Dialogue Issue 35

An Exciting New Sport

Also in this issue: Realising Your Potential

Delivering Student Support

Find out how our first wheelchair basketball team got on in the National University Championships.

Find out more about a new development approach being introduced at Durham University.

Discover the range of help and advice services on offer to students at Durham University.

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Dialogue 35 | May / June 2014

www.thedurhamdiary.wordpress.com @Durham_Uni

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Dear Colleagues,

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Durham University prides itself on the unparalleled support it gives its students in their academic studies, academic related activities, and general wellbeing.

It seems to me that there are two very good reasons for this. First, of course, the special nature of our University community with its collective commitment of staff and students to working together to support colleagues and friends. Second, the added value of the distinctive approach Durham University has to supporting its students and providing opportunities to reach their potential through multiple, overlapping routes. On top of the extensive support provided through our academic departments, tutors and advisors, additional support is provided through professional services such as careers and counselling; through the network of caring staff and mentors in our Colleges and Experience Durham; and through our JCR/MCRs as well as Durham Students’ Union.

This issue of Dialogue highlights some of our student support to which every member of the University contributes in one way or another – and to all on behalf of our students, a huge vote of thanks.

With best wishes,

Chris Higgins, Vice-Chancellor and Warden

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03 Post-application Open Days

Get Social

04 Delivering Student Support

06 Research Insights 08 Spotlight on... Durham and the Dark Universe

09 Schools’ Science Festival

Last Night of the Proms

16 Library News The Grey Lady Galatea

17 Experience Durham 18 Museums and Attractions

19 Event Durham,

Retail & Catering

20 HR News

10 Realising Your Potential

21 CIS News

12 News In Brief

23 Greenspace

22 Procurement

14 An Exciting New Sport

24 Under Investigation

15 Durham Students’

Union Campaigning for Equality in Sport

What’s On

EDITOR: Zoë Thomas, Marketing Projects Co-ordinator.

CONTRIBUTIONS: Sharon Battersby, CIS; Tara Duncan, Greenspace; Louise Elliott, Event Durham; Media Relations Team, Communications Office; Andy Cattermole, Experience Durham; Rachel Smith, Library; Steven Carter, Procurement; Frankie Wilkinson, Student Recruitment and Admissions Office (SRAO); Carlton Baugh, Institute for Computational Cosmology (ICC); Sophie Sowerby, HR; Karen Barrie, HR; Pete Edwards, Physics; Seif el-Rashidi, World Heritage Site Visitor Centre; Hazel Donkin, School of Education, Fiona O’Carroll, International Office; Jamie Green, Hatfield College; Grace Abel, Durham Students’ Union; Jessica Lawrence, Durham University Music Society; Shelley McCormack, Durham Students’ Union; Sam Dale, Academic Office; Adrian Darnell, Colleges Office.

DESIGN: wearewarm.com PRINT: statex.co.uk FRONT COVER: Durham University’s wheelchair basketball team.

Share your story...

If you have anything interesting coming up such as an event, lecture, news article, radio/TV appearance, etc. get in touch with zoe.thomas@durham.ac.uk

Do you follow us on our social media channels?

We have compiled a list of our favourite posts, tweets and videos over the past two months to show you what has been happening around the University!

THE DURHAM DIARY In March the Durham Students’ Union elections took place giving current students the opportunity to vote for who they want to represent them in the next academic year. Find out why newly elected Activities Officer, Joely decided to run for the position and what she plans to do next year http://bit.ly/1qJd2OP.

/durhamuniversity

Post-application Open Days for applicants holding offers from Durham University were held from the 24-26 March at both Durham City and Queen’s Campus, with staff and current students welcoming close to 3,500 visitors across both events.

TOP FIVE TWEETS

Many applicants also booked to attend a session organised by Durham Student Ambassadors who had created a gameshow style quiz with an informal Q&A about life at Durham University.

Current students reported a number of positive visitor comments about the Open Days, whilst visitors tweeted @Durham_Uni about their experience.

• @DurUniEarthSci research shows ancient predator evolved into gentle giant http://bit.ly/1gtrkAh #oceans #fossils #earthsciences • New research funded by @heartresearchuk shows #heartfailure care is falling short http://bit.ly/1ooZ4nB #health #healthcare • World should be alert to mosquito-transmitted diseases says @durham_uni expert http://bit.ly/1qcTEHH #Just1Bite #malaria #dengue

VIDEO OF THE MONTH On 5 March, Professor Sebastian Maffettone delivered a lecture entitled ‘The Problems of Global Justice’, as part of Durham University’s Castle Lecture Series. If you haven’t yet seen this lecture visit: http://youtu.be/ olgkdrKiFlw

www.thedurhamdiary.wordpress.com

Take a look at our storify post sharing some of our applicant’s open day experience sfy.co/bdOx

• Watch fly-through movie of #Universe created by #physics student Will Parr & Dr Peder Norberg @ ITVtynetees http://itv.co/1egZtBS #cosmology

DurhamUniversity

The following day, applicants spent the morning with their academic department, gaining opportunities to experience sample lectures and other interactive sessions. Queen’s Campus offer holders opted to spend either the morning or the afternoon with their allocated college, and the remainder of the day with their academic department.

• A rchaeology PhD student Michaela Binder finds earliest complete example of human with #cancer http://bit. ly/1oiGwlg pic.twitter.com/TEs0P9clHn @Durham_Uni

Applicants were invited to attend a residential visit, staying overnight in their allocated college, where college JCRs organised a range of activities for applicants to take part in, including college tours, social activities and informal Q&A sessions with current students studying similar subjects.

Student Support

D E L I V E R I N G S TU D E N T Durham fully understands the challenges that students can face throughout their time at the University, and offers comprehensive help and advice through a range of professional support services at every stage of their student experience.

This article highlights the work of some of the people involved in this process.

The Academic Office The Academic Office provides both specialist and general student services which contribute to the University’s high quality student experience. The services are located within the Palatine Centre and begin at reception with the Student Advisers who signpost students to more specialist support. The Academic Office provides direct support to students through registration, enrolment, examinations and the provision

of a range of documentation that help students to demonstrate their University membership and qualifications to external bodies. There are specialist student services dedicated to supporting employability and enterprise, mental wellbeing, disabilities, visa applications and renewals, financial support including administration of scholarships and hardship funds and much more.

Working in partnership with staff in colleges and academic departments to support

students underpins these services. In a number of areas, the partnership approach has been formalised through the clear linkage of staff in the services to particular departments and colleges. For example the Careers, Employability and Enterprise Centre (CEEC) link named Careers Advisers to particular departments and via Disability Support a network of departmental disability representatives has been established.

Challenges There are significant challenges that the University faces when providing support to students. The era of £9,000 undergraduate tuition fees has increased students’ expectations of what the University can and should provide, particularly in terms of employability. As a university, we need to be mindful and responsive to these issues through enhanced engagement with the student body, which, in turn, necessitates a strong working relationship with the Students’ Union.

The Academic Office have to balance working in a turbulent, unpredictable and highly competitive external environment while continuing to provide our students with the support they need. In the last couple of months alone, there have been announcements nationally regarding the future of student hardship funding and the Disabled Students’ Allowance.

Across the institution there is an increased incidence of student mental ill health which presents a real challenge to all parties involved. In supporting students we need to be sympathetic, flexible and creative in our response. Finally, there is the ongoing challenge of providing support to disabled students and ensuring that staff across the institution are increasingly aware of our responsibilities in this area.

The matrix model of support for students at Durham University comprising academic

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S U P P O RT

departments, colleges, and the general and specialist support offered through the Academic Office is highly effective. The Academic Office will continue to meet these challenges given the level of commitment to student support that exists at the University and the success we have enjoyed to date, reflected in our high level of student retention.

College provision The values and principles of collegiality are central to the University, and colleges help deliver and support the University’s strategic aims. Our colleges provide students with supportive communities which are interdisciplinary, diverse and scholarly.

Caring communities form the basis of each college and as a result each student is able to identify with and be supported by their college. Colleges build on these communities through offering an extensive range of sporting, cultural, artistic, outreach and scholarly activities. These activities generate a range of opportunities for students to develop holistically, in parallel with their academic activities.

The provision delivered by our colleges is a critical element of the University’s coordinated approach to student support.

Durham has a pluralistic model; a wide range of support is delivered by the colleges through individual Student Support Offices while other provision is facilitated by other areas of the University. A key feature of the model is the integrated and collaborative intertwining of these sources through groups such as the Student Support Advisory Group. This is a major strength of Durham’s provision as it offers a variety of student support routes and ensures that students can and do secure an appropriately personalised service tailored to their specific need.

Academic Departments Students join an academic community based on their academic department (or departments for joint honours programmes).

Departments provide the Academic Advising system, which is the first point of contact for advice on all academic matters, such as academic progress, academic plans and goals, programme of study and module choices. The academic adviser also supports the formulation of career plans, in conjunction with the professional support from the careers service. They can also provide job references for summer placements and at the end of a student’s degree.

Durham Students’ Union Durham Students’ Union works together with specialist university services and the colleges to help provide students with the support they need.

One of the core services Durham Students’ Union provides is the Advice and Help Service located in the Students’ Union building. The service provides free, friendly and independent advice and information to all Durham University students. The service is staffed by a team of professional and experienced advisers, offering advice and support on areas such as money, housing and academic issues (including University disciplinary board hearings). The service is totally independent from the University and all enquiries are dealt with in strictest confidence.

The Students’ Union works closely with the Union’s Community Officer to assist with the delivery of health and welfare campaigns.

Campaigns this year have included, Respect the Irrespective, Take Your Time to Sign and Pound in Your Pocket.

Find out more... about support provided by Durham Students’ Union via ext. 41777 or dsu.advice@durham.ac.uk

E A R LY CA R E E R R E S E A R C H E R S A C H I E V E I N T E R NAT I O NA L I M PA CT Early career researchers at Durham University have won six prestigious Philip Leverhulme Prizes in recognition of the international impact of their work and exceptional promise for the future.

The Department of Geography fared particularly well, fielding three of the prize winners.

Among them is Dr Erin McClymont, a senior lecturer, whose research interest is the reconstruction of past environments and climates by investigating biomarkers, typically the organic remains of algae and other plants, found in marine and terrestrial sediments.

The international impact of Erin’s work lies in the contribution it is making to create new archives of climate change from the analysis of cores of sediment obtained from the sea bed, particularly around the past and present ice sheets of the North and South Poles.

Erin said: “This type of analysis is increasing our understanding of interactions between oceans and ice-sheets over the past five million years and provides insights into current interactions. The data is also being used to help validate climate change models predicting future events.”

Within the past two years, Erin has participated in a British Antarctic Survey research expedition to the Weddell Sea, in the Southern Ocean, and an expedition to the Gulf of Alaska organised by the International Ocean Discovery Programme. In both cases she was part of a team of specialists collecting core samples, which were analysed on board the research vessel and which continue to be analysed in the Geography laboratories back in Durham.

Erin says that her department provides a supportive environment for the development

07 of researchers. “We have a critical mass of specialists providing opportunities for collaboration and discussion. There are a lot of senior staff here who give you their time, for example providing advice and reading grant applications,” she says.

“There is also plenty of lab support to investigate ice sheets, sea level and other aspects of physical geography.”

LAUNCH OF PROFILE RAISING TOOLKIT

Originally from Northumberland, Erin became interested in past ice ages while still at school. “My high school geography teacher and head of sixth form first introduced me to the evidence for glaciation in Britain on local field trips in the Cheviot Hills. This triggered a fascination with trying to understand why the ice ages developed and what impact they had.”

After graduating in geography from the University of St Andrews, Erin came to Durham in 2000 to start her PhD. Even at this early stage in her career, she was influencing scientific opinion by producing datasets linking the expansion of polar ice sheets to water temperature in the North Atlantic, South Atlantic and tropical Pacific regions. This helped to develop new models to explain why the ice sheets had grown about a million years ago.

After completing her PhD, Erin worked at Bristol and Newcastle universities before returning to Durham in 2011.

The other five Durham University winners of 2013 Philip Leverhulme Prizes are: • Dr Ben Anderson (Geography) • Dr Colin McFarlane (Geography) • Dr Mark Swinbank (Physics) • Dr Kathryn Banks (Modern Languages and Cultures) • Dr James Smith (English Studies).

IMAGES Adjacent page, clockwise from left: Sunrise: A new day dawns over the Southern Ocean (photo by Erin McClymont).

Sampling: Dr McClymont and her colleagues examine the core segment on board the research vessel (photo by Juliane Mueller).

Core: Dr McClymont holds the first core segment in the Southern Ocean expedition (photo by Fred Wobus).

Southern Ocean: A view of Antarctica from the Southern Ocean (photo by Erin McClymont).

A toolkit to help staff raise their profile though marketing and communications activities has been launched on the University website.

The Communications Office has developed the ‘Profile Raising Toolkit’ to provide easy access to a wealth of information such as writing for the web, producing brochures, making a video, working with the media, using the University logo and engaging with social media.

There are also links to useful resources including a photographic library known as the Image Management System (IMS), facts and figures about the University and templates for PowerPoint presentations, brochures, posters and press releases.

A training programme to introduce staff to the toolkit and help them conduct profile-raising activities, supported by professional advice and resources, has also been launched by the Communications Office.

Communications Manager Mick Warwicker, who led the development of the toolkit and training programme, said: “We are adapting our approach to communication to new technologies and the changing attitudes of the public and external stakeholders. Increasingly, people want to engage with universities and discuss our activities, rather than simply reading about what we are doing.”

Start using the Profile Raising Toolkit now... visit www.durham.ac.uk/ communications.office/ local/toolkit

Spotlight on...

Researchers at the Institute for Computational Cosmology (ICC) try to answer some of the biggest and most fundamental questions you can ask - What is the universe made of? How did it start? How will it end?

Surprisingly, cosmologists think that most of the stuff in the universe is dark. Most of the mass is thought to be dark matter, outweighing normal matter five-to-one.

The main evidence for dark matter is its gravitational pull on the mass that we can see, such as stars and galaxies. Several groups are looking for direct signs of dark matter, such as the Large Underground Xenon (LUX) experiment at the Homestake gold mine in South Dakota, USA. Professor Carlos Frenk, the Director of the ICC, says “many scientists have gambled decades of research on finding dark matter.

If experiments like LUX don’t find it soon this means the dark matter is not what we think it is. It would mean I have wasted my whole scientific career – everything I have done is based on the hypothesis that the universe is made of dark matter. It would mean we had better look for something else.”

So how exactly does the ICC fit into the quest to understand the dark universe? We do not

look for dark matter directly, but we do the next best thing. ICC researchers run computer simulations of how the universe has evolved over almost 14 billion years of cosmic history.

Computer universes with different amounts and forms of dark matter can be generated and compared to the real thing; only with the correct ingredients does the computer generated universe look like the observed one.

The ICC, founded in 2002, has played a key role in helping to shape current ideas about how the universe has developed. It is one of the leading groups in the world of space science and is ranked in the top 0.2% in terms of citations.

If we are closing in on dark matter, there are still bigger problems to occupy cosmologists.

Even more mysterious than dark matter is dark energy, which affects the rate at which the universe expands. We are living at a time when dark energy is firmly in the driving seat and the expansion of the universe is actually speeding up instead of slowing down. The discovery

of this accelerating expansion was totally unexpected and was marked by the award of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics.

The ICC simulations are helping astronomers and engineers across Europe and colleagues from the USA to prepare for the European Space Agency’s Euclid mission. Scheduled for launch in 2020, Euclid will take five years to make the biggest ever map of the cosmos. By looking at features in the map and comparing them to the computer universes, we will be able to learn more about the nature of the dark energy.

There is still a long way to go before we understand what most of the dark universe is made of, but Durham cosmologists will be playing a key role in the breakthroughs expected over the coming decade.

See movies from a recent exhibition by the ICC at the Royal Society: https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=kwmcIwiGt-A.

Find out more... about the work of the researchers at the Institute for Computational Cosmology Contact the ICC via ext. 43635 or d.m.jenkins@durham.ac.uk or visit www.icc.durham.ac.uk

IMAGES Left: The Cosmology Machine at Durham. The current installation is part of a national facility for astrophysics called the DiRAC2 Data Centric System, which has now than 6720 CPU cores and 54 Terabytes of RAM. Right: A computer simulation of how the Milky Way might look if we could see dark matter and if the dark matter particle is ‘warm’. Brighter colours indicate where there is more dark matter.

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SCHOOLS’ SCIENCE FESTIVAL The University opened its doors once again to the scientists and engineers of the future for three days of fun-packed activities at the start of April.

This year was our biggest ever Schools’ Science Festival with over 850 school students from schools and colleges across the North East visiting the University’s science laboratories to take part in an exciting range of hands-on activities at this extremely popular annual event.

The school students took part in a variety of interactive workshops led by scientists and engineers from departments across the University including Anthropology, Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, Engineering and Computing Sciences, Museums & Libraries, Physics, Psychology and Sport as well as the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) in Newcastle.

Activities included investigating the properties of light and how these are used to study the universe, exploring the uses of dry ice and liquid nitrogen and discovering polymers through playing with slime. The students were introduced to our ancestors, assessed explosive power in a sporting setting and investigated whether a computer can display emotions. Focusing on energy, the complexities of searching for

and extracting oil were investigated; some students constructed and tested their own wind turbines, whilst others were challenged to decide on future energy solutions in the Energy Dragon’s Den. The Schools’ Science Festival aims to stimulate interest, encourage wider participation in science, and to support the next generation of scientists and engineers. Our visitors have the opportunity to experience many aspects of science and technology through hands-on practical activities that they may not have access to at school.

The goal is to help them think more about their future and the world around them, as well as boosting their confidence in their own abilities.

Durham University’s Schools’ Science Festival continues to go from strength to strength. Since the first festival in 1995 more than 12,000 school students have participated, and many have gone on to pursue degrees in science across the UK. Here’s to the 20th anniversary festival next year!

Dialogue 35 | May / June 2014

REALI S I NG YO Following consultation with departments, colleges and trades union representatives, a new development approach is being introduced at Durham University, which looks at the skills and behaviours that non-academic staff demonstrate at every level and provides them with a clearer structure to support their career ambitions and skills development. This approach is based upon the Association of University Administrators (AUA) Continuing Professional Development (CPD) framework and was endorsed by the University Executive Committee (UEC) in January 2014.

WORLD-CLASS UNIVERSITY

ACHIEVING RESULTS

DEVELOPING SELF AND OTHERS

USING RESOURCES EFFECTIVELY

RESPECT FOR OTHERS

EXCELLENT STUDENT SERVICES AND PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT

EXCELLENT STANDARDS

ENGAGED INDIVIDUALS

EMBRACING CHANGE

WORKING TOGETHER

FINDING SOLUTIONS

COLLABORATIVE TEAMWORK

PROVIDING LEADERSHIP AND DIRECTION

Above: This approach consists of nine key behaviours which are grouped under four main clusters as demonstrated in this diagram.

What is this development approach?

Does it apply to everyone?

• Describes ‘how’ staff carry out their roles

Initially this approach is to be used by all professional support services and administrative services within colleges, Faculties and Academic Departments.

Trials have taken place in a number of areas, some changes have been made to the system, and the new approach has now been endorsed for full implementation, this is further outlined in the diagram above.

• Consists of nine key behaviours (see diagram for detail) which are grouped under four main clusters • Will be applied in the recruitment, induction, Annual Staff Review (ASR) and staff development activities.

Work is underway with the Centre for Academic and Researcher Development (CARD) and colleagues from across the academic community to consider how the concepts and principles could be incorporated into the Higher Education Academy and VITAE frameworks that are already established at Durham University.

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U R P OTE NTIAL Proposed roll-out timeline 2014

JAN - MAR

Early adopter groups identified and assisted in assessing the scheme, trialling the paperwork and identifying benefits to determine will the scheme work and whether it is fit for purpose. Feedback has been considered and changes made in partnership with the recognised Trade Unions, Areas which trialled the scheme: Induction - CIS - Susanne Bradley.

Recruitment - Accommodation and Commercial Services Lauren Edwards.

Training and development - Academic Office, Academic Faculties, Queen’s Campus - Sophie Sowerby, and representatives from Academic Office, Earth Sciences, Chemistry, Geography, Business School, Theology and Religion.

JAN - JUN

Future leaders candidates were offered a project to research the potential of using these concepts within the academic community and linking it with the UKPSF and VITAE frameworks.

APRIL

Review and refine the scheme and paperwork, having considered feedback from the trial sites prior to full implementation.

MAY - SEP

Delivery of training for staff who are required to write job descriptions, create induction plans, or conduct ASR reviews, on the use of this approach.

OCT - DEC

Briefing for all staff and implementation across the areas identified above.

How will this approach help me?

• Aims to provide a clearer development structure for staff • Improved decision making in the recruitment process • Implement a consistent approach to the expectations of behaviour across all roles • Encourage more consistency to the approach taken in respect of staff leadership and management • Links to and supports the Responsible University Framework which can be found at: www.durham.ac.uk/ resources/about/policies/A_ Responsible_University_ Final.pdf

recruitment and selection and staff development which has helped to shape the approach and its application. For further details visit www.durham.ac.uk/training. course/hr This will then be followed by a briefing session for all staff in each department during the period October – December 2014.

The format of the briefing will be agreed with the department beforehand.

There is also a website being developed with resource material to underpin this approach and an online e-learning module for those staff who are unable to attend the face-to-face training or who would like a refresher at a later date.

When can I use it?

How will I know how to use it?

All relevant staff will attend a half day training session on how to use this approach commencing in May 2014 running through to October 2014. This training has been developed in light of feedback from the early adopters who represented departments, sections and faculties from across the University. They worked with various applications of this approach including induction,

The full documentation will be available for use from October 2014.

Find out more... contact HR: Sophie Sowerby (Training) ext.

41647, Lauren Edwards (Recruitment and Selection) ext. 46518 or Susanne Bradley (Reward) on ext. 46506.

News In Brief

Interfaith Initiative Launched Durham University welcomed John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York and Ephraim Mirvis, the Chief Rabbi to a historic Christian-Jewish Interfaith event in February.

THE DURHAM STORY: SHORTLISTED Earlier this year the Durham Story was shortlisted for the best non-broadcast factual or factual entertainment or features programme prize at the Royal Television Society Awards.

Students of all faiths were invited to speeches by the two leading figures about the ever-developing relationship between the religions.

Also launched at the event was a national initiative by the Council of Christians and Jews (CCJ) to create a network of CCJ Student Presidents. It is hoped that this will help establish interfaith bodies at a student level, foster a value for the bilateral Jewish-Christian relationship and mutual respect of all faiths.

The interfaith event was organised by Durham’s Jewish Society, the Durham University Ecumenical Christian Council, the Council of Christians and Jews and the Fayre Share Foundation.

Dr John Sentamu, said: “Our world is increasingly interconnected which gives us wonderful opportunities to develop inter-religious relationships and understanding. I believe the case to learn how to live as near-neighbours is stronger than ever.”

Ephraim Mirvis, said: “I issue a call to students across the UK to participate in interfaith activity. I am encouraged that so many students are committed to dialogue. It is through such conversations between people of different faiths that we can achieve the kind of social cohesion and mutual respect that we all yearn for.”

The documentary made by current students and recent alumni was a great achievement for Durham student film as the team competed against many professional film companies. Seif elRashidi, Durham World Heritage Site Co-ordinator, who project managed The Durham Story shares his experience.

I wanted a project that could tell personal stories of the World Heritage Site, specifically stories that would appeal to a student audience. I initially approached Alex Morgan to write profiles of people associated with the Cathedral and Castle, and one thing led to another and the project evolved into a film about early student life, drawing on the accounts and sketches of Edward Bradley, a student here in the 19th Century. What I wanted to do ensure that it was an entirely student-led project. With such a talented student body, it isn’t difficult to find really gifted, enthusiastic people to work with, producing work to a very high standard. The team that produced the Durham Story were Danford Showan (St Cuthbert’s Society, Philosophy & Psychology 2012), who filmed and directed it, Alex Morgan, (Hild Bede, Theology & Philosophy, 2014) who presented it and wrote the script, and Guy Hughes, (Van Mildert, Music, 2012) who wrote the music.

As with any artistic endeavor, people responded differently, that’s the nature of a creative product as it encourages opinions, reflections and responses. I am very happy that the film did so well, outshining the work of many professional production companies at the Royal Television Society Awards. I hope it sets an example for others to be ambitious, and to search for creative potential in those around them.

IMAGE: John Sentamu, Archbishop of York and Ephraim Mirvis, Chief Rabbi to the historic Christian-Jewish Interfaith.

IMAGE: Durham University students watching screening of documentary.

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Improving International Student Experience Durham University has recently participated in the International Student Barometer (ISB). A total of 143,952 international students responded to the survey from 178 institutions in 13 countries, of which 53 UK institutions participated, including 15 Russell Group universities.

WEIGHING UP GENDER EQUALITIES IN HIGHER EDUCATION In April, the universities of Durham and Newcastle hosted a national conference on women in higher education to examine the issues surrounding gender equality and career progression.

The survey provides the University with valuable feedback from international students on their experience across a wide range of activities from welcome and arrival, learning and living to student support. This allows us to benchmark our students’ satisfaction against other universities participating in the survey. The feedback from this survey will inform decisions relating Durham’s provision for international students and identify areas for further development.

Over 1,900 Durham students responded to the survey. This was achieved through the fantastic efforts of college international representatives together with their student bodies who arranged a variety of promotional events/activities to encourage students to share their views. Prizes were presented at a special ceremony

by Professor Tim Clark, Dean of Undergraduate and Postgraduate Education to representatives from five colleges: Ustinov, St Aidan’s, St John’s, Trevelyan, and St Mary’s for their outstanding contribution to the promotion of the survey.

Participants from Durham were entered into a draw to win a range of prizes including an iPad and a weekend away for two to Edinburgh which was kindly donated by Dawson & Sanderson.

The conference was for academics and university professional services staff, and aimed to broaden understanding about women’s experiences in higher education. It also highlighted the importance of mentors in female career development.

Conference sessions covered female career progression, coaching and mentoring, establishing networks, managing maternity leave, changing workplace cultures and cultural sexism and race, amongst other issues.

Keynote speakers include Professor Janet Beer, Vice-Chancellor at Oxford Brookes University and Chair of the Board of the Equality Change Unit and Dr Katie Perry, Chief Executive of the Daphne Jackson Trust, an organisation named after the country’s first ever female physics professor which is solely dedicated to returning scientists to their careers after a prolonged break.

Professor Catherine Alexander, Dean of Equality and Diversity at Durham University, said: “It is our pleasure to welcome some of the country’s most prominent female academics to discuss their research and share their experiences. Conferences like this are important agents for bringing about real change.”

IMAGE: Professor Tim Clark with student winner Wang Zhouting

IMAGE: Keynote speaker at Durham’s national conference on women in higher education.

Dialogue 35 | May / June 2014

A N E X C I T I N G N E W S P O RT Last term, our first wheelchair basketball team which formed only six months ago took part in the National University Championships. Team member, Jamie shares his experience.

Football, cricket and hockey have long been part of university sporting calendars but this year has seen the introduction of an exciting new sport; wheelchair basketball.

If you’d said to me when Durham’s first ever wheelchair basketball team was established that less than six months later, we’d be competing in the National University Championships, I’d have said there was more chance of England winning the World Cup this Summer! Fast forward two term terms, however, and that was exactly what we were doing.

In June last year, Durham had been chosen by the governing body of wheelchair basketball as a centre of development for the sport in universities.

This gave Durham access to specialist sports wheelchairs and coaching courses for people already involved in basketball, with the aim of developing a wheelchair basketball team at Durham University.

A key premise of the scheme was that it was open to any student in Durham, not just wheelchair users; in fact, I was the

only wheelchair user in a team of nine.

By October, we had a regular group of players training at Hild Bede gym every week, guided by our coach Mark who has experience of playing for Durham Wildcats in the British Basketball League.

I was the only player with previous experience of wheelchair basketball but everyone was clearly enjoying the challenge of getting to grips with a sports wheelchair for the first time!

In the days leading up to the tournament, all of us were asked the same question; ‘how do you think you’re going to do?’ The honest answer was that we had absolutely no idea as this was a new initiative and we had never played any of the teams before.

It’s safe to say that after getting up at 5.30am followed by a four and a half hour coach journey to the venue in Worcester, we were all desperate to get going!

We were one of five teams in the tournament, along with Nottingham Trent, Northampton, Sheffield Hallam and Worcester and our first few games followed an eerily similar pattern. We started the

IMAGES: Durham’s wheelchair basketball team courtesy of SA images.

game well, only to have one nightmare quarter which we couldn’t recover from.

We found ourselves in what was effectively a quarter final, as the winners would progress to the semis. Undaunted by our earlier defeat to the same opposition, we stormed to a one point victory.

Sadly for us, we were outplayed in the semi-finals by a Worcester team featuring three GB players and narrowly lost the third place play-off to Sheffield Hallam. The results weren’t the most important thing, being part of the inaugural university wheelchair basketball tournament and representing Durham University only a few months after the club was started is something of which we can all be hugely proud.

Plans are already in place to develop the club even further next season and we are always keen for new players who are keen to try this amazing sport.

Find out more... contact richard.warburton@ durham.ac.uk

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Durham Students’ Union Campaigning for Equality in Sport During last term Durham Students’ Union and Team Durham signed the Government’s Sport Charter aiming to tackle homophobia and transphobia in sport. Durham Students’ Union Community Officer, Grace Abel reflects on the signing of the Sports Charter and what this means for Durham.

Last Night of the Proms Following the success of last year’s concert with Sir Thomas Allen, on the 6 June Durham University Music Society (DUMS) presents the ‘Last Night of the Proms’.

Featuring the University Big Band, Chamber Choir, Opera Ensemble, Brass Band and Symphony Orchestra, the event will celebrate a culmination of all the brilliant music that has been going on throughout this truly excellent and packed year.

As Community Officer, one of my key priorities is to promote equality and diversity to all students at Durham University.

I am proud to say that last term I led on a campaign which aims to eliminate homophobia and transphobia from sport here at Durham University. Pivotal to this campaign was the signing of the Government’s sports charter, which took place on 20 February, with our President, Dan Slavin, signing on behalf of the Union and Hannah Lowther, President of Team Durham, signing on behalf of Team Durham.

The Government’s sport charter has been developed to specifically tackle homophobia and transphobia in sport. In line with our

values, the charter aims to ensure that sport is a welcoming place for all, with the ambition that all people who; participate in sport, attend sporting events or work in sport, will not face discrimination or prejudice.

The signing of the charter received backing from Durham Students’ Union Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Association and Team Durham. It was great to see many students attending the event to show their support.

With the signing of the charter, we aim to take a stand against prejudice in both sport and at the University and the signing of the charter signals a clear step forward towards this goal.

This evening promises to be a really enticing programme, including the classics, such as Parry’s Jerusalem and Sir Edward Elgar’s Land of Hope and Glory.

Tickets can be purchased via www.durham.ac.uk/proms This event has been made possible through the support of PwC.

Find out more... contact j.r.lawrence@durham.ac.uk

IMAGE L-R: Hannah Lowther, Grace Abel and Dan Slavin.

Library News

The Grey Lady Galatea A new site specific sculpture by local artist Ben Jeans Houghton was installed in the Norman Chapel at Durham Castle from 27 February to 14 March.

POSTGRADUATES WE’RE OPEN FOR LONGER THIS JUNE! In response to feedback from postgraduate students, the Bill Bryson Library is offering standard opening hours until the end of the Easter term. From 7 – 27 June, we’re offering an additional 75 hours of library opening compared to 2013.

Last year, we invited postgraduate students to tell us what they thought of the Bill Bryson Library’s vacation opening hours. 375 students responded and based on your comments, we’ve also extended our vacation opening hours until 8pm every day. Other steps we’ve taken include trialling opening during August Bank Holiday and Christmas and New Year.

Let us know your thoughts on the changes we’ve made this year in our 2014 survey!

Find out more... visit www.survey.bris.ac.uk/durham/pg

STUDENTS LEAVING UNIVERSITY? Remember to return all the books you have out on loan and pay any outstanding Library charges.

ACADEMICS SEND YOUR READING LISTS TO THE LIBRARY To guarantee reading materials for taught modules are available at the start of the 2014 Michaelmas term, make sure you send your reading lists to the Library before 1 July 2014.

After this date, we will still be accepting reading lists but we can’t guarantee that materials on these lists will be available for the first week of teaching.

If you have any questions about submitting your reading list, please email us at library.resources@durham.ac.uk

Find out more... visit www.durham.ac.uk/library/course_resources

Entitled The Grey Lady Galatea the piece drew attention to the magnificent carvings on the column capitals in the chapel. It ‘brought to life’ the ghost that is said to haunt the black staircase in the castle, the ‘grey lady’.

A microphone appeared to support itself, creating the illusion of an unseen speaker and a narrative, read

by Diva Dompe, an American collaborator with an ethereal voice, played on a loop.

The narrative highlights elements of the carvings - the serpent, the mermaid, the cat – leading those present though a guided mediation based on these ‘stone messengers’.

The work uses ‘new age’ approaches to evoke the original function of the space as one of quiet meditation, bridging the gap between the chapel’s medieval history and its current existence within a bustling college.

The artist has donated the narrative to the University as a download. Please contact Hazel Donkin, via hazel.donkin@durham.ac.uk if you would like a copy.

IMAGE: The Grey Lady Galatea, by Ben Jeans Houghton.

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Experience Durham...

TEAM DURHAM CUP FINALS BONANZA As the sporting year moves into its final phase Durham University maintains a strong grip on 2nd place in the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS), second only to Loughborough, a specialist sports university. Moreover, in terms of the number of cup semi-finals and finals reached, and won, it has been a remarkable year for Team Durham.

We sit proudly at the top of the BUCS table in 1st place for cup wins, including some standout performances.

In Championship Cup Finals, Women’s Volleyball 1sts beat the defending National BUCS Champions, Northumbria, (who were unbeaten in their previous 96 games) to win the Championship Cup and the National Title.

In Men’s Soccer, 1sts won the final of the Futsal Championship cup beating Loughborough and Men’s Lacrosse 1sts (for the fourth year in a row) won the Championship cup and national title against Leeds Met. In their Trophy Cup Final Women’s Lacrosse 2nds won the Trophy cup beating Cambridge 2nds and in the Conference Cup Final Men’s Rugby 3rds won the title beating Lancaster 1st team.

Reflecting on another year of achievement, Quentin Sloper, Head of Sport, Music and Drama at Experience Durham, said, “I’m so proud to have been involved in yet another momentous sporting year for Team Durham.

Our students consistently produce exceptional performances across the board and, yet again, Durham has made a massive and indelible impact on the national university sporting calendar. Durham is unique in performing at such a high level, both academically and in competitive sport”

IMAGE: (Top) Durham University’s Women’s Lacrosse team. (Bottom) Durham University’s Women’s Volleyball 1st team.

IN OTHER NEWS...

Still with a sporting theme – we are also proud to report that Durham University student and wheelchair fencing Paralympian, Gemma Collis, travelled to Sochi in Russia in February to participate in the 2014 Paralympic Torch Relay. Gemma is one of four individuals from the UK selected to be torchbearers and represent different aspects of disability sport, from elite, Paralympic sport to grassroots and school sport. She took up fencing while at Durham University and went on to be selected for the GB team. In a remarkable and unique achievement Gemma is the only British Paralympic athlete to have carried the Paralympic torch in both London 2012 and Sochi 2014.

Museums and Attractions

There are over 70 family events taking place from June through to September across our Visitor Attractions.

Enjoy animal adventures with Jay at the Botanic Garden, join in with the Festival of British Archaeology at the Oriental Museum or have a go at making your own Japanese fan to keep you cool this summer at Palace Green Library.

A full events listing is available within the ‘What’s On for Families’ brochure (pictured). The brochure highlights events tailored specifically for children and a selection of events suitable for the whole family to enjoy. All events are also listed on www.durham.ac.uk/whatson For a copy of the brochure, please contact Louise Elliott ext. 42883 or via louise.elliott@durham.ac.uk

Palace Green Library In May two new exhibitions opened at Palace Green Library focusing on Japanese art and culture.

Seven Treasures: Japanese enamels from the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) features a number of stunning examples of cloisonné objects on loan from the V&A supplemented by material from museums in the North East including the Oriental Museum. One aspect of the exhibition explores Cloisonné, a form of enamelling an object where fine wires are used to outline the decorative areas and enamel paste is applied before firing and polishing. The craft underwent a renaissance in the middle of the 19th century and it quickly became one of Japan’s most successful exports. The exhibition has been generously supported by Durham alumnus, Dr Edwin Davies, CBE. In contrast, Off the Wall, focuses on another successful Japanese export, displaying film posters from the collections at the Oriental Museum.

Both exhibitions run from 17 May to 31 August, admission charges apply; campus card holders receive free entry. For more information see www.durham.ac.uk/palace.green

Palace Green Library Update

Mid-May also sees the completion of the latest phase of refurbishment work to Palace Green Library which has seen the creation of a café and dedicated space for teaching. The Gillian Dickinson Learning Centre will be used by visiting schools attending workshops on our outreach programme, members of the University and community groups.

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Event Durham, Retail and Catering

Event Durham, award-winning team Event Durham is delighted to announce that we achieved the highest score in the annual Mystery Buyer survey, commissioned by Venuemasters.

This survey assesses the provision of service excellence by benchmarking different university conference and event offices, as well as conference centres and quality hotels, on a national level.

Retail Summer is here!

Why not visit the University’s fantastic Botanic Garden this summer and call in to the Gift Shop and Café located within the main Visitor’s Centre. You will find unique garden-themed gifts, home ware and toys along with seeds, greetings cards and official Durham University merchandise.

The Visitor’s Centre is open 10am - 5pm every day and campus card holders get free entry to the Botanic Garden.

The Botanic Garden Gift Shop is just one of the many outlets run by the Retail Office, visit our online shop www.durham.ac.uk/shop for more information on our other outlets.

Durham University Retail Office @DurhamUniRetail

Praise should go to Loretta Greenshields, Event Durham Sales Agent, as she managed each stage of the customer enquiry. Loretta has been a member of the team for several years but this is her first mystery buyer call.

HR news...

STAFF CELEBRATIONS

In March, 182 staff members came along to HR’s annual staff training celebration.

The Vice-Chancellor presented certificates to members of staff followed by afternoon tea for staff and their invited guests.

The event celebrated staff who gained qualifications offered by the Human Resources Training Team and Health and Safety Service during 2013, including ILM Level 2 Award in Leadership and Team Skills and Level 5 Certificate in Coaching and Mentoring.

Find out more... for more information on our training courses visit www.durham. ac.uk/hr/training/courses

Retiring in the next two years?

Staff nearing retirement are invited to a retirement planning seminar ran

by Berkeley St James. The seminar will cover a range of topics including calculating pension benefits, low risk investment strategies, effective financial planning, inheritance tax and protecting assets from care costs.

Staff can attend one of two seminars held on 20 June at Durham University Business School at 9am - 12.30pm or 1.30pm 5pm. To book your place, contact the HR Training team on ext. 41647.

Unconscious bias

In April, with Occupational Health and Grey College we piloted a staff health check event. This event gave staff the opportunity to find out about our Occupational Health Service and available health incentives for staff.

Durham County Council’s Check4Life team also offered full or mini health checks including, height, weight, blood pressure, cholesterol test and cardiovascular disease risk score.

58 staff members attended a health check, their feedback was overwhelmingly positive and we hope to launch more health check opportunities over the summer.

Kirk Walker from at Durham County Council Check4Life team said, “We are delighted with the response to this pilot event with Durham University, most of the available appointments were booked within two days of launching the event and all those who attended appreciated the information and focus on their health”.

Find out more... for more information contact: karen.barrie@durham.ac.uk

This month’s Senior Managers Forum will be dedicated to Unconscious bias.

The interactive workshop will be led

by Nic Hammarling who is Head of Diversity at leading business psychology consultancy, Pearn Kandola LLP. The aim of the workshop is increase our knowledge and improve our actions relating to equality and diversity by examining unconscious bias, how it can result in stereotyping and discrimination, and the potential impact on the workplace.

Following the workshop we will be rolling out a series of Unconscious bias training sessions for all University staff. More information will be available in Dialogue Signposts or via Michelle Taylor on ext. 46494.

IMAGE Above The Vice-Chancellor congratulated staff who have successfully completed their Modern Apprenticeship training.

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CIS news...

Find out more... visit www.durham.ac.uk/cis

Better for you… better for the University!

In this edition we’re looking at recent achievements that deliver on our promises to improve your day-to-day IT experience and deliver benefits for the University as a whole.

Student experience:

Student experience:

admissions

wireless

CIS have been working with the Student Registry to improve our students’ admissions process experience.

In 2014 we began installing wireless access points in colleges, and by mid-April wireless was accessible in 2,564 bedrooms and communal areas in:

We have provided a system which allows students to produce their own status letters rather than requesting them from the Student Registry. The information is accessible immediately as it doesn’t rely on sending items through the post.

Through this development the University has achieved a saving of around 30 working days, as well as the associated printing, paper and postage costs for an average 1,500 requests a year.

This year Durham University has introduced an automated process for college decisions.

Originally carried out manually by the colleges and Colleges Office, the first automated run of the process has helped the Colleges Office process 16,000 decisions by April.

Matt Deakin (Head of Operations, Colleges) told us that the time saved has been used to increase focus on communication with applicants, encouraging them to make Durham their first choice. “Hopefully this will pay dividends as candidates decide on their chosen University. All indications are showing though that it has been a very successful first year.”

These examples show that by automating processes we can develop powerful tools to improve our customers’ experience. Such tools help to deliver tangible savings in time, money, paper, etc creating departmental budgets and environmental efficiencies.

• • • • •

Ustinov College Josephine Butler College John Snow College Collingwood College Grey College

“Our students are certainly noticing the difference, as one John Snow College student said, ’The fast wi-fi in halls has made it a lot easier to study from the comfort of our beds as well as allowing smart phones to be smart again. We can tweet, snapchat and of course check duo as much and as easily as possible” The following colleges will have full wi-fi in June: Trevelyan, St Mary’s, Van Mildert, St Aidan’s, St Chad’s and St John’s.

Printing: one machine for everything!

Multi-functional devices (MFDs) are replacing inefficient and out-of-date printers, scanners, photocopiers and faxes across the University. A single MFD can perform the job of these four machines and is cheaper, more reliable and energy efficient.

An MFD can: • Print, copy, scan and fax. So far 52,000 pages have been scanned rather than printed • Print via email. Send your job to one of two dedicated email addresses and collect from your nearest device. To date, 70,000 pages (140 reams of paper) have been printed this way • Keep your documents secure. As you collect your printing with your campus card, pages cannot get ‘lost’ and jobs not collected after two hours are deleted.

The paper saved this way to date would stretch for 85km (850 reams of paper).

By the time you read this, we’ll have made more progress on wireless and MFDs so take a few minutes to look at www.durham.ac.uk/cis/nwp for more up-to-date news.

Procurement

Supplier Development Event

Updated Procurement Policy

In June 2014 Procurement Service will host its third Supplier Development Event. These events are designed to give current and potential suppliers an understanding of Durham University, legislation and how to do business with us. This event is specific to Computing and Information Services (CIS) and in particular the New World Programme and is free for suppliers to attend.

The Procurement Service have negotiated numerous contracts with suppliers across various commodities. These contracted suppliers must be used where contracts exist. You can find our contracted suppliers at www.durham.ac.uk/procurement/local/buyers_guide

For more information please contact the Procurement Service on ext. 44530 or email procurement.office@durham.ac.uk

Supplier Recognition Event The Procurement Service will host its annual Supplier Recognition Event in September 2014. The event aims to recognise suppliers who have made an outstanding contribution to the University during the course of the year.

We would encourage everyone to complete the survey and nominate one supplier for each award by 27 June. The survey is available at www.survey.bris.ac.uk/durham/srevent If you have any queries, please contact the Procurement Service on ext. 44538 or email procurement.office@durham.ac.uk

Updated CSER Policy The Corporate Social and Environmental Responsibility (CSER) policy embodies the University’s value of ethics and responsibility, and sets out the principles, procedures and standards on which sustainable procurement activity within the University will be based. It is firmly embedded within all procurement processes and will guide staff to consider corporate, social and environmental factors in their purchasing decisions.

For more information please go to www.durham.ac.uk/procurement/ suppliers/sustprocpolicy

New Contract The Procurement Service have worked with a team of end users across the University to award a framework for Mini Buses and Coaches at Durham and Stockton. More details can be found on the Buyers Guide www.durham.ac.uk/procurement/local/buyers_guide

Acquire Refresher Training Refresher training has been made available for all staff who would like to brush up on their Acquire processes and ask the team any questions they may have. The training dates will be added on a monthly basis.

Refresher training can now be requested on the University training website at https://apps.dur.ac.uk/tcbs/ by selecting ‘Procurement’.

For more information contact angela.healer@durham.ac.uk or wendy.woollett@durham.ac.uk on ext. 44533 or 44543

Acquire FAQ The Procurement Service have now compiled a quick reference guide to the most frequently asked helpdesk questions regarding the eprocurement system, Acquire, and would encourage users to peruse the content prior to contacting the acquire helpdesk with a query. The Acquire FAQs can be found at www.durham.ac.uk/procurement/ local/staff/faq

Contributions to Charity A raffle was organised in aid of Sport Relief this year. As per previous years, our contracted suppliers have been most generous donating 45 prizes for this good cause. The draw took place on Friday 21 March and raised a grand total of £1,340. A massive well done to suppliers for their contributions and for all of the volunteers help to organise this event throughout the University.

For more information on who the winners of the raffle were go to www.durham.ac.uk/procurement/local/staff

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Greenspace...

SWITCH OFF FOR EARTH HOUR

CARBON RING-FENCED BUDGET

We took part in the World Wildlife Fund’s Earth Hour to show our commitment to tackling climate change.

The ring-fenced budget for the academic year 2013/14 received 36 applications.

The official Earth Hour was between 8.30pm and 9.30pm on Saturday 29 March and during this time people across the globe turned off their lights to show their support.

Applications ranged from the installation of Hydroboil units to the replacement of old kit with new energy-efficient kit and even making our own nitrogen to reduce supplier miles and waste.

As well as asking all staff and students, who were in our buildings during this time, to switch off any non-essential lights we also switched off the exterior illuminating lights to Durham Castle. This dramatically altered the night skyline of Durham City, as the public were not able to see this iconic building illuminated for this hour.

We realised that many staff would not be at work during the official Earth Hour, so we, along with Durham County Council, held an additional internal Earth Hour between 3 - 4pm on Friday 28 March. Staff and students were asked to participate by switching off all non-essential lights during this hour.

Being part of Earth Hour brings everyone together in a united action helping to demonstrate that small actions by the masses can make a difference. Thank you to all who took part.

In total 12 initiatives were awarded finance and a full list of these can be viewed here: www.durham.ac.uk/greenspace/ cmp/projects The next round of funding will be open for applications from the 1 August until the end of October 2014. Applications can be submitted through departmental environmental champions. To find out who your environmental champion is visit www.durham.ac.uk/greenspace/groupsandteams/ environmentchampions

MODE OF TRAVEL SURVEY Thank you to everyone who completed the Mode of Travel Survey 2014.

CYCLIST EVENT Cyclists at the University were able to take their bicycles to an event to have them securely marked as part of a University Crime Prevention Campaign and Operation Spoke.

The initiative is being run in conjunction with Durham Constabulary working in partnership with Durham County Council and Darlington Borough Council, Local Motion and the Safe Durham Partnership.

Staff and students were also given advice on how to lock bikes securely and experienced mechanics were on hand from Recyke Y’Bike to run a Dr Bike session (bike maintenance).

A selection of good quality second hand were also available for purchase.

The results will be used to produce a new five year Green Travel Plan for the University, covering both Durham City and Queen’s Campus, Stockton.

The results can be viewed at www.durham.ac.uk/ greenspace/travel/greentravelplans

BIKE REPAIR KITS Emergency bike repair kits containing essential tools and spares are available should the need arise.

These include puncture repair kits, a pump, lights, spare inner tubes and other emergency essentials.

Kits are located in Security Offices at Lower Mountjoy, Palace Green and Queen’s Campus, Stockton.

Find out more... visit www.durham.ac.uk/ greenspace

www.thedurhamdiary.wordpress.com @Durham_Uni

May ‘Shifting Sands’ Photographic Exhibition until Sunday 5 October Oriental Museum, Elvet Hill, Durham

Professor Andrew Beeby Professor of Chemistry

Have you got any pets?

Give me a picture of your ideal day:

Yes, a beautiful Springer Spaniel called Phoebe, always raises a smile at the vets when we get called in.

A morning dog walk next to the river, watching the wildlife. Then a day in the lab doing some interesting research before going home for a meal, wine and a snooze. I also like to potter around the garden or greenhouse.

What are you reading at the moment?

I am re-reading ‘How to train your dog’ books – a new puppy is on its way!

What would you like you epitaph to be?

On a scale of 1-10, how much do you care what other people think of you?

“Well, we miss him really”.

Five.

Which historical figure would you most like to be?

What’s your greatest vice?

Michael Faraday.

What was the first record you bought?

Quark, Strangeness and Charm by Hawkwind in about 1977. I went to see them same band only a few months ago and they are still playing the songs from that album!

Having a lie in.

What’s your favourite film?

Groundhog Day. Any nicknames?

Many people call me ‘Beebs’ – and probably lots of other things as well…

What achievement are you most proud of?

What’s the worst job you’ve ever done?

Being able to plaster a wall myself during a DIY project - and making it smooth!

In my first job, as a lab technician I had to wash up all the glassware, polish the benches and keep the lab tidy. But it was also the best job: I learned a great deal, worked with some great people and realised that I really wanted a career in chemistry.

What was your best subject?

Definitely chemistry.

What did you want to be when you were a child?

I’d have loved to be able to fly an aeroplane, but failing that I liked the idea of being a scientist.

Where will you be going for your next holiday?

I will be spending a week with my family and dog on the Northumberland coast near Beadnell, spending my days walking along the beach and playing in the sea on a kayak – and no internet!

What talent would you most like to acquire?

What’s your favourite place in the world?

I have been very fortunate to visit some amazing places. But a favourite is hard: I would like to go back to the Scilly Isles.

What’s your greatest indulgence?

A nice hot bubble bath, preferably with a cup of tea or coffee and something to read.

Pass the buck: Finally, who would you like to see in the hot-seat?

This is an exhibition of rare and beautiful photographs from Sudan taken by the anthropologist Ian Cunnison. It tells a story of migration, everyday lives and inter-ethnic relationships in late colonial Sudan.

June Last Night of the Proms Friday 6 June, 7:30pm Durham Cathedral DUMS presents the ‘Last Night of the Proms’ with the University Big Band, Chamber Choir, Opera Ensemble, Brass Band and Symphony Orchestra, all for one incredible evening in Durham Cathedral.

‘Waiting for Godot’ Thursday 12 – Saturday 14 June, 7:30pm Assembly Rooms Theatre Student theatre company ‘Raving Mask’ perform this classic Samuel Beckett play as part of the Easter term Durham Student Theatre (DST) programme.

July Annual Garden Party Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 July, 10am – 4pm Botanic Garden, Hollingside Lane, Durham Enjoy a variety of fun-packed, family activities in the Garden this weekend.

Festival of British Archaeology Saturday 19 July, 10am – 4pm Oriental Museum, Elvet Hill, Durham A special archaeological event where children can learn and use a practical range of skills including excavating, sorting and drawing finds. Be prepared to get muddy!

Professor Andy Monkman, Department of Physics.

To play music, or juggle.

For more information on University events go to www.durham.ac.uk/whatson WARM/05/14/167