Spring 2013

Spring 2013 Annual Report Edition 2011-12

www.le.ac.uk

2 LE1 · the magazine of the University of Leicester · spring 2013

Contents

3

Vice-Chancellor’s introduction Foreword by Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Robert Burgess

16 A sporting chance

The University invested more than £10 million in sports provision during the year

18 Leicester Exchanges

The initiative enabling leading Leicester academics to influence policy in their areas of expertise

4

The Search for Richard III Archaeological investigation by University of Leicester proves to be of historic importance

7

The science of the Search for Richard III University of Leicester experts are applying their skills to the scientific analysis of the remains found at Grey Friars

10

Making history with Richard III An historic find that could reshape our view of the past

12 The story of Leicester

The Search for Richard III has allowed our archaeologists to rediscover Leicester’s lost heritage

that advances our 14 Research knowledge The Search is a testament to the power of research and education to shape our knowledge and understanding of the world

20 Going for global zero

Knowledge that provides students with the latest thinking on the global nuclear threat

22 Communicating space science through art Cutting edge findings presented in new and exciting ways

24 A creative brief

Students find learning Law at Leicester stretches the imagination

26 The light and shade of tinnitus

Revolutionary research designed to provide relief for tinnitus

30 Annual Report timeline

A selection of stories from the past year

36 Personalia and statistics

Degree honours, awards and key figures

COVER: Detail from an illustration by Emma Vieceli, a graphic artist who created stunning visuals to describe the University of Leicester’s Search for King Richard III. Mrs Vieceli produced her inspirational art with Kate Brown (flat colours and textures) and Paul Duffield (panel borders and text). The five images of Richard III, which emulate stained-glass windows in style, have been drawn deliberately in a way that captures the past, while remaining innovative. © University of Leicester 2013 University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH www.le.ac.uk · Email: pressoffice@le.ac.uk If you wish to be removed from the database of this publication, please email pressoffice@le.ac.uk or ring 0116 252 2415

LE1 · The magazine of the University of Leicester · spring 2013 3

A year of stunning achievement Foreword by Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Robert Burgess

M

any higher education commentators have painted a gloomy prospect for the sector. Some suggest that higher tuition fees, real-term reductions in research funding and restrictions placed upon us by the UK Border Agency, could deter the best international students. It will also produce a challenging operating environment for universities.

Whilst these challenges are real it is my view that what will determine the future of institutions is how we choose to respond. At Leicester our approach has been to focus on our core objectives – producing world-class research and delivering inspirational teaching and learning. We were delighted to see the results of the 2012 National Student Survey which placed Leicester once again in Britain’s top-ten universities for teaching quality. In June the University received the award for our Outstanding Library Team from the Times Higher making it Leicester’s sixth consecutive Times Higher award – a record in the sector.

““

As we enter 2013 the challenges for higher education are still significant. But achievements such as those that you read about in this Report make me confident that Leicester, is well placed to prosper at this time… …we are a team that can strive to develop a successful university which is regularly placed among leading UK institutions.

”

Professor Sir Robert Burgess, Vice-Chancellor

attention of the public and the world’s media in recent months. Researchers identified a modest car-park in Leicester City Centre as a possible location for the final resting place of England’s last Plantagenet monarch. Our archaeologists stunned the world’s press when they shared the outcome of their search. The discovery has made headlines around the globe and here I should like to pay tribute to the splendid work of the archaeological and scientific team, led

by Richard Buckley from the University of Leicester Archaeological Service.

As we enter 2013 the challenges for higher education are still significant.

But achievements such as those that you read about in this Report make me confident that Leicester is well placed to prosper at this time as a consequence of the hard work and commitment shown by all members of the University to whom I am most grateful. All together we are a team that can strive to develop a successful university which is regularly placed among leading UK institutions.n

In this Annual Report you can read about the many successes that we have enjoyed over the last academic year. For example, Leicester’s space scientists have developed a camera so sensitive it can detect a candle on one of Jupiter’s moons. This technology – the MIRI optical system – is a core component in the successor to Hubble – the James Webb Space Telescope.

Meanwhile, our social scientists are leading Britain’s most comprehensive study of hate crime and our Medical School has advanced our understanding of conditions as diverse as malaria, tinnitus, nut allergy and urinary incontinence.

But it is the University’s search for King Richard III that has captured the

Staff from the University of Leicester, UK-STFC’s RAL-Space, and NASA inspect the MIRI (Mid-InfraRed Instrument) flight instrument for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in May 2012. Credit: NASA

4 LE1 · the magazine of the University of Leicester · spring 2013

The Search for King Richard III Archaeological investigation by University of Leicester proves to be of historic importance

T

he University of Leicester and Leicester City Council, in association with the Richard III Society, joined forces to search for the remains of King Richard III. On Saturday 25 August 2012 – over five hundred years after King Richard III was buried in Leicester – the historic archaeological project began with the aim of discovering whether Britain’s last Plantagenet King was buried in Leicester City Centre.

Richard Buckley, lead University archaeologist on the Richard III project, with a fragment of what could be the east window of the church

The project represented the first ever search for the lost grave of an anointed King of England.

Top: Archaeologists use a machine to scrape back the surface of the car park at the Grey Friars site

In 1485 King Richard III was defeated at the battle of Bosworth. His body, stripped and despoiled, was brought to Leicester where he was buried in the

church of the Franciscan Friary, known as the Grey Friars. Over time the exact whereabouts of the Grey Friars became lost. Led by the University of Leicester, experts sought to locate the lost church of the Grey Friars and discover whether the remains of Richard III might still be found.

The team made a number of dramatic discoveries about the Friary during their three-week dig. Then, historic findings of human remains – including a man with apparent battle wounds and curvature of the spine – were revealed in the Choir of the Grey Friars Church by the archaeological team led by Richard Buckley.

It is only through the considerable knowledge that University of Leicester archaeologists have of the archaeology of the City – based on decades of investigation – that the discovery could be made. Indeed, it is only through the

LE1 · The magazine of the University of Leicester · spring 2013 5

considerable technical and interpretative skills of the site staff in recognising the rather intangible remains of the friary that this project came to fruition.

The discovery and on-going scientific investigation commanded unprecedented public attention and worldwide media coverage. It was the subject of Parliamentary debate and TV documentaries. Public open days at the dig site in Leicester City Centre attracted thousands of visitors and the Bosworth Battlefield visitor attraction also reported significantly increased tourism. The City Council put in place a multi-million pound cultural and economic strategy around the potential discovery of Richard III. The archaeological project also engaged current and potential students – interest in our Archaeology open days for applicants were up by 60 per cent following the September announcement.

The project team have had many requests to talk about it in venues ranging from film showings to student re-enactment society events. Additionally,

our Archaeology & Ancient History Outreach team, made up of student volunteers, has been deluged by requests from schools and community groups as a result of the project. These outreach opportunities contribute enormously to the quality of the student experience and employability.

The Search for Richard III is a milestone for the University of Leicester and of historic importance. It is truly a one-off – unparalleled in the University’s history and a feat not undertaken ever before.n Clockwise from top left: Philippa Langley, originator of the search from the Richard III Society; medieval weaponry in action; medieval letter from a tomb inscription; a step and the mortar bedding for a tile floor in the eastern cloister walk; a 14th-century inlaid floor tile from the church of the Grey Friars

6 LE1 · the magazine of the University of Leicester · spring 2013

Deep down knowledge The skill and experience of University of Leicester archaeologists played a pivotal part in the safe removal of the potential remains of Richard III. The team’s knowledge helped them to pinpoint the best place for the trenches, as well as recognising the choir of the church where the potential remains of Richard III were discovered.

The skeleton was said to be in a vulnerable position, immediately beneath modern deposits and foundations meaning that a less experienced team could easily have damaged the skeleton whilst using a mechanical digger to open the trench.

The archaeologists – who carried out extensive work in the city – were able to gauge accurately the level of soil and avoid damage to the remains.

Richard Buckley said: “I would like to think that we were the best people to carry out the Grey Friars dig. Urban sites are notoriously complicated, with lots of things to take into account. All of the work we have done in the city over the last 35 years has been good preparation for Grey Friars.

““

Archaeology is a team effort. No one person could dig up the whole site. You need people who have experience in very different things – and each different person with their specialist expertise can add to the picture.

”

Professor Lin Foxhall, Head, School of Archaeology and Ancient History Above: Site Director Mathew Morris and Leon Hunt discuss the best approach to investigate the remains of the friary in one of the trenches

“If you had never worked on Leicester’s archaeology before, you might find difficulty in machining to the correct level. The remains were very vulnerable, because they were only under relatively modern debris. It is down to the skill of site director Mathew Morris that we were able to safely uncover the individual without risking damage.”

“Archaeology is a team effort,” said Professor Lin Foxhall, Head of the School of Archaeology and Ancient History. “No one person could dig up the whole site. You need people who have experience in very different things – and each different person with their specialist expertise can add to the picture. That’s what we as archaeologists do.”n

LE1 · The magazine of the University of Leicester · spring 2013 7

The science of the Search for Richard III University of Leicester experts from a wide range of disciplines are applying their skills to the scientific analysis of the human remains found at Grey Friars

T

he news that human remains had been found at the site of the Grey Friars church in Leicester – thought to be the burial place of Richard III – captured the world’s attention.

Dr Turi King (left), Lecturer in Genetics and Archaeology, with Michael Ibsen and members of the world’s press

The skeleton’s age, gender, curvature of the spine and apparent battle wounds all pointed strongly towards the possibility that the remains could have belonged to the medieval monarch.

The next step in the search for the King was to turn to scientific analysis to help us find out as much as possible about the individual – and ultimately to ascertain whether or not these were the bones of Richard III. Forensic pathologists, DNA researchers, bone experts, engineers, medieval battle researchers, genealogists and radiographers – including many experts

from the University – came together to study the remains for clues about the identity and cause of death of the individual.

The complexity and rigor of the tests – along with the need to find specialist facilities for some crucial stages – meant that the results of the skeleton’s identity could not be completed overnight.

When the remains were exhumed, soil samples were taken from the grave and from around the skeleton which may provide information about the burial practice and its environment together with information related to health and diet of the person.

The skeleton was given a computedtomography (CT) scan which allowed scientists to build up a 3D digital image of the individual.

8 LE1 · the magazine of the University of Leicester · spring 2013

The testing of Michael Ibsen’s DNA was carried out by Dr Turi King at the University

One aim was to reconstruct the individual’s face, in a similar way to the images created of King Tutankhamun following CT scans of the 3,000-year-old mummy.

Samples of dental calculus – mineralised dental plaque, which sometimes builds up around teeth – were taken from the skeleton to help the scientists find out more about the person’s diet, health and living conditions.

Further samples were taken from the teeth and a long bone so that ancient DNA could be extracted and compared

with that of Michael Ibsen, believed to be a descendant of Richard III’s sister, Anne of York via the female line.

But extracting the DNA from these samples was not straightforward, as even the act of breathing on 500-yearold remains can cause the sample to be contaminated with modern DNA. While the testing of modern DNA from Michael Ibsen was carried out at Leicester, the extraction of DNA from the skeleton took place in partnership with “ancient DNA” testing facilities which allowed the sample to be tested safely, without risk of contamination.

A independent genealogical study was undertaken to verify Michael Ibsen’s connection to the Plantagenets and researchers also hope to identify a second line of descent.

Michael Ibsen, left, provides a mouth swab for DNA analysis by Dr Turi King, right, of the University of Leicester

LE1 · The magazine of the University of Leicester · spring 2013 9

Exhibition on historic search

The Guildhall by local artist Sarah Kirby

Leicester’s medieval Guildhall is launching an exhibition bringing to life the story of the Search for Richard III.

Professor Sarah Hainsworth, Department of Engineering, uses an adjustable rig to determine the ‘sharpness scale’ for different weaponry. Her research is used in court to determine the force required to create specific wounds

The skeleton was also being radiocarbon dated by two separate labs, which should indicate – to within 80 years – the date the individual died.

The skeleton was cleaned and examined in detail in an attempt to ascertain the individual’s age, build and the nature of its spinal condition. Particular attention was paid to the trauma to the skeleton which may have been incurred in battle – including the injury to the skull. Specialists in blades, trauma, and medieval weaponry advised the team on the kinds of instruments that may have caused the damage.

Forensic pathologists at the University’s East Midlands Forensic Pathology Unit also worked with the team and were involved in helping to determine the cause of death.

The various strands of analysis are being coordinated by Richard Buckley,

Co-Director of the University of Leicester Archaeological Services and lead archaeologist at the Grey Friars dig.

“We looked at many different lines of enquiry, the evidence from which all add up to give us more assurance about the identity of the individual,” explains Richard. “As well as the DNA testing, we have to take in all of the other pieces of evidence which tell us about the person’s lifestyle – including his health and where he grew up.

“There are many specialists involved in the process, and so we have to coordinate all of the tests so the analysis is done in a specific order. The ancient DNA testing in particular takes time and we need to work in partnership with specialist facilities. It is not like in CSI, where DNA testing can be done almost immediately, anywhere – we are reliant on the specialist process and facilities to successfully extract ancient DNA.”n

The ancient building, in the shadow of Leicester Cathedral, is hosting a major exhibition telling the story of the last Plantagenet king, his life and times, and the search for his lost remains. It opens its doors to visitors on Friday, February 8.

Archaeologists from the University of Leicester, working with Leicester City Council and the Richard III Society, unearthed the ruins of the lost medieval Grey Friars church, and within the ruins, the grave of a battle-scarred warrior.

The exhibition will tell visitors the story of the search for the lost Grey Friars site, the excavation and archaeological works, and the evidence from the grave site.

It will also explain what the skeleton’s battle injuries can tell us about medieval warfare and weapons, and the University’s painstaking scientific works to establish the identity of the remains.

City Mayor Peter Soulsby said: “The search for King Richard III and the discovery of the lost Grey Friars church have created a huge amount of excitement locally, nationally and globally, and it is important that visitors to the city can see this fascinating story for themselves.”

10 LE1 · the magazine of the University of Leicester · spring 2013

““

The Tudor historians Thomas More, Polydore Vergil, Edward Hall and Raphael Holinshed wrote highly critical accounts of Richard III: for More, he was ‘ill fetured of limmes, croke backed, his left shoulder much higher then his right’.

”

Dr Sarah Knight, School of English

LE1 · The magazine of the University of Leicester · spring 2013 11

Making history with Richard III An historic find that could reshape our view of the past

W

riting in 1986, David Baldwin, a University of Leicester historian, predicted that during the 21st century, the remains of the last Plantagenet king would be found on the site of Leicester’s Grey Friary. He rejected the popular belief that Richard III’s remains were dug up and thrown into a river when the friary was dissolved.

““

However damning they were about his appearance and the political damage he supposedly inflicted, the Tudor histories still took care to honour Richard’s bravery in battle, recounting that he died ‘in the thickest press of his enemies’.

Dr Mary Ann Lund, School of English

”

If the human remains uncovered during the University’s Search for Richard III prove to be those of the last Plantagenet king, then this may not be the last myth put to rest about this poorly understood historical figure.

For Professor Norman Housley and Dr Andrew Hopper from the University’s School of Historical Studies, it would rewrite history by bringing closure to the fate of the mysterious king.

Dr Hopper explains: “Little reliable contemporary evidence has survived for the nature of his kingship because his reign proved so short and because his Tudor successors legitimised themselves by encouraging literary works that depicted him as a caricature tyrant.”

“Richard has frequently been portrayed as either a villain or a hero, but he was probably neither.”

Professor Housley added: “If it proves possible to nail the Tudor slander of the ‘hunchback king’ with medical evidence of severe scoliosis rather than kyphosis, it will be gilt on the gingerbread because efforts during the last three centuries to restore his reputation have never fully succeeded in undermining this enduring popular image.”

Mark Rylance as Richard III in the Globe Theatre’s 2012 production of the play. © Geraint Lewis / Alamy

A scene from the Bosworth Battlefield anniversary re-enactment

The negative image of Richard III has endured thanks in part to his portrayal in literature – foremost of which is probably Shakespeare’s tyrannical anti-hero.

The School of English’s Dr Sarah Knight said: “The Tudor historians Thomas More, Polydore Vergil, Edward Hall and Raphael Holinshed wrote highly critical accounts of Richard III: for More, he was ‘ill fetured of limmes, croke backed, his left shoulder much higher then his right’, and Holinshed also mentions that he was ‘of a readie, pregnant, and quicke wit’.

“Shakespeare wove these sources into his charismatic anti-hero who plots, seduces and murders his way to the crown. This find could make us re-assess the Richard III bequeathed to us by Tudor historians and dramatists and look again

at their narratives in the light of the material remains.”

Her colleague Dr Mary Ann Lund added: “We can also see clearly for the first time how the historical truth became distorted in transmission and translation, even as Richard’s own body became more twisted and monstrous in successive historical and dramatic accounts.

“But the discovery has another hugely important lesson for us: that Richard was a committed, unflinching warrior.

However damning they were about his appearance and the political damage he supposedly inflicted, the Tudor histories still took care to honour Richard’s bravery in battle, recounting that he died ‘in the thickest press of his enemies’.”n

12 LE1 · the magazine of the University of Leicester · spring 2013

The story of Leicester The Search for King Richard III has allowed our archaeologists to rediscover Leicester’s lost heritage

T

he Richard III Search team has reconstructed models of the Blue Boar Inn – where by tradition, King Richard III stayed shortly before the Battle of Bosworth – following the discovery of a notebook containing a measured survey of the iconic local timber framed building.

The survey was made shortly before the Inn was demolished in 1836 by Henry Goddard, but was never drawn up and has remained forgotten for over 170 years.

Top: model of the Blue Boar produced with the Department of Physics and Astronomy’s 3D printer Left: A 19th-century engraving by John Flower of the Blue Boar from the University library’s special collections

Using the survey notes, the Inn has now been brought back to life not only as a computer model, but also a physical model produced on the University’s 3D printer.

Lead archaeologist Richard Buckley came across new evidence when looking through the notebooks of 19th century architect Henry Goddard – a member of important Leicestershire architectural dynasty the Goddard family.

One notebook contained extensive notes and measurements of a large timber frame building which Richard immediately recognised as the Blue Boar Inn. Richard asked Steffan Davies, an architect with experience in historic building drawings, if he could put together computer-aided design (CAD) drawings of the buildings based on Henry Goddard’s plans. Steffan put

LE1 · The magazine of the University of Leicester · spring 2013 13

Plantagenet genealogy: the search for Richard III’s living relatives Professor Kevin Schürer is leading the genealogical study to find descendants of the Plantagenet family.

When human remains were discovered at the site of the potential burial place of King Richard III, the search team was faced with an important question: how can we confirm whether these remains once belonged to Richard?

From left to right: Steffan Davies, lead archaeologist Richard Buckley and Dave Thompson, Physics and Astronomy, survey the 3D model on a medieval city map

together a series of drawings as well as a 3D computer model. This was then passed to the University’s Department of Physics and Astronomy and converted into a scale model using the Department’s 3D printer.

Henry Goddard’s 1836 notebook

The model shows all the timber framing, the jointing, the moulding of the timbers, the fireplaces and the chamber in which Richard III was said to have stayed.n

The key is to find living descendents of Richard’s family in order to compare their DNA with that of the skeleton. A positive match between the two would – in theory – confirm the remains belonged to the King.

Professor Kevin Schürer, the University’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Enterprise, is leading a genealogical investigation to identify relatives of the monarch and verify the connection between Richard and those who have already been identified as potential descendants.

“You need to contextualise the DNA findings in order to see whether it matches with the people who you would expect to have the same DNA,” explains Professor Schürer, who served as Director of the UK Data Archive (UKDA) and holds extensive expertise in historical demography and local history.

The team has searched through records of births, deaths and marriages for the more recent period; parish registers since 1537 and, for the pre-registration period, has especially consulted legal documents such as wills.

14 LE1 · the magazine of the University of Leicester · spring 2013

Research that advances our knowledge The Search for King Richard III has provided a testament to the power of research and education to shape our knowledge and understanding of the world

T

he University’s Search for Richard III led to important archaeological discoveries about medieval Leicester.

This included: • determining the site of the medieval Franciscan friary known as Grey Friars • finding the eastern cloister walk and chapter house • locating the site of the church within the friary

Fragments of window tracery, most likely from the eastern window of the friary church Top: public interest in the dig was so high that visitors to the University’s site open days queued around the block

• uncovering the lost garden of former Mayor of Leicester, Alderman Robert Herrick • revealing medieval finds that include inlaid floor tiles, window tracery, a fragment of stone frieze and stained

glass from the friary buildings together with medieval silver coins, pottery and letters from tom inscriptions But it was the historic findings of human remains – including a man with apparent battle wounds and curvature of the spine – that caused excitement across the world.

The archaeological dig shows how doing research can be very exciting and always has the ability to surprise, in this case, through finding the Grey Friars Church and the remains of an individual who could turn out to be Richard III. This has been great for Leicester, for the University and for Archaeology as a subject where enquiries from potential students has risen dramatically since the discovery.n

rtins St Ma Peaco

LE1 · The magazine of the University of Leicester · spring 2013 15

ne ck La

TRENCH 3

Choir Burial

Nave ter

s Cloi

Chapter house

er w Cloist

st Cloi

Cloister garth

”

alk

alk

er w

West range

k

wal

““

iars y Fr

et Stre

Walking place

Altar Presbytery

From the outset, the search for Richard III was a thrilling prospect but it has involved many hours of dedicated research by our team that has led to the astonishing finds we have disclosed. The search has caught the imagination of not only the people of Leicester and Leicestershire but beyond and has received global media attention.

It is a measure of the power of archaeology to excite public interest and provide a narrative about our heritage.

Gre

New

TRENCH 1

Richard Buckley, Archaeological lead

alk

ter w

Clois

N

South range TRENCH 2 50 ft 10 m

Above: the location of the trenches at the Grey Friars site, showing how the friary may have been laid out Right: a medieval silver long-cross penny found at the site

““

If the remains discovered are confirmed as being those of King Richard, this project will be in touching distance of realising its aim – and securing for this nation an unprecedented event in its history.

”

Professor Sir Robert Burgess, Vice-Chancellor

““

““

““

The find at Grey Friars forces to us reinterpret the ways in which e historians and dramatists have an rL a i pictured Richard III. The physical Fr form of Richard has always loomed large in the historical imagination. This project has the potential to write a whole new chapter in his story.

”

Dr Sarah Knight and Dr Mary Ann Lund, School of English

This is perhaps an historic and defining moment in the story of Leicester.

I am proud that the University of Leicester has played a pivotal role in the telling of that story.

”

Professor Norman Housley, School of Historical Studies

It has been hugely exciting to be involved in the Grey Friars Project, analysing a skeleton that may well turn out to be that of Richard III. During the course of the analysis, it has been possible to bring in expertise from across the University, from areas as diverse as Forensic Pathology and Engineering. This has enabled us to gather detailed information about the life and death of this individual.

”

Dr Jo Appleby, Lecturer in Bioarchaeology, School of Archaeology and Ancient History eL on t s l l Mi

e an

16 LE1 · the magazine of the University of Leicester · spring 2013

A sporting chance The University invested more than £10 million in sports provision during the Olympic Year.

““

Swimming and personal training – going to the gym – are two of the top three student sports activities… These developments place the University of Leicester in the premier league for sport and fitness provision.

Colin Hide, Director of Sport

”

LE1 · The magazine of the University of Leicester · spring 2013 17

Far left: Colin Hide, Director of Sport, in the University’s 600m2 gym at Manor Road Sports Centre. Left: one of the University’s pools

ever capital investment in sport,” said Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Bob Burgess.

“As a highly-ranked UK university, and amongst the leaders in student satisfaction, it is important that we develop our sports facilities alongside our academic provision. We are shaping minds and bodies for the future and new generations of students, staff and community users will benefit from our top-class facilities.”

L

eicester takes pride of place for being amongst a select few universities in Britain to offer students sports and fitness facilities that include two swimming pools.

The Manor Road Sports Centre has seen major advancements, including a 25m pool, sauna and steam rooms, a spa pool, a 600m2 gym and aerobics studio, and quality changing rooms.

The quality of a university’s teaching and research is, of course, integral to its success. However, of equal importance is its responsibility to the health and wellbeing of its students and staff.

The developments add to the existing facilities, which include a full sized sandfilled floodlit all-weather pitch, a floodlit 3G five-a-side pitch, a floodlit rugby pitch, eleven tennis courts, a soccer pitch and other green grass areas.

This ethos is at the heart of the University of Leicester’s £10 million investment in new sports facilities as part of a lasting Olympic year legacy. The new provision has included a sports centre on campus plus £5 million of new facilities at the residential campus sports centre in Manor Road, Oadby.

Leicester also announced an array of sports scholarships and the appointment of a community sports development officer. In addition, the University is part of the Department of Health’s £10 million programme for the East Midlands to develop one of three hubs, which together forms the country’s first ever National Sports and Exercise Medicine Centre of Excellence.

“In the year when Britain hosted the Olympics, and when the focus on sporting endeavour and achievement has never been greater, it is timely that the University of Leicester makes its biggest

The new campus sports centre includes a 20m pool, cardiovascular gym, a dedicated spin studio, a sauna, a steam room and a double size sports hall.

“Swimming and personal training – going to the gym – are two of the top three student sports activities,” explains Colin Hide, Director of Sport.

“These developments place the University of Leicester in the premier league for sport and fitness provision by adding the activities the students want at the place where they want them – on the main site and close to the Halls of Residence.

“Higher Education is a competitive environment and as a top UK university we must continually improve our student offer to attract the best students and give them the best experience when they are with us.”n

18 LE1 · the magazine of the University of Leicester · spring 2013

Leicester Exchanges – setting the standard for academic engagement The University’s Leicester Exchanges initiative is enabling leading Leicester academics to influence policy in their areas of expertise by engaging with policymakers and the general public.

L

eicester Exchanges, the University’s platform for its academics to engage with opinion leaders, the wider academic community and the informed general public, has been hailed as a bold and pioneering initiative.

A series of passionate, insightful live and online debates on key issues spanning the arts, sciences and social sciences are helping to shape thinking on significant issues facing UK society and are setting the standard for how academics engage, demonstrate thought leadership and influence public policy.

Left to right: Dr John Bond and Dr Lisa Smith with Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys

For example, it is only fitting that Leicester should be providing thought leadership on the effectiveness and future of the Police DNA Database. As the birthplace of genetic fingerprinting and home of the Alec Jeffreys Forensic Science Institute, Leicester academics in this field are ideally placed to shape national and international policy.

Dr Lisa Smith, Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Leicester questions the success of the Police DNA Database. She argues: “Calculating the effectiveness of the National DNA Database (NDNAD) is a very difficult task, and depending on the source of the figures there is great disagreement over whether the database is good value for money.”

To provide some context, in 1995 the government set up a national database to hold DNA samples from those convicted of certain offences. In parallel with this, DNA profiles from material recovered from crime scenes was also added to the database, the idea being that the police could then ‘match’ offenders to their crimes by the DNA left behind. The driving force for this was the growing success of DNA as a means of identifying offenders, pioneered here at the University of Leicester.

She also points that retaining DNA from innocent individuals has been deemed by the courts as being a violation of their human rights – however some argue that this is still not enough to ensure that our right to a private life is protected.

Dr John Bond OBE, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Chemistry, offers the counter-argument. He maintains: “The success of the database in terms of detecting crimes that would, most likely, otherwise go undetected has been proven not only for serious crime (as originally envisaged) but also for ‘volume’ crime such as burglary and car crime. Today, the DNA database is used daily by police forces across the United Kingdom to provide both the name of a suspect and the evidence with which to question them.”

He argues for a Citizens’ database with everyone’s DNA to counter crime.n

To read these along with other posts from leading Leicester academics and join in the conversation visit www.leicesterexchanges.com

LE1 · The magazine of the University of Leicester · spring 2013 19

As the birthplace of genetic fingerprinting and home of the Alec Jeffreys Forensic Science Institute, it is fitting that Leicester is shaping policy on the future of the Police DNA Database…

““

The success of the National DNA Database … has been proven not only for serious crime (as originally envisaged) but also for ‘volume’ crime such as burglary and car crime.

”

Dr John Bond OBE, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Chemistry.

Dr Bond, left, argues for a Citizens’ database with everyone’s DNA to counter crime.

““

Calculating the effectiveness of the National DNA Database is a very difficult task, and depending on the source of the figures there is great disagreement over whether the database is good value for money.

Dr Lisa Smith, Lecturer in Criminology

”

Dr Smith, above, says that retaining DNA from innocent individuals has been deemed by the courts as being a violation of their human rights.

© Ashley Cooper pics / Alamy

20 LE1 · the magazine of the University of Leicester · spring 2013

Pakistan Prime Minister, Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani with US President, Barack H. Obama at the Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul, 2012 © Asianet-Pakistan/Alamy

““

There are good ethical, economic and political reasons to get rid of nuclear weapons, but abolishing them remains a distant and

”

difficult task.

Dr Andrew Futter, Lecturer in International Politics

Going for global zero Expert knowledge in our Department of Politics and International Relations provides students with the latest thinking in the fight to eliminate the global nuclear threat

LE1 · The magazine of the University of Leicester · spring 2013 21

S

taff and students in the University’s Department of Politics and International Relations are grappling with potentially explosive issues as part of their degree programme.

In April 2009, US President Barack Obama gave a speech in which he declared it his mission to seek a world free from the threat of nuclear weapons.

The speech sought to reinvigorate the much maligned global nuclear disarmament movement which has remained largely dormant since the meeting between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev at Reykjavik in 1986.

One of the gravest dangers facing the world today is the spread of nuclear weapons. The risk of their falling into the hands of a terrorist group poses the possibility of potentially catastrophic consequences. While many may feel that the time has arrived for a serious and concerted campaign to rid the world of these apocalyptic devices, there are considerable stumbling blocks that need to be overcome if a global nuclear free world is ever to be reached.

This is one of the central problems being addressed by Dr Andrew Futter, Lecturer in International Politics at the University of Leicester and an expert in nuclear strategy, non-proliferation and disarmament. Widely published in his field, Dr Futter’s work not only contributes significantly to the global zero debate, but also provides students with a unique opportunity to benefit from his research through a third-year Politics of Nuclear Weapons course, designed to introduce students to the fundamental problems and issues surrounding nuclear weapons in the modern world.

“Ideas about how to get rid of nuclear weapons emerged almost as soon as the weapons themselves,” says Dr Futter.

“Since the end of the Cold War this pressure has increased considerably, particularly given the prospect that a terrorist group might somehow acquire a nuclear device.”

There are currently eight recognised nuclear weapons states: the United States, Russia, the UK, France, China, India, Pakistan and North Korea. Israel retains a policy of ‘nuclear opacity’, while Iran is believed to be on the path to acquiring a nuclear device.

However, the task of achieving a global zero, a world in which there are no nuclear weapons at all, is a difficult one that Dr Futter recognises. “The central question is really how you persuade someone to ‘go first’ without that state feeling that their security might be compromised”.

While the idea of a nuclear free world sounds appealing, it may not be a panacea. Indeed, it could even make things less stable.

“It is also questionable whether a nuclear weapons-free world would be any safer: a world without nukes would simply exacerbate the far larger conventional military imbalances between major states. Nuclear weapons are a power balancer, and their removal may make war and conflict more rather than less likely. Equally, it may engender a constant state of fear and suspicion that states were rearming in secret.”

Dr Futter’s work has been essential in the debate to reach a global zero.

In September 2012, he co-organised

Dr Andrew Futter, Lecturer in International Politics, provided comments and analysis on the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit

the ‘Trust, Cooperation and the Global Nuclear Future’ conference with Professor Nicholas Wheeler at the Institute for Conflict, Cooperation and Security at Birmingham. He has participated in the CSIS Trilateral Track 2 Nuclear Dialogue in Paris and was also asked to provide comments and analysis on the 2012 nuclear security summit for the Slovakian newspaper Pravda, and on North Korean nuclear policy for the Washington DC-based, nknews.

While it is hard to dispute that nuclear weapons have been central to international security and stability in the past, it is far from clear that this will continue in the future.

In recent months, the threat of proliferation and nuclear terrorism has led to a growing chorus of world leaders calling for the elimination of all nuclear weapons.

And the public supports them; recent polling shows that the worldwide public, including the nuclear weapons countries, overwhelmingly favours global zero.

“There are good ethical, economic and political reasons to get rid of nuclear weapons” says Dr. Futter. “But abolishing them remains a distant and difficult task.”n

22 LE1 · the magazine of the University of Leicester · spring 2013

Communicating space science through art A partnership between scientists in the University’s Space Research Centre and multimedia artist Andrew Williams will allow cutting edge findings to be presented in new and exciting ways

Video still of a manipulated Gamma scan, above, by Andrew Williams

““

As physicists, the danger we have is talking in jargon. Often we use quite dry posters to explain our research. That’s fine, but how can we communicate our research in more effective ways? Andrew is able to attract people who wouldn’t normally come to science talks.

”

Dr John Lees, Space Research Centre, Department of Physics and Astronomy

LE1 · The magazine of the University of Leicester · spring 2013 23

A

n innovative partnership at the University’s Space Research Centre, within the Department of Physics and Astronomy, is testing the boundary between science and art.

While the two disciplines are often seen as diametrically opposed, multimedia artist Andrew Williams is collaborating with scientists at the centre to find new ways of explaining the University’s space research to the public.

Andrew, who uses music, sound, live performance and video in his projects, has joined the centre for a year after securing funding from The Leverhulme Trust’s Artist in Residence scheme.

“This is a great opportunity to work with new people, new ideas and experiment with new materials and process,” said Andrew, who is based in Matlock, Derbyshire, and has previously collaborated as an artist with Rolls Royce and British Gas. “It is a new way of working, a challenge, and will provide interesting possibilities for people working at the Centre.

Space is a wonderful concept – our lack of knowledge and the idea of new exploration is surely a source of inspiration for a lot of people.”

The residency came following a successful collaboration between Andrew and Dr John Lees, who leads the Bioimaging Unit in the Space Research Centre. The pair had worked together on Radioactivity: Friend or Foe, a multimedia show at Embrace Arts which illustrated Dr Lees’ research into how radioactivity can be used for medical purposes.

The show aimed to explain some of the benefits of applications of nuclear medicine – including the Mini GammaRay Camera which can be used in the diagnosis of cancer – but also to dispel anxiety among patients and the public about radioactivity.

The pair now hope to expand on this ethos during Andrew’s residency.

Potential projects include a video installation showing visualisations of satellites around the Earth, based on research being carried out by Dr Nigel Bannister, of the Space Research Centre.

Another possible project will involve working with East Midlands-based composers to put together a series of requiems for dying stars. Andrew and John also hope to initiate a long-term project to teach school children about the many elements which would be involved in sustaining life on another planet.

Dr Lees said: “As physicists, the danger we have is talking in jargon. Often we use quite dry posters to explain our research. That’s fine, but how can we communicate our research in more effective ways? Andrew is able to attract people who wouldn’t normally come to science talks – a whole mix of people.

“Outreach in general is very important – the more people understand what we are trying to do, the more support we are going to get. But also, there is lots of stuff we are working on which we think is really exciting. We would love to get schools involved and excite young kids in order to inspire the scientists of tomorrow.”n Artist Andrew Williams, left, and Dr John Lees, Department of Physics and Astronomy

Using art to connect with Leicester’s heritage Another Leverhulme Trust-funded residency will see Leicester-based artist Sarah Kirby working with the University’s Centre for Urban Histories.

Sarah, who has produced a series of prints of iconic Leicester buildings, will work with the Centre on a series of prints depicting Leicester’s architectural history – with a particular focus on its industrial past.

The partnership came about after Professor Roey Sweet, Head of the University’s School of Historical Studies, approached Sarah with the idea of working with the Centre.

Professor Sweet said: “We are really interested in seeing people’s responses to Sarah’s work as it will help us see what these buildings mean to people.

In this way, Sarah’s art will feed into our own research into Leicester’s industrial heritage.”

Sarah said: “It’s a great opportunity to be able to focus on a particular area of my work. I’m really looking forward to exploring new ways of looking at Leicester’s history – and having access to the centre’s expertise and resources is a whole new experience for me.”

24 LE1 · the magazine of the University of Leicester · spring 2013

A creative brief Students find learning Law at Leicester stretches the imagination

C

reative teaching techniques are dispelling myths of law students simply immersed in weighty tomes.

““

I have sought to provide students with the means to developing their understanding and to promote a stronger engagement with the subject across the cohort.

”

Dr Dawn Watkins, Lecturer, School of Law

Thanks to an innovative approach to teaching in our School of Law, students are being given an opportunity to take an imaginative approach to their subject.

This approach has been recognised by the shortlisting of Law lecturer Dawn Watkins for the Law Teacher of the Year 2013 Award, sponsored by Oxford University Press.

Dawn is among a number of Law lecturers who aim to fire students’ imaginations by integrating and using new innovations within their teaching of students.

Funded by the University’s New Teaching Initiatives Fund, Dawn has previously trailed a ‘Narrative Research project’ with student volunteers. With the help of a professional story teller, participants in the project learned the techniques of story-telling, before going on to create a

fictional account of a legal case, written from the perspective of any of the characters involved.

More recently, the law lecturer traced Mrs Burns, the claimant in a very significant and well-known case concerning the trusts of the family home. Mrs Burns spoke to students in a lecture, bringing to life a complex area of law and inspiring students to learn more about it.

Dawn is concerned to engage all students in the learning process and, recognising that their styles of learning differ, she uses a range of techniques to do this. For example, in lectures she uses visual symbols to represent or characterise a particular case or principle – aware that the repeated use of the image helps to embed ideas and information, especially for visual learners.

At other times, she involves students in interactive, practical demonstrations at the front of the lecture theatre, in order to help them better understand a complex area of law.

LE1 · The magazine of the University of Leicester · spring 2013 25

Law students in the Harry Peach Library, School of Law

In tutorials, Dawn uses a variety of approaches to engage each member of the group in discussion. This will sometimes involve impromptu student presentations, and at other times there will be a ‘pass the buck’ exercise, where one student begins the discussion but passes on to his or her neighbour (in a direction of his/her choosing) when he/she feels ready to do so.

In all of these approaches, Dawn says: “I have sought to provide students with the means to developing their understanding and to promote a stronger engagement with the subject across the cohort.”

Third year undergraduate Robert Carter says: “It is clear that the University has encouraged its teaching staff to use innovative and imaginative teaching methods. In the School of Law, this has been particularly evident, and the dynamic lecture styles have helped me to improve my learning. This policy has enhanced my progression through to my final year of study.”n

““ Professor Douglas Tallack, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Head of the College of Arts, Humanities and Law

It is great to see the kind of innovation being pioneered by Dawn Watkins but also to have observed so much of note happening in other departments in the College. While never losing sight of the need for knowledge to be transferred from teacher to student – and this is as valid in History and Archaeology as in Medicine and Physics – the best teachers are also acutely aware of what they can learn from students, whether in the use of new media or updating teaching materials or simply being aware that students learn in different ways. The exchanges that take place in a single seminar are often recalled by students long after they graduate, and long after the teachers have forgotten the discussion.

”

Modern Languages seminar

26 LE1 · the magazine of the University of Leicester · spring 2013

The light and shade of tinnitus In a darkened and soundproofed room, volunteers are being exposed to coloured lights in revolutionary research designed to provide relief for tinnitus

““

We need to know the implications of acoustic over exposure, not only in terms of hearing loss but also what’s happening in the brain and central nervous system. It’s believed that tinnitus results from changes in excitability in cells in the brain – cells become more reactive, in this case more reactive to an unknown sound.

”

Dr Martine Hamann, Department of Cell Physiology and Pharmacology

LE1 · The magazine of the University of Leicester · spring 2013 27

R

evolutionary light therapy techniques to combat tinnitus, coupled with fundamental research into the cellular causes of the condition, are being investigated at the University of Leicester.

Tinnitus is a sensation of phantom sounds, usually ringing or buzzing, heard in the ears when no external sounds are present. It commonly develops after very loud or prolonged noise exposure or other insults to the ear. Auditory scientists think it results from damage within the auditory pathway from the inner ear onwards Although hearing loss and tinnitus affect around ten percent of the population, there are currently no effective drug treatments for treating or preventing tinnitus.

Researchers in our Department of Cell Physiology and Pharmacology have identified a cellular mechanism that could underlie the development of tinnitus following exposure to loud noises. The discovery could lead to novel tinnitus treatments, and investigations into potential drugs to prevent tinnitus are currently underway.

Researcher Dr Martine Hamann and her team, including PhD student Nadia Pilati, looked at cells in an area of the brain called the dorsal cocw – the relay carrying signals from nerve cells in the ear to the parts of the brain that decode and make sense of sounds. Following exposure to loud noises, some of the nerve cells (neurons) in the dorsal cochlear nucleus start to fire erratically, and this uncontrolled activity eventually leads to tinnitus.

In a key breakthrough in collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline, who sponsored Dr Pilati’s PhD, the team also discovered the specific cellular mechanism that leads to the neurons’ over-activity. Malfunctions in specific potassium channels that help regulate the nerve cell’s electrical activity mean the neurons cannot return to an equilibrium resting state.

Turning the volume up too high on your headphones can damage the coating of nerve cells, leading to temporary deafness

Although many researchers have investigated the mechanisms underlying tinnitus, this is the first time that cellular bursting activity has been characterised and linked to specific potassium channels. Identifying the potassium channels involved in the early stages of tinnitus opens up new possibilities for preventing tinnitus with early drug treatments.

longer efficiently transmit information from the ears to the brain.

In allied research, the team discovered that turning the volume up too high on your headphones can damage the coating of nerve cells, leading to temporary deafness.

Fusiform cells in the dorsal cochlear nucleus display an irregular pattern of activity after exposure to loud sound

Noises louder than 110 decibels SPL are known to cause hearing problems such as temporary deafness and tinnitus (ringing in the ears), but the University of Leicester study is the first time the underlying cell damage has been observed.

Nerve cells that carry electrical signals from the ears to the brain have a coating called the myelin sheath, which helps the electrical signals travel along the cell.

Exposure to loud noises – i.e. noise over 110 decibels SPL – can strip the cells of this coating, disrupting the electrical signals. This means the nerves can no

However, the coating surrounding the nerve cells can reverse after two months and recovery of the hearing is also observed after this period. This result provides an explanation to temporary hearing loss, the researchers said.

Continued >>

28 LE1 · the magazine of the University of Leicester · spring 2013

Funding bodies and collaborators involved in the various projects include: Research Councils UK The Wellcome Trust GlaxoSmithKline

In a separate programme of research into tinnitus at the University, innovation from the Medical School, working with our Enterprise and Business Development Office, recently enjoyed pride of place in an exhibition that showcased the very best of British manufacturing at the Science Museum in London.

Action for Tinnitus Research Deafness Research UK Autifony Therapeutics Ltd The MRC Orthoscopics Ltd and University Hospitals Leicester NHS Trust The UK Design Council and design company Smallfry Medisearch and the Royal Society

The Spectral Tinnitus Relief Therapy was the winner of ‘Changing Lives’ category in the Make it in Great Britain Challenge competition hosted by the Science Museum over the summer and went on to be selected as a finalist. The Competition aimed to find the most innovative pre-market products, processes and concepts being developed in the UK. The innovation stems from observations originally made by Orthoscopics, the commercial partner in this project, showing that exposure to tinted light, tailored specifically to the individual patient, appeared to provide acute relief from tinnitus symptoms in about 40% of sufferers in the trial. In partnership with

the University Space Research Centre, the team is developing a light-based treatment for tinnitus, suitable for consumer use.

Led by Dr Mike Mulheran with Orthoscopics and ENT colleagues at the Leicester Royal Infirmary, trials were conducted in a darkened soundproof room. Tinnitus patients were then free to vary the colour generated by the LED lamp and to tell researchers when their tinnitus changed. Importantly they had no other clues to tell them what the precise colour was – the calibrated LED lamp can generate well over million different colour tints.

Lecturer Dr Mike Mulheran said: “If what the tinnitus patients are telling us is really happening, then it is very interesting and exciting. However the most important thing is to extend our trials and conduct further tests to see if this preliminary finding can be developed further. As scientists, we would like to get a better understanding of what actually is going on between the light stimulus and the perception of tinnitus”.n

LE1 · The magazine of the University of Leicester · spring 2013 29

““

If what the tinnitus patients are telling us is really happening, then it is very interesting and exciting… As scientists, we would like to get a better understanding of what actually is going on between the light stimulus and the perception of tinnitus.

”

Dr Mike Mulheran, Medical Education, College of Medicine, Biological Sciences and Psychology

Dr Mike Mulheran, left, with a tinnitus patient. The patient varies the colour generated by an LED lamp, to find a shade that will change her tinnitus

30 LE1 · the magazine of the University of Leicester · spring 2013

Annual Report timeline August – October 2011 n Parents of nutallergy sufferers face hostility and scepticism in trying to find safe environments for their children, a new study has found.

Funded by Midlands Asthma and Allergy Research Association (MAARA), the researchers interviewed 26 families about the techniques and strategies they use to cope in various situations.

Professor Mary Dixon-Woods (pictured), from the University of Leicester Department of Health Sciences, said: “Nut allergy is a frightening experience for most families.” n The University continued its celebration of 50 years of internationally renowned Space research with a symposium looking ahead to the next 50 years.

‘Observing the Earth and Planets: The Next 50 Years’ attracted experts on Space from the worlds of academia, Space agencies and industry. It considered the next steps in Space research over the coming decades, the science that will be required and the role of academia in the Space sector. n A new initiative based at the University was also launched during the symposium. The Space IDEAS Hub is a three-year £2m project, part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), to promote knowledge transfer related to space technologies.

n Scientists have for the first time discovered sixteen new sections of the genetic code that relate to lung health – opening up the possibility for better prevention as well as treatment for lung diseases.

It is the first time that these sixteen common genetic variants have been definitely linked with lung function.

Researchers say the new pathways discovered could be targeted by drugs.

The study was led by Professor Martin Tobin from the University of Leicester, Professor Ian Hall from The University of Nottingham and Dr Stephanie London from the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. n The first-ever comprehensive study of the impact of the Special Olympics GB (SOGB) National Summer Games concluded that sport not only provides enormous social and health benefits for people with learning disabilities – but it can also act as a pathway to a greater sense of citizenship and inclusivity.

Produced by sports history and sociology experts at the University of Leicester and De Montfort University (DMU), the Learning Disability, Sport and Legacy report was launched at the House of Commons.

The report was the result of a two-year research project led jointly by John Williams from the University of Leicester’s Department of Sociology and Professor Richard Holt and Dr Neil Carter from DMU’s International Centre for Sports History and Culture.

© Gertan / Shutterstock.com

n The University‘s Botanic Garden in Oadby showed itself to be at the top of the class for educational visits by being awarded a Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge.

Awarded by the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom, the LOtC Quality Badge combines for the first time learning and safety into one easily recognisable badge for all organisations providing learning outside the classroom experiences. n The University’s fourth annual Literary Leicester festival presented a glittering list of writers and poets including Colm Toìbin, the multi-award-winning novelist, short story writer, essayist, playwright, journalist, critic and poet.

LE1 · The magazine of the University of Leicester · spring 2013 31

November – December 2011 n Medical scientists for the first time identified a gene responsible for a fatal abdominal condition that afflicts tens of thousands of people across the world.

An international team led by Matt Bown, a vascular surgeon from the University of Leicester, identified a single gene that is linked to the development of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). n The University announced the establishment of three major new research centres that will bring new investment to the region and tackle local as well as global issues.

The three new Research Centres are in the fields of Medical Humanities; Landscape and Climate Research Interactions and Change; and Bioengineering.

The new centres reflect the University’s commitment to research excellence and will mean that Leicester will be known for its expertise in these areas.

Each centre is headed by new Research Professors: Professor Steve King in History, Professor Heiko Balzter in Geography and Professor Rodrigo Quian Quiroga in Engineering have been appointed to the new roles.

Guy Peters from the University of Leicester tests the technology

n A pioneering method to detect fake whisky through the bottle using space technology was crowned the Food and Drink iNet Innovation Champion 2011.

Developed by the University’s Space Research Centre, the technology was described by the judges as ‘a fascinating project that has huge potential for the food and drink sector’.

Anopheles stephensi: A mosquito in flight with its abdomen full of blood.

This species, Anopheles stephensi, is the insect that transmits malaria in India and Pakistan. Credit: Hugh Sturrock/Wellcome Images

n An international team of scientists announced a breakthrough in the fight against malaria, paving the way for the development of new drugs to treat the deadly disease.

The researchers discovered new ways in which the malarial parasite survives in the bloodstream of its victims.

The breakthrough was made by the teams led by Professor Andrew Tobin at the University of Leicester and Professor Christian Doerig, now at Monash University, and was published in Nature Communications and was funded by The Wellcome Trust, the European Commission, Inserm and EPFL. n Highly specialised equipment constructed at the University for India’s first national astronomy satelliteAstrosat – was handed over to a delegation from India.

The University hosted an event to celebrate the final visit by a team from the Tata Institute for Fundamental Research, (TIFR), Mumbai, as they test one of the final pieces for Astrosat.

n The University was selected to play a key role in NASA’s $2.5 billion mission to Mars.

Dr John Bridges of the University’s Space Research Centre, led a team from the University of Leicester, the Open University and CNES France as participating scientists on the Mars Science Laboratory Mission. n Parasitic worms that infect fish, and have a devastating effect on fish reproduction, grow four times faster at higher temperatures – providing some of the first evidence that global warming affects the interactions between parasites and their hosts.

The study from the University revealed that global warming had the potential to change the balance between parasite and host – with potentially serious implications for fish populations.

Dr Iain Barber who carried out the study with doctoral student Vicki Macnab, from the Department of Biology, also observed behavioural change in infected fish – suggesting parasites may manipulate host behaviour to make them seek out warmer temperatures.

The research, supported by funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), was published in the influential journal Global Change Biology.

The Indian Space Research Organisation approached the University of Leicester Space Research Centre to undertake the Soft X-ray Telescope (SXT) camera development. Due to Leicester’s acclaimed track record in specialised X-ray camera design with successful missions such as SWIFT and XMM-Newton, the University was able to provide the expertise and support to build the CCD camera for the SXT Professor K P SIngh, Tata Institute for Fundamental Research, with on Astrosat.

University Senior Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Mark Thompson

32 LE1 · the magazine of the University of Leicester · spring 2013

January – February 2012 n A retired university professor received the honour of seeing his name attached to a newly discovered species of grass.

Brachypodium stacei was named in honour of Clive Stace, Emeritus Professor of Biology at the University. n THE ISSUE – a major European project aimed at delivering green traffic management systems in European cities and towns was launched in Leicester.

The project – which brings together research clusters from five European regions – is being led by the University of Leicester and Leicester City Council and will help establish the East Midlands region as an international leader in traffic management research.

Other local partners are De Montfort University, The University of Nottingham and Astrium Services (Leicester).

Funding of €2.7 million (£2.4 million) has been secured from the European Commission for the project with Emeritus Professor Alan Wells from the University of Leicester acting as scientific lead and Leicester City Council assuming the role of accountable body for the overall project.

n Students taking English at the University will gain a unique opportunity to acquire hands-on experience of the publishing industry.

A new module offered to third year undergraduate students will allow them to take “e-placements” with twelve independent publishers of transcultural writing as part of their course.

Dr Lucy Evans and Dr Corinne Fowler, of the University’s School of English, used their own contacts in the publishing industry to plan the semester-long module. n The University hosted the UK launch of a pan-European project focusing on improving later-life learning experiences across 17 countries.

Professor John Benyon (pictured), from the Institute of Lifelong Learning at the University, leads the ForAge European project which will gather the later-life learning experiences of 17 countries. The project is a European multi-lateral network which aims to contribute to the international research and evidence base about the benefits of later-life learning.

n The biggest study into the treatment of urinary incontinence with botulinum toxin (trade name Botox) has demonstrated that it is effective in treating overactive bladder (OAB) – a debilitating common condition which can affect up to 20% of people over the age of 40.

The study from the University of Leicester was led by Professor Douglas Tincello (pictured), Senior Lecturer at the University and Honorary Consultant Gynaecologist at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust.

Professor Tincello, of the University of Leicester’s Department of Cancer Studies and Molecular Medicine, has published his research in the journal European Urology. The research was funded by the Moulton Charitable Trust, Wellbeing of Women and the Rosetrees Trust.

n Despite a world of opportunities just a click away, there has been no significant shift in the uptake of lifelong learning over the past decade according to new research.

Although easier access to the internet and faster connections may have facilitated informal learning opportunities, the vision of mass learning is simply a pipe-dream, researchers claim.

Analysis conducted by Dr Patrick White, a lecturer in the Department of Sociology at the University of Leicester, suggests that participation in adult learning neither increased nor widened during the first decade of the 21st Century.

Scientific Insights: The University is a partner in a scheme for green traffic management.

LE1 · The magazine of the University of Leicester · spring 2013 33

February – April 2012 n The Booker prize-winning author, Ben Okri, is Visiting Professor for a period of two years, delivering masterclasses to BA and MA students at the School of English.

Ben is involved in the Literary Leicester festival and the Centre for New Writing, which is to be launched on 20th March, 2013.

n Scientists working for Kidney Research UK have developed a revolutionary new procedure that could improve the prospects of thousands of renal patients by increasing the success rate and longevity of kidney transplants, while also enabling more organs from marginal donors to be used for transplantation.

The project is the first of its kind anywhere in the world and has led to the development of a process

n Leicester study has provided clear evidence that continuity of care, that is, allowing a patient to see their preferred doctor in the GP surgery, has an important impact on reducing hospital admissions.

Research from the University’s Department of Health Sciences found that a 1% increase in the proportion of patients able to see their preferred doctor was associated with a reduction of 7.6 elective admissions per year in the average-sized practice for 2006-07 and 3.1 elective admissions for 2007-08. n Leicester students competed in Muggle Quidditch – the real life version of the

called normothermic perfusion – a form of resuscitation which allows doctors to improve the quality of kidneys taken from deceased organ donors.

By flushing donor kidneys with oxygenated blood prior to transplantation, normothermic perfusion reverses the damage done to organs by storing them at low temperatures – optimizing early graft function so that they work better immediately after transplantation.

fictional sport featured in JK Rowling’s famous Harry Potter novels. The game, against rivals Keele University, was the first inter-university game in the UK played to the official International Quidditch Association (IQA) rulebook. n Leicester was cited amongst the UK’s most innovative universities winning a share of £750,000 to support outstanding projects that are helping to develop new ideas from the drawing board into the market place.

The University’s successful bid supports student enterprise through the Careers Service as well as commercialising academic projects.

With kidneys that function well early on proven to last longer, normothermic perfusion could not only reduce rejection rates but also increase the lifespan of transplanted kidneys, which currently only last around 10 to 15 years.

Lead researcher for Kidney Research UK Professor Mike Nicholson (pictured centre), Professor of Transplant Surgery and Head of Transplant Surgery Group at the University of Leicester’s Department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, as well as a consultant surgeon with Leicester Hospitals, said: “Normothermic perfusion allows us to gradually reintroduce blood flow to donor kidneys outside of the body and in a controlled way.

“This reverses much of the damage caused by cold storage, while offering us a unique opportunity to treat the organs with antiinflammatory agents and other drugs before going on to complete the transplant procedure.

“In short, we’re able repair and revive damaged kidneys in a way that would otherwise be impossible.”

34 LE1 · the magazine of the University of Leicester · spring 2013

May 2012

Jupiter’s moons. It was shipped to NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center where it will be integrated with the other three instruments and the telescope.

n The University and University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust received a £1.1 million grant to continue working with local patients to develop innovative new cancer treatments.

Leicester Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC) was awarded funding for a further five years from Cancer Research UK and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).

Left to Right: the icy moons Europa, Ganymede, & Callisto [credit: NASA]

Personnel from the University’s Space Research Centre and X-ray and Observational Astronomy Research Group, both part of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, were heavily involved as members of the team conducting the intensive cryogenic test programme.

Staff from the University of Leicester, UK-STFC’s RAL-Space, and NASA inspect the MIRI (Mid-InfraRed Instrument) flight instrument for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in May 2012. Credit: NASA.

n University of Leicester engineers and scientists completed work on a world-leading instrument that will operate in space on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) – the successor to Hubble.

n The European Space Agency (ESA) approved a new mission to explore Jupiter and its icy moons to reveal fresh insights into the habitability of the ‘waterworlds’ orbiting the giant planets in our solar system and beyond.

Imperial, Oxford, Leicester and UCL will be among the UK institutions working to propose experiments to be carried as part of the spacecraft payload.

These instruments will be specifically designed to study the gas giant, its icy moons and charged particle environment to an unprecedented level of detail, giving our most detailed characterisation of the Jovian system ever obtained.

After more than 10 years of work by more than 200 engineers nationally, the UK-led Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI) was declared ready for delivery by the European Space Agency and NASA. The MIRI Optical System is a pioneering camera and spectrometer, so sensitive it could see a candle on one of

Engineers from the University’s Space Research Centre have provided leadership of the mechanical engineering design and construction of MIRI over the last decade, and are heavily involved in the task of ensuring that this delicate instrument, weighing around 100 kg, was safely transported from the UK to the USA. They will continue to play a key role during the testing of JWST in the USA over the next few years. n A new study aimed to investigate whether the growing phenomenon of slum tourism is merely a cynical form of entertainment for the rich – or whether it can help to tackle global inequalities and injustices.

Research at the University will analyse the growth in tours of areas of urban poverty, often called slums, favelas or townships. The project is funded by the European Union through a prestigious Marie Curie post-doctoral fellowship awarded to Dr Fabian Frenzel, a lecturer in the Political Economy of Organisation at the School of Management.

Favela in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

LE1 · The magazine of the University of Leicester · spring 2013 35

June – July 2012 n A non-stop ‘Shakespeareathon’ took place at the University, marking a major contribution that the University and Union made to The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

Shakespeare’s entire written works – poems and plays – were performed chronologically in the open air over five days, with proceeds from sponsorship going to heart research.

Leicester University Theatre in the Students’ Union spearheaded the event which continued non-stop, night and day encompassing the Complete Works of Shakespeare: 40 plays and around 160+ poems.

n A sinister garden shed adorned with “restricted area” signs was one of the unsettling installations to feature in the University’s latest outdoor sculpture exhibition.

‘Interesting Times,’ the University of Leicester’s eleventh annual Sculpture in the Garden exhibition, saw the botanic garden – which is also used by the University for bioscience research – turned into a laboratory for experiments in art.

An ominous shed, which emits strange sounds and smells, was part of a series by award-winning sculptor Nick Turvey, and was exhibited alongside pieces by other sculptors including a larger than life bronze man suspended in space and a set of granite bulbs erupting from the ground like upended mines.

The Sculpture in the Garden show was curated by sculptor Almuth Tebbenhoff and brought together work by 19 celebrated artists including William Tucker, RA; Katherine Gili, Eilis O’Connell, David Worthington, Sean Henry.

n A charity operating Britain’s longest-running pollen database is investing over £340,000 into vital asthma and allergy research at the University of Leicester.

The Midlands Asthma and Allergy Research Association (MAARA), a local charity established in 1968 to undertake and fund research into the causes of asthma and allergy, is funding the study

by Dr Catherine Pashley (pictured) in the University’s Department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation.

n The prominent Leicestershire industrialist and philanthropist David Wilson CBE DL, through his charitable foundation The David Wilson Foundation, became the leading local donor to the University of Leicester’s new £12.6m Cardiovascular Research Centre at Glenfield Hospital.

An Honorary Graduate of the University, Dr Wilson announced that the Foundation would donate £500,000 to complete the public phase of the appeal to help equip the state-of-the-art research centre.

The £1m public appeal, which reached the half-way mark within 10 months following generous donations and pledges from communities across Leicestershire and Rutland, was therefore able to achieve its target thanks to the tremendous donation from the Foundation.

The gift from The David Wilson Foundation will be marked by the naming of the prestigious Ground Floor of the new Centre which will be known as ‘The David Wilson Biobank’.

Left to Right: Professor Sir Robert Burgess, Professor Nilesh Samani, Mrs Laura Wilson, Dr David Wilson

36 LE1 · the magazine of the University of Leicester · spring 2013

Personalia 2011-12 Professor Panicos Demetriades (Economics) has been appointed Governor of the Central Bank of Cyprus and, as part of this role, a member of the Governing Council of the European Central Bank.

Professor Gráinne Conole (Beyond Distance Research Alliance) and Professor Jon Scott (Cell Physiology and Pharmacology) were awarded National Teaching Fellowships by the Higher Education Academy.

Professor Sir Robert Burgess (Vice-Chancellor) was honoured with a Lifetime Contribution to Midlands Business Award, recognising outstanding contributions to business, industry and society. He has also been appointed Chair of NatCen Social Research, the UK’s leading social research institute, from February 2012.

The Academy of Social Sciences conferred the award of Academician

to five distinguished scholars from the University of Leicester: Professor Panicos Demetriades (Economics); Professor Mary Dixon-Woods (Health Sciences); Professor Gianni De Fraja (Economics); Professor Barrie Gunter (Media and Communication); and Professor Mark Phythian (Politics and International Relations).

Professor Mary Dixon-Woods (Health Sciences) is among the first recipients of a Senior Investigator award in Medical Humanities from the Wellcome Trust.

Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys received the AstraZeneca Award by the Biochemical Society. The award recognises outstanding work which, through biomedical advances, leads to development of a new reagent or method.

Professor Heiko Balzter (Geography) was the recipient of a Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award.

Professor Panicos Demetriades Professor Kevin Schürer

Professor Barrie Gunter

Professor Kevin Schürer (Pro-Vice Chancellor) led a research bid which has won a prestigious international award as part of the Digging Into Data Challenge.

Students in the Leicester Bright Futures Society won the Careers Service Collaboration award at the national Bright Futures awards ceremony. The award recognises the importance of working well with the University’s own careers team to provide the best possible service for students.

Professor Rick Thomas (Computer Science), James Hamill (Politics and International Relations), Dr Noel Davies (Cell Physiology and Pharmacology) and Dr Ross Parry (Museum Studies) were the winners of the Students’ Union’s ‘I Love My Academic’ contest for 2012.

The University’s Library won the Outstanding Library Team award at the 2012 Times Higher Education Leadership and Management Awards.

The Division of Corporate Affairs and Planning received five HEIST Awards: Gold Awards in the Best PR/ Advocacy Campaign and Best Strategic Campaign; Silver Awards for Best Professor Jon Scott

Professor Gráinne Conole

Professor Heiko Balzter

Ms Kathy Williams

LE1 · The magazine of the University of Leicester · spring 2013 37

Alumni/Fundraising Campaign and for Best Postgraduate Prospectus and Bronze for Best Undergraduate Prospectus.

The Department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation received a Bronze Athena SWAN Department Award. The award recognises and celebrates good employment practice for women working in science, engineering and technology (SET) in higher education and research.

Leicester Conferences received a silver award for ‘Best Value for Money Conference Venue’ and bronze in the ‘Best Academic Venue’ category at the 2012 Meetings and Incentive Travel National Industry Awards.

Winners of the Students’ Union’s ‘I Love My Academic’ contest, 2012

Queen’s New Year Honours Professor Derek Raine (Physics and Astronomy) was awarded an MBE for services to science education.

Queen’s Birthday Honours Kathy Williams, who retired as Academic Registrar in September 2010, was awarded an MBE for services to the University of Leicester.

Leicester is the only university to have won six consecutive Times Higher Awards

Professor Derek Raine

The Library picked up the award of Outstanding Library Team at the 2012 THE Awards

38 LE1 · the magazine of the University of Leicester · spring 2013

Degree Celebrations January 2012

Sir David Samworth CBE, DL (Doctor of Laws) Leicestershire-born entrepreneur and philanthropist, and co-founder of Samworth Brothers Limited.

Honorands Biddy Baxter MBE (Doctor of Laws) producer and editor on the BBC children’s programme ‘Blue Peter’, born and educated in Leicester.

Nigel Henbest (Doctor of Science) astronomer, science writer and broadcaster, and University of Leicester graduate.

July 2012 Honorands Rex Bloomstein (Doctor of Letters) documentary-maker and British Academy Award winner.

Margaret Lovell (Doctor of Letters) award-winning sculptor and a Fellow of the Royal Society of British Sculptors.

Michael Shattock (Doctor of Letters) former Registrar at the University of Warwick and Visiting Professor at the Centre for Higher Education Studies within the University of London’s Institute of Education.

Philip Dodd (Doctor of Letters) former University of Leicester lecturer, an awardwinning broadcaster and Chairman of Made in China.

John Florance (Doctor of Laws) broadcaster and Faith Producer for BBC Radio Leicester.

Rt Hon Dame Janet Paraskeva DBE (Doctor of Laws) first Chief Executive of the National Youth Agency in Leicester and first Director for England of the National Lottery Charities Board as well as the first Chief Executive of the Law Society.

Frances Patterson Q.C. (Doctor of Laws) Public Law Commissioner for England and Wales and a Deputy High Court Judge.

Lord Justice Goldring (Doctor of Laws) Lord Justice of Appeal and Senior Presiding Judge of England and Wales.

Mark Walport FRS, FMedSci (Doctor of Science) Director of the Wellcome Trust and the Government Chief Scientific Adviser from April 2013.

Julie Anne Etchingham (Doctor of Laws) award-winning television newsreader and journalist, currently presenter for ITV News at Ten and the ITV Tonight Programme.

Biddy Baxter

John Florance

Julie Anne Etchingham

Rt Hon Dame Janet Paraskeva

Lord Justice Goldring

Nigel Henbest

Margaret Lovell

Rex Bloomstein

Sir David Samworth

Mark Walport

LE1 · The magazine of the University of Leicester · spring 2013 39

Statistics

Visitor Her Majesty the Queen

Officers and Senior Staff 2011-12

Student Numbers 2011-12 Total Registered Students

22,551

Undergraduate

11,384

Postgraduate Taught

9,312

Postgraduate Research

1,494

Distance Learning

7,788

Distribution of full-time Students Home/EU

9,790

Overseas

3,627

Chancellor Vacancy Pro-Chancellors R H Bettles, BDS, DDH, LDS, MCD, DDPH P Bateman, BSc Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Robert Burgess, Kt, DL, BA, PhD, AcSS Treasurer Dr B E Towle, CBE, BA, LLD, FRSA Senior Pro-Vice-Chancellor

Staff Numbers 2011-12 Total 3,946

Professor M P Thompson, LLB, LLM Pro-Vice-Chancellors

Full-time non-clinical academic staff

728

Part-time non-clinical academic staff

44

Professor M A Barstow, BA, PhD, CSci, CPhys, FInstP

Full-time clinical academic staff

78

Ms C Fyfe, BA, MA, MBA

Part-time clinical academic staff

14

Professor E Murphy, MA(Hons), MSc, PhD

Full-time research staff

385

Professor K Schürer, BA, PhD, AcSS

Part-time research staff

67

Professor D Tallack, BA, MA, DPhil

Full-time academic related staff

635

Part-time academic related staff

130

Full-time support staff

855

Part-time support staff

1,010

Professor D Wynford-Thomas, MB BCh(Hons), FRCPath, DSc, FMEDSci Graduate Dean Professor S V Hainsworth, BEng, PhD, CEng, CSci, FIMMM Registrar and Secretary

income 2011-2012 (Total £263,862,000)

D E Hall, BA Director of Library Services

Funding body grants £65,895,000 (25%)

L Jones, BA, MA, MPA

Tuition fees and education contracts £98,274,000 (37%) Research grants and contracts £49,634,000 (19%) Other income £49,218,000 (19%) Endowment and investment £841,000

Printed by Print Services, University of Leicester, using vegetable based inks on FSC certified stock

League table cites Leicester in UK’s top ten for research citations (QS Rankings 2012)

The University’s search for England’s last Plantagenet King, Richard III, draws to a crescendo with an announcement in February 2013

Leicester plays host to the BBC’s Stargazing Live event drawing thousands to the campus to see the work of the University

A sixth Times Higher Award (this time for Outstanding Library Team) means Leicester has won more consecutive Times Higher Awards than any other university

The University’s Dr John Bridges leads a European team embedded with the NASA Curiosity Mars Rover mission

Major investment in new sports facilities sees new sports centres and two swimming pools open at the University

Revolutionary new techniques to combat tinnitus under development at Leicester

Two Leicester academics named as National Teaching Fellows

5221_01/13

Britain’s most comprehensive study of hate crime launched by Leicester criminologists