically accelerates pothole development. ” JULIANA BYZYKA

“Road maintenance teams deliver hot material to the site for filling and compaction of the pothole,” said Juliana.

“We found that this leads to a higher risk of pothole failure due to inadequate heating at the interface between the pavement and fill material. A lack of temperature control deep within the mass also causes failures.”

Backed by engineering firm, Epicuro, researchers developed a portable machine that uses infrared heating to heat pothole surface and deep underneath before repair.

A 3D thermal model is used to model and control the repair process.

“The system is designed to be easily transported to repair sites and operates within a single lane of the road, so extensive road closures are avoided,” Juliana added.

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Cell division study opens new leads against cancer A protein that controls cell division also has a key role switching genes on and off, scientists have found, in a discovery which could reinvent cancer treatment.

The protein phosphatase, Repo-Man, is one of a clutch of key proteins in cell division, an essential process that goes into overdrive in cancer.

Now researchers at Brunel have found RepoMan is also crucial in controlling mechanisms that switch genes on or off after cells divide.

The study, in Nature Communications, is the first to flag up Repo-Man as an epigenetic regulator.

“This is another component of the epigenetic landscape that people have never considered,” said Dr Paola Vagnarelli. “It may open fresh lines of attack on aggressive hard-to-treat cancers such as Triple Negative Breast Cancer, or Melanoma.

“Just last year we unveiled the structure of Repo-Man, but nobody knew before how this particular enzyme was involved in gene regulation. Now we know the biology, how and why it is important, how it functions as well as its structure, therefore we can target different areas of its activity. This opens up many more doors for cancer treatment.

“The study also tells us that we can interfere with Repo-Man’s ability to bind to the DNA, which could help us block its function,” said Dr Vagnarelli. “It’s a big thing for this field, now we need more investment to pursue more work in this direction.”

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BRUNEL LINK MAGAZINE : RESEARCH

NHS leaders look to Brunel to boost efficiency Top medical leaders will use simulation and modelling to get the best from health resources through a recent agreement between the Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management (FMLM) and the Cumberland Initiative.

Led out of Brunel, the initiative brings academics, clinicians and companies together to change the efficiency and quality of care in the NHS in a major way.

It allows health managers to work with Cumberland Initiative experts to find ways to make the NHS more efficient. It also offers training to use computer simulation to streamline services, such as hospital A&E units, operations and bed spaces.

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Casting research ramps up to industrial scale Last year we celebrated a landmark in our metals research with investment of over £100 million from Government and our industrial partners, particularly Jaguar Land Rover and Constellium, with the opening of the Advanced Metal Casting Centre and the Constellium Doctoral Training Centre.

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A commercial 240kN closing force low pressure die caster

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A pilot scale hot-top direct chill caster for 2m long billets up to 204mm in diameter

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A commercial 16MN direct extrusion press with taper controlled billet heating

The facility enables innovative technologies for making automotive components lighter and completely recyclable to be tested under industry conditions.

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A scaled-up twin roll caster incorporating Brunel’s novel melt conditioning technology

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High resolution real-time X-ray inspection

The 1500m building is equipped with:

By validating techniques using industrystandard equipment, the research facility aims to bridge the gap between lab-scale success and mainstream factory floor implementation.

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A commercial 1600 tonne locking force high pressure die caster for aluminium and magnesium alloys

The agreement gives FMLM members access to multi-disciplinary teams, special rates for the Cumberland Initiative’s training and events, and opportunities to join its working projects.

Computer modelling helps medical managers use resources and set up processes more intelligently. The FMLM Chief Executive, Peter Lees, explained: “Systems thinking is increasingly recognised as crucial in the armoury of healthcare leaders and is prominent in the FMLM Leadership and Management Standards for Medical Professionals.”

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BRUNEL LINK MAGAZINE : NEWS AND SPORT

News and sport UK-wide award for Brunel teaching excellence Brunel has been awarded one of six new Collaborative Awards for Teaching Excellence (CATE) from the Higher Education Academy, in recognition of the University’s innovative approaches to teaching and learning.

The award, which is in its pilot year, recognises teaching excellence by teams at higher education providers. The collaborative award is an important development which reflects the key role that teamwork has in promoting student success through learning and teaching.

The criteria for the CATE award are: ‘excellent practice’, teamwork, and the team’s dissemination plan. Teams need to show direct student involvement in their work and excellent practice in relation to one of a number of themes.

Brunel’s Biosciences team has done just that. Sixteen academics who teach on the BSc Biomedical Sciences programme came together to eliminate the compartmentalised

approach to learning experienced by students on modular programmes and to reduce the assessment load for students and staff.

The team’s holistic and authentic approach to assessment requires links to be made between subject topics and facilitates integration and application of knowledge. It also ensures that graduates are able to evaluate, communicate and make use of complex information.

This approach has resulted in improved degree outcomes and higher graduate level employment rates. BSc Biomedical Sciences was ranked second in London for overall satisfaction in the 2016 National Student Survey.

Brunel is one of 15 institutions who were shortlisted for the award. The six winning institutions receive grants of £15,000 to disseminate their learning throughout the higher education sector.

Brunel ranked in world top 100 for sports subjects Brunel features among the world’s elite higher education institutions in nine subjects listed in this year’s QS World University Rankings by Subject, published in March.

In the ‘Sports-Related Subjects’ category Brunel is ranked in the global 51-100 bracket, based on academic reputation, employer reputation, and research citations.

This year the University also scored highly for Art and Design, appearing in the 151-200 category.

Among the thousands of institutions across the world, Brunel is rated in the top 250 for Electrical and Electronic Engineering and for Business and Management Studies; in the top 300 for the categories of Computer Science and Information Systems, Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering, Psychology, and Education; and inside the world’s top 400 for Mathematics.

QS evaluated 4,438 universities in compiling their rankings.

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BRUNEL LINK MAGAZINE : NEWS AND SPORT

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English Weightlifting Championships 2017

Lewis Ridett

Paralympics, Rio 2016

European Indoor Championships 2017

Natasha Baker

Shelayna Oskan-Clarke

Olympic and Paralympic success for alumni Last summer saw more outstanding performances from Brunel alumni in the Olympic and Paralympic games.

Kate Richardson-Walsh secured gold in the Women’s Hockey, in one of the most memorable moments of the Games for Team GB (see page 10).

Meanwhile on the water, Jon Schofield won silver in the kayak double 200 metres.

In the Paralympics, there was double success for Brunel in the rowing, with James Fox winning gold in the mixed coxed four, while Tom Aggar won bronze in the men’s single sculls.

Natasha Baker added to her incredible success at London 2012 with triple gold in equestrian.

The 2016 medal haul brings Brunel’s all-time total to 24 Olympic and nine Paralympic medals.

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Athletics

Football

Shelayna Oskan-Clarke won silver in the 800m at the 2017 European Indoor Championships. Ashley Bryant won Silver in the Combined Events International Indoor Match in Prague in January. He moved to third place on the UK all-time list for Decathlon.

Chelsea forward, Eniola Aluko, was the 2016 top goal scorer in the Women’s Super League.

The Chelsea forward had an incredible year, securing her 100th England cap earlier in 2016.

Bobsleigh

Brunel saw a Gold medal for Sports Sciences Student, Lewis Ridett at the 2017 English Weightlifting Championships. Lewis came out on top in the men’s 85kg class, totalling 290kg and eventually finishing 8kg ahead of his nearest rival.

GB Bobsleigh celebrated their first gold medal of the season in January as Brunel’s Montell Douglas joined Mica McNeill to win the women’s Europa Cup race in Winterberg.

For former British 100m record holder Montell, victory came in just her third race in her new sport and just a fortnight after her first-ever run in a bobsleigh.

Weightlifting

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BRUNEL LINK MAGAZINE : HOCKEY SUCCESS

Brunel pair celebrate Olympic Hockey title We were brimming with pride when Brunel’s Kate Richardson‑Walsh OBE collected her gold medal following a thrilling hockey final at the Rio Olympics. But there were two Brunel winners that day. Amber Luzar also worked tirelessly behind the scenes as the Team GB Hockey analyst and was integral to the success of the team. We take a look back at Kate’s phenomenal career and learn a bit more about the vital role that Amber plays at GB Hockey.

Kate (Sport Sciences, 2003) has become a leading figure in women’s hockey over the years since her graduation. Captain of England and GB Hockey for 13 years, Kate was capped more than 370 times for her country. Following her bronze medal at the London 2012 Games, an Olympic gold in Rio was a fitting end to her impressive international career.

The gold medal triggered a flurry of honours for Kate. She was picked to carry the Team GB flag in the closing ceremony: “I feel incredibly proud to have been chosen,” she said. “I feel it’s such a huge honour for me and for hockey as a sport.”

She was also nominated for BBC Sports Personality of the Year, shortlisted for the FIH World Player of the Year Award, and was awarded an OBE in The Queen’s 2017 New Year Honours list.

But Kate has always been keen to emphasise that the successes she has enjoyed are down to a team effort, and she has commended Amber Luzar’s “insane” hours that have been a huge part of this.

Unsung hero, Amber (Sport Sciences BSc 2009 and MSc 2012) joined the GB team in 2014 as their video analyst and played a vital role in preparing the squad for Olympic success. Amber monitors live and recorded performances and feeds her findings back to the coaching team.

“Most statistics are used for coaching purposes. I try to do most of my analysis live, so I have more time to interpret the data rather than just reporting it.

“I create a match report – it is very visual and easy to interpret, so the main points stand out. If results are unusual, below or above our expectations, then the report will automatically highlight these.”

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BRUNEL LINK MAGAZINE : HOCKEY SUCCESS

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“ Being able to prioritise what will have the biggest performance impact is vital. You must be adaptable to change. ” AMBER LUZAR

The Sports Science graduate joined Team GB from Reading Football Club, where she was one of only two female video analysts working in the Premier League. She was at Reading for two years and had no hockey background, but she soon adapted to the analysis of the faster paced game.

“Analysis itself is very adaptable between sports. You focus on the KPIs specific to the coaching requirements and team’s performance objectives. With both football and hockey being invasion games, the analysis processes themselves are very similar.

“I needed to learn the way hockey is played and, more specifically, how England and Great Britain wanted hockey to be played. It probably took me a good few months to nail down the terminology and tactical strategies.”

So how did Amber get into this field of work?

“When I first started at Brunel, I just knew I wanted to be a practitioner in elite sport.

I didn’t really know what discipline I would go into, but biomechanics and physiology were always big interests of mine. At that time, I wasn’t even aware that analysis really existed, until I had a seminar in my second year which was kind of my lightbulb moment.

I then went onto specialise in biomechanics, for both my dissertations, whilst undertaking a sports science internship at a football club.

Following graduation, I then heavily pursued performance analysis as a full time career.

“Being able to prioritise what will have the biggest performance impact is vital. You must be adaptable to change. The goal posts are constantly moving, and what was a priority yesterday, is unlikely to be a priority today.

“You can spend a lot of time preparing for something that you might not ever use.

We create reports on every nation at a tournament, but we might not play every nation. But if the time comes, then you are as ready for ‘Team X’ as you were for ‘Team Y’.

To make a real impact you need to be able to think outside of the box.”

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Amber uses a secure digital platform to share video clips with coaches and players, before, during and after the game.

“We transmit statistics and video clips to the coaches via iPads. During a match, I will live code and this will update a statistical output report which gets sent to the bench and to the Head Coach. The coaches and I are in constant communication, so if they would like to see a certain clip or the last 20 seconds of a play then I will send it to their iPads.”

What is next for Amber?

“For now, I am focusing my efforts on ‘winning after winning’ – I very much hope I will be joining the team on their search for another medal in Tokyo 2020.”

And of her colleague Kate Richardson-Walsh, did she know they were both from Brunel?

“I had no idea, but as soon as I found out, it all made sense. Kate is a phenomenal athlete and an incredible leader, I feel extremely privileged to work alongside her at such a pinnacle stage in her career – and I certainly hope that won’t be the only time our paths cross.”

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BRUNEL LINK MAGAZINE : BRUNEL ENTREPRENEURS

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BRUNEL LINK MAGAZINE : BRUNEL ENTREPRENEURS

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Apprentice runner-up sees business boosted

Queen’s Honours for skincare entrepreneur

Brunel alumnus Courtney Wood was the runner up in the BBC series, The Apprentice, in December. We caught up with him to see how business is going and why he continues to support Brunel students.

Alumna Clare Anyiam-Osigwe was awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) in the Queen’s New Year Honours 2017, for services to dermatology.

Courtney applied to be on The Apprentice in a bid to boost his business with the financial backing and guidance of Lord Sugar. Although he was narrowly beaten to the Apprentice crown he has still found the process invaluable for his business.

“We had massive sales in the run up to Christmas as lots of my products are ideal for stocking fillers. So that was a fantastic boost from being on the show.

“I have been contacting major High Street retailers and, since the show, I’ve found they get back to me more quickly. Now we are talking about getting products placed for next Christmas, so it has had a massive positive effect on the business.”

Courtney has also benefited from the ongoing advice of Lord Sugar: “I’ve spoken to him a few times since the final over email and WhatsApp. He said if I want any advice just to let him know.”

“A major part of my success on the show is owed to the competitive nature of studying design at Brunel”.

Courtney (Industrial Design and Technology in 2009) started out at a London-based novelty gift company after graduating. After three years working as a designer, he set up his own company, Bubblegum Stuff, in 2012. He launched in Hong Kong, distributing to Australia, Canada and Germany, before returning home to concentrate on the UK market.

“If you set up your own business you’re going to have to give your life to it. It will consume your life. So you need to choose something that you enjoy doing because it’s going to be hard, and if you don’t enjoy it, you’ll give up.

“You need to take calculated risks and keep a close eye on the numbers as well.”

Since graduating, he has visited Brunel a number of times to support current students.

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“I’ve given two lectures to second year design students over the last few years.

I also run a design competition where students come up with an idea for a novelty gift and we can develop that with them. A few years ago we made one student’s design and it’s in the catalogue and doing quite well. We did a competition a few months ago and we’re developing those ideas at the moment. Two of them are looking pretty strong so hopefully we’ll have two ideas from that to take into production.”

So why does he choose to come back and support Brunel students?

“We did a very similar project when I was at Brunel with Marks and Spencer and for me it was what set me on the path of setting up my own novelty gift business. We had to design a novelty gift and it was a week-long project that I really enjoyed. That gave me the inspiration to go on and do what I wanted to do. I spoke to a lecturer and I was honoured to be invited back and to then run that project with my company.

“I sat in that room ten years ago – in that very seat doing a similar project – and I hope to inspire some of those students to go on to set up their own company and become successful designers.”

So what is next for Courtney and Bubblegum Stuff?

“At the moment we have products in two High Street retailers – Paperchase and Urban Outfitters – and we are currently speaking to supermarkets and department stores for this Christmas.

“We are hopefully going to be launching products in the US this year as well. So it’s an exciting time and could be a very profitable area for the business.

Take a look at Courtney’s website at www.bubblegumstuff.com.

Since the launch of her vegan, allergen-free skincare brand in 2011, Clare has received countless awards, but this is the most high‑profile to date.

Harley Street-based Premae Skincare came about when Clare developed natural remedies at home for her own skin problems. Seeing how the elimination of parabens and allergens helped her, she saw the opportunity to do the same for others with similar conditions.

Her products are plant-based, alkaline, vegan and ‘Freefrom’.

Clare’s successful venture has seen her named as the Rising Star Entrepreneur, at the ‘We Are the City Awards 2016’ and also at the ‘Black British Business Awards 2015’, as well as the Inspirational Woman of the Year at the ‘Inspirational Awards 2014’. Clare was also featured by Forbes Africa as one of the five most influential women in business in August 2013.

Premae has been featured in over 100 magazines and over 5,000 beauty blogs around the world, including Cosmopolitan (France), Marie Claire (USA), Forbes (Africa) and Vogue (UK).

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BRUNEL LINK MAGAZINE : BRUNEL ENTREPRENEURS

Forbes recognition for battery recycling entrepreneur A Brunel graduate has been named one of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 European science entrepreneurs thanks to his innovative solution to the huge waste management problem created by ‘dead’ lithium batteries.

What’s more, he was also named as the Entrepreneur of the Year 2017 in the prestigious national Shell LiveWIRE competition in April.

Aceleron, the company founded by Carlton Cummins (MSc Sustainability, Entrepreneurship and Design 2016) and business partner Amrit Chandan, created the process to extract value from used lithium ion batteries removed from vehicles and consumer electronics.

The batteries are first evaluated for reuse using Aceleron’s testing algorithm. Good ones are repurposed into battery packs for applications such as electric bicycles or renewable energy systems for homes.

Carlton’s battery repurposing process was first trialled at Brunel in 2016. He tested some 150 ‘discarded’ batteries from laptops and other equipment, and found that on average, they were still at around 80% usable capacity. This initial trial gave the insight he needed to forge ahead with a business plan.

Carlton said the course “changed my thinking about environmental problems and solutions design. It introduced me to many philosophies like clean technology and sustainable design which really helped shape my ideas”.

Commenting on the battery trials, he explains: “We didn’t expect the batteries to have zero energy capacity but were expecting perhaps 50% or 60%. An average of 80% was quite impressive. When a battery is considered no longer good for the laptop it is not that it is dead – it just doesn’t have enough juice for the laptop, but may have plenty of energy for something else.”

“Lots of organisations change their equipment on a rolling basis, so some of the equipment sent to recycling isn’t anywhere close to dead.

It isn’t just rubbish – there’s a lot of energy still stored which can be obtained.

“By repurposing used batteries, we can reduce lithium ion battery waste by as much as 75%.

This is 75% less waste that has to be shipped overseas for recycling.”

“This vote of confidence from Forbes has actually accelerated plans for 2017 by getting Aceleron an audience with key stakeholders much sooner than we had planned.”

Last year Aceleron also won the Shell LiveWIRE Smarter Future Award and took second place in the Mayor of London’s low carbon challenge for students.

The Aceleron team is currently based out of the Central Research Laboratory in Hayes.

You can follow the progress of the project at www.projectaceleron.com or follow the team on Twitter at @PAceleron.

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BRUNEL LINK MAGAZINE : CENTRAL RESEARCH LABORATORY

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Alumni startups tap into creative community Now in its second year, the Central Research Laboratory (CRL) in Hayes is home to a growing number of creative startups and businesses. Several of these are Brunel alumni, like Carlton Cummins (see opposite) who have embarked on a startup up journey, setting up and developing their own product-based/creative businesses on site.

CRL has been designed to support fledgling businesses as they develop new products, bring them to the market and grow.

CRL members come from a variety of backgrounds, such as design, engineering, or marketing.

Startups need a range of different disciplines, expertise and perspectives to create innovative and diverse teams and the CRL provides an environment for founders to meet, work together, share ideas, and engage with one another. It is a hub for collaboration and creativity.

CRL is based at The Old Vinyl Factory in Hayes, less than ten minutes’ drive from Brunel (one of its key founding partners) and there are ongoing opportunities for alumni and students to get involved.

The CRL Hardware Accelerator Programme, kicks off each September, taking the best product-based ideas to market. The ninemonth programme includes sessions and practical workshops on business, market and product development, design for manufacture and investment readiness, as well as bridging the gap between prototype and production.

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There are also opportunities for members to visit European and Chinese manufacturers.

Alumni with new creative businesses or products to develop can benefit in various ways from the CRL: •

• • • • • •

affordable hot desking, fixed desks, studios and office space (discounted Brunel alumni rate) collaborate and exchange ideas access business workshops tap into in-house expertise use prototyping tools and equipment find an exciting job or internship with a start-up engage with mentors based on site

Find out more at www.centralresearchlaboratory.com Co-working queries: alice@centralresearchlaboratory.com Meetup events: www.meetup.com/Home-of-Hardware Twitter : @CRL_LDN

in partnership with

There are also opportunities to build academic research and project partner links for collaboration and knowledge transfer, as the centre connects with new exciting startups in each Accelerator round.

The in-house CRL team is made up of experienced, product development and prototyping experts, design practitioners, a community builder and business development and investment specialists, so there are lots of ways they can help!

EUROPEAN UNION

European Regional Development Fund

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BRUNEL LINK MAGAZINE : ALUMNIGHT

We will have a series of alumni events on campus on the evening of 1 June 2017 following the success of the 50th Anniversary.

Alum Night!

We plan to hold events for alumni who studied or are interested in: Engineering, Business, Health Sciences, Design and more

Why join us?

• • • • •

Network with other alumni in the field Make invaluable professional connections Meet our final year students and share your experiences in the field with them Meet our staff and find out about developments in your subject area Arrange to meet old classmates

If you would like to receive an invitation to AlumNight, please ensure we have your correct contact details by emailing alumni@brunel.ac.uk stating your area of interest. Details about the event will also be posted on our online network at www.brunelalumni.com and on the Brunel website at www.brunel.ac.uk/alumni

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BRUNEL LINK MAGAZINE : AWARDS

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Awards The past year has seen an abundance of awards for the Brunel community. These are just some of the accolades we are proud to have learned about:

Queen’s New Year Honours 2017 Kate Richardson-Walsh (Sport Sciences 2003) – OBE for services to hockey Dr Carole Easton (Psychology 1978) – OBE for services to young people James Fox (Sport Sciences – Human Performance 2013) – MBE for services to rowing Richard Cheetham (Sport Sciences 1999) – MBE for services to sports and education Clare Anyiam-Osigwe (Drama with Film & Television Studies 2006) – British Empire Medal for services to dermatology Andrew George (Deputy Vice‑Chancellor) – MBE for services to NHS research participants Christine Craik (Former Director of Occupational Therapy) – OBE for services to mental health care

Olympic medals Kate Richardson-Walsh (Sport Sciences 2003) – Hockey, gold Jon Schofield (Sport Sciences – Human Performance 2015) – Canoe Sprint (Men’s K2 200m), silver

Paralympic medals James Fox (Sport Sciences – Human Performance 2013) – Mixed Coxed Four, gold Natasha Baker (Honorary fellow 2013) – Equestrian, three golds Tom Aggar (Sport Sciences 2013) – Single Sculls, bronze

Shell LiveWIRE Entrepreneur of the Year 2017 Carlton Cummins first won the £5,000 Smarter Future Award and was then named the Entrepreneur of the Year.

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Paralympics, Brazil 2016

Tom Aggar wins bronze in Single Sculls

Teaching award for Biosciences

Honorary Graduates 2016

Brunel Biosciences team was awarded one of six new Collaborative Awards for Teaching Excellence (see p8).

Professor Junyong Liu (PhD Electrical Engineering 1998)

BBC Music Sound of 2017

Professor Jackie Hunter CBE (CEO of Stratified Medical)

Ray BLK (English 2015) was named as the BBC Music Sound of 2017 (see p18).

Journalist of the Year Music alumna, Nikki Fox, was named as Journalist of the Year at the European Diversity Awards. Nikki is a Disability Correspondent for the BBC and has presented on The One Show and Rip‑Off Britain and is a regular reporter on Watchdog.

British Council UK Alumni Award Alumnus Dr Talal Al-Maghrabi (PhD Management Studies 2010) was the winner in the Entrepreneurial Alumni category of the British Council UK Alumni Awards for Saudi Arabia.

Honorary Doctorates

Rt Hon Lord Baker of Dorking CH (Former Education Secretary and Conservative MP)

Dr David Doherty (Chief Executive of the National Centre for Universities and Business) Professor Sarah Lamb (Director of the Centre for Statistics in Medicine and the Oxford Clinical Trials Unit, University of Oxford)

Honorary Fellows Heather Fell (Physiotherapy 2004) Greg Whyte (Sports Science 1989) Christopher Thorneycroft Smith (Production Technology 1970) Jay Wilkinson (former Head of Music and Director of the Arts Centre) Chris Temple (Special Advisor on Health and Safety – Voluntary) Christine Vincent (former Director Principal at Brunel International College) These are just some of the many awards received by members of our community in the last year. If you know of a Brunelian who has received an award, please get in touch (p32).

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BRUNEL LINK MAGAZINE : MUSIC

Music industry experts tip alumna as rising star of 2017 January launched soulful hip hop artist, Ray BLK, into the spotlight as she was named as BBC Music’s Sound of 2017.

The award, which has previously been won by the likes of Adele, Ellie Goulding, Sam Smith and Years & Years, showcases the most exciting rising stars in the industry and Brunel alumna, Ray BLK, beat a host of outstanding UK music talent to scoop the accolade.

Each year, to determine the winner of the award, a panel of 170 industry experts nominate little-known artists that they find the most exciting for the year ahead. The panel includes music experts from newspapers, magazines, blogs, radio, TV, music streaming services and organisers and bookers for some of the biggest UK and international music festivals, including Glastonbury and SXSW.

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Ray BLK’s mini-album, Durt, was released in October 2016 and features a collaboration with leading UK grime star, Stormzy.

In an interview with NME at the BRIT Awards in February, Ray BLK said of the impact of the award: “It’s been amazing – an incredible start to the year.”

To date, Ray BLK has recorded an EP and a mini-album, and is working on her debut album, which will feature “timeless, classic songs of female empowerment”.

Ray BLK (real name Rita Ekwere) graduated from Brunel with a degree in English in 2015. Her first EP, ‘Havisham’ was inspired by the jilted Charles Dickens character in Great Expectations that she learned about during her degree.

While studying she was the recipient of a Music Award, which was partly funded by alumni donations. The Music Award helps to pay for individual music tuition for vocalists and instrumentalists, regardless of their subject of study.

Ray BLK supported Emilie Sande on three dates of her 2017 UK tour and will be appearing at several music festivals over the summer, including Lovebox, Reading, Bestival and Secret Garden Party.

You can find Ray BLK on iTunes, Spotify and SoundCloud.

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BRUNEL LINK MAGAZINE : MUSIC

LIVE PERFORMANCES

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MAKE INVALUABLE CONNECTIONS

MEET PEOPLE IN DIFFERENT ROLES IN THE INDUSTRY

SHARE YOUR MUSIC WITH OTHERS

Join your fellow Music alumni for a friendly networking event in Autumn 2017

Music Alumni

Reunion To register your interest and to ensure you are sent an invitation to the event, email

alumni@brunel.ac.uk

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BRUNEL LINK MAGAZINE : LOOKING BACK

Looking back…

2007

1997

1987

Ten years ago…

Twenty years ago…

Thirty years ago…

At Brunel

At Brunel

At Brunel

Brunel sold the Runnymede campus

The Rt Hon The Lord Wakeham became Chancellor of Brunel University

The Wolfson Foundation selected Brunel University to start a new specialist research centre

In the news

In the news

Tony Blair became Prime Minister

Terry Waite disappeared in Beirut and was held hostage until 1991.

The Wilfred Brown Building was extended.

This extension was later named the Michael Sterling Building after the University’s former Vice Chancellor.

In the news Live Earth concerts were held throughout nine major cities to raise environmental awareness The global financial crisis began to take hold Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated

Music and film Singles: Rihanna Umbrella, Mika Grace Kelly, Kaiser Chiefs Ruby and Kanye West Stronger.

Albums: Take That Beautiful World, Amy Winehouse Back to Black, Arctic Monkeys Favourite Worst Nightmare and Leona Lewis Spirit.

Box Office: Shrek the Third, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Helen Mirren won the Oscar for ‘Best Actress’ in The Queen, Forest Whitaker won ‘Best Actor’ for The Last King of Scotland and ‘Best Picture’ went to The Departed.

Before Brunel

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Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed were killed in a car crash in France J. K. Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was published.

Music and film Singles: Puff Daddy & Faith Evans I’ll be missing you, No Doubt Don’t Speak, Chumbawumba Tubthumping and Hanson Mmm Bop.

British ferry MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsized while leaving the harbour of Zeebrugge, Belgium, killing 193 on board.

Margaret Thatcher secured her third term in office.

Black Monday: Wall Street crash led to £50 billion being wiped of the value of shares on the London Stock Exchange.

Music and film

Albums: Spice Girls Spiceworld, Prodigy Fat of the Land, Radiohead OK Computer, Oasis Be Here Now and The Verve Urban Hymns.

Singles: Rick Astley Never gonna give you up, T’Pau China in your hand, Starship Nothing’s gonna stop us now and Pet Shop Boys It’s a sin.

Box Office: Cinemas were dominated by 20th Anniversary remastered versions of the Star Wars trilogy, plus Austin Powers, The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Con Air. In the Oscars The English Patient won ‘Best Picture’, Geoffrey Rush won ‘Best Actor’ for the lead in Shine, and Frances McDormand won ‘Best Actress’ for her role in Fargo.

Albums: Michael Jackson Bad, U2 Joshua Tree and Whitney Houston Whitney.

We look back at the career of Shoreditch College alumnus, Dennis Keam. Dennis graduated with a Cert Ed in 1959. Just three years later he was appointed as Head of the Craft Department at Truro School, teaching woodwork, technical drawing and engineering drawing.

Box Office: Three Men and a Baby, Fatal Attraction and Lethal Weapon. The Oscars saw ‘Best Picture’ for The Last Emperor, ‘Best Actor’ for Michael Douglas in Wall Street, and Cher was named ‘Best Actress’ for Moonstruck.

He spent 36 years at Truro School during which time he taught Jonathan Ball, who was to become the Co-Founder of the Eden Project with Tim Smit.

In 1973 the Direct Grant was withdrawn from Truro School and to help ensure the school’s future, Dennis designed and built the Technology/ Sports complex, later learning it was the largest self-build ever undertaken in the UK.

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BRUNEL LINK MAGAZINE : LOOKING BACK

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What do you remember about these years at Brunel? Share your memories with us on alumni@brunel.ac.uk

1957

1977 Forty years ago…

Fifty years ago…

Sixty years ago…

At Brunel’s predecessor colleges

At Brunel

Before Brunel

After merging the previous year, Borough Road College, Maria Grey College, Acton and Chiswick Polytechnic settled into life as West London Institute of Higher Education.

The Perimeter Road was opened

Acton Technical College was divided into two, creating the new institution, Brunel College of Technology. The new college focused on the education of technologists and pioneered the concept of the ‘sandwich’ course.

Music and film Singles: Abba Knowing Me, Knowing You, David Soul Don’t give up on us, Rod Stewart I don’t want to talk about it / First cut is the deepest and Donna Summer I feel love.

Albums: Sex Pistols Never Mind the B*llocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols, Abba Arrival and Yes Going for the One. Box Office: Star Wars was the biggest film of the year, followed by Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Smokey and the Bandit. At the Oscars, Richard Dreyfuss won ‘Best Actor’ for his part in The Goodbye Girl, while ‘Best Actress’ was awarded to Diane Keaton for her role in the ‘Best Picture’ winner Annie Hall.

The Court of the University held its first meeting The Engineering Complex (Towers A, B, C and D) was completed

Music and film Singles: The Monkees I’m a believer, The Beatles All you need is love and The Doors Light my fire.

Albums: The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and eponymous albums for The Doors and The Velvet Underground and Nico.

Box Office: The Graduate, The Jungle Book and Bonnie and Clyde. At the Oscars, Rod Steiger won ‘Best Actor’ for his role in the ‘Best Picture’ In the Heat of the Night, while Katharine Hepburn won ‘Best Actress’ for her role in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.

Brunel College of Technology was formally opened by the new Minister of Education, Mr Geoffrey Lloyd. It was the Minister’s first public engagement.

Music and film Singles: Elvis Presley Jailhouse Rock and All Shook Up, Paul Anka Diana and Jerry Lee Lewis Great Balls of Fire.

Albums: John Coltraine Blue Train, Little Richard Here’s Little Richard and Miles Davis Birth of the Cool.

Box Office: Peyton Place, Sayonara and Old Yeller. Oscars for Alec Guinness who won ‘Best Actor’ for his role in the ‘Best Picture’ The Bridge on the River Kwai, while Joanne Woodward won ‘Best Actress’ for The Three Faces of Eve.

In 1980, his pupils built a two seat aircraft which was exhibited by invitation at the Garnborough Airshow. The ‘Spirit of Truro’ – officially named by Prince Charles – later flew across the channel to France, attracting press coverage from Australia, America and Europe.

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BRUNEL LINK MAGAZINE : SOCIAL WORK

Social Work expert leads international project to tackle violence against students

By Dr Pam Alldred, Institute of the Environment, Health and Societies

Universities UK commissioned a task force on violence against women, harassment and hate crime affecting university students, which reported in late 2016.

The report concluded that: “All university students, whether undergraduate or postgraduate, full-time or part-time, are entitled to enjoy a safe and positive experience at university. UK universities have a duty to ensure that outcome.”

(Changing the Culture, UUK October 2016) Its conclusions in Changing the Culture were that universities have not always responded effectively to students’ experiences of harassment, hate crime or sexual violence.

Universities have been told we must engage in preventative actions and recommendations included that we should train staff to deal with these issues.

Brunel was already training staff in this way prior to the UUK report and I am now leading a large group of international researchers collaborating to address the issue. The group is developing and piloting training for university staff on how to respond when students disclose either recent or historical sexual violence.

USV React is the short name for Universities Supporting Victims of Sexual Violence: Training for Sustainable Services. The project has partners creating training courses

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in Greece, Italy and Spain. Each partner university is piloting a programme with university staff and the training programmes will then be shared via the project website as resources to improve universities’ responses to sexual violence.

The training will build on what social work research tells us about what hinders people disclosing abuse, and about how to hear and how to support survivors and it will draw on what feminist research tells us about victimization and cultures that blame victims.

There are some programmes and disciplines where sexual abuse and safeguarding are already on the curriculum and discussed in the classroom and social work is one of them.

This year we have added a sexual violence disclosure response session into the Life-Span Development and Behaviour module, and hope that colleagues in the Division will lead the way in the university by achieving a 100% team uptake of the training.

The 24-partner project was funded through a grant of over one million Euros.

USV React is also featured as a case study in the UUK report.

Findings Conference 9 November 2017 Free to attend – alumni welcome Register at www.USVreact.eu See www.USVreact.eu for more information and follow us on Twitter at @BrunelSocWork.

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BRUNEL LINK MAGAZINE : POSTGRADUATE STUDY

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A great time to come back to Brunel

Whether you are a recent graduate or an experienced professional looking to add something extra to your CV, now is a great time for postgraduate study at Brunel.

In 2017 we have places on a range of postgraduate programmes including Electronic and Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Social Work, Psychological Sciences, Education including PGCE, Law (various specialisms) and Business

•

International Academic Excellence Scholarship – £3,000 tuition fee waiver for 50 students in year one

•

Take a look at our website for the full list of Postgraduate subjects available. www.brunel.ac.uk/study/postgraduate‑study

PGCE Access Scholarship – 20 scholarships available worth £2,500 each for trainee teachers

•

MSc Structural Integrity Scholarship – £12,500 fee waiver for 16 students

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Country Specific Scholarships – 20 scholarships of £5,000-£7,500 for students from Colombia, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam

•

Santander International Scholarship – £5,000 tuition fee waivers for five international students

We have a range of financial support options and scholarships available, including: •

•

Isambard Kingdom Brunel Scholarship for three outstanding PhD candidates. This comprises a fee waiver and over £16,000 funding per year Postgraduate Academic Excellence Scholarships – 15% tuition fee discount for those holding a first class degree

All Brunel students are entitled to some support with PG study costs, currently a 15% discount on fees – visit our website for more details about this and all the scholarships listed. www.brunel.ac.uk/ study/postgraduate-fees-and-funding/ scholarships. Terms and conditions apply – see our website for details.

“After my undergraduate degree I was looking at my options and I knew I wanted to carry on learning. I decided to do my PhD at Brunel as I was offered a studentship in the research area of interest. The decision to stay on at Brunel was made easier as I had completed my undergraduate degree here and I knew the academics and had a great relationship with them.

“Completing my postgraduate qualification is a great opportunity for me to meet a range of people and learning from them. I get the chance to go to international conferences which is a great platform for me to network with researchers in the same field of study.

BSc Computer Science (Software Engineering) – 1st Class Honours, PhD student in Computer Science

Bhaveet Shah

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“It’s like being at work without the pay, but it’s more flexible and I get the benefit of being a full-time student, studying a topic which I’m interested in. I also get the opportunity to give back to undergraduate students as a Graduate Training Assistant – knowing you’ve helped and potentially motivated someone to keep at what they’re doing and guiding them is a great feeling.”

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BRUNEL LINK MAGAZINE : ONLINE NETWORK

Your online network: top tips for success Having joined the Brunel alumni network at www.brunelalumni.com, how can you make it work for you professionally?

The Brunel alumni network is a rich resource; it is full of people with a great range of experience and expertise. Unique to Brunel, there is a great deal to be gained from tapping into this community. Here we share some tips for making the most of the network.

Make an eye-catching profile

Approach a mentor

Download the App

New job? New direction? Whatever your reason for refreshing your profile, it is really easy to update. The more information you can give about your skills, experience and qualifications, the more likely it is that someone will be interested in connecting with you. A complete profile will provide a variety of talking points for potential employers, employees, mentors or mentees to use to initiate a conversation with you. Without any professional information about you, they won’t have any reason to connect. Revisit your profile and make sure it is up to date and completed as fully as possible.

Mentors can be invaluable for careers guidance, advice and professional development. You can initiate a mentoring relationship with anyone who has indicated that they are willing to be a mentor. Once you have found a suitable person, compose a message explaining a bit about your background, why you would like some help and what kind of help you would like. It would be good to show you have done your research and that you have chosen them specifically, by referring to some of the mentor’s experience from their profile. If you send the same generic message to lots of users, this will be obvious and will not be likely to result in a meaningful connection.

The Brunel alumni network is now available as a free mobile app from your Android or Apple app store. Simply search for ‘Brunel Alumni’ and download it. You can then access the network from your pocket, allowing you quick access to messages, jobs, events, news and mentoring connections.

Post or search for a job If you have a job vacancy at your company, why not let your fellow alumni know about it? It is free to post and could help you find the perfect candidate with the positive, hardworking Brunel ethos.

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Publicise an event If you are having a reunion, why not use the network to get the word out? Or if you know of a professional networking opportunity anywhere in the world, see whether any other Brunelians could benefit too.

We have also put together some step-by-step ‘how to’ guides on our website to help you at http://bit.ly/alumninetworktips. And if you haven’t yet joined the network, sign up now at www.brunelalumni.com.

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BRUNEL LINK MAGAZINE : MADE IN BRUNEL – DESIGN SHOWCASE

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Redefining [ a Design Showcase ] 15 – 18 June 2017 Bargehouse Oxo Tower Wharf South Bank London SE1 9PH Visit www.madeinbrunel.com for details or follow us on Twitter @madeinbrunel

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BRUNEL LINK MAGAZINE : VOLUNTEERING

I volunteer as… …an Alumni Associate Usman Shafiq (Business & Management 2013) is the Alumni Associate for our Pakistan Chapter. He tells us about his Brunel experience and why he volunteered to run the chapter.

What would you say to anyone thinking of starting a chapter in their own country or city?

First, you have to ask yourself what Brunel means to you. For me it is my alma mater and since Brunel has given me so much academically and socially, and taught me about diversity, I think giving our alumni a platform and promoting the university in our countries is the least we could do.

You have to commit to it. Once you have started a chapter start delegating work by appointing regional and city coordinators and keep yourself updated about the latest activities happening in the university.

When you’re all set up, keep engaging with alumni through social media channels and hold at least one event in a year. Just remember this is a voluntary position.

Here are some of the key points you need to remember:

What have you done in the years since your graduation?

I completed a Master’s in Ireland then returned to my home country. Since then I have been involved in the textile business along with some social work, career counselling and now I have started my plastic and paper supplies business. The knowledge you gain from research and the experience from parttime jobs always give you high yields when it comes to securing big jobs or pursuing a business venture. I have Brunel to thank for it.

What is your favourite memory of Brunel?

I think my fondest memory is when I was appointed ‘Student Ambassador’ in my second semester. It was a great feeling.

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What made you want to get involved and build up an alumni community in Pakistan?

I was with a friend who had graduated from a different university in the UK and he was telling about the invitation he had received from the British Council Pakistan. It was an alumni dinner for his university’s Pakistan Alumni. I asked a few of my batch mates if we had an existing alumni chapter in Pakistan or if they are willing to create a new chapter. They were enthusiastic about it and I contacted the Alumni Office at Brunel.

The core reason was to give our alumni a common platform where they could share their post-graduation experiences, create jobs for fellow alumni, keep a bridge between fresh graduates and Brunel, and reminisce about the time spent at Brunel.

•

establish a strong relationship and line of communication with the Alumni Office

•

have alumni events well thought out and planned far in advance and send out newsletters to alumni

•

follow up after an event has taken place with all participating alumni; send thank you notes and follow-up emails

•

include alumni on important chapter decisions

•

recognise outstanding alumni for their support and dedication to your chapter, and their professional accomplishments, and personal milestones

What are your plans for the future of the Brunel Pakistan Chapter?

It’s been more than a year since I first initiated Pakistan chapter and until now we have been able to enrol more than 200 alumni across Pakistan. Now we know there are plenty of alumni who are still in the process of enrolling but we think with the passage of time we shall be the strongest international alumni community of Brunel. We have already registered our association with British Council and the High Commission. In future we shall be offering our alumni opportunities to volunteer across Pakistan.

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BRUNEL LINK MAGAZINE : INTERNATIONAL EVENTS

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International events Our 50th anniversary year in 2016 was a truly exceptional year for international alumni events across Brunel’s global network.

In Singapore, under the leadership of our Alumni Associate for the region Chris Pardey (Maths, 1985) the chapter has gone from strength to strength. With a mixture of social gatherings and more formal networking opportunities, the chapter is ever-growing.

In Pakistan, the group enjoyed a fantastic event at the beginning of December 2016, with special guests from Brunel. As well as having a fabulous turn out from the alumni community in the country, co-ordinator Usman Shafiq also secured a large number of local business and companies to attend the event.

In February 2017, the Vice-Chancellor led a team from the university for a successful visit to Delhi and the surrounding area. As well as meeting with various university contacts and government officials, we were delighted to host alumni for both a Business Strategy Masterclass and a celebratory reception in the Indian capital.

If you would like more information about getting involved with any of our Chapters’ activities in 2017-18, please contact us on alumni@brunel.ac.uk.

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BRUNEL LINK MAGAZINE : ALUMNI EVENTS GALLERY

Events Gallery Thank you to the 1200+ of you who joined us for our 50th Anniversary events over the last year. Here is a selection of photos from these celebrations – you can see more on our online network at www.brunelalumni.com and upload your own!

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BRUNEL LINK MAGAZINE : ALUMNI EVENTS GALLERY

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BRUNEL LINK MAGAZINE : BRUNEL IN PRINT

Brunel in Print Iris Turner (Environmental Pollution Science 1983)

The History of Borough Road School/College (1798 to 1976 )

Tara Lyons (English 2006)

No Safe Home Ken Waldie (Mechanical Engineering 1964)

Gathering Place During World War II, Loch Ewe in the far north-west of Scotland was used as a naval base for the assembly of convoys to deliver military supplies to Russia between 1942 and 1944. This book focuses on the surviving wartime relics related to the Arctic convoys that are gradually merging with the haunting beauty of Loch Ewe. Poems accompany each of the images. Also available in this series are Crossing Place and Enchanting Place. Available from kenwaldie.co.uk.

Kirsten Maguire (Modern Drama Studies 2006)

Poetry Press: This Was 2016

Dr Costas I. Karageorghis (PhD Sports 1998)

Applying Music in Exercise and Sport Applying Music in Exercise and Sport combines contemporary research, evidence-based practice and specific recommendations to enhance motivation and performance through musicrelated intervention. Readers will examine the psychological and physiological effects of music and learn how to apply scientific principles to personal workouts, group exercise classes and a variety of sports.

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Your “Previously on...” feature for the real world. This current affairs based poetry chapbook is a memento of our joined experiences of the particularly turbulent year that was 2016.

After all, it’s by remembering our past that we create our future. Available from kmaguirepoetry.com.

Winston Dias (MBA 2010)

Winston Says Amateur writer, Winston Dias, publishes regular examples of his work through his blog and Facebook page, which has gained quite a following in the last two years. Winston Says is a digital collection of Winston’s poems, thoughts and stories. He also shares submissions from his community of 50,000 followers. www.facebook.com/winstonsays

Detective Inspector Denis Hamilton is haunted when the suspicious death of a teenage girl triggers suppressed memories.

With a stalker targeting vulnerable women in Central London, and his team rapidly diminishing, Hamilton must conquer his emotions before another family is destroyed.

Meanwhile, when Katy’s past catches up with her, and her young son’s life is threatened, she must admit her true identity if she has any hope of surviving.

The historical development of the Borough Road School for the children of poor parents led to the need to train its teachers.

This work was the inspiration of Joseph Lancaster. The text is divided into two major sections.

The first section deals with the development of his ideas and implementation. The second section examines the historical development of Borough Road College by decade with emphasis on changes in educational ideas and legislation across two centuries. Available at http://bura.brunel.ac.uk.

Eric Macfarlane (Education, 1954) Rebecca Darko (Social Work 2014)

Bella’s Adventures in Africa This beautifully illustrated collection of stories follows Bella and her parents as they embark on an unforgettable journey across Africa. While Bella explores the countries they visit, her parents examine the ruins of ancient kingdoms. From a thrilling Safari adventure to an exciting treasure hunt, Bella discovers that the continent of Africa is bursting with new experiences.

It is a collection of nine short stories based in eight different African countries.

Who cares about Education?

We all have opinions on education, but how far do we understand the powerful forces that shape the learning experiences of our children and young people? Eric Macfarlane takes a critical look at the traditions, government policies and individual ideologies that currently determine priorities in our schools, colleges and universities. Who Cares About Education? is a call for concerted action from all who share an interest in young people and the way in which we prepare them for adulthood.

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BRUNEL LINK MAGAZINE : BRUNEL SOUNDS

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Brunel Sounds

Spinder Dhaliwal (Economics 1993)

The Millennial Millionaire, how young entrepreneurs turn dreams into business Imagine having a £1 million turnover while you’re still under 30. The people featured in this book didn’t just imagine it; they’re working towards it.

Through entrepreneurial skill, astounding levels of selfmotivation and creativity, they are making the grade. Some of their businesses are traditional, some online and some downright quirky. All of their stories are compelling and inspirational. It describes examples that really happened and shows you how you can achieve success too.

Ray BLK (aka Rita Ekwere, English 2015)

Durt Ray BLK was named the BBC Music Sound of 2017 (see page 18). She has toured with Emilie Sande, collaborated with Stormzy, and will appear at Reading Festival, Lovebox, Bestival and Secret Garden Party this year. Durt, the mini album, is available on Spotify and iTunes.

Raevennan Husbandes (Contemporary Music & Performance 2010)

Alberto Fabris (Music and Sports Science 1990)

Box of Innocence EP

Elements

In 2017, Raevennan has been touring with her band, The Moulettes, and has supported the Magic Numbers’ Michele Stodart. EP available from https:// raevennanhusbandes.bandcamp.com.

Contact us If you would like to feature your work in Brunel in Print or Brunel Sounds, please email us on alumni@brunel.ac.uk with a synopsis.

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Alberto co-Produced the Ludovico Einaudi album, ‘Elements’ which was made chart history as Einaudi became the first classical pianist to reach the top 15 in the UK album charts. Available from ludovicoeinaudi.com.

Dornik Leigh (Film & Television Studies & Music 2012)

Carly Bryant (Music 2004)

Dornik

Baked in a Pie

Dornik’s eponymous album is available on iTunes and he has more music promised for 2017. You can also listen to dornik on SoundCloud.

After releasing five solo albums, Carly is now working on her next album as part of ‘art‑rock’ duo, Melody 101. Listen to melody101theband on SoundCloud.

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BRUNEL LINK MAGAZINE : ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR

Alumnus of the Year 2017 John Dangerfield (Materials Engineering & Management 2002)

Former student President, John, manages the largest service contracts for Babcock International, delivering critical services to Heathrow Airport. He leads on the recruitment and assessment of graduates into his business. He also gives a great deal of time to supporting Brunel students as a mentor.

His career began with the successful completion of the prestigious Siemens S5 graduate scheme and then he worked as a Service Recovery Manager for British Airways and as a Contracts Manager for the NHS, before moving on to Babcock.

John has been a mentor in Brunel’s Women in Engineering programme since its inception.

He regularly offers his time for widening participation activities at Brunel and beyond sharing his invaluable knowledge and experiences with his mentees and other students. He has also volunteered his time for the university on various other occasions, giving talks and supporting student recruitment activities.

After competing for Brunel Racing in the Institute of Mechanical Engineers’ (IMechE) Formula Student competition, John returned as a judge and has judged 1,200+ teams over 13 years at both UK and USA events. He was then promoted to Head Cost Judge leading a team of 50+ judges. John gives countless hours to the development and growth of the next generation of engineers.

John cherished his time at Brunel and all it gave him. He acts without hesitation to give back to the university and is a model Brunel graduate, performing and behaving exceptionally both professionally and personally. Congratulations to John on wining this award. We are delighted that your contributions to Brunel have been formally recognised and rewarded.

Alumni Office, Brunel University London Kingston Lane, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB8 3PH T: +44 (0)1895 267775 E: alumni@brunel.ac.uk

www.brunel.ac.uk/alumni @brunelalumni

Brunel University Alumni

www.linkedin.com/company/ bruneluniversitylondon

@brunelalumni

Disclaimer: Although we have made every effort to ensure that the information in this magazine was correct at the time of going to press, the authors and publisher do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause. Any views expressed in the magazine are those of the writers and interviewees and do not necessarily reflect those of Brunel University London. Any tips included are offered in good faith but do not constitute advice. Individuals should still seek professional advice that is tailored to their own circumstances before taking action.

Photo Credits: Cover photo: Getty Images; Image pg 18: Hayley Louisa Brown; Images pg20-21: Shutterstock.com: C3-PO and R2-D2, Whitney Houston, Terry Waite, Helen Mirren, JK Rowling: Featureflash Photo Agency; Darth Vader: Stefano Buttafoco; Margaret Thatcher: David Fowler; Tony Blair: 360b; Gingerbread man: Anton_Ivanov; Shrek: Wollertz; Rihanna: JStone. Wikimedia Commons: Miles Davis: Tom Palumbo; Jerry Lee Lewis: Maurice Seymour; Elvis, Katharine Hepburn: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc.; Monkees: Brett Jordan; Beatles: Sahara León; Cher: Casablanca Records; ABBA: Pereira, Fernando / Anefo; Herald of Free Enterprise: Archief Ranter.

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